15. Sun

Chapter 15

Sun

A crunching sound like crushed bones alerted me to Hadi’s approach.

I snatched the stone from Bracken’s hand and tucked it into my pants.

“Where is it?” Hadi demanded, the moment he was with us.

“I have it,” Sun said. “There’s no need for you to examine it.”

Bracken and Clem exchanged a look, knowing full well that moments ago I had had no problem with Bracken holding the stone.

No matter how we had come together out there, I still couldn’t just hand him the stone. We were still on opposite sides of this war, despite the blurred lines.

Whatever pleasure he had gained from his revenge over Kovit vanished as he looked into my eyes. His jaw set and brows lowered into a frown.

“I need to see it. I need to know it is the right one. I have the matching sunstone after all.”

“Not anymore,” I reminded him.

There was a prolonged silence. Notably, Hadi did not argue with the correction.

“ Insolent, ” he hissed, clenching his fists. “You save me and then deny me. All I want is to look upon it, to know that it is real.”

Finally, with a sigh, I held up the stone for Hadi to see.

“Happy?” I asked, shoving it back into my pocket.

Hadi nodded, his expression still guarded, but if I wasn’t mistaken, he looked pleased.

“To Tsuki’s temple,” he said in response.

He gestured for me to lead the way. After a moment, I began to walk. The rest of us fell into step behind him.

A silence fell over our group again as we moved north toward the mountains.

Without saying a word, I knew we were all of the same idea that avoiding detection was of the utmost importance especially now.

We walked and kept walking, drawing nearer to the base of the mountain range, hidden only by sparse trees.

We needed to move fast and far. I couldn’t shake the feeling that danger was still upon us, but as the adrenaline faded, exhaustion took me instead.

I tried to push on, but as the sun began to set, I sagged against a tree, and took in my comrades. Each of them was as dirty, battered and bruised as I felt.

Despite myself, I started laughing.

“We made it,” I said, shaking my head. “We are covered in dirt and blood, but we are all still alive.”

“You sound surprised,” Kiar said, arching a brow and I laughed.

“Normally, when I go to battle, an entire army accompanies me,” I informed him. “Forgive me, but I did not have high hopes for us five forsaken beings.”

Behind the others, Hadi snorted and shot his web high into one of the trees above us before ascending.

I watched him go, realizing that he was settling amongst the branches and let out a relieved sigh.

“Yes. Let us rest. Tomorrow we will reach Tsuki’s mountain and begin our ascent.”

“How long will it take to get to the top?” Clem asked, rubbing his eyes.

“I’m not sure,” I admitted, “but there will be a rope to help us when we reach the midway point.”

“I will fly us to the top,” Bracken argued. “It will be faster.”

Kiar shook his head fervently.

“There are too many looking for us. We have enemies on all sides. If we are spotted and attacked by other flying nocs before reaching the top–”

“Kiar is correct. We will climb.”

I yawned.

“But first, sleep .”

“I will keep watch,” Kiar said, but I shook my head.

“No Kiar,” I said. “You need to rest too.”

“Then I will keep watch,” Bracken offered.

It wasn’t ideal, but Kiar hadn’t slept as much as the rest of us lately.

“Wake me before morning and I will switch with you,” he said.

Bracken nodded.

Satisfied, I allowed Kiar to bundle around me and Clem. He made the perfect pillow, his arms warm and welcoming, but I didn’t doubt that I could have slept on jagged rocks right now.

At least the weather hadn’t dipped into freezing again.

It felt like I barely shut my eyes and then suddenly I was being shaken awake by Kiar and I was sprawled across Bracken.

Disoriented, it took me a minute to remember where I was and what was happening, but after a few minutes and a few bites, we were on the road again.

The moonstone hung heavy in my pocket as we crept along. With every step, it hit my thigh as though to give me a constant reminder that the survival of the human race was now in my hands alone. And I was surrounded by nocs.

I glanced up at the two who walked ahead of me. Bracken and Kiar, both on high alert, their gazes darting around us at every sound or movement.

At my side, Clem walked, looking deep in thought.

Behind us, Hadi followed, like the unwanted child.

I glanced back at him.

He caught me looking at once, but even the quick meeting of eyes was enough to tell me that my suspicions were correct. There was a lightness to Hadi now that had not been there before. When our gazes locked, his were not filled with as much vitriol.

It was still there, but less potent, more detached.

We were far from friends. I had no doubt that he would kill me for the stone in my pocket if it wouldn’t take him down with it, but the anger in him had eased slightly with Kovit’s violent death.

The fact that we had all worked together to help him was surely why his anger towards us had ebbed.

A trickling sound slowly permeated my thoughts as we walked. It took me a minute to realize what the sound was and when I finally did, my heart leaped. The Yang River.

It was along our route. We would have to cross it to get to Tsuki’s temple. I had known that, but it had seemed so distant.

The sound of softly rushing water put a spring in my steps that days of walking and fighting had drained away.

“What is it?” Clem asked, looking at me curiously.

He was always the first to sense a shift in my mood, but I was too excited to acknowledge it now.

I veered off the beaten path, into the trees, vaguely aware of the others following me as I searched for the river. We must be close. Close enough to see the river from here at least, if I could hear it.

I stopped on the edge of a short drop off, my heart beating with excitement at the sight that met me.

The wide river that cut through all of Naran stretched below me. It was a quiet part, where the water flowed welcomingly, practically beckoning.

As I watched it glittering in the daylight, I didn’t think I had ever seen anything so beautiful.

Without thinking, I swung myself down, climbing the short distance to the water’s level.

“What are you doing?” Kiar hissed, suddenly catching me by the arm.

I paused, realizing that he had followed me like the mother hen he was, worried that I was about to be attacked. The others still stood on the ledge over us, watching like I had lost my mind.

I didn’t care. Nothing could ruin my excitement.

“Look at us,” I said. “I feel like I am made more of filth than of skin.”

I pulled my arm free and slowly pulled the clothes off my body, grinning when Kiar’s gaze darkened and raked down my exposed flesh. Without waiting, I turned and walked over the uneven stones and into the frigid water.

Even the icy temperature made me feel good. It was like an electrifying shock as I waded into it. As soon as I was deep enough, I lowered myself all the way to the shoulders.

Suddenly, arms caught me around the waist, and I could not help but laugh as I was pulled into Kiar’s arms.

“You’re crazy,” he breathed against my ear.

Gently, I pushed him away.

“I am not here to play,” I told him. “I want to get clean.”

I glanced back at the others.

“You should all take the opportunity to wash yourselves.”

Clem fluttered down the drop to the rocky shore and approached, dipping a curled toe into the water before shivering and stepping back.

“I don’t think I’m that dirty,” he said.

“You practically billow dust when you flap your wings,” I teased.

Bracken laughed and without warning, flew from his place on the ledge straight into the middle of the river, throwing himself in without warning.

The water splashed high and lifted us as it moved around him.

For a moment I didn’t see where he was and then I saw his large, dark form under the surface as he swam toward us.

He popped out of the water with another splash and shook the water off of his hair.

“It was shallower than expected,” he informed us.

“Are you okay?” I asked, arching a brow.

He shrugged.

Shaking my head, I felt around the rocks with my feet.

“I wish there was at least sand to scrub myself with,” I sighed. “Perhaps a rock would work.”

“Use my fur,” Bracken suggested.

I eyed it and then reached out to feel his chest. He was too soft to do anything, but it was better than nothing, so I rubbed my arms over him.

Bracken made a happy sound, remaining still while I tried to scrub myself clean. Then, he grabbed my arms and pulled me taught against his chest.

“Now rub your chest on me,” he ordered.

The glint in his eyes and erection digging into my abdomen made it more than clear that he wasn’t much interested in getting me clean.

Kiar’s hands landed on my back, and he started to rub them over me, at least helping a little bit.

It was all very ridiculous and silly. If this was a team of human warriors, none of them would be so insistent for more. If I had told them we were washing ourselves in the water, they would have done as I said. But these nocs didn’t see me as much of an authority figure. I couldn’t exactly blame them either because as Kiar pressed to my back, sandwiching me between them, my body responded just the way they wanted it to.

There was something about them, or our bond, I wasn’t sure which, but their presence was like an aphrodisiac to me.

By the time Kiar’s hands were running over my hips, I was arching, pressing my cock into Bracken’s thigh while Kiar pushed both of his between my thighs.

I pressed my legs together instinctively, squeezing him.

He moaned against my ear, taking a moment to thrust into the tight space I’d created for him before withdrawing and placing his cock against my hole.

“I was really just planning to clean off,” I protested weakly.

I didn’t know who I was trying to argue with. No one here would judge me for this. Well, except perhaps Hadi, but he hadn’t even come down to the shore. As far as I knew, he’d gone for a walk.

“Fuck me,” I groaned and Kiar shuddered softly against me before pushing into my hole. I swallowed him greedily, my eyes rolling at the pure pleasure. After weeks of consistently being fucked, my body’s resistance to the intrusion was all but gone. It felt a little cold, but even that was somehow pleasurable as the friction of his cock inside me began to warm me from the inside.

I moaned, head falling onto Bracken’s chest as I clung to him.

“Not fair,” Clem’s sulking voice said from the shore. “I want to join. Come out of the water.”

I didn’t have a chance to say anything because Bracken let out a frustrated sound and had to practically get to his knees to push his cock between my thighs, taking the now empty spot.

He rutted against me, his cock stroking against my skin and Kiar’s second cock while my naga moved sensuously in and out.

I could barely hold in my cries of pleasure.

“I can’t take this anymore,” Bracken groaned into my hair and suddenly, he hooked his hands under my knees and hoisted me up, so that my legs were wrapped wide around his waist.

“Keep going. Open him for me,” he practically begged Kiar. “Stretch him.”

Before I could argue, Kiar bit my shoulder hard enough for the fangs to cut into my skin.

I gasped, my body jerking with surprise while at the same moment, he shoved his second cock into me.

The fucking bastard had distracted me–and it worked.

My body wrenched into a tight line, mouth falling open in a silent cry.

Kiar wasn’t so quiet.

Then, a ragged moan tore from his throat as he got both of his solid lengths into my body.

Bracken’s chest rumbled. His body shaking with barely contained desire.

“Is it in?” he demanded.

Neither of us could move for a moment, even to answer.

Finally, my body miraculously began to ease, just enough that we could breathe again.

I nodded shakily.

My entire body felt like it wasn’t my own. I could barely control any limb. Thank the gods Bracken was holding my legs steady and Kiar was at my back to hold the rest of me up. Without them I would be a lump on the ground.

Slowly, Kiar pushed inside, a little bit deeper.

“Yes,” Bracken encouraged. “Fuck him open for me.”

“Oh, Gods,” I gasped.

I could barely think as he began to slowly stretch me wider, but that did not stop meaningless words and pleas from leaving me.

“I can’t,” I moaned. “Please.”

“Please what?” Kiar whispered in my ear. “Please stop?”

Finally, he pressed all the way in, shuddering as his cock was held fully inside me like a well fitted glove.

I shook my head because even though it was too much, even though I was sweating in the ice-cold water, it seemed wrong to stop. The pleasure was too much. I was still rock hard and desperate to cum.

His cocks inside me together, made my insides burn but not in a bad way.

“You can fuck me,” I choked, and he moaned softly.

“Good,” he whispered, “because I have been dreaming of this moment.”

I shut my eyes, my fists suddenly digging into Bracken’s fur. He was holding himself together with shocking control, but I could feel the effort, his claws digging a little too hard into my thighs as he held me up. It only added to it. Especially when Kiar began to move, continuing his slow, sensual thrusts from before while I was held open to the extreme.

With each thrust forward, my nerves lit up, pleasure shooting through the length of my cock which rubbed against Bracken’s length now. They were sandwiched between us, and the pleasure and intrusion were so much that tears were stinging my eyes.

“Do you like it?” Clem asked from the shore.

“Yes,” I admitted, and a moment later, my head fell back with a moan.

Good was an understatement. It felt amazing.

Bracken’s hands suddenly gripped my hips, pulling me forward.

“Wait,” Kiar growled, pushing his hands away. “Let me finish.”

For a moment, there was a silent standoff while I tried to follow. I was too overwhelmed to understand until Bracken grumbled, “Hurry up.”

Pressing his face into my hair, Kiar began to thrust harder and faster into me, his breaths growing ragged as my cries escalated.

I tried to muffle my voice in Bracken’s chest but there was no use.

With a last deep thrust, Kiar pressed into me. His body shook against mine, a heady moan rumbling against my back as I was flooded with a spray of warmth, emphasized by the cold water.

The tremors hadn’t stopped running through his body when I was suddenly lifted off of him.

I gasped at the sudden loss but barely had a chance to adjust when I was lifted onto Bracken’s cock.

I gripped his shoulders tighter, ready to argue because he was moving too fast and his cock was too big, but his large tip was already jamming against my loosened entrance, and I knew he wasn’t going to wait any longer.

Holding his breath, he gripped my hips hard and pushed me down.

I cried out as I was stretched wide–even wider than before but not by much and somehow, as I was forced to take a seat on his massive cock, a cry of pleasure rumbled through my chest.

“Oh fuck,” I gasped, pressing my face to his neck.

“Finally.” His deep, trembling voice vibrated against me.

He began to move and any lingering doubt I had about being taken like this was wiped from my mind. The drag of his huge cock, filling me completely, made my eyes roll and my head fall back. I could not contain my cries now and Bracken fed off of it. His mouth covered mine, then my jaw and then my neck and then suddenly, he laid me down.

I wasn’t sure if he simply wanted to change the angle or if punishment and sex just went hand-in-hand for Bracken, but suddenly, he held my face under the water without warning.

I hadn’t expected it, my entire body stiffened, and I reached out, desperate to right myself because I had not even taken a breath.

For a moment, Bracken seemed to like my thrashing because his cock impaling me, suddenly went faster into my clenched hole.

Panic shot through me. I couldn’t hold my breath any longer! Just as suddenly, I was being yanked up above the water by other hands.

I broke the surface, choking and coughing and kicking at Bracken until Kiar–who had saved me–pulled me protectively into his arms.

“You idiot!” I shouted, swinging at Bracken.

I hit his ribs hard before Kiar caught me again and held me by the shoulders to steady me while I gasped for air, still coughing.

I pushed my saturated hair off of my face, turning to glare at Bracken again, ready to demand answers, but found Clem in the air above him looking furious.

Bracken looked between us all, confused.

“Sun isn’t like me,” Clem said sternly. “He doesn’t like being treated roughly.”

Bracken didn’t seem to know what to say.

“I thought–”

“Forget it,” I snapped. “The mood is ruined.”

My erection was basically gone already despite how good I had felt only minutes ago.

I marched from the water, my heart still racing.

“You finally had your chance and ruined it,” Kiar mused loudly.

When I glanced back, Bracken still stood where we had been standing, looking lost. Suddenly, he threw his wings out and leaped into the air. The water flew out around him as he took off.

For a moment, I stood there, watching him fly behind the trees. Then I glanced at Kiar and Clem, feeling just as upset as Bracken had looked.

Gritting my teeth, I bent and picked up my clothing. I couldn’t bring myself to put the filthy fabric back on without washing it first though, so waded back into the water and started scrubbing it.

When it was done, I climbed back out, laid it out on the stones to dry and sat down with my arms crossed.

This conflicted feeling in my chest was what I deserved for so eagerly fucking nocs.

“I shouldn’t have gotten so mad,” I muttered.

Clem landed next to me and sat down, mirroring my position by hugging his knees and looking at me.

“It’s not your fault,” he said. “You were scared.”

I snorted.

Truthfully, Bracken didn’t scare me, even in that moment. It had just caught me off guard and made me mad that he would do something like that without any warning. He could have killed me without even trying.

But I knew he wouldn’t hurt me on purpose. It was his nature to dominate. I couldn’t blame him for that. And I knew that Kiar and Clem were with me too.

Being with them made me feel safe. I knew they had my back.

I shook my head, sighing.

Now that the danger had passed, I felt guilty.

“I will make it up to him when he returns.”