11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Faelin

I wander the station for hours, desperate to find Nala. By now, the UGC has shared the evidence against Drayth with the station’s authorities. If they haven’t made a move against him yet, they’re going to do it soon. Nala can’t be with Drayth when they come for him.

I make my way through most of the high-end establishments on the station, but Nala is nowhere to be found. She’s probably hiding from me, thinking I’m mad at her for stealing the money. That’s what I would do, at least. Lie low for a couple of days, let my mark think I’ve disappeared, wait until they give up the search and move on. Nala is smart enough to know that.

Since the usual bars bear no fruit, I give up on them and patrol the corridors leading to Drayth’s residence instead. Still, there are several routes she could take, and it’s just pure luck when I actually run into her.

I drag her into a side alley, conflicted between wanting to kiss her and shake some sense into her. “Nala…” I whisper, more of a prayer than a scold.

Her eyes widen in fear as she recognizes me. No doubt, she thinks I’m going to hurt her for stealing from me. Anyone else would, but the thought hasn’t even crossed my mind.

“F-Faelin, I…” she stutters, trying to squirm out of my grip.

“It’s alright, Nala,” I reassure her. “I’m not angry. I won’t hurt you. The money doesn’t matter. I’m just glad I found you. You need to come with me.”

She blinks, staring at me with her mouth agape. “Doesn’t matter? What…? I… No! Wait. I’m not going anywhere with you. I can’t.”

“Nala, you have to. You can’t go back to Drayth now.”

“You’re not my master,” she hisses, shoving at my chest. “You don’t get to tell me what to do. Look, I’m sorry about the money. I really am. I didn’t… I had to. I really, really had to take it. I didn’t have a choice. I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you, I promise, but right now, I have to go. Please, Faelin, just let me go.”

Her desperate plea breaks my heart. “I can help you, Nala. Whatever Drayth has over you, I can fix it. Please, let me help you.”

Tears cloud her eyes even as she shakes her head. “You can’t help me. No one can. You don’t even want to help me. I stole from you. Lied to you. Drop the knight in shining armor act and admit how you truly feel. You hate me,” she rambles, wiping the tears away from her face with the back of her hand.

“I could never hate you, Nala,” I say, desperate to convince her. “I don’t care about the money. I would have given it to you if you’d asked. I don’t hate you and I can help you. Just tell me what he has over you.”

“You’re crazy,” she scoffs, staring at me in disbelief. “You’d just give me the money? That’s bullshit! Nobody would do that. You’re either lying or you’re insane. Either way, you can’t help me. I’m beyond help. Just let it go, Faelin. Let me go.”

I pull her into my arms instead. She curls inward, sobbing into my shirt, no longer trying to escape. I gently caress Nala’s hair and shoulders as she continues to break down in my arms. She needs this. Needs to let go of everything that’s been weighing her down. Calmly and patiently, I wait for Nala to settle herself and rebuild her inner strength enough to talk to me. To let me in.

“Everything is going to be alright,” I soothe. “Everything. I promise Nala. I’ll help you. I know that the thought of someone helping you without expecting anything in return is inconceivable to you, but it’s true. I won’t force you to be with me, either. Once you’re free, you can decide whether you want to be with me or not. Until then, we can just be friends.”

“You’re insane. Be real,” she murmurs, clutching my shirt tighter.

I chuckle. “I think I am being real. Then again, maybe I’m delusional enough to think I’m being real even if I’m not?” I tease, my words not making sense even to me.

A group of mechanics passes by, one of them frowning at us in puzzlement which reminds me that we don’t have time for idle reverie. We need to get out of the open. “Come,” I urge Nala, guiding her to the nearest hotel. It’s an automated service, which means no nosy receptionist. I press my palm to the scanner to confirm payment before grabbing the keycard the device spits out.

I’m not sure Nala even registers what’s happening. Her shoulders twitch every few seconds and there’s a slight tremble in her body that tells me she hasn’t really stopped crying yet. If that wasn’t enough of a sign, she’s refusing to let go of my shirt.

I sit us down on the little sofa provided and continue to comfort Nala in my arms until her tremors subside and she finally stops crying. “It’s alright,” I repeat, grasping for the right words. I have no experience in comforting females so I simply say whatever comes to mind. “You’re safe, I promise.”

She shakes her head, more tears streaming down her cheeks. “You don’t understand.”

“Then help me understand. Talk to me, Nala. Please?” I know I sound desperate, but if she won’t talk to me, I can’t help her.

“Later,” she murmurs, shifting around in my arms until she’s sitting facing me. Her mouth finds mine, and before I realize what’s going on, we’re kissing.

Pulling away, I protest, albeit feebly. “Nala… You don’t have to—”

“I know,” she interrupts, tugging at my shirt. I raise my arms up as the shirt is swiftly pulled over my head. “I know I don’t have to,” she repeats, “but I want to. I need it. Please, Faelin. I need you.”

And that’s my undoing. I’m a weak male. How can I possibly resist such temptation when I’m as desperate for reassurance as Nala is.

I know she’s still not being honest with me, that she’s dealing with this whole situation in the only way she knows how—seducing males and driving them out of their minds. With me, she’s succeeded, one hundred percent.

As the kissing grows desperate, all rational thoughts evaporate from my mind. All I can think about is Nala’s body pressed against mine. Shucking off her cloak, Nala yanks her own top over her head. When she presses her lips back to mine, her nipples brush against my chest causing an audible groan from me.

Nala chuckles at my obvious desire. “You need me too, it seems.”

“I do.” She has no idea how much. “Oh, fuck, Nala…” Gyrating her hips, Nala rubs my erect cock and I nearly spill into my pants. Her very touch is electrifying, every kiss a desperate plea for more.

I moan as she unbuttons my pants to free my cock. This woman is both my savior and my downfall, rubbing her hand along the length of my weeping erection, pressing me firmly against the crotch of her own pants. Every fiber of my being hates the piece of fabric blocking me right now. Without that miserable strip of material, I’d be balls deep inside of her already, basking in her tight heat.

My hands find Nala’s breasts, kneading the perfect mounds. As I flick the nipple with my thumb, Nala throws back her head, whimpering. I slip one hand into her pants, testing her delectable wetness. Her pussy is soaked, wet and ready for me.

“Take these off,” I demand, tugging at the waistband. “Please. I need you, Nala.”

She obliges, sliding off my lap to pull the offending piece of clothing off. My chest rumbles up like a tidal wave until a formidable, desperate growl escapes. Nala backs up a few steps. Rationally, I know she’s just making sure she has space to undress, but my primitive instincts scream at me to never let her run away from me again. For once, I succumb to those urges.

I yank Nala back to me. Squealing at the sudden unexpected jolt, she falls back into my lap, one pant leg still hanging from her ankle. I don’t care, because I can’t wait any longer. I grab her by her hips, lifting her up to sit astride my lap.

“You’re eager,” she purrs, grinning, but I can hear the need in her voice. She wants this just as much as I do.

“Always,” I manage to grunt out before guiding her down, sinking into her wet heat in one motion.

Throwing my head back, I hiss. The pleasure is overwhelming and with terrific shame, I realize I won’t last. What is wrong with me? Normally, I can happily pound into a female for hours, bringing her one orgasm after another before finally coming myself. With Nala, all it takes is a single thrust and I’m ready to mark her with my cum. That won’t do. I must bring her pleasure first. I must…

“Oh, god,” she moans, grinding up and down my shaft. “You have such a great cock, Faelin.”

Fuck, how am I supposed to last when she says things like this? When she moans my name out loud? When she’s riding my cock like a sex crazed beast?

No. This can’t be happening to me. I forbid myself from coming and focus on Nala’s pleasure instead.

Placing one hand on her hip to prevent Nala from moving, I use the other to tease these perfect nipples of hers. As soon as she’s whimpering and begging to move, I stand from the couch, carrying her with me. Nala’s legs automatically wrap around my waist, forcing my cock to pump deeper as we stumble over to the bed. It’s a challenge not to just drop to the floor and rut Nala like an animal in heat

I set her down, somehow managing to stay wedged inside, then rearrange our bodies until I can access that beautiful little clit of hers. “Yes, yes, right there!” she screams, writhing in ecstacy. Her pussy squeezes and pulsates rhythmically as she comes, and that is my undoing.

I explode with a roar, my body vibrating as pleasure more intense than anything I’ve ever experienced before overcomes me. When the madness ebbs, I capture Nala’s mouth with mine. “You’re mine,” I tell her, my breath heavy from exertion. “I’m not letting you leave me again. I will protect you. I will do anything you want, except let you go. You. Are. Mine.”

She returns my kisses fervently before burying her face in the crook of my neck. “You don’t know anything about me,” she whispers.

“I know enough. I know you, Nala. Please, let me in.”

Shoulders twitching, Nala starts sobbing again, tears running down and soaking the sheets beneath us. I patiently wait for the tears to ebb. When she finally manages to gain back some of her stoic persona, she doesn’t look up but manages to say, “It’s complicated.”

“Everything in life is complicated,” I retort. “That’s not a bad thing. Please, tell me what’s going on so that I can help you.”

She’s avoiding my eyes, biting down so hard on her lower lip it’s turning white from the pressure. I’m practically holding my breath in anticipation. Is she finally going to tell me her secret?

Still silent, Nala shoves at my shoulder, wriggling in an attempt to slide out from beneath me. I’m reluctant to let her go but I understand the need for space, especially as this looks like we’re about to get serious, and no one wants to have a serious conversation while trapped in a vulnerable position.

“Give me a minute,” she whispers, collecting her clothes from where they lay heaped on the floor before disappearing into the bathroom.

I force myself not to follow. Since we’re about to have a serious conversation, I wipe my cock off the best I can with a wad of tissues and pull my pants back on. Just as I’m beginning to worry that Nala’s taking too long and wondering whether there’s a window in the bathroom she might have used to escape, she returns. She’s fully clothed with that hefty cloak pulled around her like metaphorical armor.

I gesture to the empty space beside me on the bed but Nala just shakes her head, refusing to sit. She looks so crestfallen I want to pull her into my lap so I can offer my emotional support, but as I make the slightest motion forward, she steps back. “Don’t, please,” she whispers, freezing me in place.

“I’m sorry. I promise I’ll never touch you against your will, Nala, but please, I need you to talk to me.”

She just shakes her head again. “You think you want me, but you don’t. Not really. You don’t know anything about me.”

“That’s not true. I know you’re strong. You’re a survivor. I know you’ve been betrayed and disappointed too many times for trust to come easily to you but I promise, you can trust me. What can I do to prove it to you?”

I half expect to hear her demand I leave, but she just sighs. “Faelin…”

“Nala?” I’m losing her, I can feel it. I have to figure out how to get through to her. “I’m here for you. I can protect you. You are the most important person in my life.” Is it too soon for such declarations? Possibly, but I don’t know what else to say, how else to convince her to confide in me.

Her strained smile betrays her inner turmoil. “Faelin… You are a ray of sunshine in my shitstorm of a life. But you’re not the most important person in my life,” she whispers. “I’m sorry.”

Before I even begin to decipher the cryptic meaning behind her words, she reaches into the folds of her cloak. I react instinctively, leaping forward to knock the weapon from her hand but I’m not fast enough.

The final thought that passes through my mind as the blast hits me is that at least it’s only a stunner. Nala might not trust me but she doesn’t want to kill me. Still, the tiny weapon packs a punch hard enough to knock me out. Nala’s tear streaked eyes are the last thing I see as everything fades to black.