3. Violet

The confines of the cell seemed to close in on me as I gazed at Kuana.

It was surreal, the room both fading away and becoming painfully vivid.

Every new scar and line on his face was a story I wasn't privy to.

Yet, I was drawn to him like the inexorable pull of a black hole, caught in his gravitational field.

His presence was a living paradox: reassuringly familiar, yet unsettlingly foreign.

I could see the years that had passed etched in the set of his jaw and the depth of his gaze.

The Kuana I remembered was a fierce, passionate Tok, headstrong and always eager for adventure.

And yet, the Tok before me carried a heavy burden — a silent storm of memories and experiences that seemed to weigh him down.

As we stood there, time seemed to lose all meaning.

I felt like a young girl again, uncertain, vulnerable.

My heart raced, a cacophony amidst the silence.

I had imagined this moment so many times — rehearsed it, played it over and over in my mind.

But now, faced with the reality, words failed me.

"What happened?"

The question slipped out before I could stop it, a simple query filled with layers of pain, hope, and longing.

It was the question that had haunted my nights, the ghost that had lingered in the shadows of my every thought.

Kuana hesitated.

His eyes darted away, avoiding my gaze.

For a moment, he seemed lost in thought, a prisoner of his own memories.

When he finally spoke, his voice was soft, almost inaudible, "Something… I never expected."

I felt a twinge of frustration.

His cryptic answer left me with more questions than answers.

But I wasn't going to let him off that easily. "Kuana," I pressed, "you vanished. You went to that jungle colony moon on a simple espionage mission, and then… the facility was destroyed. No one ever found you. What really happened?"

He seemed to flinch at the mention of the mission, a shadow passing over his face. "Violet," he began, his voice strained, "it's complicated. I can't… I can't explain it, not now."

"But I've waited so long," I whispered, my voice tinged with desperation. "I never stopped searching, never stopped hoping. Everyone said you were gone, that I should move on. But I knew, deep down, that you were out there, somewhere."

He took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling heavily. "There are things, Violet," he began slowly, "things that changed me. Things I'm not proud of. I wish I could give you the answers you seek, but it's not that simple."

I looked at him, searching for a hint of the man I once knew.

And in that moment, I realized that while Kuana might have physically returned, there was a part of him that was still lost, still wandering the vastness of the galaxy.

A heavy silence settled between us, the weight of unspoken words pressing down on us.

I had so many questions, so many emotions swirling inside of me.

But for now, I had to be patient.

Kuana was back, but the journey to truly find him had only just begun.

And as I gazed into the depths of his eyes, I felt a mix of sorrow, hope, and determination.

Everyone else had given up, had mourned and moved on.

But I had held onto a fragile thread of hope, fueled by an unwavering belief.

The silence was heavy between us.

The weight of years, of all the unsaid words, of the pain and hope and everything in between, pressed in from all sides.

I could see the anguish in Kuana's eyes, could feel the weight of his guilt.

But I wasn't here to accuse him or even to find closure.

I was here for him.

He suddenly straightened, a grim determination settling over him. "You shouldn't have come here, Violet," he muttered, his voice hard.

I blinked in surprise. "Excuse me?"

"This place," he waved a hand around, indicating the confines of the cell and, by extension, the entire prison. "It's not for you. It's dangerous. What were you thinking, coming here?"

I felt a flare of anger. "You're seriously asking me that? After all this time, that's what you have to say to me?"

He looked pained. "It's not that simple. You don't know what this place is like. The rules, the dangers. By being here, you're taking a massive risk."

I crossed my arms, my eyes blazing. "Oh, I'm well aware of the risks. But it seems to me that you're forgetting something important."

He raised an eyebrow, looking genuinely puzzled. "What's that?"

That I love you!

I didn't let the words burst forth, the weight of the years they'd been held back making them even more potent.

My breath was ragged as I continued:

"Did you think I'd just sit around, waiting, hoping, and not doing anything? You disappeared, Kuana! Everyone told me to move on, that there was no hope. But I never gave up."

Kuana looked stricken. "Violet… I—"

"No," I interrupted, "let me finish. Every day, every single day, I looked for a clue, a sign, anything that would lead me to you. And when I found out about this place, about the Prize Pool and the Champions… I knew it was a long shot. But I also knew it was the only shot I had."

I could see the conflicting emotions playing across his face: guilt, sorrow, love, and something else, something deeper and more profound.

He ran a hand through his hair, looking frustrated. "You don't get it. This isn't some noble quest or grand adventure. This place, Ikmal prison, it changes you. I'm not the same person I was."

I stepped closer, my gaze never leaving his. "I don't care. I don't care if you've changed, if you've become someone else. Because the Kuana I know, the Kuana I love, he's still in there, somewhere. And I'm not leaving until I find him."

He looked at me, his eyes searching mine, as if trying to find a hint of doubt or hesitation.

But there was none.

I was resolute.

There was a long pause, then Kuana sighed, the sound heavy with emotion. "Why did you come here, Violet? Why put yourself in such danger?"

I smiled wryly. "To find you, obviously. And now that I have, we're going to get out of here, together."

He chuckled, the sound rough and a bit broken, "Always the optimist, huh?"

I shrugged. "Someone has to be."

We stood there for a moment, just looking at each other, the world outside fading away.

The pain, the loss, the years apart, it all melted away, leaving just the two of us.

Suddenly, Kuana's expression changed.

He looked serious, almost grave. "What's your plan, Violet? How are we getting out of here?"

I grinned, a mischievous glint in my eye. "That comes later."

"What happened to the Champion that Claimed you?"

I gave him a small shrug. "I managed to incapacitate him."

Kuana shook his head, a curious smile on his face. "Same old Violet. Nothing stands in your way when you want something, does it?"

Only you.

I looked into his deep golden eyes, shimmering like stars in the nightsky with the way they glinted off the bright overhead lights.

I admired the curve of his horns, arching up toward the ceiling.

And I felt hot and ready for him.

It had been too long.

I wanted to feel him, to touch him, to feel him inside me.

I released the cloak and let it fall to the floor.

Then I lifted the negligee off over my head and kicked it aside.

Now I stood completely naked before him.

His eyes ran over my body, taking in every inch of me.

And a mist came over his face and his hunger enveloped him.

I raised an eyebrow, feigning annoyance. "You don't think I came all this way for nothing, do you?"

I stepped forward and in that split second of time, he had covered the two yards between us.

His massive arms enveloped me and he attacked.

I was his willing captive.

* * *

The pleasure wasfierce and intensive.

I pressed my naked body against his and there was not even an eyelash of hesitation as he ran his hands over my toned body.

His hands grasped my ass and gently patted it — what I knew would be hard smacks later and that made my mouth water with expectation.

A low growl emitted from his mouth and I instinctively raised a hand to his throat to feel it shiver his vocal chords.

It was an element of our lovemaking that I had forgotten but the moment I heard it, felt it, it brought back a flurry of memories.

The kiss had killed the uneasiness that had been gathering like an approaching storm just a moment earlier.

I reached up and gripped one of his horns and raked my nails over it, the way he'd always liked.

Not that I had to encourage him further.

I placed my other hand on his waist and was surprised to find it was just as narrow and firm as I recalled.

He clearly hadn't let his fitness deteriorate while he was incarcerated.

I let my concerns melt — for the moment, at least — and savored his hot lips on mine.

I breathed in his hot breath and savored every flavor.

I opened my eyes and saw his were closed, absorbing every sensation of our shared kiss.

I broke the kiss and placed my cheek to his chest and felt the hard, heavy thump of his heartbeats.

This, this was the only place I had ever felt I truly belonged.

Right here.

The accumulation of all the years that'd passed between us suddenly made me feel very tired.

His hands explored the rest of my body, searching, feeling, looking for changes the same way I had.

His cock was already hard as a rock and pressed against my abdomen.

But for the moment, we remained embraced, gently turning in a circle to music only we could hear.

Then, without reservations, Kuana removed his clothes so we were both naked.

I marveled at his hard, toned physique.

There wasn't a muscle on him that wasn't useful, that didn't serve a dozen different purposes.

None of it was for show.

And that gave him an ease of movement and ability to perform that far surpassed anything others possessed.

He raised my chin up toward him and if he was surprised I had tears in my eyes, he didn't show it.

He only smiled and gently kissed them away.

My thighs were already slick with anticipation for him, to welcome him into their embrace and never let go.

Never let go ever again.

He pressed his lips to mine again and this time there was a fire in them that was more like liquid magma.

I melted beneath them, and knew I would do anything he wanted of me.

Gnarlak might have been the Champion that won in the pits and Claimed me but Kuana was the beast I would forever belong to.

Body and soul.

He leaned down and flicked my nipples with his tongue and gently sucked them between his lips.

I ran my hands through his hair and held him close.

Then he placed his cock at the entrance to my sex and he used some of my juice to rub over himself so he could more easily slide inside me.

I gasped and threw back my head.

It had been years and in all that time I had never so much as been attracted to another male.

How could I when my heart belonged to Kuana and always would?

He pulsed his hips toward me, sliding deeper inside me, his whole body taking part in the movement.

Already my nerves were exploding with excitement, with sheer pleasure.

I pulled him closer and held on tight as he entered me again and again.

My whole body shivered and when my legs got tired of having to perch on my tiptoes for him to enter me, he bent down and picked me up, wrapping an arm around me and cupping my ass under his hand.

With the other, he braced my back so I didn't tilt backward.

He moved me, angling me until his cock slid back inside me.

My breath hitched in my throat as his cock grew even harder inside me.

I bounced as best I could and he reciprocated by pulling me onto him in the same movement.

The orgasm came hard and fast, zipping from my pussy and up my back and to my throat in the same instant.

I pulled him close and screamed as he pummeled me from below, my wail the starting pistol he needed to go to town and chase my first orgasm with a second hot on its heels.

I screamed again and brought his face up to mine and kissed him but it was short lived as he fucked me even harder, causing me to scream in his face.

He didn't care, and only attacked me with even greater aggression.

Slap, slap, slap, slap, slap!

Each strike was an attack on my self control as he rode me without mercy.

Then I noticed something, something I had never seen before during our previous years of lovemaking.

A strange crimson glow, almost violet, shone from his eyes.

It began from his golden irises before turning both his eyes the same shimmering bright color.

But as soon as it was there, it was gone again.

Had I imagined it? I wondered.

He continued on and on and I wasn't sure he was going to stop until I heard the deep grunt in the back of his throat.

He was growing near — and so was I for my fourth (fifth?) orgasm — and he shifted position slightly to get better leverage on me and he spilled his seed inside me.

We were face to face as he did so, and I kissed him softly, the tears in my eyes once more, shimmering and making him hazy.

I held him close and he held on tight to me too as we returned to turning in a circle, gently moving in time to our racing hearts.

I had found him and I would not give him up ever again.