56. Kira

56

Kira

Drasuk looks delectably threatening in his armor as he and Thivoll walk back out of the cave, off to test their new gear against some unsuspecting hunters.

I can almost hear the screams of terror and it's so fucking hot.

"I gather you read a lot," Ree comments out of the blue and it catches me off guard for a moment as I try to figure out what gave her that impression.

I'm usually just spouting nonsense, though my snark kicks in just fine as I turn to face her.

"What, you don't expect that from a jarhead?"

She grimaces and seems to be grappling for a way out of how I twisted her words into an apparent insult.

I start laughing and she lets out a huff of relief, then gives me a weak smile.

She'll figure out my humor soon enough.

"Everyone thinks it's just a bunch of fighting and non-stop action. Most people don't realize military life is mostly waiting around. I used that time to edify myself. I'm partial to Greek and Roman mythology and military history."

She nods.

"Plus, plenty of smut, of course."

She lets out a laugh at that, then raises her eyebrows and quirks a lip in an I see you, sister look. Clearly, she's read her own fair share.

"I can't say ER work left me with much downtime or energy for that, but I had... shall we say, lots of unfulfilled urges when I was with my ex-husband."

"Pshh. Couldn't get it up? Glad you lost the dead weight."

A shadow passes over her face, and I force myself to become serious.

"Oh. That sort of dead weight."

She shivers and nods, arms rising to hold herself together after I unintentionally triggered her.

I reach out a hand and hold on to her elbow, telling her with my eyes that it's me who sees her now.

"Well, on the bright side, you couldn't get any farther away from him."

Her lips twitch, but I know I need to offer more to help her shift away from remembered horror.

"No need for me to be up on a murder charge, either. Look at all the fucking silver linings, girl."

She chuckles. "Something tells me you could joke your way right out of it. Or you know someone, who knows someone, who knows someone, who--"

"I get it, Ree," I tell her with a laugh in my voice. "A girl never tells, though."

Judging by comments on the way back to the cave, and her body language now, Ree still seems shaken from the fight, haunted by her need to help me kill. It's weighing her down still.

"You did well in that fight, Ree, but I can see it's still bothering you."

She lets out a huff. "I'm too soft for this place. I can't stop seeing the people I killed, even though they deserved it. Even though I would be dead if I hadn't."

"I would also be dead if you hadn't, Ree. And seeing their faces is normal. I'll never forget any of my kills. I assume Drasuk won't either. We just aren't as brave as you are to openly admit it. We bury our feelings about it so we can focus on what is right in front of us."

"I can't do that, it seems like."

"It's why we are soldiers, and you are a commander. It's not just your charisma, or that silver tongue Thiv was bragging about to Drasuk just a bit ago, but because you can be our heart. You keep us centered. I don't need to know what you told Drasuk, but that's what you did for him before the fight. Right?"

"Yes. He was torn between two motivators. I helped him see which one mattered most."

I didn't plan to pry, but now I'm too curious.

"Oh yeah? What did he choose?"

"You."

I'm confused for a moment and just blink at her.

"You, dummy. He chose you."

"Oh."

She snickers at me, but doesn't take the verbal swipe Drasuk or I would have. She's too nice.

It's adorable.

I let her get back to organizing. I spend a few minutes helping her before she shoos me to the cave opening to be our guard so she doesn't have to "face leak." Whatever that means.

From the smirk on her face, some mysterious inside joke.

I ponder what she meant by him choosing me as I scan for threats, not sure I want to know what it means. Hopeful that I do.

***

The bromance seems to have deepened by the time our two beasts come back, but Ree simply interrupts them to say she and Thiv are going to go on another long patrol.

From the look of realization and shivering of his spines, I think Drasuk might have finally figured out what her winks and knowing, loud tone means.

I'm a bit sad that I don't get to point out to all of them that my tail is about three feet long now before they disappear, but the sadness disappears the moment Drasuk pounces on me.

Literally. He's rumbling out his well wishes for their safety one moment and the next he's taking a bounding leap at me, pulling a little shriek from my lips.

The need for revenge for causing such an undignified sound races up along my spine, my new tail perfectly following my commands to whip him within an inch of his life.

I fucking love every blue, bumpy inch of it, though it isn't having much of an affect on the big oaf as he carries me into our little room, pins me up against him and plops down on his back.

I cringe, thinking of how that must have hurt his spikes, but he doesn't flinch, just looks at me with hunger.

I finally catch on to where this fuck train is headed when he shifts me over his belly, my black suit receding just as his glorious cock starts gliding out to greet my pussy.

Still, I deliver a couple more blows to his side, at least until he darts one of his chameleon hands out to grab it. He wraps his tail around my waist to take my weight, then moves his newly freed arm up to wrap around my neck.

I'm already moaning when he moves me so I'm sitting right on top of his member, which is laying long and thick along the lighter cream color of his underbelly. His tail tightens, then starts drawing my wet opening along his length, then back down again.

Three strokes as he squeezes my neck and pulls on my tail and my orgasm bursts up from between my quivering legs, into my spine, and up into my skull.

I'm still throbbing as he pulls me back up again, the grip of his tail just on the edge of pain, and then repositions me so he is pushing at my core.

One hard thrust and he is all the way in, an answering keen crawling up my constricted throat. He lets go of my tail after the sixth thrust so he can move that hand to my bouncing breasts.

I take the opportunity to whip at his legs with it, making him groan and tighten his hold on my waist so he can slam me down even harder. I'm panting, the edge of panic about not being able to get quite enough air races through me, heightening the pleasure of each collision.

My stomach tightens more and more with each thrust and it only takes a glance down to see his intense amber eyes and his sharp teeth bared in a grimace of ecstasy to tip me over again. He slams me down onto him several more times, losing his rhythm before coming inside me with a muffled sound of breaking rocks.

We are both panting as he gently repositions me so I am laying on the soft expanse of his cream-colored hide. His tail loosens, moving to twine around my much smaller one, then back around my upper shoulder, between the spikes there, so we are locked together.

Then even more so as his knot expands, making my eyes roll back as he stretches me, shocks of another orgasm thrumming along with each expansion.

Definitely a case of not ever knowing what I was fucking missing. I let out a moan as another wave of pleasure starts, then let out a long breath.

He's still inside of me as I drift off to the soothing feel of his hands rubbing along my back.

When I wake up, it's to a throbbing pain in my forehead, and unfortunately, an empty pussy.

I groan out in pain and reach a hand toward it, startled when Drasuk speaks. "Careful, it's sharp."

My eyes pop open as my heart skips a beat.

"What is it?"

"Sharp, bony spikes. Just like Mar'cte had on his back."

I let out a snort. "Fucker didn't even try to use them on me. Ah, Manticorid is the best language."

With a push of my hands, I leverage myself up, figuring it's better to be upright if I want to avoid cutting a finger off with my new, unexpected shiny change.

I figured since Drasuk and I already boned... I snicker at my unintended pun, derailing my thoughts for a moment. We had sex, so why a change from someone else?

Oh, right. I guess I was trapped under the big red idiot while he bled all over me.

My fingers are shaking, this time with excitement, as I gently probe to figure out what I've got. Feels like two hard, bony plates on my forehead, covering my eyebrows. I can still move the muscles, but assume no one is going to see my snarky brow raises anymore.

Damn.

My fingers keep moving up past the ridge between them and they reach a row of spikes. He's right, the ends are wicked sharp and I assume there's some of my blood dripping down them by the time I count five of them.

Not a unicorn, then. Quinticorn?

I start snickering, which turns into a full on session of tears-in-eyes laughing.

When I take a breath, Drasuk breaks in. "I assume you like them. I hit one of those on Xar'Ar'ax with a metal blade and it did nothing."

"Fuck, yes," I growl out, turned on all over again.

I'm death walking, bitches, and I love it.

A glance over to him and the look of adoration and lust in his eyes and I realize I love him, too.

My smile drops instantly.

I do? Fuck!

I wait for the panic to rise, my body tense for it, but it doesn't. I feel... content.

Centered, grounded. I suddenly get why losing my father broke my mother.

Tears well up in my eyes when I realize something else. That I can finally forgive her for it.

"I understand now, Mom," I breath out in English, wanting this moment to myself. Just me and her, wherever she might be.

A smile lifts as I imagine the ass kicking she's likely doing there.

I focus back on Drasuk, who's looking at me intently, but doesn't pry, likely catching on that I'm feeling vulnerable, since he has that soft look he sometimes gets.

I'll keep it to myself, for now at least. I look forward to explaining to Drasuk just how much lighter I feel now that I've let go of the anger I didn't even realize I was holding.

And how he helped get me to that point.

Right now, I want more of that beautiful blue cock.