Discovery at Nerwolix

by C. G. Coppola

  “Believe me…” he runs his lips down my throat. “I am.”

  “Reid…”

  “Say that again.”

  “What?”

  “My name…” he pulls back, his dark eyes shifting between mine. “It’s my favorite sound. Just when you say it.”

  I inhale, my body frozen in warmth.

  “Say it,” he requests.

  “Reid.”

  He closes his eyes, absorbing the sound, breathing it in. Resting his forehead against mine, he inhales. “So…” he looks at my lips, “you going to invite me in? Or do I have to wait out here all night?”

  “And what would you be waiting for?”

  He smiles. “You.”

  My body lights up. The same hunger from earlier flares in his eyes and I already know I’m gone. I want this with him more than anything. More than I can explain to him. Reaching for his hand, I thread our fingers together and spin for the curtain.

  My chest is pumping, excitement bubbling deep in my stomach. Being alone with Reid always does funny things to me. But he’s never had this look before, like his control is slipping. Like it’s taking every ounce of strength to keep calm. I saw it only once, earlier, when he forced himself to leave me to girl time. The look sets me on fire, burning me from the inside out. I’m finding it hard to breathe, finding it hard to concentrate on anything other than where we’re touching. Every nerve is alive, every hair and cell attuned to his presence behind me.

  I turn around.

  Reid is in front of the closed curtain. His chest rises and then falls again, his eyes burning into mine. A lump rolls down his throat. We look at each other for moment. Only a moment.

  Because that’s all it takes.

  He cups his free hand around my neck and pulls me up to his mouth. Our lips are pressed together in seconds and he’s kissing me with urgency, like he’s never done it before, like he’s been dying to all his life.

  “Beautiful,” he groans, cupping my cheeks. Tugging on my lower lip, he makes another deep growl from the back of his throat and his hands drop to my side. He yanks up my baseball tee, whipping it over my head. It’s on the floor and his hands are back to my face, cradling me.

  But I need to feel more of him.

  My fingers drop to his hips, fumbling for the end of his shirt. He groans as I slide my hands beneath the material, feeling along the hard muscles of his stomach. It’s so warm, so perfect. I could touch Reid all day. He breaks away and pulls back, whipping off his shirt. He tosses it to the floor with mine and kisses me again.

  Our torsos make the same intimate contact and his hands move from my face down my neck and over my back. He feels the length of me first before his fingers find the bra clasp. He pinches it and I tug on his lip, needing him to strip the useless material. It’s only barricading us and I need to feel more of him. Without leaving my mouth, he peels the straps from my shoulders and lets it fall to the ground.

  We’re pressed against each other and I think my knees are going to break beneath me. Skin against skin. And it’s hot. I need more of this. More of him. There’s not an inch between us, but somehow his hands find their way to my stomach. They slide up and he finds my breasts, squeezing. It sets alarms off, fire sparking through them and into his chest. He does it again and I moan into his mouth, tasting his tongue, massaging it. He keeps his hands on me and I can’t take it. Throwing my arms around his neck, I bring him in closer, hold him harder and he doesn’t fight it. He wraps his hands around my back and crushes me to him.

  I’m in the air. My legs are wrapped around his hips and he’s holding me by my lower back, carrying me forward. I don’t see where we’re going. I don’t care. All I want is to never stop kissing Reid. Something soft brushes my back and I know we’re on the bed. I’m so hungry for him, drowning in his everything. It’s all I know. My entire world is Reid. I want this. I want him. Running my fingers through his hair, I open my mouth but he pulls back, moving his lips down my neck. I close my eyes, getting lost as he works his way lower, over my chest and stomach. He slows as he gets to my jeans.

  Without breaking eye contact, he sits back and starts on the button. My heart feels like it’s going to break right through my chest and take flight. But I focus on Reid and what he’s doing. I bite my lip so hard it feels like it’s going to bleed. When he gets my jeans opened, I lift my hips, helping him. He strips me of the rest of my clothes as a primal expression crosses his face. I’ve never seen this look. It’s like he’s about to eat me alive, about to do something wicked. His eyes scan my body, taking in the full sight.

  Reid steps back.

  He’s at the edge of the bed and his hands drop to his jeans. Watching me, he pops open the button and then works the fly. I’m on fire, my blood racing as I wait, already panting, already needing him here, on me. But he’s moving too slowly, taking his time, gazing at me in front of him. Time isn’t moving fast enough. I have to force myself to stay still, to wait. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. With a deep breath, his hands finally move to his hips and he pushes his jeans down, exposing how badly he wants this too.

  My mouth goes dry.

  Reid prowls up my body, leaning me back. I focus on breathing, trying to keep to the trappings off my skin and not set the bed on fire. He trails his fingers up my arms and lifts them above my head. Squeezing my wrists, he pins them to the red linen as he leans into my neck. “I’ve been thinking about this all day.”

  “Me too.”

  A lump rolls down his throat.

  “Reid…” I pant, barely able to control myself. “Please…”

  “Tell me to slow down if it’s too much.”

  He’s inside me before I know it. And before I have time to adjust, he does it again. It almost hurts but he does it again and again and suddenly I’m unraveling. White hot fire shoots through my body, magnifying the need to please him. I’m already shaking, already too dizzy to comprehend anything other than the way this feels. With the way his body is molded to mine, taking control of it as I’m slowly consumed by his fire.

  Reid moves inside me like he never has before, like it’s a reason to prove, a way to claim and protect and promise. It’s a punishing rhythm but I love it. He’s hitting the very core of me, over and over, demanding I pay attention, that I understand how deep his desire and need for me goes. His heavy breathing fills my ear and just knowing how hard he’s working, how badly he wants this sends me into a new level of ecstasy.

  With a quick shift, he sits back and pulls me on top of him. His arms are around my wrist, rolling my hips onto his and my heart is beating a thousand miles a minute. I’m gripping his shoulders, squeezing until my fingers rake into him. He makes a low growl and throws his head back, eyes closed and lips parted. I move on him faster, showing how much I want him to be happy, how much he means to me.

  “Oh fuck…” he throws his head back further. I’m panting, almost at the peak again when Reid falls all the way to the bed. His hands fly to my hips, squeezing as he lifts his own. It sends me into a new fever, the feeling of utter possession consuming me.

  I’m flushed, my blood way past boiling. My eyes close and my mouth opens. He grips my hips tighter, rolling me onto him harder. Holding me down, he cements his body to mine as his hips swing up with hard, fast jerks and suddenly I can’t take it.

  The explosion hits me with a full body spasm. Everything is unraveling. I’m both here and gone, fire sparks whipping through me like shrapnel. It’s hard to breathe. It’s hard to see. All I feel is this, this moment of utter bliss, utter ecstasy that has me losing control all over him. I’m blind and shuddering and from somewhere, I feel his hands travel up my stomach, over my breasts and to my neck where he pulls me down into a fierce kiss.

  His tongue is in my mouth when he releases, his entire body shaking. But his grip on my face doesn’t lessen. He keeps kissing me, keeps holding my cheeks like he’s afraid to let go as his body shudders beneath mine. All I know is his taste and his scent and h
is touch. He’s holding me through this, through his body’s aftershocks and once they’ve slowed, he breathes normally again, lightly pressing his lips to mine. With a final kiss, his head drops all the way back, resting against the bed.

  My heart is still racing.

  What just happened?

  “Fallon…” his chest heaves. Running his tongue over his lips, he watches me for a moment, like he’s trying to capture this moment, trying to hold onto it like a photograph he can save for later. Dropping his focus from my eyes to my mouth, he pulls me down by my neck again. “Come here.”

  Reid kisses me hard and deep, cradling my face in his hands again. His fingers tighten as they move back to my hair and securing me, he rests his brow against mine, his eyes shifting between mine.

  “How,” he gulps, “how was…”

  “Perfect.”

  A smile crosses his lips and I almost tell him again.

  I love you. I love you, Reid.

  Tell me you love me.

  “Good,” he rests his head on the bed, letting out a final pant. “Good.”

  I climb off and lay next to him, still trying to catch my breath. It’s never been like that before. So carnal and fierce, so full of possession and necessity. With a gulp, I sweep my tongue over my bottom lip, running over what we just did. Blushing, I roll my head towards his. We don’t speak; we just lay here, looking at each other, smiling uncontrollably. Finally, Reid brushes a curl behind my ear.

  “Comfortable?”

  “Yes.”

  “Hungry?”

  I raise a brow.

  “What?” his smile widens. “I want to make sure you’re not hungry. I can get you something.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Okay.” Reid brushes a few more loose curls behind my ear and I watch him, unable to look away. His fingers graze my skin so gently; it’s like he’s still afraid to break me, like I’m some precious thing he doesn’t believe is real. My heart pumps with each delicate stoke and I breathe him in, inhaling his divine scent, lost in it.

  “So you’ve been thinking about this all day?”

  He laughs. “I think about this every day.”

  “That’s not staying focused.”

  “Well you’re very distracting.”

  “Am I?”

  Reid presses his lips against my brow, “More than you know.” He abruptly stands and heads to the end of the bed.

  “You’re going?” I can’t hide the surprise or hurt in my voice.

  “Just to get something to eat. I’ll be right back,” he pulls his jeans on. Once he’s got the fly up and the button closed, he reaches for his shirt, glancing at me. “Oh come on, don’t look at me like that,” he laughs. “I’ll be right back.”

  I nod.

  “You sure you don’t want something to eat? I’ll get you something,” he says. “Just stay here,” he scans me, the corner of his mouth lifting. “Believe me—I won’t be long.”

  Chapter Seventeen: Origin

  I’m not sure how much time has passed.

  Five, ten, fifteen minutes? I have no clue. Maybe I’m just wishing Reid never left. I could’ve spent the rest of the night gazing at him—and I plan to—if he ever returns. It’s probably only been, like, a minute. But I want him here. Now. In this bed with me. There’s something eternally soothing about lying with him, drowning in his warmth. His scent. His eyes. It’s the safest place to be. Nothing can get to me when I’m with Reid.

  But he’s not back yet and I’m restless.

  I get up and dress, all the way down to my Converse. Maybe a walk will calm me. It’s probably the last thing I should be doing but if I stay close to Zinnollo’s treetop bridges, I’ll be fine. I need a walk to clear my head, to empty it of everything demanding my attention.

  Like the invasion. We have no idea when it’s coming and Hozfin doesn’t seem too concerned. But it’s happening. I know it is. I heard Reuzkimpart discuss it in that cave on Larupip. If anything good came from being captured, it’s that. Knowing that the Vermix are planning to invade and steal the Floating Ruby. It’s happening. And Sampson knows it. Clarence knows it. Everyone but Hozfin seems to know it’s coming and we have no real defensive plan in place.

  And then there’s Clarence.

  I’ve only mildly wrapped my mind around the fact that we’re related. That he’s been a part of my family for a hundred years and that Granny Ruth lied to me. She never lied to me. It’s like another blow. Not only is she gone, but I can never ask her about it. If she were alive… we could talk… she could validate everything Clarence said and I could ask questions. But I can’t. I won’t ever be able to talk to her again and knowing this colossal secret makes me question how well I even knew her at all.

  And of course there’s Reid.

  Why won’t he tell me he loves me? I know he does. I can see it. I can feel it. I won’t pressure him, but I don’t understand why it’s so hard to say it. Is it because he’s still in love with Alison? He says he needs time—and I’ll give him as much as he needs—but they’re three little words. Three words I’m dying to hear come from his lips. God I want him to tell me he loves me. More than anything. I just want to hear it. It splinters my heart every time he doesn’t and I’m left to stitch it up, repairing myself with reminders that he wouldn’t be here if he didn’t love me. He’s here for me. That should be enough.

  I’ve only begun to stroll down the impressive branch-bridge when I stop and take a deep breath. Everything is dark except for the jars of fireflies that illuminate Zinnollo’s treetop city with soft balls of glowing gold. It’s peaceful. Really peaceful. This is what I need. Solitude. Quiet. Time away from everyone and everything. Like now. This moment.

  I close my eyes and take another deep breath, letting the silence fill me.

  You will get three months.

  My eyes jet open. There’s no one here. But I didn’t expect anyone—the voice came from inside me, from my head. But whose is it? Suddenly, the familiar white wings fly inches from my nose. Another pair joins the first and then, a third appears. The trio circles one another, but always pulls back, drawing further down the bridge, begging me to follow.

  Are you taking me to the Origin of the Gifts again?

  You must return with us, one of the Lynzees sings.

  Why?

  It is how it must be.

  “Fallon? Are you—” Reid appears on the other side of the Lynzees, a melon in each hand. He’s motionless, staring at them with an open mouth.

  You must return with us, one flies closer to my nose, there is more to learn.

  “Are these the… Lynzees?” Reid places the melons on the bridge and takes my hand, moving to my side. “Are you okay?”

  “They want me to go with them.”

  You must bring the Fychu and Clynse as well, one sings as it withdraws further down the bridge. You must all be present.

  “For what?” I ask aloud and Reid whips his head toward me.

  “What are they saying?”

  “They want Sampson and Clarence to come too.”

  “All of us?”

  I nod. “They want me to go back… they say there’s more to learn.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “I can hear them. In my head.”

  Reid smiles. “You really are part Dofinike.”

  “Looks like it,” I squeeze his hand, following the Lynzees as they sail over the bridge, already leading us to the Fychu’s home. “Come on. We need to get to Sampson’s.”

  When we arrive, Clarence is already here, along with Blovid, Jothkore, Qippert and Vix. They’re all pacing silently, ruminating over something, the tension palpable.

  “Fallon,” Sampson looks up as we enter, his focus shifting to Reid next to me. “What’s happened?”

  “They’ve come again—the Lynzees.”

  “Again?” Blovid steps closer. “When?”

  “Just now.”

  “What did they say?”

  “They want
you to come with me,” I glance from Sampson to Clarence, “and you. They want us all to go back with them. Said there’s more to learn.”

  “They said that…” Clarence approaches, “…just now?”

  “Yeah,” I look over my shoulder. “They’re outside. They want us to follow.”

  “Did they say why?”

  I shake my head.

  “And only Clarence, myself and you two?”

  I nod, omitting the part about Reid. They never requested him specifically, but I get a feeling he’d be coming with us anyway. “They want us to go right now.”

  “Blovid,” Sampson turns to him, glancing at the others, “I will leave you to it. I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone, but I’ll let you know once we’re on our way back.”

  “Good luck Fychu,” he nods. “Clarence.”

  I head out of Sampson’s home, followed quickly by Reid and the two Dofinikes. All three pause at the shimmering white wings of the three Lynzees sailing feet away, hovering just above my head.

  “Oh Spirit…” Sampson whispers to himself, lost in awe.

  You must come with us one sings as it withdraws further down the wooden bridge, you must all be present.

  “For what, Spirit?” Clarence asks.

  She will tell you. Come with us now… the Lynzees continue down the bridge.

  Sampson leads the way and after descending the closest post, we arrive on the ground, allowing the Lynzees to continue their guidance through Nerwolix’s dark forest. We’re about twenty minutes in when Reid inches closer.

  “Glad I finally got to see them,” he whispers next to me. “Was curious.”

  Curious? One of the singsong voices breezes back.

  “About your state of existence,” Clarence answers quickly. “He meant no disrespect.”

  He could not mean it if he tried. For one of Her younger creations, he exemplifies all that She wanted for their kind.

  “Are they saying something?” Reid asks.

  I nod. “They’re talking about you.”

  “What are they saying?”

  She is happy he has selected Fallon for his mate. He is fully deserving of her.