Chapter 28

After dipping beneath the surface to find her undergarments, Nathair took Linh back to the other side of the lake's narrow tunnel. The entrance to it glowed, showing the crystal reflected even when they entered darkness.

"Oh no," Linh stated as he helped her to the rocky ledge. "I forgot to blow the candle out before we left. I didn't think we'd be in there all night."

Neither had Nathair, but fucking hell was he pleased.

His whole being hadn't stopped thrumming in deep contentment. He hadn't lied to the little female when he said his cocks ached. The last time he'd come had been strenuous. It was like she didn't want him to stop, even when she grew so tired her eyes closed. The moment he stopped pumping into her, she'd whine at him to keep going with a groggy tone.

It was like she was trying to shove a lifetime of orgasms into a single night. Nathair had been absolutely delighted to find that Linh had an insatiable appetite for pleasure, to the point it almost combatted his.

Not even her tears after waking had managed to tamp down how he felt, although they had been concerning.

But, as Nathair kept reminding himself, it wasn't her fault, and wasn't his fault, nor should he wear a single ounce of blame for it. He also refused to. They would be intimate again – he'd make sure of it. He'd rut her until she finally woke up cuddling him.

Until then, he'd just be patient.

However, the part of her story she'd told him... his rage hadn't soothed since, and he felt it in each of his agitated and puffed scales.

I was already planning to find those who harmed her. He would have gifted her their heads as proof. At least now I know it was only one. Didn't make it any less enraging, though.

Does this mean I'll end up killing all the bandits anyway?Nathair shrugged. I cannot do anything until she makes her decision.

Whether she chose to stay or to leave, he could not leave her in his cave by herself. It'd take him a few hours to travel to the bandit camp. If I fall into a trance while I'm gone, or if it takes me a long time to kill everyone, I could potentially leave her for days.

All the Demons on the beach needed was a night without the strength of his scent, and they'd come for her.

He couldn't take her with him, as he'd likely kill her in the confusion of his bloodlust. Everything was foe, no matter who they were to him. His mother had faced that.

She must either give me her soul, so I can teach her to turn intangible, or... she must go back to her people without me.It was why he'd not already gone to destroy her attackers.

He did know one thing with absolute certainty: they would die, no matter if she chose to leave.

He'd like to destroy anything that could harm her, so he could feel as though he'd protected her from a distance. Then Nathair would leave this place, so he wouldn't be tempted to steal her from the very home she sought to remain in.

If she did not want him, then he wouldn't be like those who had kidnapped her.

I will be sad, though.

He could already foresee the pain that would linger in his heart. He'd live in these memories, and hoped they battled his fragments to be prevalent. He'd gnaw on them to pacify himself forever.

He'd cherish them.

Once Nathair helped Linh onto solid ground, he noted the way she covered her breasts and pubic mound. She'd been so annoyed with her soul for doing it and yet, here she was, doing the exact same thing.

"C-can I have my underwear now?" she asked, with her shoulders turned inwards.

Nathair looked down at her undergarments bundled in his fist. "No," he signed. "They are wet."

The way back would take time, and he didn't want her shivering from the cold.

Her brows drew inwards in concerned wiggles. "But I need them."

Rolling his head, he slithered to the side and picked up her dress and pants. He reached out to hand them to her. She silently obeyed, but he could tell the little human was cursing him out in her head as she donned them.

She was surprisingly spritely, even when he saw the tired wobble in her legs – a shakiness gifted to her by him. He wanted to purr at that. She even appeared to limp a little.

Nathair watched her breasts sway and bounce as she lifted her dress over her head, the sight enthralling. Even when one of her elbows got stuck and she fought the material, his feelings for her only grew rather than waned.

She cut him a cute glare when he laughed at her.

Little nightingale, you have no idea what you've just done.

He warned her that he'd no longer play fair if she mounted his cocks, and she'd done so thoroughly.

I'll be doing everything I can to keep you with me.As much as he thought he'd be able to let her go amicably, after last night, he realised he was irrevocably doomed. He'd adored every second of her. He'd gorged on the taste he'd had of her, and the insatiable side of him said it wasn't enough.

He was so utterly besotted with her – her wiles, her power over him, her cute face and sensual body, her giggles and tears... it was no wonder he dreamt of her.

Even his essence was begging to own her soul.

Nathair was attached. He was infatuated, and after the rather saddening conversation on the beach – where he learned she may have magic – he knew there was no one else for him. The chance of him finding another female who would not only sing for him, but also want to be with him, was so low he'd be better off asking a rock to do it.

I want to give her everything she seeks.

He wouldn't die for her; he'd spent enough time in the afterworld. But he would fight, he would live, and he would... love her with every one of his scales if she let him.

However... I cannot immerse myself in her people.

He doubted they'd accept him. He also didn't foresee them taking it well that he'd claimed one of their females. Would they attempt to diminish her affection by constantly whispering in her ear about the horribleness of him?

He thought he could bear that. He'd just convince her otherwise by doting every bit of his sensual attention on her.

He could take their snide remarks and sneers, their hate. So long as she caressed all that away and lathered him in kisses to soothe his bruised ego, Nathair could cope with hate.

But he had enough human voices in his mind. The idea of sitting in the middle of her village with his sensitive hearing, listening to thousands of voices chattering around in his ears... he didn't know if he could stay sane. Linh brought him out of trances. She steadied and focused him on the present, but a barrage of people speaking would only pull him under constantly.

It wasn't just because he was a selfish, greedy, and territorial Mavka. His mind was warped.

He could not live with humans, not when he already had dozens doing so in his skull. He'd go mad. He'd become violent. He'd harm, and he worried what would happen if she attempted to interfere.

How will she treat me if I accidentally kill her family?Her father was the leader, yes? That meant he would try to protect his people, and if Nathair lost it...

He shook his head. No, I do not want to think of it. He didn't want to imagine what would happen if this female's tender gaze towards him suddenly turned cold.

If he were to be the keeper of her soul, they'd be trapped with each other. He could not escape her, or she him, and their bond would fester and sicken.

She must choose him.

Not for her people, not to kill those who harmed her, but because she wanted to of her own volition. He refused to accept her soul as a bargain. The only cost for it would be her love; that's what he wanted in exchange for it.

I will try for her.

He wouldn't completely disregard taking her to her people, but he needed to know it wouldn't matter where he took her.

He wanted her to love him enough that she could forgive any transgression he might make because of his ill mind. Enough that she would be understanding if her people drove them away, and wouldn't resent him for it. Enough that it didn't matter where she was, only that she felt at home and at peace within the wrappings of his tail.

Only when Linh willingly chose him, and only him, would Nathair try to gift her all the things she wanted.

These were thoughts for when the day came that she chose. For now, he tucked her wet undergarments in her lantern for her to carry before diving back into the water to grab a gift for her.

By the time they were passing the exit to the beach, the day was late.

She appeared a little paler and drained than normal, but she was securely tucked into a bridal position within his arms. When he offered to take her into the early afternoon sun, she just shook her head, stating she was tired and hungry.

I really did not think she would offer her body to me while in the quartz cave. If he'd known, he may have brought food with them.

He'd just wanted to swim with her without her whining and shivering. Nathair was aquatic and preferred being in the water. It felt like a hug, no matter its temperature, once it filled his gills.

That cave, despite its beauty, had not been pleasant in the corner of his heart. Now it was, and if they went back there, he'd like to do it all again... but with food, so she didn't make them leave. We can spend days there fucking, feeding her, and in between she can sleep upon my chest.

The idea brought him immense joy.

He eyed the quartz prism she held in her delicate hand. He'd gone back to collect a thick shard so she could have a pillar of memory in the main cave. I hope her face goes all cute every time she looks upon it.

It sparkled, so he was rather content to add it to his treasures – unlike her ugly shells.

When they returned, she laid it on the ledge of his nest where a stream of sunlight would hit it. A ripple cascaded down his spine at her adding to his nest like this. He also liked that she'd been here so long her scent had greeted them upon entry.

My home smells like peaches, vanilla, and female.

Linh walked over to her bag, and Nathair came to crowd her as he often did. He observed her food resources were getting low.

Nathair dipped low to get into her peripheral. "You have eaten all your plums," he signed. "I am sure I can find the tree quickly on my own and return to you before dusk arrives."

Her lips lost some of their thoughtful pout.

If only I could find peaches.

"Can we look at the stars again tonight?" she asked, a small yet tired smile filling her features. "I don't feel like doing much else today."

If Nathair was honest, her face was all swollen. She is an ugly crier. Her eyes were the worst affected, as were her puffed lips, as if the salt of her tears had abraded them. He adored her even more for it, as it showed they were real, and that she trusted sharing her tears with him.

"We can do whatever you wish," he answered. "I will go hunt for you, so rest."

He'd rather hunt fish, but so be it.

The moment he entered the lake, it was like a coldness rushed over his very mind, as much as his scales. He shuddered when a voice screamed in the back of his mind, but he merely shook his skull to remove it before it could stick to his consciousness.

Yet, rather than leaving immediately, he leaned on the ledge of rock with straightened arms. Most of him remained submerged except for his torso. He waited for her to notice, as she'd been eating the weird berries that turned their tongues blue.

When she did, she came over to him.

"What's wrong?" she asked with a small furrow of her brows.

Since his arms weren't as long as most Mavka, as he didn't need them to walk in a four-legged position, he only came to her breast height. Nathair nudged his head up, bouncing it to obtain her attention. When she didn't understand, he came ever closer, waiting for her to figure it out.

The left side of her lips quirked, and she leaned down to give him what he wanted. She pressed those puffy, soft lips against the centre of his maw, and he swallowed thickly at the feel of their warmth moulding around his bone.

I like when she kisses me.It always made his heart flutter.

A purr immediately started up, only for it to drown when he slipped away into the water to leave.