Chapter Thirty-Three (Newell)

Something big was coming.

Something bad. I could feel it weighing on my shoulders and making my stomach clench. It was the same bad sensationI received the time Vanessa Grey had been killed, the same feeling when Hunter called me in Kalamazoo, the same feeling I had as I was chained down in Vladimir's basement, hearing the heavy foot falls of danger approaching my doors.

Every nerve in my body tingled, every instinct roared for me to stay alert and attack anything that may pose even a modicum of a threat to us. While I wasn't hindered by my size anymore, I was facing an even more dangerous foe.

The Stratius.

The group that myself and the other Zephyra generals had gathered together, for the sole purpose of wiping us all out before committing suicide. All of this in order to protect Zephyra's secrets. It had been my idea, and I cursed myself for it. Everything I did always ended up coming back to bite me in the ass.

I had no doubt that the Stratius probably already knew where we were thanks to whoever their tagger was and while I wanted to find the tagger and destroy him before he could get back to the Stratius, I knew it wouldn't do any good. Stratius knew where we were and they were only gearing up to kill us.

I made mental notes on the members of this elite group of purebloods.

Castiel Eros. A tall, lean, but muscular man with pale skin and blood red dyed hair that he grew out to his lower back, usually tied back from his face. His eyes were a piercing shade of emerald green, like a cat's. He always wore skin tight clothing, because the guy was more paranoid about a zombie attack than anything else and insisted skin tight clothing would save his life. That and I think he used it as an excuse to show off a package that wasn't too impressive.

Tempest Wilde. One of the few women walking the planet that didn't give a care in the world on how much she weighed. While she wasn't thin, she wasn't fat either. Curvy and well shaped with warm sun-kissed skin, hazel eyes and dark curly hair. She was about as cocky as Castiel was, but she actually had a brain to go with it.

Svenival Gothica. With jetblack hair and forest green eyes, he was a typical biker man with prominent muscles, decked out in leather, and a rather modern street bike. He wasn't intimidated by anything, which is why I had chosen him in the first place. He relished at the feel of pain, a masochist to the extreme, with a blood thirst that could only be quenched by the hunt.

Damian Grey. Like many Greys, his hair was pale blonde and his eyes a sapphire blue, skin like porcelain. In all honesty, the only reason he'd been chosen was because at the time I had an eerie obsession with the Greys and I wasn't the only one. The other generals were also after Damian like a bunch of bitches in heat. Damian was incredibly beautiful. A male model through and through, but behind the scenes, Damian was thief and an assassin. His stealth was the stuff of legends. He could slit a throat faster than Freddy Krueger or Wolverine.

D'Nath Kilo. He was rather young to be involved, last I saw him, but he was a force to be reckoned with. He was a hybrid, an abomination to his clan. His mother had been a werewolf and his father a distant member of the Drakon Clan. He could shapeshift and he was immortal and powerful, but he needed more blood than the average vampire. He was a bit on the petite side and I remembered him being mistaken as a female more than half the time, but most people were shocked when D'Nath shapeshifted suddenly and fought harder than any werewolf out there.

Jericho Gothica. The final member of the Stratius and their leader. Jericho was extremely powerful and deadly. There were rumors that he could take down even the most powerful of creatures. He was a buff, tall man that I remembered appearing to be a skyscraper compared to me, although, that was probably different now. His hair had been an interesting shade of multiple colors, strands of red, brown, black, blonde, so on. His eyes were such a light shade of gray that they appeared white.

All of them together? They could kill any dictator on the planet in the blink of an eye and no trace of their ever being there.

And in the end of their mission to destroy the remains of Zephyra, they would kill themselves and the secrets of Zephyra would die with them.

A deadly force that I blamed myself for. How could I have been so stupid?

"We need to do something, fast." I said at last, breathing a frustrated sigh as I pinched the bridge of my nose. I sat back on the bench, holding my cell phone to my ear; Xed leaning on the wall across from me, arms folded over his chest, frowning at me.

"What do you expect me to do," Vladimir drawled, making me narrow my eyes in irritation, "This is your mess, Newell. I can't come clean it up every time."

"Are you kidding me? This is the Stratius we're talking about."

"Yes, your creation. You stop them. That would be like me calling someone for help on how to raise Storm and he's just fine on his own."

"Vladimir, you call him twelve times a week."

"Not twelve! A couple."

"Look," I snapped, "It's not the same thing. Vladimir, I need your help. If you don't, not only will Xed and I die, but so will Daimonas and Starling and their human friend." Vladimir heaved a weary sigh that made my blood boil. That aggravating little shit. I was forced to help him multiple times, but when I finally swallow my pride enough to ask him for help, he made a big deal about it? Granted, Zephyra caused both the Gothicas and the Greys a great deal of pain and agony, and I had been the one to start it, but I had helped them when they asked for it, even though twice now that had resulted with me being beaten within an inch of my life.

"Okay," He said at last, making me frown, "I'm going to send some people over. You may not like them, but deal with them, that's all I ask." I gritted my teeth.

"Why don't you just come over here?" I demanded. I waited for him to spew some garbage about how it was the weekend, but instead, Vladimir scoffed.

"The Stratius might come after us next. We also had contact with Zephyra. Right now, they have their sights set on you. What if they finish with you and come after Alexander? While I value our friendship, Newell, I value my marriage more."

"I'm pretty sure there's a filthy human saying that goes bros before hoes, Vladimir. And right now, you are breaking the unwritten rule."

"Well, considering how much of a thorn in my ass you've been since you hit puberty, I'd say this is a good time to start rethinking the term bro."

"Whatever," I responded impatiently, "Who are you sending and will I have the urge to kill them?"

"Possibly, most likely, sure, but you have to choose between working with a bunch of idiots or on your own to defeat the Stratius." Vladimir answered. I gritted my teeth. Unable to stand the sound of his voice anymore, I hung up angrily and threw the phone across the hall at the wall where it shattered and fell to the floor. Xed looked down at it, then looked up at me, concerned as he unfolded his arms and came over to sit beside me.

I rubbed my temples, trying to assure myself that even with Vladimir's help on the way, it would be enough to defeat the Stratious, but the nagging sensation in my gut ceased to twist.

We weren't going to live through this. We were going to die. All of us.

And all because I had been a fool in the past.

If Vladimir wasn't such a selfish lazy prick, we wouldn't have to worry about it. I told myself angrily, but I was being childish. It wasn't Vladimir's fault the Stratius was born and bred to seek and destroy. That was my fault, and I didn't blame Vladimir for feeling bitter over what had happened to our friendship all those years ago. That had also been my mistake.

And now my mistakes were coming back to destroy me.

"We're probably gonna die." I said at last, keeping my voice low so Daimonas, Starling, and Dominik wouldn't hear from Dominik's hospital room. Xed frowned at that, tilting his head to look at me past my hair. He was silent, of course, then touched my shoulder, making me sit up and face him. He pointed to himself, crossed his arms over his chest, then touched my chest that ached at that symbol of affection.

I hadn't even formally responded to Xed as far as I knew. How could I? I wasn't sure. What if I said them and everything fell apart? What if I let him take me in bed and everything was ruined?

What did it matter anymore? We were going to die. Even if Xed decided he didn't love me afterwards, at least the last day of my life was spent with something I hoped was real, something I could carry with me to the grave. I just hoped the Goddess wasn't cruel enough to make me carry that pain of rejection into the next life.

"Xed," I said softly, "If I die... I want you to grab everyone else and leave." Xed's eyes glowed instantly with anger, but I touched my finger to his lips, even though I knew he couldn't speak. He glared at me furiously, reaching up to grab me by the wrist. And even though he was angry, with the gentleness a merman his size shouldn't have, he kissed my wrist, then trailed the kisses up to my fingertips.

"Xed." I stressed, feeling my heart clench in my chest. I would never grow used to these feelings whenever Xed touched me, spoke to me, even glanced my way. It still didn't feel real. If I fell for them and I caved into it, it could all turn out to be a dream.

Xed pulled me toward him and kissed me hungrily. He stole my breath away, tongue completely overcoming my mouth. His grip was tight on my wrist, his other arm snaking around my waist to keep me against him. My blood felt like liquid fire running through my veins. With the thought that I could easily die tomorrow, I kissed him back. This could be the last time I'd ever do it.

And that thought succeeded in terrifying me.

For the first time in my life, I didn't want to die.

I didn't want to leave behind something I had worked so hard to obtain. No, something that I was lucky to even catch a glimpse of. I didn't want to leave Xed, and I didn't want him to leave me.

So I gave him a kiss with the intent that it would be our last one.

Xed growled low in his throat as I scraped my fangs over his lip. I ran my hands down his chest and slipped them up his shirt, sucking in my breath sharply at the feel of his rock hard muscles beneath my fingers. I brushed my hand down low, feeling a light dust of crisp hair before running them up his chest, admiring the shape and feel of his pecs. How strange that he had a happy trail and yet lacked the masculine feel of hair on his chest. Maybe it had to do with the fact that he was a merman.

But either way I enjoyed it. I pressed my mouth against his harder, wanting to taste his tongue further in my mouth. I wanted to feel his hands on me, everywhere. I wanted to feel him inside me, around me, everything.

"Get a room!" I jumped at the sound of Starling's voice and didn't bother to shoot the nasty little brat a glare.

No wonder his parents grounded him. It was any wonder they didn't castrate him.

I clenched my fists and withdrew from Xed, pleased only by the sound of Xed breathing raggedly. He was more flustered than I was, and he didn't even bother to hide the thick bulge in his pants as he sat back against the wall to control himself. I left him to himself as I stood up, straightening my clothes as Starling approached us with Daimonas, and oddly enough, Dominik, who seemed to look perfectly fine, except for the pale awe on his face.

He paused, standing a bit behind Daimonas, peering out to look me up and down. The caution and paranoia on his face instantly told me what had happened and rage burnt out the last of lust that had boiled my blood.

"Are you fucking stupid!" I shouted at Starling. No one would be stupid enough, or have such a big mouth, except Starling. Forget grounding or castration, I was going to strap this whelp to a Judas Cradle and use him as house decor.

"Whoa," Starling exclaimed, holding his hands up and making gestures for me to calm down, which only succeeded in angering him more, so I took a step toward him and he took one back, grabbing Daimonas to use him as a human shield, making Daimonas blush, "Hold on for a second, grandpa, I have a logical explanation for this."

"Come here, you arrogant little shit," I seethed, moving to grab him, but he ducked back around behind Dominik, who stiffened and paled even more, if that was possible, "I'm going to rip your wings off and mount them over my fireplace."

"I don't think so," Starling chimed suicidally, making both Dominik and Daimonas cringe, "My wings are nearly the size of your whole flat. You wouldn't fit them in there."

"I'm going to rip your body into pieces!" I snarled, making a few nurses down the hall turn their heads to gape at us. Xed finally stood up and caught me by the elbow, shaking his head. I glared at him, then at Starling, who smiled sheepishly. I stood absolutely still in an attempt to calm my temper.

How I wanted to strangle this ignorant shit.

"Are you stupid," I repeated, voice hard, "How many humans do you plan to tell?" Starling wagged his finger at me and I snapped my fangs as a response, making him jump back.

"He's not human." He announced, looking proud of himself. I scowled and sniffed near Dominik, making him wince and squirm uncomfortably, but I didn't pick up any kind of scent from him that didn't smell like human.

"He smells like a human." I deadpanned.

"So you haven't met fairies before." Starling exclaimed, making me glare at him.

"What do you take me for? An idiot? There's..." My voice trailed as I vaguely remembered Hunter nagging about fairies at some point. I had assumed the man was psychopathic, but schizophrenic? However, there seemed to be more than one person who believed in fairies.

Yeah. It's called a mental ward.

"Fairies don't exist." I stated. Starling wrinkled his nose at me.

"Aw, come on. You believe in werewolves, vampires, demons, and dragons, but fairies are out of the question?" He asked I rolled my eyes, reaching up to rub at my temples. Suffice it to say that this kid was so annoying, he was giving even me a headache and vampires didn't get headaches, not usually anyway.

"I didn't believe in dragons until I met you." I responded icily.

"Exactly," Starling said, snapping his fingers at me and making me cut him down with a glare, "You didn't believe in dragons until you saw one. Well, here's a fae. I'm not sure what species of fae, but he's definitely a fae. He has the healing abilities." He picked up Dominik's wrists and showed them to me. I stared at them, stunned. I hadn't taken a long look, but the second I entered Dominik's room earlier, I had smelled the pungent scent of blood. Now there was no scent at all and his bandages were gone.

Maybe Starling was right.

Maybe.

I cast Starling a glare that made him just smile and wiggle his fingers in an awkward wave, one that succeeded in making me roll my eyes in disgust. I knew Vladimir shouldn't have put him up for adoption. The kid was even worse now than he was as a child. At least as a child he couldn't talk. I regretted the day I taught him his ABCs.

"And he's had contact with us," Starling added, making me frown at him, "Which means the Stratius will be after him too."

"Who?" Dominik asked, confused. I shot Starling another glare.

"You told him he was a fae, but you didn't tell him about the Stratius?" I asked. Starling blew me a raspberry and I went to smack him, but Xed pulled me back and Starling raised an eyebrow at me.

"I don't remember your temper being so short."

"I don't remember you being this annoying."

"Well..." Starling paused, frowning to try and come up with a comeback. I rolled my eyes and took his brainfart as a chance to turn to Daimonas and Dominik, who both looked at me a bit expectantly.

"We're all going home. Dominik, you must stay with us. Your parents, or rather, your foster parents won't be able to protect you from what's coming for you. We'll discuss our plan of action there. I called Vladimir and he informed me that he'll be sending help, help that I won't appreciate it, but help nonetheless. Any questions?" I asked when I saw Dominik tilt his head in confusion. He started to ask, but Daimonas touched his shoulder and shook his head.

"Well, you're a jerk." Starling stated. I gave him a droll stare.

"You took all that time to come up with that? Besides, you're a little late," I said, making Starling scrunch up his nose, "Anyway, we need to leave now. From the looks of things, we may not be able to stay in London for much longer. The playing field here is too small. Hopefully one of Vladimir's people has a good spot for us to flee to, to regroup and form a solid plan that could save our lives."

Everyone seemed in agreement to that, so we left the hospital as quickly as possible. Coming up for an excuse for that was difficult. Informing the hospital we were family friends sent to pick Dominik up and take him home, and thankfully having Daimonas there to forge a note from Dominik's parents.

"By the way," I told Daimonas as we piled into the car, the three boys crushed in back and Xed scrunched into the passenger seat, "Don't make a habit of forging legal documents. I made it a rule for a reason."

"Aw, come on," Starling drawled, making me narrow my eyes and tense in preparation for another tangent as I started the car, "Why not use them when you have them? If I had his powers, I'd be robbing the British Museum. I saw it on my way here. Have you seen it? Gigantic! I'd also teleport myself to Paris and Tokyo and Hong Kong."

"What are those places? Are they in London too?" Daimonas asked eagerly.

"No way," Starling boosted, "They're all over the world. The world is way bigger than London or New Orleans or San Francisco put together. Once we get rid of the Stratius, we can go all over the world."

"I wanna do that," Daimonas exclaimed excitedly, "I want to see Paris and Tokyo and Hong whatever it was you said!"

"Hong Kong. It's a place in China. It's huge! I've seen a lot of mafia movies."

"What are those?"

"Daimonas, you have not officially lived until you've seen a mafia movie. Tonight, we're watching Good Fellas and the Godfather. No arguments."

"Okay! Are there movies about the other places you said?"

"Oh sure..." Starling went on to talk animatedly about all the places he'd want to visit in the world, and drag Daimonas along with him. How I wanted to crush his little soul and tell him Daimonas was not going anywhere. Daimonas was a minor and I was his guardian and wasn't about to let him travel the world with Starling. I still cared about Starling, even though the urge to deck him was astounding, but he wasn't making very good choices. He'd wasted his money to come to us, money he could have used for school and I had no doubt he'd regret it in the future. Granted, I was happy he'd come to us, of course, I'd die before admitting that, but he wasn't thinking rationally and he was only putting himself in further danger.

Instead of ruining his moment with Daimonas, I stayed quiet as I drove through the streets back to our flat. I glanced in the rearview to see Daimonas and Starling gushing about vacations and travel while Dominik just sat silently staring at them. There was a sorrow so profound that I nearly felt it myself watching the child.

A fae. Unbelievable.

And judging from the story Starling had told us about, he was a changeling at that. It meant he had no more family. His parents had probably exchanged him for a human child, for any number of reasons. To protect Dominik, to feed on human blood or raise a human warrior, the list went on and on. Changelings were ancient and naturally sorrowful. They always felt out of place and had issues with abandonment. I could see all the classic symptoms as Dominik sat there, watching Daimonas and Starling with heartwrenching envy before he seemed to catch me staring at him. He looked at me, then quickly looked out the window, looking ashamed.

I said nothing. Just pulled quietly into the driveway of our flat. Xed managed to get out of the car, looking at the contraption in irritation.

"Don't worry," I told him as we went to the front door, "I'll purposely crash it and have the insurance cover a much better one. One you can fit into." Xed scrunched his nose up at that and shook his head, making a gesture that said he hated cars. I smirked at that, pushing the key into the lock.

"You're going to have to get used to other modes of transportation, Xed," I told him as we all came inside, and I waited until everyone was in before I locked the dead bolt, "Swimming can't take you everywhere." Xed just scoffed at that before he went into the kitchen to make food for the children. I went upstairs to the bedroom to shower.

I stripped down naked before stepping into the shower, breathing a sigh of relief as hot water struck my skin. I ran my fingers through my long hair, pausing to frown as I watched wet black locks rest over my shoulders.

Such long hair. I had never liked having long hair, but I couldn't find it in me to cut it off. Something inside me told me to keep it, so I did.

I spent a good half hour cleaning it before soaping myself down with an expensive body wash, shampoo, and conditioning combo. I rinsed off and stepped out, grabbing a towel to dry my hair off as I walked into the bedroom to grab my clothes. I kept my back to the door, completely unaware that someone was standing there until I heard the sudden hot rush of blood that made my body tingle.

I listened to the sound of lust fueled blood rushing down south, hardening an organ that made my own tingle with need. I held my breath, trying to take in the fact that someone was reacting to me like this. It was difficult to believe, so to make sure I wasn't just hearing things, I turned to look over my shoulder to see Xed standing in the doorway.

His eyes practically glowed as he took in the sight of me, moving from head to toe, then to my backside before he ran his tongue over his bottom lip, his jagged teeth flashing hungrily. I watched him shut the door behind him and come up to me.

A small gasp left me as he wrapped his arms around me from behind, pressing himself so hard against me, I could feel the tight bulge in his leather pants grinding between my cheeks. I shivered at a sensation that was pure male. I inhaled the scent of spicy foods, sea water, blood, and something that was uniquely Xed. I could get drunk off simply smelling him.

Do it.

The voice in my head had to be the one fueling the rock hard erection between my legs that was very obvious now as Xed ran his hands down my bare arms before resting them on my hips.

This was it, I realized. This might be my only chance to be with Xed. We could die tomororw. Or the day after. Hell, we could die in the next few hours. I would die not knowing what it felt like. I would die not knowing what Xed felt like. That thought hit me like a blow in the stomach.

I pushed Xed's arms off me, making him tense and cock his head in confusion. I turned to face him, dropping the towel to the floor at my feet. Xed stared down at me intensely, those mismatched eyes of his glinting in the lights. I held my breath, taking in the full sight of him. His brown and green eyes staring at me through dark blue lashes. A dark beauty mark was nestled in the far corner of his left eye, giving him an exotic appearance. His olive skin a credit to his people in the Mediterranean sea a stark contrast to his naturally pale blue hair that had become a bit longer since we'd left San Francisco. His bangs swept across his forehead, a center lock longer than the others and falling between his eyes. The rest of his hair neatly framed his square jaw and oval face, some locks longer than others as it settled into a modern punk sort of style the rest of the way. How odd that someone as old-fashioned as Xed would have such a modern hairstyle.

Just as attractive were his rippling muscles. When someone said the word "ripped", I automatically thought of Xed. His muscles bulged and bunched every time he moved, even now as he breathed raggedly, his lips drawing nearer and nearer until he captured mine in a hungry, rough kiss that left me panting for breath, lips swollen.

My cock ached and I tried to move slowly, and take my time, but my body couldn't take it anymore. I grabbed Xed to me roughly and kissed him hard, sinking my fangs into his lower lip to taste the blood I could hear rocketing through his veins. The kiss was searing hot and turned my blood to lava as I moaned, reaching a hand up to bury it in Xed's hair. He growled and reached around, grabbing me and picking me up off the floor.

I really wasn't sure what to do, but instinct made me wrap my legs around his narrow waist as he pushed me up against the wall beside the window. He ground himself against me, leaving me breathless as I arched my back against him, feeling his heart hammering hard against his chest, beating against my own. Xed's lips left mine and latched onto my throat. I growled at the feel of his lips there, savoring the way they suckled gently, then playfully nipped in a way that made my cock jerk against Xed's naked stomach.

Part of me wanted to say something, anything, but it was difficult to find words now. It was very rare to leave me speechless, but Xed seemed to always have a talent for it.

I sucked in a sharp breath as he scraped his teeth down my chest and paused at my nipple, his tongue flicking across it tenderly before he risked taking it into his mouth. I held my breath, waiting for his teeth to probably rip it off, but much to my relief, he was incredibly gentle.

His hands worked at my hips, rubbing and massaging while somehow managing to keep me up, but then I suppose having my legs wrapped around his waist made that easier. I let my hands wander the corded muscles of his back, memorizing every dip and curve of his back. I dipped my head and sank my fangs down into his shoulder, expecting him to snap at me, but that only seemed to turn him on as he growled and moved back up to capture my lips.

We kissed hungrily for the longest time before Xed carried me to the bed, dropping me down so I bounced a couple times. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, making me raise an eyebrow as I sat there with my knees on either side of me, knees parted so he could see between my legs. Heat threatened to rise to my cheeks, but I resisted as I watched him contemplate.

Was he seriously rethinking this?

Not after he made my body feel like this.

Take some responsibility, you bastard.

I leaned forward and unzipping his leather pants, admiring the way it cupped his firm buttocks, before I freed his manhood. Xed sucked his breath in sharply between his sharp teeth, his pupils dilating considerably. Now I was hesitating, but I didn't for long. I knew how to do this, I told myself.

I'd done it before.

So I parted my lips and tentatively licked the tip of him. Xed hissed. I took that as a good sign and planted my lips around him, taking him into my mouth and grimacing at the salty bitter taste of him. He sank his hand into my hair, but didn't pull or jerk on it, just massaged my scalp. I moaned around him at the feel of his nails scratching me. I sucked on him slowly, wetting him down. His body shuddered, but I had this happen before, so I took my mouth away from him before he could release. He growled in frustration and had the nerve to tighten his grip in my hair.

I tilted my head and nipped at his wrists as a warning, flashing my fangs. He instantly released my hair, looking ashamed at having let his sexual urges control him further.

I felt a little guilty for having put him through that.

Of course, I was going to make it up to him.

I sat up on my knees, taking him by the hands and pulling him onto the bed with me. He crawled onto the bed and got on his knees in front of me, giving me a chaste kiss on the lips that I found oddly endearing. I pushed his chest until he fell back on the bed, his eyes watching me intently. I climbed on top of him, straddling his waist. My eyes flickered to the nightstand where the tube of lubrication was hiding in my drawer. Part of me was self-conscious and embarrassed about having to use it, but I would rather not have this be incredibly painful.

My death alone was gonna suck.

I didn't need to die knowing my first time was also going to turn out badly.

I leaned over Xed, grabbing the tube from the drawer. I felt Xed lick at my chest and sighed comfortably at the feel of his hot, wet tongue on my skin. I sat back, popping the cap off. Xed didn't seem to know what it was, which made me feel a bit better. Although, I still wasn't sure if I was doing anything right. I didn't want to tell him that, though, so I continued lathering my fingers wetly before I tossed the tube aside.

I hesitated, looking at Xed, who stared back at me. I was positive he saw my uneasiness. He just smiled reassuringly and leaned forward, kissing me on the nose. My body twitched at that and I reached back behind me, clenching my teeth at how cold it was on my skin. I ran my fingers around hesitantly before I held my breath and plunged a finger inside.

I was instantly filled with a sense of discomfort and wanted to stop, but Xed was staring at my hand, watching me so intensely that I couldn't resist pushing my finger in and out. Xed's lips parted and his tongue hungrily licked his lips, his mismatched eyes flickering. I continued to move, gritting my teeth as I attempted to adjust to the invasion. I added a second finger once the discomfort had passed and eventually moved to a third, pushing harder this time and gasping as my body trembled.

Xed growled low in his throat and reached out, forcefully taking my fingers out of myself. I hissed at him and he snapped his teeth at me, making me blink in surprise at his sudden aggressiveness. Even though a small part of me was irritated with him for being so impatient, I was shamefully turned on by it.

He rested his hand on my hip and gave me a rough push that indicated he wasn't going to wait any longer. And while I wanted to torture him for rushing me, I too was nearing my limit. My body was aching and crying out to feel something more inside me. I adjusted myself over top of him, pausing to look down at him. He was rather large, even now with myself being older. It seemed no matter what size I was, he'd always be bigger-- everywhere.

I slowly lowered myself down on top of him, hissing past clenched teeth as my muscles protested the intrusion. I felt a tear that I knew would heal within the next few seconds, lowering myself until Xed was completely encased in me. A low whimper escaped my throat and I couldn't stop it, or the next few strangled gasps.

Xed groaned, throwing his head back against the pillows and began to rub his palms on my hips a bit harshly. I hissed, feeling the sharp sting of his claws elongating. I looked down to see them sharpen, cutting my skin and leaving red hairline cuts of blood, that succeeded in turning me on.

Fantastic, I was a masochist.

Xed started to grind his hips up against me and I gasped, leaning over him to clutch the blankets on either side of his body. Tears stung the backs of my eyes, threatening to spill, but I blinked them away rapidly, breathing hard as Xed thrust his hips up against me. I screwed my eyes shut, wanting to clench my jaw shut to fight back the sounds gathering in my throat, but it only caused me discomfort and didn't last long. I parted my lips, baring my fangs as I felt saliva gathering on them.

A feral growl escaped my throat, a sound that was inhuman, but seemed to be familiar to Xed before he snarled at me, but in a way that wasn't angry or rude. He was just really horny.

He kept his hands on my hips to hold them in place as he ground himself up inside me, making me seethe and gasp. Admittedly, there was a bit more pain than pleasure. It shot through my spine like the ball in a pinball machine before it bounced around through my veins, setting me on fire. I could feel sweat at my temples, running down the sides of my face.

I felt a whimper come up my throat and past my lips as another shock of pain shot through me when Xed thrust particularly rough inside me.

"Xed, you're hurting me." I choked at last, sucking in a sharp breath. Xed peered his eyes open up at me suddenly and guilt swept over his face, but I didn't want him to go soft on me, so I leaned down and captured his lips in a scorching hot kiss.

"Slower." I breathed against his lips. Xed just gave me a short nod, and much to my relief, slowed down enough for me to catch up to the feeling of pleasure. The pain faded as my body adjusted and healed any damage done. A moan slipped past my defenses and I felt like I was melting as Xed picked up the pace a bit. This time, I moved with him, meeting him thrust for thrust.

"Aah," I gasped as a particular shot of pleasure coursed through my veins and made my body tremble, "Xed... Xed..." I couldn't stop myself from repeating his name. Everything was becoming a foggy mirror of lust. I didn't bother to regain rational thought or try and retain the stoicism I had worked so hard to maintain. I was blinded by the most powerful pleasure I had ever felt in my entire life.

I cried out and sank my nails into the bed, riding Xed roughly as an orgasm tore through me so strongly that I trembled and cried out again. I didn't stop to think if anyone would hear me or if I sounded ridiculous.

For once in my life, there was no threat, no death, no blood, no betrayal, no agony.

Everything else faded. It was as if only Xed and I existed and the explosion of pleasure between us. I could barely describe it beyond that as Xed caved in and came hard, grabbing me and pulling me down for a rough, hungry kiss that only became sexier as he growled animalistically.

We were lost in the haze of pleasure for a minute or so before my body was spent and I couldn't hold myself up anymore, collapsing on top of Xed's chest, breathing hard.

His throat was pounding a rigorous beat in my ear, like a drum banging around inside his chest. It fueled his hot blood through his veins as he panted, his hand reaching up to embed itself in my hair. My fangs throbbed in my gums and I didn't bother to fight the hunger that rose inside me.

I managed to lift myself up before burying my mouth against Xed's throat. He sank his fingers into my hair, but didn't pull me away. If anything, he was pushing me to his throat, so I obliged and sank my fangs down into his hot, soft skin.

His warm, sweet blood rushed into my mouth and I moaned at the taste of him, taking in huge gulps before pulling back to look down at him through hooded eyes. I licked my lips as he reached up to tuck the hair behind my ear. He ran his knuckles along my jaw and cheek, stroking the side of my face. I reached up, covering his hand with mine, savoring the rough feel of his palm against my cheek, so hot and powerful.

There were no words.

There was no need for words.

For once, actions were much stronger. Actions spoke just enough between Xed and I to indicate that what was between us was more than just sex, more than just partnership, and more than just the emotion of love. It was a deep, penetrating love that terrified me, but thrilled me at the same time. Like being trapped in a tank full of hungry sharks. The thought almost made me laugh as I realized how shark-like Xed was. I tilted my head and kissed his palm, then sat back on top of him, bringing my hand up to touch my chest.

I then touched his chest, running my hand down it for a moment before I drew my arms up to cross over my chest. Xed's eyes widened for a split second before a smile came across his face. He reached up, cupped my face, and mouthed the words back at me.

I love you too, Newell.