After the day we had, I really need a bath. Luckily, that's something I can actually have. I sigh as I lay my head back in the giant bathtub we found in one of the other rooms. Arawn was nice enough to help me carry enough water inside to fill it up just enough to be useful.

I really miss indoor plumbing, but at least it's always so hot here that I don't even worry about the water not being warm enough. Tepid or even cool feels amazing after sweating all day.

I loll around in the water longer than I need to, but what else am I going to do at this time of day anyway? So I stubbornly stay in long after my fingertips are wrinkly and call it time well spent. Still, I can't just become a fish. So I eventually I call it and get out of the tub, reaching for one of the drying cloths we brought with us.

I'm glad we packed for staying out in the desert because the New Villagers really haven't done much to accommodate us. Though after Errol and Arawn protected them so fiercely from those weird looking aliens, they're obviously thinking twice about being so unwelcoming.

There's definitely been a softening towards our group, especially towards the Zmaj. A noticeable one. It's kind of irritating to realize it's because these people see that Arawn and Errol are useful, but maybe the reasoning shouldn't matter so much as long as we get what we set out for here.

It's difficult to divorce my feelings from it though. I feel protective of Arawn now. I don't like the idea of people thinking of him only as a useful commodity rather than a person. But I can't control everyone's thoughts. That's a losing battle.

I briskly rub myself dry, hearing my stomach growl a complaint. I need to go forage for some food. I wrap the cloth around me and tuck it in at my chest to keep it in place before I move back out into the room where we have our pallets.

I hesitate as I see the cloth Arawn has spread over the floor, food laid out on it picnic style, that same fat candle lit, casting a warm glow.

"You already prepared dinner for us?" I ask, feeling a rush of warmth. At the same time, I make sure the drying cloth is tucked tightly around me.

He nods, his eyes heating as he takes in my bare arms and legs, the top of my chest. But he looks away, ever the gentleman. Sweet.

"Please, sit."

He gestures to the small cushions he's fashioned with blankets. I sink down onto one, sitting on my calves and keeping my legs together. I feel even more vulnerable without all my clothes on, but maybe I could just eat quickly and then grab them.

"Thank you, Arawn," I murmur as he hands me a plate. "I'm really hungry."

He smiles.

"Of course. I knew we both would be."

I smile back at him, taking a bite of the food. There's a zing of tension in the air, but it isn't the awkward kind as we sit and eat, talking about both the invaders and the reaction of the New Villagers. It's more like we're both just very aware of the other. At least, I know I am.

"At least they have come to their senses and most are acknowledging they need Zmaj help," he muses.

"It's only their racism that has kept them from admitting it for so long." I shake my head. How they thought they could afford the luxury of such irrational thoughts is beyond me. I couldn't even imagine refusing Gomul's help when he arrived to save us.

"Hmm." He reaches back to pull out a small bundle. "I have a gift for you as well, Fallon."

"A gift?" I ask, staring at the small package. "You didn't have to, Arawn," I protest even as he hands it to me. "You've done enough."

He shakes his head.

"I wanted to. Please, open it," he urges eagerly.

I smile, taken by his unhidden eagerness. It's so sweet. And isn't it telling that I keep describing him that way? I unwrap the small piece of leather it's wrapped in, curious as to what could be inside...

"A book!" I exclaim, staring down at the well-worn cover, excitement rushing through me as I trace the title. "The Lord of the Rings!"

"I understand it is a popular story," Arawn comments. "I bargained for it with some of the meteorite glass jewelry Errol has me trading with the miners." A pause. "Do you like it?"

I nod vigorously, clutching the book in my hands as I look back up at him.

"I love it," I say sincerely. "It's a treasure. I know I'll read it over and over again." I hug it to my chest. "I'm so glad some of the old things survived the crash," I add, feeling misty eyed at the thought of how much didn't.

It isn't an exaggeration to call this a treasure. Not when so many of our books, our movies, everything our society created is lost forever.

In my excitement, I must have pressed the book too hard into myself because I feel the cloth wrapped around me start to slip. I grab at it quickly, holding it up with my free hand as a blush heats my face.

"Oops," I mutter. "Probably I should dress."

Arawn's eyes are locked on my hand, the only thing keeping me somewhat covered. The fire in his expression is hot enough to heat the room.

I feel a heat of a different kind flow through me at that look.

But he doesn't act on it. Nodding, he stands.

I feel a sharp stab of disappointment.

"I will wait outside," he offers, turning to the door.

I bite my lip as he takes a step towards it and realize I don't want him to go.

"Wait," I call out, setting the book down and scrambling to my feet.

He turns around, a question on his face.

This is it. I can't use alcohol as an excuse if I do this. Not this time. My mind is as clear as it gets. My choices completely my own. I meet Arawn's eyes and make the decision.

I open my hand.

The cloth drops to my feet.

Leaving me naked. Completely bare in more ways than just the physical. Completely vulnerable.

"Fallon," he murmurs, his cheeks flushed as his eyes leave my face. I see his hands clench into fists at his side, his tail twitch behind him. "Are you certain?"

I feel tenderness mix with the heat, the fire that's been building between us. This is more than physical now, more than that attraction I've felt from the beginning. I know him as a person, know how brave he is, how giving, how considerate.

I know Arawn. I want him. All of him.

Who knows what tomorrow will bring? What I've learned not just on this trip, but in my time here on Tajss so far, is that there's always a threat looming just on the horizon. Tomorrow is no guarantee. I don't want to regret not living life to its fullest just because I was afraid. So here we are.

Time to seize the fucking day.

"Yes. I'm as sure as I've ever been of anything."

That's the green light he needed, the last push to break free. With a growl, he closes the distance between us in two long strides, his arms coming up to wrap around me. He pulls me to him firmly, his lips coming down to meet mine, hard and voracious. It isn't pretty or soft. And it's exactly what I want.

I rise up on my toes in an attempt to get closer, my hands sliding over his shoulders, sinking into his silky hair. He hooks an arm under my leg, raising it to wrap around his hip.

I feel exactly how aroused he is as he pushes against me, rubs his hard cock against my core. Where I'm aching and ready for him. All of him.

Abruptly, he picks me up and pushes me against the wall, raising me so the difference in our heights doesn't get in the way.

His hand slides up my side to close over my breast. He groans as he kneads it, breaking the kiss.

"You are so soft. Everywhere," he says hoarsely, resting his forehead against my own as he angles his head down to look at what he's doing. He rubs at my nipple experimentally. I arch against him at the sharp sensation. "Does that feel good?" he asks, repeating the stroke with his thumb.

"Yes," I gasp. "It's good. Did Zmaj women not have breasts?" I ask, wondering at his curiosity.

"They were protected by scales, opening for feeding only. Not for males, not for pleasure," he explains.

And then he doesn't want to talk anymore. Which is perfectly fine with me.

Lifting me up higher, he latches onto my nipple with a hard suck that has my toes curling in response, my head kicking back against the wall. I barely feel my head hit the hard surface, but Arawn immediately lifts me away, turning with me and taking us down onto my pallet, which is closer.

Then he gets up again and rips off his clothes, his glittering eyes locked on me as he does. I feel an edge in the look, feeling almost like prey. But it only ratchets my arousal up higher.

When he comes back down on top of me, both of us moan as skin only meets skin now. I run my fingers up his back and then lightly over the tops of his wings.

He gasps, leaning down to kiss me again, his tongue tangling with mine as his hands run over my body desperately. Just as mine do over his.

He uses his legs to push mine apart, settling between them as his hand slides down my stomach, zeroing in on where I ache for him. I jerk as his fingers slide through my wet folds once before stopping at my clitoris.

He breaks the kiss, his eyes focusing on my no-doubt glazed ones as he rubs and pinches at it softly.

"I know this part gives you pleasure," he murmurs, circling with the tips of his fingers.

I nod, swallowing as I try to focus.

"Yes. That's my...clitoris," I gasp as he gives it a harder pinch, obviously testing how I respond.

"Too much?" he asks.

I shake my head no.

"It feels...good." Really good.

He takes me at my word, rubbing and exploring, alternating between burying his face against my breasts and kissing me as I feel myself getting closer and closer to that final destination.

"I must taste you," he growls, sliding down to settle between my legs. Even just the words drive me closer.

I look down just as his tongue comes out to lick at me.

That's it.

Too much.

I cry out, bucking against his mouth as I come, the wave of pleasure almost painful. He keeps his mouth on me until I come back down, his tongue soft and comforting against me.

I'm panting, trying to catch my breath as he comes back up, kissing me softly. I can taste myself on his lips. And I can feel another part of him nudging at me.

"Fallon?" he asks, kissing the side of my face, my neck, as he rubs against me.

"Come inside me," I urge, reaching down to grip his hard ass cheeks.

He groans, kissing me deeply at that request, and then he starts to push in.

I take a deep breath, breaking the kiss to look down. I have a vague memory of the ridges that run along the top of his cock, but seeing it again—it's pretty eye-catching.

I bite my lip as his impressive size stretches me, those ridges at the top bumping against my clit just right as he slowly, carefully, slides in.

I shut my eyes tight when he's finally in all the way, the ridge at the very base of him pressing up against me...so...good.

And then he starts to move. I grip his arms, my fingernails digging into his hard muscle as he pushes in and out of me. It's almost too much. Almost.

Bracing himself on his forearms, his eyes are locked with mine as he continues to thrust, his big, muscled body moving like a well-oiled machine.

I feel completely dominated and more feminine that I've ever felt in my life, covered and surrounded by Arawn. But I also know he'll keep me safe, and that he would never hurt me.

I thrust back up against him experimentally and he lets out a harsh sound. So I do it again. And again. Until I'm making small sounds in the back of my throat, and his jaw is clenched hard enough that the cords stand out in high relief.

This time, we get there together.

I force myself to keep my eyes open as his shut, his entire body straining as I feel him jerk inside me, his thrusts no longer smooth and coordinated.

The connection between us is so deep, I feel like I can almost feel...him. Not just his body, but the spiritual force that is the essence of him. Like we're absorbing parts of each other that aren't just physical. In that moment, that idea doesn't sound silly at all. It sounds completely possible.

When he opens his eyes again, they're slumberous with pleasure, but still hot. He pulls out of me, slowly, making my entire body arch as all the sensitized nerve endings are hit once more.

Then he reaches down, adjusting his second cock. I swallow hard, staring down at it. I heard the Zmaj men have two penises, the second one tucked under the tail. But again, hearing and seeing are two completely different ballgames. He rolls me gently onto my side and draws my leg over his hip, taking me from behind now.

This time is much gentler, his movements careful, cognizant of the fact that I'm already sensitive. He kisses my ear, the back of my neck, the arm tucked under me curving up to cup one breast. While the other reaches between my legs, his fingers getting involved. When I get there this time, the orgasm is also softer, a warm wave that has me sighing, pressing back against him. He buries his face in the curve of my shoulder, his own climax shuddering through him right after mine.

We stay like that, with him wrapped around me, as our breathing calms down, our pulse rates return back to normal. His arm wraps around my waist, hugging me back to him tightly, his body cupping the back of mine in a warm line.

"Fallon...I could not have imagined you to be any more extraordinary than I had previously thought, but after tonight..."

I chuckle, shaking my head as I turn slightly and reach up to cup the side of his sweet face.

"That's just the sex talking, Arawn."

He kisses my palm but shakes his head.

"No, it is not. I felt...I experienced the depth of your life force." He looks at me intently. "You are strong. Very strong. There is far more to you than anyone realizes. Than I realized."

I would dismiss what he's saying as emotional pillow talk, but it sounds so similar to what I thought I felt. Maybe it was real.

I feel the afterglow give way to another kind of warmth, one perhaps even more important. The fact that he recognizes my strength, the very part of me that my father tried to suppress from the moment I was old enough to take orders from him...it means so much. He doesn't want to suppress it. He admires it.

I can almost feel my heart opening up to Arawn as I look into his gorgeous eyes. It's a feeling I know I cannot ignore. And, frankly, I don't want to avoid it. Not anymore.

I raise a brow as I feel something else stir inside me. Something more tangible.

"Again?" I ask, incredulous.

Arawn grins, even as he shifts to thrust inside me, where he never left.

"Fallon, I have been starving for you," he admits, his smile fading. "It will take me a long time to sate myself."

Well then. I sigh as his hands start to move on me with purpose again. I'm willing to make the sacrifice for his wellbeing.

Poor me.