Chapter 15

Amonth later, we had settled into a delightful routine. Not only was I steadily falling in love with Krogal, but I was growing closer to his mother Talin. She would forever be prickly, but once you looked behind that defense mechanism, you discovered a deeply loyal and loving female. Although things weren't fully mended between her and Krogal, they were now interacting in a friendly fashion. Talin and Orym even came to our place for dinner on a few occasions.

While there was no rush for Krogal and me to finalize our union, I'd already decided that the day we went through a formal Zamorian wedding, I wanted Talin to be the one giving me her son. It was a relief that Feidin had hinted as much as well. The clan's Matriarch was both a wonderful leader for our people and a loving sister.

I just needed to get my mother-in-law onboard with the idea that not only our wedding would not be a traditional one, but that I also wanted Joree to play a part in it. I didn't know what it would be, but we'd figure it out sooner than later.

The not so-little-anymore Nulia was thriving. In the past week, she slept half her nights in our home. Surprisingly, although she was technically mine, Joree spent a great deal of time at Krogal's clinic. At first, I thought she was forming a stronger bond with my husband than with me. It shamed me to admit that I felt a bit jealous about it. However, I quickly found out what a far different reason motivated that behavior.

Joree's empathic abilities drove her to comfort those who needed it. During her short stay at the clinic for her own illness, the Nulia realized she could help the other pets being treated there. She would not only help soothe them but would also help communicate what pain they felt through mental imagery telepathically conveyed to Krogal or one of his assistants.

The strength of the bond she was forming with both of us manifested itself through the increasing clarity of those telepathic communications, but also the distance from which she could reach us. As much as I selfishly wanted to benefit more from her presence, I loved that she found a fulfilling way to put her abilities to good use while doing so much good for the helpless creatures who needed it.

She still cuddled with me plenty of times. But the cute little baby she had been had now grown into the size of an adult cat. According to Krogal, once fully mature, she could grow as big as a Maine Coon. She certainly shed just as much fur. I didn't mind, that mild inconvenience was well worth it in exchange for the unconditional love and fluffy snuggles she generously gave.

To my shame, as she began spending more and more time with us, I admitted that I worried how awkward it might get when my husband and I wanted to get a little frisky. Unlike a cat, Joree's intelligence made her a lot more like a person than a pet. But her empathic abilities always kicked in when needed. The minute Krogal or I got aroused, Joree would make a discreet exit and remain scarce until we were done. I couldn't tell if I felt more relieved than mortified that she knew we were going at it like rabbits.

Once again this morning, I woke up to find Krogal already gone. A glance at the clock told me he'd be back any minute now. I jumped out of bed and made my way to the hygiene room, hoping he would join me there. It had become a part of our routine.

A grin stretched my lips when the hygiene room door opened as I was starting to rinse the soap off me. I looked over my shoulder to find Krogal standing in the doorway, his expression darkening in a way that had my knees instantly wobbly.

"You look good enough to eat, my mate. And I'm rather starved after my training. May I join you?" he asked.

My skin erupted in goosebumps at the sound of his deep voice, my stomach flip-flopped, and my breasts instantly felt heavy. I extended a beckoning hand towards him. He kicked his shoes off and removed his pants before coming to me.

Good God, it felt so good in his arms! He instantly claimed my lips in a passionate kiss, his forehands roaming over me with an impatience that had my inner walls contracting with anticipation. You'd think we'd been separated for months, even years, instead of a few hours.

He lifted me, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. His quickly engorging cocks pressed against my core, making my toes curl. Our tongues warred, and I savored his sweet taste and the dominant way he kissed me. I gasped against his lips when his primary right hand caressed my behind, circling around my cheeks to reach my sex. His thick and long index finger teased my slit and then my clit. It massaged it for a moment, until my breath became labored with pleasure. He then dipped that finger inside me, a second one joining the fray as he began scissoring them in and out of me, stretching me.

I felt wetness pool between my thighs that had nothing to do with the water raining over us. My inner walls spasmed, wanting more. Krogal broke the kiss and tilted me back so that he could take one of my nipples into his greedy mouth. With both his secondary hands holding me, and his primary right hand still fingering me, he fondled my other breast with his remaining hand. Simultaneously, he rubbed the length of his second cock against me, the friction over my clit sending electric sparks down my legs.

I slipped a hand between us and closed my fingers around his primary cock—or at least tried to. The damn thing was so damn thick, I couldn't reach around its circumference. That had another jolt of anticipation resonating straight between my thighs. Even after all this time, Krogal needed to be careful with his initial penetration before I adjusted to the massive girth of his primary cock.

His mouth still wrapped around my nipple, Krogal grunted in approval as I stroked him. He pursued his ministrations a few moments longer before bending me back further. His mouth ventured over my stomach and lingered at my navel, licking and nipping at it. Although it tickled, I was too focused on the waves of pleasure quickly building in response to his wicked fingers between my legs.

Krogal suddenly straightened me and effortlessly hoisted me upward. I let go of his cock, both my hands flying to his shoulders for support. But my surprised gasp shifted into a rapturous moan when he settled my legs on his shoulders and buried his face between my thighs. Had he not been holding me up, I probably would have toppled over. Instead, my nails dug into his shoulders as he licked and sucked my clit with the voracity of a starving man.

A pool of lava swirled in the pit of my stomach, bliss radiating outward to each of my nerve endings as I neared the edge. His fingers slipping inside my slit as he devoured me was the final push I needed. The moment he crooked them and grazed my sensitive bundle of nerves, I threw my head back and cried out as my orgasm swept me away.

Krogal continued to pleasure me with his mouth until I started coming back down. The whole time, his fingers scissored in and out of me, preparing me to receive his considerable girth.

He eventually took me down from his shoulders. Still holding me in his arms, my body pressed against his and my legs wrapped around his waist, my man gave me a long and passionate kiss in which he poured all his passion and devotion. He rubbed his pelvis against mine, the friction on my clit sending electric sparks throughout my nether region.

My inner walls spasmed with impatience, aching to be filled. Krogal lifted me up a bit and aligned his secondary cock with my opening. With great care, he pushed himself in, using shallow thrusts until he was fully sheathed. While it had taken an eternity the first time for my body to give in to him, it now took less than a minute before he could start rocking in and out of me.

Good Lord! I was addicted to how incredibly full he made me feel and the amazing sensation of the pearl-like ridges along the sides of his cocks. His primary cock, pressed against my clit, acted like a clitoral stimulator with each thrust, doubling my pleasure. With his legendary control, Krogal kept a steady pace, his secondary hands holding me propped up while his primary ones caressed every inch of my body.

He was everywhere at once, in and around me, making me feel both helpless but to yield to his passion, sheltered by his strong arms and body, and utterly worshiped. My blood heated as the inferno raging in my loins sent liquid flames coursing through my veins. The sound of his growls of pleasure, vibrating through his chest in an almost continuous flow, turned me on even more.

My legs shook around him as I began to crest for the second time. Sensing my impending climax, Krogal accelerated the movement. His cock struck my G-spot with deadly accuracy, tearing one strangled moan from me after the other until my spine seized. With a sharp cry, I tumbled down an ocean of bliss as another orgasm swept me away, and my inner walls clamped down around Krogal's cock.

I distantly heard him cry out, and his hands painfully tightened their grip around me. My man was fighting the urge to yield to his own orgasm. But my inner walls squeezing him from all sides were challenging his ability to resist.

He didn't give in, but something finally broke inside him. Even as I continued to fly high, I felt him taking me deeper, harder, and at a more frantic pace. In no time, he was pounding into me. His primary cock, still rubbing over my clit had me on the verge of combusting. Before I could even finish recovering from my second climax, a third one engulfed me. I threw my head back and would have crashed onto the tiled floor if not for Krogal holding me with a bruising grip.

The room spun, and pleasure almost too much to bear swelled through me, setting each of my nerve endings ablaze. In my lustful daze, it took me too long to realize Krogal had pulled out of me, turned me around in his embrace before ramming his primary cock in with one powerful thrust. It felt like a distant burn, and even my strangled cry sounded far away to my own ears.

Keeping me twisted like a pretzel, my back to his chest, and his secondary hands holding my legs to my own chest, I had no choice but to take everything he was giving me. While his mouth kissed my neck and shoulder, his primary right hand frantically rubbed my clit, and his left one fondled my breast.

The sound of the water raining over us, the rhythmic slapping of flesh meeting flesh, my voluptuous moans, and his nearly feral growls filled the room as I gave myself over to my mate. He was wrecking me, physically and mentally, the excess of bliss threatening to fracture my mind. I never saw that ultimate orgasm creep up on me. It slammed into me with the violence of an erupting volcano. A blinding light exploded before my eyes, and I felt as if my soul had been torn right out of my mortal vessel.

Moments later, the deafening sound of Krogal's roar resonated in my right ear, and his seed shot out into me in powerful spurts, bathing my battered insides. I felt boneless and utterly destroyed as he continued to rock in and out of me at a slower pace, until he was fully spent. Through it all he gently caressed me and whispered words of love and devotion in my ear.

He eventually pulled out and thoroughly washed me with infinite care. I felt like a queen when he dried my body, then my hair, and even plaited it for me. I reciprocated the favor, then enjoyed the copious breakfast he made for us. Somehow, the wretch multiplied the ways to be the one cooking for me, even on my days. And I couldn't even complain.

Joree joined us and feasted on a mix of various nuts, grapes, apples, and wild berries. Later, I would treat her to some oatmeal raisin cookies, her favorite treat.

"So you're spending the day with Mother?" he asked, a mix of amusement and sympathy audible in his voice.

"I am," I replied, lifting my chin defiantly as if to dare him to make any type of disparaging comment. "Talin can be a handful, but I've learned how to handle her. And I have some workers coming over to discuss the plans for the shelves I want installed for my custom fabrics, and drawer units to store the threads, buttons, sequins, and all that other good stuff. Your mother will cow them into submission if they try to pull a fast one on the clueless off-worlder."

Krogal snorted. "Fair point. On that front, Mother will eat them alive if they even think to con you. Well, I better get going. I've got a busy day ahead."

We exchanged one last passionate kiss, and I waved him goodbye as he took flight. To my delight, Joree stayed with me. It was always a coin toss who she decided to spend the day with. I went to Talin's apartment across the hall, and we flew in her shuttle to my studio. Joree comfortably balled herself up in my lap and half-napped while Talin and I chatted amiably.

She couldn't help trying to dictate how I should run my life. At this point, I made my peace with the fact that Talin would never change on that front. But she was also acknowledging this somewhat toxic trait in her and was making genuine efforts to rein it in when called out about it.

"So, have you reconsidered joining one of the dance troops who expressed interest in you?" Talin asked with false innocence.

I gave her a sideways glance that made it clear she wasn't fooling me. "I haven't, because I no longer want to perform on stage."

I didn't add that Liam killed my passion for public performance. Granted, I still liked dancing and joined the other Zamorian females during informal group dances, often held in the city's Plaza. But it wasn't the type of career I wanted to pursue.

"But you are bringing a unique spin to our traditional dances that has people very excited," Talin argued. "It is a waste of a great potential that could leave a lasting mark in our cultural evolution."

"I didn't say that I wouldn't continue experimenting with a crossover of Zamorian traditional dances and music, with Caribbean rhythms and moves," I replied in an indulgent tone. "I did set up a proper dance studio in Penlam. I'm more interested in remaining in the shadows and license the use of my songs and choreographies to those interested. But for me, this will be a side gig so that I can continue dabbling in one of my former passions."

Without the baggage and trauma…

As she parked the shuttle in my reserved spot, Talin pinched her lips, displeased by my answer. She was the biggest braggart in the entire city, more even than her nephew, Bayron. If you wanted to make her cringe, you only had to hint at your desire to remain backstage and let someone else stand in the spotlight. She was definitely one of those people who lived their dreams vicariously through their children and relatives. Being able to brag about my music and choreographies being used by big-name artists didn't hold the same pizzaz as being able to shout from the rooftops that your daughter-in-law was the actual big-name artist herself.

"I might even give some dance classes at the studio," I continued. "There's been enough requests to justify putting a group together. But that's not a priority. For now, I really want to focus on fashion. I'm super excited about starting my own line and have a billion ideas just demanding to come to life. And Milna is absolutely brilliant. Thank you for finding her for me."

Those words immediately mollified my mother-in-law. She smiled and nodded in acknowledgement, although I didn't miss the pride she tried to hide. Milna was one of the city's most famous seamstresses and fashion designers. Although she retired a couple of years prior, Talin convinced her to take me under her wing as my private tutor until the next semester began.

We entered my studio, which I had renamed Medjine's after my late mother. I didn't welcome customers here just yet, and probably wouldn't for quite a few months to come. We were still furnishing and setting up the space. And it would take a while for me to build a large enough collection to open to the public. I just loved that Krogal gave me the means to work on this project with no time or financial pressure. And modeling for Belle provided me with extra income for the more extravagant things I might want to throw into it.

Speaking of which, while visiting a few weeks ago, Belle drew a sketch of me playing with Joree in my living room. I found it so adorable I sweet talked her into making a giant version of it on the wall in the main room of my future store. It was Talin's first time seeing it. For some silly reason, the glimmer of approval in her eyes moved me deeply.

"You are a beautiful woman, Farah," Talin mused out loud. "Belle did a wonderful job of capturing the moment between you and your companion. This is how you should be portrayed in all the pieces she's painting of you. Do you not see how tragic it is that you insist she hides your face? Even the name of your fashion line bears no direct tie to you or our family!"

"You know I wish to maintain my anonymity," I said with a sliver of irritation. "And my fashion line is named after my mother. Even there I hesitated because it is a link to me. I know how important fame and honor is for you. But in this instance, I would really appreciate you respecting my wishes. You have no idea what it's like living in fear of what a psychopath could do if he found you. You take pride in being a protector, then act as such. Grant me the peace of mind I seek by not trying to force me to expose myself to danger."

It was a bit of a low blow, but it was also honest. I hated how she flinched upon hearing my words, putting in question her protective nature for selfish reasons.

"Whatever you may think, Farah, your safety and welfare do matter to me," Talin said in a slightly clipped tone.

It wasn't anger at me pushing back that motivated that reaction but hurt that I should imply she might deliberately put me at risk merely to satisfy her personal ambitions.

"Do not doubt that I understand your motivations. But I believe they are wrong," she continued. "You can only hide for so long before the demon chasing you eventually catches up. No one can run forever. If that abusive human is going to come after you, let it be on your own terms, and not on his when you least expect it. Tell him where you are and dare him to come after you again. He will find out the hard way that you do not stand alone. It is every member of the Skortheatis Clan and every Zamorian on this planet who will teach him that no one messes with one of ours. And you, Farah Toussaint, are ours."

My throat tightened, and tears pricked my eyes. The day of my first confrontation with Talin, Demar told me that his mother claimed me as hers. Today, for the first time, she made it official. It had been far too long since I truly belonged to a family who wanted what was best for me, even when awkwardly expressed.

I didn't know what expression my face displayed, but it moved my mother-in-law. As she hated showing weakness or tender emotions, she scrunched her face and shifted the subject to a safer topic. It made her even more endearing to me, and I had to summon all my willpower not to go give her a bone crushing hug.

"Anyway, I don't think the shelves you have ordered will suffice," she said in a slightly grumpy tone.

I smiled as I followed her around the room and listened to her many suggestions as to how she would set up the place if it was her decision to make. The female was hopeless, but she was growing on me. In truth, she'd become a fun challenge to handle, and I wouldn't change her for anything.

Feeling mischievous, Joree decided to make a pest of herself, flying to whatever location Talin was discussing and striking a pose. Working with Belle for her paintings, the little Nulia had become quite the diva and attention whore. In this instance, she was deliberately trying to irritate Talin because she could feel it amused me. She had become quite attuned to me and fed on my emotional loop. The happier I was and the more she thrived.

A knock on the door put an end to her antics. She flew to one of the two large worktables I had set in the main room, settling on top like a sphinx. Her large blue eyes locked on me, she casually wagged her fluffy tail from side to side as I went to open the door.

To my surprise, a Zamorian male I had never seen before stood outside. He measured about seven feet, which was on the shorter side for his species. In his early forties, with silver eyes, and dirty blonde hair, he had the more slender physique of an artist.

"Hello?" I said with a slight frown, indicating my confusion at finding him here.

"Hello. You are Ms. Toussaint, correct?" he asked in a polite tone.

"Who wants to know?" I asked, instantly defensive, even though I had no reasons to be. But since Liam, anytime a strange man approached me, I automatically became suspicious… if not paranoid.

"My name is Teral," he replied in the same calm and professional voice. "I am Niven's colleague. A last-minute situation kept him from coming personally. He asked me to replace him."

"Oh, okay," I said, tension bleeding out of my stiffened back. "He was only coming here to take some measurements. But I also wanted to talk with him about a few other things."

"Whatever you wanted to discuss with him, I can handle. I've got you, Farah," Teral replied with a smile. "I will take good care of you."

A cold shiver ran down my spine. Something in the way he said that made me uneasy. No doubt in reaction to my discomfort, Joree yipped and became a little agitated. Before I could respond, Talin stepped forward with an outraged expression.

"What do you mean, Niven can't make it? What could be more important than for him to see to my daughter's needs?"

Teral stiffened. "Your daughter?!" he repeated in surprise.

"She means her daughter-in-law," I answered in her stead, my tone making it clear his reaction to her comment was out of place.

To my shock, his face hardened as did his voice. "I thought that union wasn't official, yet."

I recoiled, both baffled and offended by his words. Everyone in the city pretty much knew of the situation since Krogal was part of our clan's ruling family. They didn't know my personal story, only that Krogal and I were not an officially married couple yet.

"Not that it's any of your business, but we are legally married in all the ways that matter. We only have the Zamorian wedding to finalize in the next few weeks," I said in a clipped tone.

"Is that so?" he retorted, a hint of disgust seeping into his voice.

A sense of dread washed over me. Although he had a different voice and a completely different appearance, this man had spoken Liam's favorite line in the same way he did right before he would exact some terrible retribution or punishment for a perceived slight.

"Is there a problem?" Talin demanded, taking a menacing step towards the Zamorian male.

Teral never got a chance to answer. Joree hissed and suddenly charged forward, attacking him.

"Joree, stop!" I called out as Teral ducked to avoid having his face clawed off by the Nulia.

She barely missed and circled back to attack him again. To my horror, Teral pulled out a blaster and fired at her.

"You fucking flying rat!" he shouted.

Two of his shots made contact, one of them clipping Joree's wing and the other her left leg. She screeched in pain and nearly plummeted to the floor.

"No!" I yelled and rushed towards Teral who was still aiming at my pet. "Joree, get out!"

Bleeding, and visibly in serious pain, she flew erratically out of the building through her access window. Just as I was about to strike his arm to stop him from further shooting at her, he swiped his arm at me in what I believed to be a defensive reflex.

Since I could barely fight my way out of a wet paper bag, the blow sent me flying back, and I fell hard on the floor.

"See what you made me do, Fae?!" he shouted as he stared at me in horror.

My blood drained from my face and turned to ice in my veins.

Fae… That was Liam's pet name for me. Farah, his little Fae, his delicate fairy.

Talin's war cry drowned the inner voice yelling for me to run for my life. Even as she rushed him, my mother-in-law hurled things at him from all four hands. On instinct, the disguised Liam raised one arm before him to block the incoming projectiles while blindly shooting at her. As soon as she reached him, she tried to rip the weapon out of his hand. He fought back but eventually lost his grip. The weapon fell, and he quickly kicked it behind him.

"Run, Farah!" Talin shouted as she began hand-to-hand combat with Liam.

I gaped in awe at the strength, speed, and dexterity with which she fought him. Under each blow, Liam's holographic disguise waivered, giving glimpses of the shorter human male behind it. While she was attempting to subdue him, he was trying to free himself long enough to reach for his blaster. For a split second, I thought about going after it. But the damn thing was next to the door. I would have to come within range of the two pugilists to recover it.

My ex had always been fit. On top of regular fitness training, he had a black belt in martial arts and was a skilled boxer. I couldn't help but cringe every time he landed a blow on Talin. But she didn't fall apart, taking it like a champ, and giving back as good as she got.

"Run!" she shouted again, anger seeping into her voice that I remained there paralyzed.

I ached to go help her, but I would only get in the way, and likely get myself seriously injured. Silently berating myself for not taking some self-defense classes, I turned around to run into the dance studio, intent on calling Krogal for help.

Just as I started running, I glanced over my shoulder to see Liam swipe his right leg at Talin. His shin struck right behind her knees knocking her off her feet. She fell hard. The way the back of her head hit the hardwood floor, I feared she had cracked her skull open. Despite being clearly dazed by the impact, she pushed herself up, but not fast enough to keep Liam from grabbing the blaster.

He shot directly in front of me. I screamed and veered to the left, away from the impact. He fired wide enough not to hit me, but close enough to make his warning clear.

"Farah, stop and get back here!" Liam shouted.

Shaking with terror, I froze, my eyes flicking between the door of the dance studio only three meters ahead, and my tormentor ten meters away. He never raised a hand to me. No matter how furious he was—and he certainly was right now—I knew with bone-deep certainty that he would never shoot me.

No doubt guessing the thoughts crossing my mind, he shifted the blaster, aiming it straight at Talin's face, who was still crouching in front of him.

"Run, and I'll kill the Zamorian bitch," he hissed.

Talin tried to lunge for him, but he fired.

"TALIN! NO!" I shouted, rushing forward.

I almost wept with relief when she didn't collapse or lose consciousness. Instead, with phenomenal resilience, she got up on her feet and placed herself between Liam and me. Her secondary right hand pressed on the bleeding wound of her left shoulder.

"Step aside, female," Liam hissed at Talin, his voice dripping with contempt as he deactivated the now defective disguise that kept glitching around him. "Fae, get your ass over here. Come home with me, where you belong, and the bitch lives."

"She's my daughter! You can't have her!" Talin replied defiantly, her voice devoid of the pain one would expect in light of her wound.

Liam scoffed and gave her a disdainful glare. "I offed the last female who made that claim. I have no qualms doing the same with you."

My blood turned to ice, and a sharp pain lacerated my heart. "It was you," I whispered in disbelief. "It was you who killed my mom?!"

Even though I stated it as a question, I didn't need him to answer. A part of me always suspected, knew even. But I had been in such denial that it had been easier to convince myself that the man whose bed I shared for a total of seven years couldn't have ordered or committed such a horrible crime.

"I freed you from a leech," he spat with anger. "I've given you everything, laid the world at your feet, and this is how you thank me? How dare you leave me? How dare you whore yourself to one of those freaks? All these years, I've worshiped you and been faithful to you. And you let one of these animals touch what's mine? You let him defile you?"

Each of his words felt like a punch in the gut. For all his faults, Liam had indeed been faithful to me during our entire time together. In his own sick and obsessive way, he loved me, or rather the image he had of me. Truth be told, Liam loved the person he tried to mold me into, not the real me.

"I've moved on, Liam. You have to let me go," I said in a pleading tone.

"You don't move on without me," he snapped. "You need me! And I own you!"

My stomach dropped, and the look of madness in his eyes sparked genuine fear within me. His knuckles turned white while his fingertips went red from how hard he was holding his blaster. This man would lose it any minute. I needed to find a way to bring down the temperature. I could only pray that Joree was okay, and that she found help for herself and hopefully for us as well.

I opened my mouth without truly knowing what I wanted to say. But Liam interrupted me. As always, he didn't care about what I had to say or what I desired. In the end, he simply wanted to dictate everything, from what I did all the way down to what I thought.

"Where's the necklace I gave you?" he demanded, his voice cold as ice.

He stared at me with a hardness that would fool anyone into thinking he was merely stoic. But I knew that look. He was seething with fury and had reached his breaking point. This was yet another question he didn't really want or need me to answer. In this instance, I didn't doubt he already knew the truth of it. I wanted to lie, if only to try and appease him. But it would make matters worse… if that was even possible.

"You already know I pawned it," I said in a shaky voice.

He clenched his teeth and silently glared at me with murder in his eyes.

"I had no choice, Liam," I said pleadingly. "You control all my money. How else was I going to pay for transport off-world? What was I supposed to live off of?"

"Is that why you whored yourself to a Zamorian?" he snarled. "You ran out of money, so you spread your legs for a—"

"Enough!" Talin shouted. "Leave her alone! What kind of a pathetic male tries to force himself through menace on a female who clearly doesn't want him? Leave with your life while you still can, human. The wrath of all of Xoccoris will soon descend upon you."

"Shut the fuck up, you cunt!" Liam said in a calm, almost conversational tone.

My heart stopped. Whenever he used it, it was him handing down a death sentence. Time slowed as I watched him fire at Talin's stomach. I didn't recall bursting into action. It was only once my hands pressed onto her left shoulder and shoved her out of the way that I realized I had attempted to save her.

From the corner of my eye, I saw the flash around the weapon's muzzle then an intense pain struck the base of my spine. My legs went numb and collapsed beneath me. I pitched forward, my scream of pain dying in a choked gasp when a second atrocious pain exploded next to my left shoulder blade. The floor rushed towards me, and I slammed against it face down. Winded, I tried to scream again from the excruciating pain radiating through my upper body as I couldn't feel anything from the waist down, or rather nothing more than a strange tingling.

"Farah! My love! No!" Liam screamed, pain and horror filling his voice.

Talin roared with rage, and the sound of more fighting filled the room as I struggled to remain conscious. But the tingling kept spreading, and I felt myself becoming lighter as if I was floating out of my body.

Four hands pawed at me. Through the fog enshrouding my mind, I realized Talin had picked me up. She ran inside a room with me, I couldn't say which one as my vision had gone blurry. The impact of each of her steps as she ran sent a stabbing pain up the length of my spine.

As I lost the battle to remain conscious, I heard the muffled sound of Liam shouting my name and the terrified voice of my mother-in-law.

"Fight, my daughter. Don't you dare die on us. Fight for my Krogal. He cannot lose you."

My Krogal… His beloved face flashed before my eyes as darkness engulfed me.