by M. J. Haag
His arms circled around me, giving me comfort and adding to my desperation.
“Come back safe. Please.”
Before I could second guess myself, I pressed my lips to his.
He jerked slightly, then growled softly. One hand slid down to my butt, gripping me and lifting me while the other cradled the back of my head. My breasts flattened against the bare expanse of his chest. The contact sent a shiver through me, and I made a small sound.
With another growl, he licked my parted lips. I gasped, giving him the entrance he sought. His hot tongue swept over mine without hesitation. He wanted, and he took. Heart thundering, I slid my fingers into his hair and lost myself to the sensation of his lips against mine.
Someone nearby yelled something. Drav pulled back. While I gasped for breath and struggled to think clearly, he set me down and put his forehead to mine.
“Thank you, Mya.” He released me and walked toward the waiting men.
I blinked at his chiseled back. My lips felt swollen and tingly. The brief, passionate kiss hadn’t lasted nearly long enough.
Eleven
Kerr touched my elbow to gain my attention, and my mental fog parted enough to let reality settle in.
“Come, Mya,” he said.
He directed me forward, closer to the center of the area where the men would fight. Other fey filtered into the area, too, forming a circle. The majority of them had witnessed what had happened at the feast. Thinking of the angry stares I’d received while horking down those two rolls, I moved closer to Kerr.
The two challenging fey joined Drav on the packed dirt. Their darker skin stood out in comparison to Drav’s, and their rage-filled eyes glowed with brighter yellow tints.
Most of the crowd’s attention stayed focused on Drav and the two men as they faced off. Some cast glances at me, though, and I could see the burning resentment there. I cringed, wishing I could take back my actions.
A fey stepped up next to me, blocking out most of the irritated glances.
“Mya,” Shax said in greeting.
“Hey, Shax. How’s the arm?”
He lifted it to show me an almost healed bite.
“Looks good.”
The smack of flesh against flesh drew my attention back to the challenge in time to see Drav hop away from Grio. The man stumbled backwards, clutching his bloody, broken nose. Limar snarled and lunged at Drav. Drav swung but missed, enabling Limar to knock him off his feet. As they fell, Drav twisted so they landed on their sides, instead of allowing Limar on top. A plume of black dust rose around them.
While that kind of impact would have knocked the wind from me, neither man seemed to notice. They rolled on the ground, both fighting for control over the other. Meanwhile, Grio shook his head and blew the blood from his nose. With an angry shout, he rushed the pair at the same moment Limar managed to muscle his way to the top.
Drav roared, flexed his arms and kicked up with his legs, using leverage and Limar’s weight against him. He flipped the man up and over his head and shoulders. Limar flew into Grio and both men fell hard. Limar’s back hit the ground first with a slap, and I flinched as more dust was kicked up.
Limar leapt to his feet and charged Drav. Grio gained his feet, too, but was slower to rejoin the fight. He stood back, studying the pair, and I caught the brief moment Limar’s eyes met Grio’s.
Drav ducked under Limar’s next swing, and Limar jumped back a step, circling Drav. I saw right away what they were doing. Limar was positioning Drav so he wouldn’t see Grio coming. I opened my mouth to call out a warning, but Grio moved too fast.
He rushed forward and had Drav’s head in his hands.
“Drav!” I shouted in panic.
I took a step forward. Kerr moved in front of me, protecting me from myself, but also blocking the fight from my view.
“I’m good. I promise,” I said hurriedly.
Shaking, I leaned around him, dreading what I’d see.
Grio sat on the ground, holding his nose once more. Limar threw his arms out to catch Drav around the waist, but Drav ducked and landed a strong fist into the man’s gut. Limar grunted and backed away, doubled over.
Heart in my throat, I watched in relief, knowing Drav had narrowly avoided a very dangerous situation. Drav spared me a glance before his attention returned to the two men he fought.
“Why is this necessary? All because I ate before someone?”
Kerr grunted, but it was Shax who answered. Most of it I couldn’t understand, but I caught Phusty’s name intermingled with the other words. I had no idea what that might signify. The men were more upset about what had happened to Phusty?
A loud roar echoed around us as Drav trapped Limar in a headlock. Grio jumped to his feet and pounded on Drav’s back and softer sides. The brutal thuds reverberated around the otherwise silent circle. Pain flickered on Drav’s face, but the muscles in his arm tightened around the neck in his grasp.
My lungs emptied of air, and my attempt to inhale caught in my throat.
Drav wrapped his hand in Limar’s hair and, with a mighty cry, pulled back. His muscles bulged as he tore Limar’s head from his shoulders.
Blood splattered on the ground. Even though I should have been prepared since I’d witnessed Drav do it before, this time was so different. This time, the fight really had been my fault. All because of two stupid cabbage rolls. I sniffled slightly. Shax glanced at me, but I didn’t turn away from the scene of death before me.
The coppery tang of blood filled the air, and my stomach churned. Drav, Ghua, and the others had made such a big deal out of Phusty’s death. And, two criminals had been exiled for the death of another fey. If death upset them so much, why were the challenges centered around killing each other?
Drav tossed Limar’s head aside, and no one in the surrounding group even blinked an eye. I seemed to be the only one upset by the ordeal. Grio didn’t seem particularly angry that his partner was gone.
Covered in Limar’s blood, Drav faced off with Grio.
As much as I needed Drav to win, my focus didn’t stray from Limar’s remains. The blood stopped gushing from the stump of his neck, and his arms and legs twitched. I waited for a sign that he would heal like the animals in the vision, that his head would grow back or reattach or something. Instead, the body vanished, leaving behind a flat pair of pants.
My mouth dropped open.
“Wh-what?”
I glanced at Drav, who circled Grio. Blood dripped from Drav’s nose now, too, and his breaths were labored. Grio was in much worse shape with a fat lip and a cut above his eye. He breathed even harder than Drav.
It didn’t matter. Seeing Drav hurt and bleeding spiked my anger. This whole challenge was ridiculous. No one should die over the fact that I took a bite of food first. Or because Phusty had attacked Drav first, to get to me. Drav was only trying to protect me.
I stepped forward ready to try to stop this from going any further, but Kerr grabbed my arm. His grasp, not unlike Drav’s when we first met, bit into my skin. I cried out in surprise. Kerr obviously didn’t realize his strength.
A familiar roar reached my ears, and I looked over to find Drav glaring at Kerr. The rage painting his features worried me, and I swatted Kerr’s hand to get him to release me. He did, but not soon enough based on Drav’s murderous gaze.
Grio took the distraction as an opportunity to attack Drav again and lunged forward, grabbing the back of Drav’s head. He fisted Drav’s hair around his hand and yanked backwards.
The move only pissed off Drav more. He reached back and grabbed the hand tangled in his hair. Snarling, he bent forward, throwing Grio over his shoulder.
Grio landed hard in front of Drav, his head slamming against the ground. None of the men jeered or heckled the fallen man. They remained quiet, watching the fight with rapt attention as Drav kneeled on Grio’s chest and pummeled his face. Blood spurted from Grio’s nose, splattering Drav’s already blood soaked chest.
“Drav!”
>
His face twisted in rage as he continued to pound on Grio. I called his name one more time before he finally stopped. Grio’s face was a bloody mess, and the man didn’t move. I wasn’t even sure he still breathed.
Certain that Drav would get up now, I wasn’t prepared when he reached down, grabbed the sides of Grio’s head, and tore it away with a gag-inducing sound.
I stepped back as Drav threw the head away and it rolled to the other side of the circle. The fey, who had gathered to watch, nodded in Drav’s direction and began to disburse.
Drav turned toward us. His tangled braids were shiny with blood, and it looked like a darkening bruise colored his chest. Blood dripped down his face and from his knuckles. I wasn’t sure how badly he was hurt and hesitated to step forward to find out.
Drav still looked ready to kill someone. But he wasn’t looking at me.
Kerr stepped back, looking ashamed. Shax stayed by my side as Drav made his way over.
“Thank you, Shax,” Drav said. Shax nodded then left with the rest.
Drav bypassed me and stepped up to Kerr, speaking in their language, his voice harsh. My name was thrown in there, and I stepped forward with the intention of halting Drav from whatever he might do. Yet again, I was too slow. Drav drew back and landed a punch to Kerr’s right eye. Kerr didn’t seem upset about the attack as he faced me.
“Ego veniam,” Kerr said, bending at the waist in a sweeping bow.
Confused and annoyed by the whole shit storm I’d just witnessed, I shook my head and glared at Drav.
“What the hell is going on?”
“Kerr apologized.”
Kerr took that as his cue to leave and stepped around us.
“You didn’t have to punch him. He didn’t mean to hurt me.”
“But he did hurt you.”
I rubbed my face, trying to stay calm.
“He stopped me from interfering, Drav. A mild grip on my arm. Nothing compared to what you just did. You killed those men!”
“Yes, to protect you. They will not bother you any longer.”
“Yeah, no kidding. Dead people usually don’t bother anyone. And what the hell happened to their bodies?”
“The crystals protected them.”
“No, I’m pretty sure they didn’t. You ripped off their heads, just like you did to everyone who annoyed you on the surface. I very much doubt their crystals can heal that.”
Drav looked frustrated, and threaded his bloody fingers through mine. He tugged me forward in the direction of the waterfall. I tried to pull away, unsure that I wanted to go anywhere with him just then. I was relieved that he was safe, but I needed a minute to process what the hell had just happened.
“Come.” Drav pulled me more insistently. I glanced at his gory chest and knew I needed to keep up or risk being carried.
The sounds from the river, the quiet babble of water and the occasional random splash, grew louder as we neared.
“Drav…”
“I will show you, Mya.”
At the river, some of the men from the challenge gathered near an inlet. They stared at the still waters pooled there. I looked, too. Two completely bare-assed men were emerging from the depths. I quickly spun around.
“Mya, look,” Drav said, gently tugging my fingers.
Did he seriously want me to eye up two naked men?
“What is the point of this, Drav?” I asked, feeling the heat in my cheeks.
“Do you not recognize them?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Turn around and look.”
Huffing a breath, I did as he asked but kept my eyes trained on the men’s faces. They met my gaze. Both nodded respectfully at me and repeated the same words Kerr had used before leaving us. Why were these guys apologizing to me?
It took another moment for me to recognize them. Grio and Limar stood in the thigh deep waters, both completely bald. No hair on their heads, eyebrows or…
I quickly shifted my gaze to Drav.
“Why are they bald now?”
“We come back hairless.”
“Come back. How…how is that possible?” In the vision, everything they had killed had healed, not disappeared.
“The crystal protects us.”
Not just protection, and far more than resurrection. All those times he’d ripped off the heads on the surface had he thought his victims would come back like this? Was that why it had been so easy for him to kill?
I stared at Drav, unsure how to react.
“All the heads you took off up on the surface…did you think they would come back?”
“Yes.”
My eyes started to burn with unshed tears. As much as I’d started to like him, another part of me had held onto the fact he’d coldly killed so many. But that wasn’t who he was.
Concern etched his features when he saw my tears, and he stepped closer. I stopped him before he could set his forehead to mine. He was still covered in blood. Some of which belonged to him.
“You need to clean up,” I said. “And when you’re done, you have my permission.”
A wide grin split his lips.
“Yes.” The drawn out, triumphant way he said it set my heart racing.
Twelve
Drav took my hand and led me further up the river where the waterfall crashed down. Other men swam in the churning waters. I waited for Drav to dive in and join them, but he didn’t. He turned to me with an intense look in his eyes.
The roar of the water filled my ears until he leaned in and said four little words that sent a bolt of panic and desire through me.
“Take your clothes off.”
I jerked back and looked into his eyes to see if he was serious. Raw determination lit his gaze, and he reached down to tug at the tie holding up his pants. My gaze followed, and my mouth went dry when the material pooled around his ankles. Completely unashamed of his nudity, he stood still and let me stare at his massive erection. My face heated, but for the life of me, I couldn’t bring myself to look away for several long seconds.
When I finally did, he kicked his pants aside with an indifference that didn’t match the stark hunger in his eyes. He reached out, this time to tug at the hem of my shirt.
“Why?” I managed to croak.
He trailed his fingers along the side of my neck.
“So I can look at you and touch your softness.”
I shivered and swallowed hard, wanting that too, more than I thought possible.
Someone moved in the water behind him, reminding me that we had an audience. I stepped back, and he shadowed me, denying me the distance I needed to think clearly.
“W-what about everyone else? I don’t want them watching and getting ideas.”
Drav turned his head, glancing on the few men washing in the water, then at the men who had followed us.
“Go. Mya wants to bathe in private.”
“What?” I squeaked.
Drav’s gaze pinned me as the men left the water. I tried again to put some space between us, but he followed me, step for step, until he reached out and gripped my waist and pulled flush to his torso. Anchored against him, I felt his desire. He lifted my hand and placed it around his neck. Heart beating rapidly, I held still as he lowered his head and tenderly kissed my bottom lip. Just that small contact made my knees weaken and reminded me of the kiss before the fight. I wanted that again. Badly.
Just enough sanity remained to discourage the idea. If I fully gave in to him, would he ever take me home? But he wasn’t asking for everything. Just a kiss…
Drav’s heat radiated from his bare skin, warming me. Enticing me to lift my lips more fully to his.
Someone called out a few words and laughed. I turned my head away and saw the retreating backs of several bare-assed men.
“Bathe with me, Mya,” Drav said against my ear. “I will teach you what plants to use for washing.”
I exhaled shakily.
“If it’s all right with you, I’d rather just
sit here and wait until you’re done.” My voice shook as I spoke, a sign of how much he tempted the hell out of me.
He pulled back and frowned slightly, but stepped away. The corded muscles of his back and tight ass held my attention as he walked to the water’s edge. I tore my gaze from his fluid dive into the pool and saw all the men had left us. No one even lingered at the distant tournament grounds. No witnesses if I really did want to bathe. No witnesses but Drav.
Indecision had me turning back to the water. As if anticipating my uncertainty, I found him watching me from where he swam in the middle of the pool.
“Last time I got near some water, a fish tried to eat my face,” I said loud enough for him to hear.
“There are no fish in these waters. I will keep you safe.”
I shook my head and sat on the edge. A few sure strokes brought him close to me.
“Are you afraid of the water?” he asked.
“No. I can swim and normal fish don’t really bother me.”
“Are you afraid of me?”
“No.”
“Then why won’t you bathe with me?”
He had me there.
“I don’t know. I guess I am afraid. But I’m not sure what I’m afraid of,” I said, not wanting to put into words my concern about him keeping me down here forever.
He nodded slightly then swam to the far edge to pluck a few leaves from one of the plants. While he rubbed them between his hands, I considered my hesitation. The thought of cleaning up did appeal to me. I hadn’t showered since we’d left the cabin. Undoubtedly, I smelled. And, some of the blood that had coated Drav now clung to my clothes. So why not hop in? It wasn’t like I was overly shy. I’d walked around the dorm halls in a t-shirt and underwear for Pete’s sake. What was my problem?
I glanced across the pool at the big, grey guy soaping his broad, chiseled chest and knew my problem lay with how much I really didn’t want to wear anything if I joined him.
“Screw it,” I mumbled, toeing off my shoes. I peeled off my socks, and with a quick glance over my shoulder, I stripped down to my panties. Before he could notice, I jumped into the water.