‘No!’ she objected with force and he stopped to stare at her. ‘No, Shazar! This isn’t right.’
‘It feels right, Sula. Don’t you feel it too? You are one, from what the Truthstone told me, it doesn’t matter that you had a human father. We are one and the same. I… love you.’
She shook her head at that and the hairs on her arms stood on end.
‘No, no. You don’t know me at all and I don’t know you.’ He came closer with his face above hers, and she smelt his perfume again, bedazzled.
‘But we do, we are the last, we do know each other. Soon we can read each other’s minds.’ He kissed her again, but she objected, seeing Felix’s face in her mind all the time. Felix…
And she felt the love she felt for him burning in her chest, flowing through her entire body. But this man…all she felt was desire yes; but love no, only lust and that wouldn’t be right. Not like this. If he wanted to mate to conceive it would have to be on her terms.
She shook him off her and she stood up, buttoning up her shirt and with one last look at him she walked away, leaving him half naked on the blanket, startled.
~~~
Inhaling the fresh nightly air, she seemed to wake up a bit. Suddenly she felt a grip on her wrist. She stared into the green eyes of the other comyenti. She opened her mouth to speak, but he shook his head.
‘Don’t.’ His eyes looked determined as if to say, “Enough has been said,” and he embraced her again. However this time she fought him off with anger.
‘I said no!’ And she ran away. But not to her tent, for she wouldn’t want to mix Felix up in this. She didn’t want him to get hurt either!
Your heart, my heart, she spoke in her head beginning to speak to the spirit of the antelope inside her. Your heart, my heart, your breath, my breath, your spirit, my spirit…your mind, my mind…
He caught up with her, even though she at one point used the running speed of the cheetah; the fastest land mammal on the planet. He ran beside her; using the same ability, smiling at her. The valley seemed to stretch on for ever and she couldn’t hide from him, so she stopped, out of breath, panting, cooling herself down and slowing her heartbeat.
‘What do you want Shazar?’
‘The same as you. I am a suitable mate for you, Sula and you know it. One and one, Sula.’
‘I don’t know why I kissed you but I shouldn’t have. I am married and I don’t want this.’ She wondered how it had been possible. It was so unlike her, she wasn’t even attracted to him. Then she knew how; he must have been using pheromones of some animal.
Her eyes narrowed. ‘You despicable man, how could you?’
He grinned boyishly. ‘Easy. It was only natural. Admit that you liked it, I could tell.’
She grew crimson and anger was building up inside her, her eyes started shifting. But Shazar stayed so calm, so self-assured he didn’t worry in the slightest.
‘How could you use pheromones on me?’ Sula asked again.
‘I know I shouldn’t have and believe me I wouldn’t have used them, but that man of yours is sticking to you like a thistle; never letting me close enough to make you understand that you and I belong together. Besides I wouldn’t be using it unless it was necessary. I have to admit, your bond with him is strong. But for the sake of our future, Sula, please let us finish this.’
Grabbing her around her waist, he used the pheromones again on her. She closed her eyes and her nose against his scent, now that she knew what he was doing to her. She shook him off once more but he grabbed her again and held her in his arms with all his strength; she fought him wildly.
It was comyenti against comyenti now; a creature she never before had to fight. It was indeed a fierce battle; he tried to throw her to the ground while she kicked and threw her fists at him but every time he was quick enough to escape her blows. They didn’t use any animal abilities as there was no time to chant. Shazar had no intentions of hurting her. All he wanted to do was to hold her, to touch her. She felt it; she felt his desperation and his selfish reasons so she didn’t care anymore, for if this was the comyenti way she didn’t want any part of it.
How wrong had she been about him!
Nearing exhaustion she fell to the ground and before she had time to get up he was on top of her at; pinning her down, using his pheromones drugging her. She became weaker and fought him less, but it was her will against his. It went on for over an hour and she slowly lost strength. She came round suddenly. She must have passed out at some point. Laying on top of her he nearly knocked the air out of her with his weight. She had to push him off her and he rolled onto the grass, facing away from her. Was he crying?
They both sat on the grass, heavily panting, ruffled and shaking.
‘I don’t want to fight you, Sula,’ she could hear him say with a sob, his eyes glistening in the pale light of the moon. ‘I want to love you, if you’ll just let me.’
She almost felt sorry for him…almost.
‘I can’t! I told you! I believed you to be kind and understanding at first but you betrayed my trust.’ she muttered with narrow eyes.
He stared at the angry woman, rubbing his jaw where she had hit him before. She was fastening her loose breeches at the waist which must have come undone in the fight. She pointed a finger accusingly at him.
‘You of all people, a comyenti, have become more human than I, a halfling ever will!’
‘By preventing our kind from further thinning out; mixing with humans? We are the future, Sula, clearly you see that!’
‘No, I told you, not like this. And this is certainly not the way, not by force, sheer violence! Is that what you think is the comyenti way! What do you want to teach your children? That we have become like them?’
He bit his lip at that. ‘How can I give you up now, after all these years of searching?’ he asked with tears streaming down his face.
‘If you had the decency to agree to my plan, you wouldn’t have to give me up all together. You could have perhaps fathered my children and stayed around; at least I offered you that and my friendship!’
‘I’m sorry, Sula,’ he shook his head in regret. ‘Our choice has been taken away from us, I had to act now to bind you to me. Your husband would never have respected our decision.’ He touched his heart.
‘He would have, if you had respected our relationship. You were trying to rape me, Shazar, for it was against my will and I will never ever forgive you for that!’
He lowered his head.
‘I wanted to impregnate you, yes. However…not against your will. If you had only gone along with my plan I wouldn’t have had to use pheromones on you. You’re fertile now, Sula, we can’t wait any longer. Don’t be selfish. I thought you would never have let me try otherwise. I wouldn’t have taken you by force. I am sorry if you think otherwise.’
‘Well, that won’t do!’ She was near tears herself now, embarrassed and disappointed in her own species. ‘I could tell how badly you wanted me for your own pleasure. You’re the one who is selfish here, not me! Using pheromones on me was the lowest you could have gone! And I still call that attempted rape!’
‘I have not touched another woman, Sula. I’ve waited for you; saved myself for you. There have been many women who wanted me but I refused all of them.’
‘And should I be grateful for that?’ she asked with one eyebrow raised, shaking her head in disbelief.
‘I have been more disciplined than you,’ he pointed out.
‘Well, excuse me, at least I didn’t hurt anyone in the process!’ she raged and towered above him.
Oh you did, you will. We always do…Shazar thought grimly.
‘I am beginning to hate my comyenti side, Shazar, and you have made it worse. I’m even questioning why we have to use the abilities of animals for our own survival. Are we useless without them?’
‘We would be human and have gone back a million years in progress, Sula.’
‘Then it is perhaps true that we descend from humans and we
are what they will one day become?’ Sula asked.
‘I correct myself; what they could be if they, just like our ancestors, abandon their evil side and ways,’ he explained.
‘How’d you know if they ever did? Do you think if they do then; humans will become comyenti?’ Sula asked him.
‘Who knows? Perhaps gradually, mankind has the potential. Especially some sensitive children who are still very close to nature. But like I said; it will take a million years, like evolution always does. It must have taken the best part of thousands of years for our kind to evolve on our home planet. But this is just guesswork though. I personally don’t think we are related,’ He toyed with the pendant around his neck. ‘I might know a bit more on that if you’re interested?’
She sighed wearily, ‘Now is not the time, Shazar. I’ve had it! I need to go back to see if Felix is ok and not missing me. Maybe it’s for the best that he doesn’t get to know what happened between us. It would worsen the matter.’
He stared with soft eyes at her.
‘You must love this man greatly, to give me up and our shared history… and our future…’
‘We can still have a comyenti future, just not together,’ she looked at him calmly. ‘It’s up to you. It has to be completely on my terms now; you have left me no choice. You either go along with my suggestion to find yourself a human mate and once you have conceived with her, let me know. If you don’t respect this and ever try anything like what you’ve done tonight, on me or my children, I will never want to see you again. I will know if you follow us and I warn you not to do so for your own good.’
Shazar stared at her, feeling her disappointment but also her determination. Guilt and regret were building up inside him. He had to make it up to her somehow.
‘We will reach Rosinhill tomorrow afternoon,’ Sula finished saying. ‘And I suggest you tell me your decision first thing in the morning.’ Sula walked away and left him scattered and beaten, both in mind and body.
I have failed, was all Shazar could think of. Failed…Or have I?
Chapter 25 Departure
To Sula’s relief she found Felix still fast asleep when she returned to the tent, but on closer inspection, mind to mind, she realised that he too had been drugged. He had been unconscious and not sleeping after all. She found a tiny bloody spot on his lower back. A bite-mark!
Shazar has used the sting of a poisonous spider! Sula was most upset at that. Not just because he had used his skills to assail her husband but also because he had to be very skilled to be able to link with insects whose time scale was different from mammals and communication with them near impossible. She’d never been able to, nor had her mother, as far as she knew.
So he had to get rid of Felix last night and by using the spider’s sting, Felix would have been sedated for over two hours, she reckoned. Time enough for him to…
She didn’t want to think about that anymore and cursed herself for not being aware of the imminent danger and not shielding herself from him by closing her ears, nose and eyes to him. What was done was done, she thought to herself, sighing. At least he didn’t get as far as to actually rape her.
Sula sat watch for the rest of the night until Fay woke up and then finally so did Felix. Unfortunately, though she had initially wanted to keep it from him, she couldn’t. It wouldn’t have been fair. Besides when Felix woke up he remembered that something had stung him on his back and he had instinctively known it had to have been big bug Shazar.
‘That creepy crawly son of a…-’ he started saying loudly but Sula placed her hand closely over his mouth, so that Fay wouldn’t hear him swear. Their daughter giggled at seeing her father so angry, for she rarely witnessed scenes like this. He mumbled on behind her hand until she asked Fay to go and prepare breakfast. Felix started going purple in the face so Sula had to let go of his face and let him carry on his rant.
‘How could he? I warned him! Are you alright?’ he asked suddenly and held her closely, examining her face and noticed a big red mark in her neck.
‘Of course I am, you know me!’
‘Did you fight or,’ and he looked closer. ‘Is that a…hicky?’
Sula shrugged at that.
‘He’s got marks and bruises too, you can be sure of that!’
‘But he is comyenti, like you! You told me…he wouldn’t be a threat! If only I had listened to my own gut feeling then…then-’ ‘It’s all over now. I told him it’s either my plan or nothing.’ Sula replied sternly.
‘He will never go along with that! Never!’ Felix shouted.
‘We will see about that.’ Sula spoke calmly and then got changed into different clothes, trying to get rid of Shazar’s smell on her.
After a rather tense breakfast they saw a figure standing a short distance away. Felix had hardly eaten at all, too wrapped up in anger and wrath to eat. He had been constantly on the lookout. It was Felix who saw him first and he jumped up and started charging towards him.
‘Felix, don’t!’ Sula shouted after him.
‘For Fay’s sake, don’t!’ she screamed desperately. She had to give him something to think about in his rage. It was a poor excuse but Fay witnessed it all. Felix did actually stop when he neared Shazar.
‘You heard my wife; I will respect her wish but I assure you if you ever touch her again I will… I will make sure you wished you’d never met me!
‘I have come in peace, Felix. I apologize to you and Sula. I was a fool,’ Shazar said grimly without any emotion in either his voice or his expression. Shazar didn’t know whether Sula had told him about the details of their encounter last night or his actions.
Felix narrowed his eyes and stared with distrust at him.
‘I will never trust you again, nor will Sula. If you so desperately want a family create your own!’
‘I understand.’ He looked over Felix’s shoulder and saw that Sula came closer.
She came to stand next to Felix and she laid her hand on his shoulder. Shazar followed the gesture with his eyes and instantly felt jealous.
‘Please, don’t look at me like I am your enemy. I have come to apologize, for I know I was wrong. I was desperate. You know how desperate one can be.’
Felix regarded him and said, ‘Respect. You wondered what she sees in me. Now, that’s what she sees in me! We respect and trust each other. You acted out of order!’
‘Being the last and understanding a lot, I still would never have done what you did to me; not only using your abilities against me but also forcing yourself upon another comyenti,’ Sula spoke to Shazar. ‘It was an evil thing to do, Shazar.’
He closed his eyes and swallowed hard at that, knowing her to be right.
‘I will leave,’ he said opening his eyes slowly.
‘Good!’ Felix said. ‘And never come back!’
Sula ignored him and asked Shazar, ‘Where will you go?’
‘To Southland, to a village called Randaria; near the Derubian Sea in the area known as Naru. I know a woman there I can trust. She loves me. I’d like to know how she fares.’
Sula’s eyes softened and she nodded.
‘Go then and may you find happiness and love and share that special bond which will ease and lighten your soul.’
‘If I do…and produce offspring…I would like in return to know where you live, so that our children together-’
‘Very well. If you promise to listen and to respect me,’ Sula said with angry eyes, still not sure if he was being genuine.
‘But I already have!’
‘For now, but I strongly advise you to keep your promise. Leave my family and me alone. You have to give me your Comyenti Oath.’
He nodded with a fire in his eyes. ‘I will. I will only visit you on your terms.’ He touched his heart and said,
‘I hereby promise I will leave you and your family alone and only visit when I have a family of my own. I swear.’
There was a stirring in the air and a soft breeze lifted Shazar’s hair from his forehead
and blew on past the trees. The Comyenti Oath, they both knew very well, was binding and could not be broken without risking losing all of ones traits, abilities and gained skills. They would be plain human. Both Sula’s and Shazar’s parents always stressed this.
Felix wanted to object, still not knowing anything about the powers of the Oath, warning her with his eyes, but she nodded for him to hush.
‘Alright, you have promised. May you face your fate if you break the oath and with that our kind will be forever doomed,’ Sula stated.
Sula told him where she lived and where Rosinhill was located. It was printed in his mind and he would not forget.
‘My thanks to you… sister,’ he said formally and bowed slightly. ‘May we meet again.’
‘When you have good news, brother. When you have a family I would love to meet your children one day and hope to see you changed into a loving father and person. Farewell until then.’
He smiled lightly, ‘Farewell, sister.’ He lowered his eyes.
‘One last word of advice, brother.’ Sula started.
‘Yes?’
She looked at him intently and said, ‘It might be too late for that but whatever you do…do not become what you hate.’
He narrowed his eyes at that, gazing at her with his jaw clenched in annoyance. ‘And you…be careful to not become what you pretend to be.’
And with that Shazar turned around and walked off into the woods in a southerly direction.
~~~
‘Do you trust him, Sula? Do you really think he will keep his promise after all he has said and done?’
Sula side glanced at Felix. ‘I know he will, Felix. He will have to.’ And she finally told him about the binding promise.
The Comyenti Series Book Bundle, Volume 1 and 2 (Epic Romantic Supernatural Fantasy) Page 21