I stare at him in disbelief, the unpleasant image he painted of him getting “railed” by a sanguidae to the point of being broken and drained leaving an unpleasant taste in my mouth. “What it must be like to live inside your head,” I mutter, shaking my head.
“Wouldn’t you like to know,” he smirks.
“I really wouldn’t.”
“Anyway, enough about me. How did patrols go?”
“I took care of some eyti in Indonesia and then some in Australia.”
“And I’m guessing you didn’t kill them,” he says in an almost accusatory tone.
“I’m not going to kill them when now more than ever there is a chance to save them. Zarseti and Gabriella have a plan, and I don’t want to interfere with it. If there is a way to restore the eyti, I’m going to give them every chance to do so,” I say sternly.
Ayawamat lets out a breath of frustration, again running his fingers through his hair. “Would be so much easier if we could just kill Azadou and be done with the eyti altogether,” he mutters, but I heard him clear as day.
I stare at him, my face no doubt displaying all the hurt and disgust I feel for him right now. How the fuck can he say that to me so callously?
“In case you’ve forgotten, killing Azadou would kill Jartre which in turn would kill us too. There’s also the fact that…what was it again? Oh yeah, Azadou’s my animai you insensitive ass!” I exclaim, throwing my book at his head, successfully hitting my target.
“Ow!” he cries, clutching his head. “Orenda, I say this because I love you, but you have to find a way to reject him.”
His words pierce me like fiery hot daggers. Sure, we bicker like any other siblings would, but never has he said anything so hurtful. Reject my animai? A gift given to me by Zarseti herself.
“If you really loved me you won’t ever say that to me again,” I say icily. “Zarseti chose me as his animai.”
“Then Zarseti fucked up! We were created to destroy the very beings he plagued the Earth with, now suddenly you’re meant to be his true love? He’s the God of Malice, Orenda, he can’t even feel love!”
“How the fuck would you know?! We’d never even met him before. Zarseti wouldn’t pair us if she believed he was incapable of love or kindness. I’m not rejecting him just because you don’t like the situation.”
“He’s dangerous, Orenda. Even the other Gods fear him.”
“Or maybe they fear him because they don’t understand him. He wasn’t born the way they were, and if you’re just going to sit there and demand I tear my own essram apart for the sake of your comfortability then you can get the fuck out,” I spit harshly, pointing my finger to the door.
He sighs rubbing his face, “I swear I’m not trying to be cruel, I’m only thinking of what’s best for you,” he says softly.
“And how is destroying part of my very being what’s best for me?” I snap contemptuously.
I get to my feet and storm out of my room since he has no intention of leaving. I make my way downstairs, grateful to see no sign of Ayawamat’s fuck buddies and step out onto the front patio. I close my eyes, lifting my face to the sky and breathe in the fresh air. I admit I was shocked to learn that the God of Malice was my animai, and yes, I’ve questioned it, but from the moment that bond awoke between us I can’t deny the yearning I feel every minute of the day to be with him. To protect him, cherish him and get to know him. I want more than anything for him to give me that chance, but he continues to evade me. He never responds to my calls or pleas, and I have no way of finding him on my own. I feel like I’ve been set adrift with no oars, and I just keep being pulled further and further out to sea.
Once again, in a last-ditch effort to seek answers and guidance, I call out the name of another who evades me.
“Merlos…please, I know you can hear me. Please speak to me. I desperately need your help. I need your wisdom and guidance…please just grant me a few minutes of your time,” I pray. I open my eyes and wait patiently, but as time presses forward, she doesn’t show herself.
For weeks I have called to the Goddess of the Void, pleading for her help, but she refuses to answer my prayers. I don’t know what I’m expected to do. I’ve been given an animai who shows no interest in me, my creator was disgusted at the very thought of the pairing and my own brother wants me to throw it away like it means nothing. I just wish there was someone who could tell me what the hell I’m supposed to do.
Eighteen years laterThe trees and plants of the forest hide my position, where I watch and listen from a distance to the bustling sounds of Longsang. Pain lances my heart, and anger holds my body in a vice as I observe the nagata going about their day, smiling and laughing, completely unincumbered. The sounds of their joy pierce my soul, taunting me as the haunting words of my father’s rejection echo through my mind.“You are nothing but an abomination. Your mother should have disposed of you when she had the chance.”Even now, I hear those words as if they were spoken just moments ago. He didn’t look at me and see a daughter, he saw a plight on his bloodline; a stain against his name. He thought I was weak…but he couldn’t have been more wrong. He robbed me of a family and sense of community just as much as my mother did. I was a child born of two species yet welcomed by none.For years I tried to find acceptance among the nagata who escaped Longsang during its seclusion, but just li
I watch Orenda sleep, her beautiful 7-foot-long body curled up beside me. I listen to the sounds of her steady heartbeat and soft breathing, each one feeling like a song written just for me. Looking down at her, I can’t believe how much has changed. It wasn’t all that long ago that I couldn’t have fathomed giving control to Orenda. If I could go back in time and beat sense into myself and spare us all the resulting heartache of my ignorance, I would.There is something mind-blowingly erotic in surrendering to your other half. I used to feel a need to dominate her, but hearing her willingly tell me her exact wants and desires is quickly becoming my new favourite seduction. Hearing her sweet voice tell me just how she likes it and what she wants me to do to her had me harder than the cage that once bound me. Surrendering to her made me feel invigorated in a way I never have and gave me the power to make her scream my name. She never screamed my name before. Now that I’ve heard how my na
After putting Xiema to sleep, I quietly step out of her room. As I carefully close the door behind me, I catch the wonderful aroma of morning glory. I glance down in awe at the trail of Heavenly Blue morning glories scattered across the hallway floor. Their azure-blue trumpet-shaped petals are open, showcasing their white and yellow throats as their fragrance perfumes the air and brings a smile to my face.Inquisitively, I follow the trail down the hall and around the corner until I’m standing in front of Azadou’s bedroom. With my curiosity growing, I gently rap my knuckles against the door. I sense Azadou inside and can hear his heart rate increase, growing louder as he walks towards the door. When the door opens, my mouth begins to salivate as his intoxicating scent hits me with the force of a cyclone. I almost start drooling when I take in the sight of his defined, bronzed, muscular physique standing in front of me. It takes all of my willpower to draw my eyes up and away from his
I thought I was done walking into unfamiliar terrain; that I no longer had to face the trepidation that comes with confronting the unknown, yet here I am, still feeling like a newborn suckling at the teat of unclaimed knowledge with a desperate thirst for guidance and understanding.Steeling myself, I knock on Ayawamat’s door. I hear his sigh on the other side of the door, followed by the sounds of him getting up and padding over to the door. He opens it, his arm outstretched against the frame as his rainbow eyes gaze at me with disinterest.“Yes?” he prompts lazily.Glancing over his shoulder, I notice the mountains of books open on his bed and scattered across the floor. “Am I interrupting?” I question curiously, suspecting his research pertains to the hunt for his unwanted animai.“You are, so make it snappy,” he answers brusquely.I breathe deep into my lungs and speak, “I need your help.”His eyebrow raises in intrigue. “I’ve been alive a long time, and you’re the first God to as
I have never been happier than I am right now. Every sound that comes out of Xiema is aimed directly at my heart, and I can’t get enough of it. When my bond with Azadou clicked the first time we met, it brought out an intense and unhealthy addiction in me. I think my addiction to my daughter has surpassed even that, but the jury is still out on how healthy it is or isn’t. All I want to do is hold her, love her, make her smile and take in every precious moment I have with her. I didn’t know I could love someone this much, but what I do know is that for as long as I live, I will do everything in my power to protect her, no matter what, and I’m not the only one.I thought Azadou was attentive of me during my pregnancy, but holy crap! Azadou is Super Dad. The moment she makes so much as a tiny murmur, he’s right there. It’s almost to the point that we’re both fighting – playfully – over who gets to hold our daughter, and doting Uncle Aya just loves acting as the tiebreaker. One of Azadou
“What was that noise?” Azadou asks, looking at me with worried eyes.“I…I think my water just broke,” I answer, my voice quivering.Looking down, I see clear liquid running down my legs past the hem of my dress. I take a breath to keep calm, but that plan dissolves, and I pale when a heavy stream of blood follows the path of liquid down my thighs. Panic sets in, and suddenly all I can hear is the furious pounding of my own heart.Too fast for me to comprehend, I feel weightless, then I feel something soft against my body. In a disoriented state, I realise I’m looking up at some kind of circular, gothic canopy, but I don’t have time to contemplate it when a wave of pain accompanied by an intense tightening sensation radiates through my abdomen, right around to my back. It comes on so fast and so suddenly that I can’t hold back my scream.I feel large hands on my face, and a set of piercing purple eyes locking me in their gaze as I try to breathe through the pain. “It’s going to be alri