Rhiannon ran to the room she used when she spent the night over at her grandmother’s and once there, she looked for a nice dress for that evening.
She wanted to look her best for Kael.
And it was then, while she was choosing her dress when she realized he didn’t have any other reason to stay in the village. He had the gold he needed for his journey, and he had helped the village to get rid of the demons.
He was now free to go meet his friends. Nothing was holding him back, and that meant this could be their last night together.
The pain that rushed through her whole body was so powerful, it threw her to the floor, gasping for air and rubbing her aching heart. She wasn’t ready to lose him, not yet.
Who was she fooling? She would never be ready to lose him. He was a vital part of her, and his absence would submerge her in a dark, painful world.
She had to find a way to convince him to take her with him.
Determined, she put on the best dress she was able to find and combed her long hair into an elegant braid. Once ready, she headed straight to the village, with a new mission in her mind and heart.
One could hear the music and the people’s laughter from a mile away. The villagers were celebrating the vanquishing of the demons and the return of the abducted women.
By the time Rhiannon arrived at the main square, several tables, and chairs had been brought into the square, and people were having a real feast. She could even smell the scent of roasted pork and freshly baked bread.
She found Kael and her father near the fire where a small pig was being roasted as well as a few chickens and what looked like a couple of lambs.
“That’s a lot of food,” she said, as she approached them.
“The three villages have come together to organize this feast,” her father told her. “It’s the first time this happens,” he was clearly amazed.
“Well, it’s an important occasion, that’s for sure,” she said, with a broad smile.
Kael had slid an arm around her waist the moment she had stepped closer to him, and that simple gesture had been more than enough to warm up her heart.
“Have you seen Esther and the other women?” Kael asked her. “They are over there with your grandmother.
“Not yet, I have just arrived.”
“Despite all the trauma and all they were through, they look alright. The demons kept them well fed,” her father said, looking at where the women were assembled.
“Yes, but that shouldn’t be a surprise. After all, they needed the women to survive,” she pointed out.
“That’s right. You wouldn’t believe the number of small demons we destroyed,” her father explained. “Some of the women are still carrying some of their eggs, but your grandmother will take care of that as soon as possible.”
“Oh, that’s terrible,” she said, wincing.
“Yes, but at least, they are free now. We all are.”
More people arrived at the feast, carrying a lot of food and drinks. The party lasted all night, and when the sun finally came up in the skies, only a few drunk men wandered around the area.
Rhiannon had accompanied Kael back to Gwendolyn’s house. Her grandmother had decided to stay at the village, in her daughter’s house. She had alleged she was too tired to walk back to her cabin, but Rhiannon was sure she had wanted to give her and Kael some privacy.
They certainly enjoyed it. From the moment they stepped inside, until the middle of the afternoon. They had made love for what felt like a dozen times, relishing each other’s bodies as if there was no tomorrow.
Unfortunately, Rhiannon was starting to feel that was exactly what was going on. She knew Kael wanted to leave, and there was nothing else holding him back.
With a sad sigh, she jumped out of bed and walked towards the bathroom. Kael was still asleep, so she had a few minutes for herself.
In front of the counter, she stared at the mirror and wondered how she would convince him to take her with him. Why would he want to drag a woman he barely knew around the world, in his search for his friends? She would only be a hindrance, and she knew it.
She opened the faucet and let the cold water fill her hands before she sprayed it on her face, a few times, in a vain attempt to cool her head.
At some point, she looked at her face in the mirror and noticed a thin thread of blood coming out of her neck, more precisely, from two small openings in her skin.
“What are you doing up so soon?” he asked her, from the doorway, startling her.
“I couldn’t sleep,” she explained, looking at him across the mirror. “Any idea what this is?” she asked him, pointing at the tiny wounds in her skin.
Kael’s expression changed completely, becoming dark.
He closed the distance between them and made her turn around to examine her wounds. “I’m sorry, I did this to you,” he admitted in a stern tone, as he leaned over and licked her skin, healing the wounds instantly.
“Why would you do that?” she asked, more intrigued than upset.
“It’s a common thing in my species. We exchange blood while we’re making love, deepening our bonds with our women,” he explained. “When this happens between two different species, like us, it leads to the conversion.”
“The conversion? What is that?”
“It’s a painful process that turns females from other species into drogons like me. This can only happen when the couple is formed by soulmates. Otherwise, the non-drogon will die.”
“Oh,” she mumbled, astounded. There was so much, she didn’t know about him.
“I must have taken your blood in the frenzy of our passion. My instinct leads me to it, to the point I did it automatically,” he added.
“How many times can you do this before it becomes dangerous?” she asked, with a frown. She had to admit she didn’t recall the moment either. They had been so lost in the haze of pleasure and bliss, that the whole day was nothing but a blur. All she could remember was the feelings and the pleasure he had conjured for her.
“After the third time, conversion starts,” he replied, with a stern tone.
“Oh, I see. And how do you know for sure when you’ve found your soulmate?” she asked, curiously.
“I was told my whole life I would know the minute I saw her. My instincts would warn me she was the one. That’s how it happened to my father and all the men I know,” he started explaining. “But, things can change, especially because I’m part human.”
Rhiannon’s heart wrenched in her chest, as pain flooded her body. He hadn’t found his soulmate, and that could only mean she wasn’t the one. She took a deep breath before she looked at him, clinging to his last words as if they were a lifesaver. “You’re part human?”
“Yes, my mother was human. She was abducted from this planet, and my father found her when she and a few other women were being auctioned in some sort of slave market.”
“It must have been terrible for her,” she said, turning around and pretending she was washing her hands.
He stepped closer, pressing his naked body against hers and resting his hands on her hips. “At first, yes, I’m sure it was, but she soon realized he was the one for her.”
She gave him a tremulous smile. “If he’s as handsome as you are, I’m sure she did.”
“We’re more than just good looks,” he protested, squeezing the silky skin on her hips.
“Of course, you are.”
With a wicked grin, he pressed her back until she was leaning against the counter, as he coaxed her legs apart. She could feel his cocks pressing her slit, and despite all the lovemaking they had indulged during the day, she was more than ready to take him again.
This time, there was no time for foreplay. This time, they gave in to a raw passion that took them faster than ever over the edge and into the wild waves of a powerful orgasm.
In the end, they were nothing more than two trembling bodies, leaning against the counter.
“We need to get something to eat,” she grumbled, sliding from underneath him. “Or I’ll starve to death.”
“I would never allow that to happen,” he assured her, as he joined her in the shower.