Feral Empires: Fanning Flames

by Stephen L. Hadley

  “Right,” she said. “Of course.”

  “Julie said she was hungry,” he said. “Do you think you could grow something for her?”

  Jenn nodded but continued to look away as she retracted her vines and tucked them back into their assigned places in her armor. Even once this task was complete she did not meet Liam’s eyes.

  “Sorry,” she said.

  Liam shook his head.

  “Don’t be,” he said. “I want you too. Just… let’s wait until later.”

  Jenn nodded and offered a small, insincere smile.

  “Okay,” she said.

  Chapter Seven

  Jenn had already gone to work by the time Liam managed to reach the ground. She had cleared the moss and leaves away from a small patch of dirt and knelt at the center of it. Her palms were flat against the ground and a small, green twig sprouted visibly in the gap between her thumbs. Nora and Julie, along with the latter’s children, had gathered around and watched with interest. Even Kathryn, though she did not draw near, watched from the lowest branches of a nearby tree.

  Liam was doubly grateful for the distraction. Although he had seen Jenn gather fruit from the finished product before, he’d never actually gotten the chance to see the process from start to finish. Plus, the lack of eyes on him gave him the chance to wipe the copious sweat that had coated his palms during the climb down from the tree.

  Jenn panted as she continued to force the tree to grow. It did not appear to be a particularly large sort, judging by the leaves, but the sprout was almost comically small. And yet, even before it reached Liam’s waist, its many branches had begun to erupt with pink-on-white blossoms. And then, within moments, green, unripe fruit.

  At the sight of the produce, Liam’s stomach growled and he suddenly realized how very hungry he was. Still, he did not crowd around the undersized tree as the others did. Instead, he held back and waited until Jenn had politely excused herself.

  “Good job,” he said softly as she wandered his way.

  Jenn looked at him as though he had lost his mind.

  “It’s what I’m good for,” she said.

  “I mean it,” he said, frowning. “Without you, we all would’ve starved to death by now. Me, Scott, Kathryn, Julie, her children… all of us. We’re only here because of you. So, thank you.”

  Jenn continued to stare at him as if expecting some punchline. Then she glanced at the half-empty fruit tree.

  “You should get some food,” she said.

  “I’m not hungry,” he lied.

  “Sleep, then. I can keep watch.”

  “Come with me,” he said. Reaching over, he took her hand. “I’ll even let you use the vines again.”

  Jenn’s familiar smirk returned, but only for a heartbeat.

  “I thought you said later?”

  “It is later. Besides, you’ve earned it.”

  “Oh, so it’s a matter of earning it?” Jenn glanced at the others a second time. “We can’t go far.”

  “I’ll be quiet.”

  Jenn snorted and shook her head, but allowed herself to be drawn into Liam’s arms. Then, after a moment, she wrapped her own around him in a cautious, tender embrace. Kissing his cheek, she leaned in to whisper directly into his ear.

  “No, you won’t,” she promised him.

  ***

  Liam stumbled as Jenn shoved him. Ordinarily, he would have been able to catch himself, but a slender vine hooked around his ankle and sent him crashing to the ground. He grunted as he landed, twisting to face her a moment too late.

  Jenn’s vines erupted from her like the innumerable arms of some creature from a nightmare. Several restrained him, pinning his arms and legs to the dirt, while others gagged him and drew his tattered shirt up to his collar. Still others attended to her, peeling back the layers of her armor until she stood bare before him. Only then did the last of the vines fall uselessly away, leaving only the barest remnants to hold him down.

  Staring up at the woman before him, Liam was nearly overcome by a sudden wave of emotion. His life had changed so much in the last few months, it was unthinkable. He’d gone from a prisoner, wishing for death, to a free man. And, equally life-changing, he’d found Jenn.

  No matter what happened, he knew he would be okay as long as she was with him.

  “I love you,” he said—or tried to. The vines covering his mouth muffled the words, but his message must have been clear enough.

  The fierce, hungry look in Jenn’s eyes faded a bit and she dropped slowly to her knees. Reaching out she cupped his cheek and stared deep into his eyes.

  “Good,” she said.

  Stretching out alongside him, Jenn trailed a hand down Liam’s chest. Her fingers moved slowly, exploring his pale, unmarked skin with unmistakable purpose. That purpose was made explicit a moment later as she reached the threshold of his trousers and gently drew them open. She tugged them downward. And then, with a low, throaty chuckle, she grasped him.

  Liam groaned into his gag, arching his back and thrusting his hips against the silky temptation of Jenn’s palm.

  She chuckled again, adjusting her grip to minimize the contact. Her fingernails alone caressed the underside of his member, wandering from base to tip with a wavelike motion.

  “Someone is impatient,” she murmured.

  Liam grunted in agreement, bucking urgently against his lover’s touch. And yet, despite his obvious need, Jenn made no move to satisfy him. She continued to tease, feigning as if to grasp him, then allowing her fingers to melt away before he could savor the friction.

  A sudden burst of laughter in the distance made Liam freeze. He started to sit up, worried that they’d not gone far enough, only to have Jenn’s vines tighten around his mouth and drag his head back down.

  “Relax,” she whispered. Bearing down with a single finger, she stroked him firmly down the length of his shaft. Yet not even the heat her touch brought to his cheeks could drown out her words. “Nobody can see us. You’re safe. So look at me.”

  Liam did precisely that. He gazed up at Jenn, drinking in the amused curve of her lips, the crinkling at the corners of her eyes, and the stray lock of dark hair plastered to her brow by sweat. And then, when a flush of embarrassment heated the woman’s cheeks, he allowed his eyes to travel down her neck to less familiar sights.

  Jenn sighed, but it was not an unhappy sound. She wiggled closer, pressing her breasts against Liam’s chest and angling her head to block his view of his lower half.

  “You like looking at me, don’t you?” she purred.

  Something in her eyes told Liam there was more to the question than was immediately obvious. Unable to speak, he could only nod.

  Grinning, Jenn clapped a hand over his eyes and shifted. A second later, he felt the familiar, comfortable weight of her body settle against his hips. The warmth of her sex rested against his member, already preparing to yield to his rigidity.

  “Good,” Jenn whispered. “Then I want you to keep your eyes closed.”

  Liam longed to disobey, to stare up at Jenn and enjoy the sight of her writhing atop him. But he could hardly refuse her such a request. He closed his eyes, forcing them to remain shut even when Jenn’s fingers pulled away.

  Shifting, Jenn delicately angled him against her slick folds. He throbbed in her grasp, longing to fight against his bonds and thrust firmly up into her body. His refusal to do so was rewarded an instant later, as Jenn moaned and sank slowly down onto his cock.

  Liam gasped and went stiff in more ways than one. The tight, warm embrace of Jenn’s body momentarily stunned him, as it always did, and he could do nothing more than pant until she began to move. Slowly at first, then with increasing vigor, Jenn rocked against him. Her insides caressed him, purposefully squeezing and milking his erection with each fresh repetition.

  Straining against the vines that held him down, Liam did his best to meet Jenn’s thrusts with his own. After everything that the l
ast two days had held, it was a relief to allow his mind to go blank and to simply lose himself in the sensations. Swallowed up by the heat of Jenn’s cunt, he could forget about the men he’d killed, the men he’d watched die, and the additional losses his future undoubtedly held. Soon, the sounds of their coupling filled the air, sloppy, wet, and punctuated with soft, eager cries.

  Jenn’s fingers dug into the meat of his chest, holding him down as her hips ground against his, more and more enthusiastically. He could feel her insides flutter around him, hinting at the nearness of her climax. That suspicion was reinforced a moment later as Jenn pitched forward and began to squirm against the base of his shaft. He could feel the coarse hair of her mound on his as she hunted for some longed-for pleasure.

  “Liam!” Jenn moaned suddenly, her voice hoarse. “Fast and strong!”

  Liam’s eyes snapped open in sudden horror.

  But no, his fears had not been realized; it was still Jenn astride him. Her mouth hung open and her eyes sparkled in amusement at her successful joke. She laughed once, loud and clear, but the rest of her laughter turned to a moan as her climax overtook her. Biting her lip, she shuddered and whimpered with delight. All the while, her hips continued to writhe atop him, eking out every last bit of pleasure from her peak.

  Liam watched her, satisfied as always to observe such pleasure written plainly across her face. But despite that pleasant scene and his own growing urges, he could not suppress a spark of annoyance. And, by the time Jenn’s orgasm faded and she slumped against his chest, that spark had grown into full-blown irritation.

  He growled, twisting his head to-and-fro until Jenn recovered and waved his gag away.

  “That wasn’t funny,” he grumbled.

  Jenn giggled softly and kissed his chest, but the gesture did not come close to pacifying him.

  “Yes, it was,” she said. Picking herself up off him, she glanced at the spot where their bodies joined. “You didn’t…?”

  He shook his head. “You startled me.”

  “Poor Liam,” Jenn said. She rocked lazily against him. “How can I possibly make it up to you?”

  “Don’t do that again,” he said.

  “Fine. That’s not exactly what I had in mind, though.”

  Despite his annoyance, Liam couldn’t quite keep the smile from his face.

  “What did you have in mind?” he asked.

  Jenn stood, legs trembling and a bit unsteady as she lifted herself off him. She eyed Liam’s cock a moment as it flopped noisily against his belly, then turned and sank down onto her hands and knees. With a wave of her hand, she released the vines holding him and wagged her exposed rear as he climbed to his knees.

  “Don’t be gentle,” she said.

  He wasn’t.

  With an aroused growl, Liam pressed himself against Jenn from behind. In their current state, there was no need for anticipation or foreplay. He lined himself up and buried himself to the hilt in a single thrust. Jenn moaned in response, back arching and her hands seizing clumps of moss in a manner that did not appear entirely voluntary. Her pussy, on the other hand, clutched him eagerly as he pounded her with pent-up ferocity. It squelched around his shaft, splattering both their thighs with juices as he claimed her.

  “Liam—” Jenn gasped. If she’d planned on saying more, she had no opportunity to. Her words were lost to a meaningless moan as Liam grabbed a handful of hair and yanked her head back.

  The intensity of his need surprised them both. Jenn, at least, needed only to endure his primal desires, which she did without complaint. Liam, however, had to fight against a persistent, internal voice urging him to thrust more roughly, more forcefully. He fought it as best he could, until the inviting depths of Jenn’s body proved too much to resist. Grasping her hips, he pulled her hard against his and came with a deep, instinctive snarl.

  Liam’s thoughts shattered, perceived as nothing but timeless, animalistic sensation. White-hot passion burned in him, erupting as thick ropes of potent seed. His body clenched with endless shudders, urging him to double over and yet continue thrusting with the same breath. And in his ears, an endless chorus of lusty, encouraging moans kept him hovering at the top of his seemingly infinite peak.

  When at last he was spent, it was both physically and mentally. Liam slumped backward, gasping for breath as his still-twitching shaft slipped from the tight embrace of Jenn’s body. He was dimly aware of her turning to face him, but it was several long seconds before he could make sense of his vision enough to see her face.

  “Liam?” Jenn said. Her brow was furrowed. “You okay?”

  He started to answer, then swallowed hard and nodded.

  “You sure?” Jenn said.

  Liam exhaled deeply.

  “Yeah,” he said, finally. “I’m okay. You?”

  Jenn smiled a bit anxiously, but nodded. Cheeks heating with a blush, she winced and cupped herself as she straightened on her knees. At Liam’s look of concern, she chuckled and gestured nonchalantly.

  “I’m fine,” she assured him. “Just a bit sore. You were… pretty energetic.”

  Guilt struck him at once and Liam wished he could simply haul himself away into the treetops, as she had on many occasions. How could he have allowed himself to get carried? To risk hurting Jenn? Especially when Scott could be out there fighting for his life at that very moment?

  “Hey,” Jenn said sharply. Scooting closer, she grasped his face in both hands and kissed him. It was not an enticing sort of kiss, but no less enthusiastic for its chasteness. “None of that.”

  “But—”

  “None of that,” she repeated, emphasizing each word. “I’m fine. You’re fine. We’re fine.”

  “But I could have hurt you.”

  “You didn’t,” Jenn said. “I just wasn’t expecting you to be so… not-gentle.”

  “But—”

  “Liam,” Jenn groaned. She grinned at him. “You earned it.”

  Chapter Eight

  “Earned?” chimed a familiar, unexpected voice from a nearby tree.

  Liam whirled, reaching for his rifle before he remembered that he did not have it. Jenn did likewise, though she proved far more successful. In a split-second, multiple vines coiled had coiled around her arms, each armed with a makeshift javelin. Snarling, Jenn leapt to her feet and stalked toward the voice.

  “Jenn!” Liam yelped. “Don’t!”

  “Why?” Jenn shot back. She turned to face Liam, her eyes blazing. “Why shouldn’t I?”

  “W-what?”

  “She sneaks around, spies on us, and has no idea how to keep quiet!”

  “She kept pretty quiet just now,” Liam pointed out.

  Jenn’s hands balled into fists.

  “I’m being serious, Liam. That girl is dangerous!”

  Descending from her hiding spot, Kathryn hooked her legs over a low branch to hang suspended from it. Now, as always, her dress sagged to expose her bare skin. And, from the fabric pooling around her face, her voice came out muffled.

  “Dangerous!” Kathryn agreed.

  Baring her teeth, Jenn gestured and lifted her javelins accordingly.

  “Jenn,” Liam warned. “Stop. I’ll take care of it.”

  For a long moment, Jenn did and said nothing, until Liam feared that she would ignore him and send one of the javelins flying, regardless of the consequences. Then, breathing furiously through gritted teeth, she bent to retrieve her discarded armor. She dressed quickly, keeping her vines aloft the entire time.

  “Make sure you do,” she said, at last. “Or I will.”

  Shooting a final, vicious glare in Kathryn’s direction, Jenn stalked off toward the improvised camp. It was not until she’d vanished out of sight, and hopefully javelin range, that Liam sighed and bent to retrieve his own discarded clothing.

  “Kathryn,” he called, pulling on his trousers. “Come here.”

  “’Kay!” came her muffled reply. She started to
pull herself back up onto the tree, but slipped unexpectedly in the process. With a yelp, Kathryn landed headfirst in a heap.

  Gasping, Liam lurched toward her. He had barely managed a step, however, when Kathryn staggered upright and sprang toward him. Despite the danger of her fall, she did not seem any worse for wear, aside from a few twigs stuck in her hair.

  Liam sighed, shaking his head and pulling the largest of the twigs free.

  “Don’t do that,” he said. “You’re going to hurt yourself.”

  “Not hurt,” Kathryn said, flashing a genuine scowl.

  To Liam’s surprise, even once the scowl had faded, Kathryn’s usual grin did not return. Instead, she fidgeted quietly, tugging at the sleeves of her dress with an unusually reticent air. He ignored her for a time, but when the silence continued even as he dressed, his curiosity eventually won out.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  Kathryn continued fidgeting. Then, astonishingly, she sat.

  Too surprised to do otherwise, Liam did as well.

  “I know you don’t get along with Jenn,” he said. “But it’s really important that—”

  “Liam?” Kathryn said, in a timid, delicate voice. “Liam love Plant-girl. Why?”

  “She has a name.”

  He expected the reminder to bring some of Kathryn’s normal petulance to the forefront, but she merely nodded.

  “Liam love Jenn,” Kathryn amended. “Why?”

  Now it was Liam’s turn to fidget. Dozens of potential answers filled his mind, but somehow, none of them seemed to appropriate, given the obvious sincerity behind the question.

  “I don’t know,” he said. “She makes me happy. She taught me things after… after I escaped the Institute. I just… want to be around her. With her. Does that makes sense?”

  Kathryn nodded. “Pla—Jenn love Liam. Same?”

  He smiled. “Yes. At least, I hope so.”

  Leaning forward, Kathryn took one of his hands and held it between both of hers. Compared to his, hers were tiny, and yet he’d seen how capable they could be.