Chapter Eleven
Elise
We’d reached the settlement two days ago and had stayed locked up in a room for most of it while Kodyn recovered from his wounds.
Their base was an old put-put ground, outfitted with elaborate windmills and pirate ships designed to keep golf balls out of their holes.
The base had long ago lost any golf clubs, but we used oversized sticks to play the games, and it worked just the same. The only problem was that half of the place had lost power, so unless you could toss the ball up over the platform, you were pretty much screwed.
I tried my best to nurse Kodyn back to health on my own, but eventually, Cristopher had sent in one of their medics.
We’d had a long conversation about staying, and it took a lot more convincing than I originally thought.
“So where are you all comin' from?” Cristopher had asked after bringing us food that first night. Two men had come in with him, but I hadn’t gotten their names yet. It felt good to have something warm to put in my stomach: some sort of stew with a stringy meat.
It tasted good, but I knew I shouldn’t ask what the mystery meat was.
“We’re coming from Scarlet Heights,” I said.
“Wow. It's pretty rough up there, I hear,” the older man said, nodding sympathetically.
“It hasn't been easy making the trek out here,” I said.
“No kiddin'. And you're...” the man asked, looking to Kodyn for confirmation.
“Kodyn,” he said weakly.
I swallowed unsurely and set a hand on Kodyn’s shoulder as he laid in bed, slurping soup. “He's with me,” I reassured him.
He seemed hesitant but nodded anyhow. “I know some of the militia who were headed this way. From Scarlet Heights.”
“No shit?” I asked, and Kodyn winced at my language. “Why?” I followed up, suddenly in a panic.
“They got hit by some Vithohn real bad,” he said, and I felt my blood go cold.
“Did they… I mean, are they…” No matter how I started the sentence, I only ever seemed to trail off.
Eventually, Cristopher waved me off and said, “Plenty survived. Plenty didn’t,” his Southern drawl was thick. “We’re getting the stragglers.”
I felt downcast then. Maybe if I were around as their watch commander, I could have warned them. If I didn’t run off…
“So you're the one raving about an alliance, huh? Elise?” Cristopher said suddenly. Obviously, he’d heard of me.
“That sounds accurate,” Kodyn teased, not looking up from his soup.
I wanted to slap him playfully, but thought better of it, considering his condition. “I know you have reason to be wary, but Kodyn is... he would be an asset to your group. We'll put ourselves to good use while we're here, I promise. We won't get in your way.”
“We don't let strangers in,” Cristopher said apologetically. “Not ones who were looking to rob our mech, and certainly not ones who bring Vithohn with them.”
“Come on, boss,” one of the younger men said, “What's one night?”
“You really want me to answer that?” Cristopher said with a surprised expression.
“She’s right,” Kodyn said. “We won't be a burden. I was also wary of allying myself with a human, as you are to my people, but I see what the girl has to offer.”
Cristopher cocked his head and crossed his arms. “You seem like a reasonable man. But, I'm sorry.”
The second man, a redhead, spoke up again. “Hey...what are you going to do, let them die out there? We've got coyotes in this area and not to mention...” He gave pause, looking to Kodyn uncomfortably. He shrugged. “You know, other dangers.”
“I just killed a Vithohn at Tenizi Fortress,” Kodyn offered and gestured toward his wounded chest. “If there is any Vithohn who sees the error of his people’s ways, it is me.”
The settlers looked at one another with tight eyes. They seemed wary to have a Vithohn amongst their ranks, and I kept assuring them he was definitely on our side, but they still seemed unsure.
This made me want to prove myself all the more to them.
“Alright then,” Cristopher finally said. “But we don't want any trouble from you: and you provide for yourselves, got it?”
“Thank you so much,” I nearly cried.
That was a week ago now, and we’d been working our asses off ever since, trying to stay useful to the camp. Trying to make Kodyn seem as docile as possible.
Every night I worried that we would be attacked by the Vithohn.
I had asked Kodyn if he thought anyone would come for us and he answered with a resounding yes. No comforting words, no promises of a fight. Just, “Yes.”
The other part of me worried that the remaining members of Scarlet Heights would arrive, as promised, and curse me for leaving them alone to die.
We slept in a cool room that night, but my body was dripping with sweat as I mounted Kodyn, feeling the length of him slide in and out of me as I bounced on top of him.
I was slick for him: my shorts damp before I even started kissing him. It had been days since we were able to sleep together. I’d given him plenty of time to heal and to prove himself to the camp, but I couldn’t wait any longer.
He reached up for my face and pulled me down so he could kiss me and feel my breasts as I writhed against his hard dick. His tongue invaded my mouth, and his lips kissed me sweetly.
As I bent over, he smacked my ass twice, and I could feel it go cherry red. Then he grabbed my hips to keep me in place and started pounding into me.
“I’m going to cum,” I whispered.
“Me too,” he said back and held me tighter before filling me up.
I burrowed into him and felt his slick skin and heavy breaths against me. I could feel him drift off to sleep within minutes. My training as night watch never seemed to leave me these days, and I ended up awake most of the nights, watching Kodyn and listening for sounds of commotion outside the camp.
My mind twirled and wandered, and I began to wonder about the Kilari. How were we supposed to know who our enemies were if they could shapeshift? If we were going to stay safe, we would need to implement a new security system against them, which would be great if Kodyn stayed with us.
I had become so used to being left behind that the thought of him staying, the fact that I’d woken up with him every morning since we met, still astounded me.
Still, I couldn’t be sure he would stay. Our relationship was funny these days. I knew he was mad, struggling with the betrayal he felt about his people, but he had completely forgotten that I’d abandoned my people, too.
I rubbed a cold hand across my skin and traced my fingers along the shaved side of my head.
The night lasted forever, and I could feel the call of sleep enter my eyes just as the sun began to rise.
“Come on, sleepy,” I said, rousing Kodyn. “Let’s go gather supplies.”
“Again?” he groaned, tucking me back into the crook of his neck.
“Yeah, come on!” I cheered. “Up, up, up! We want to show Cristopher we’re good and helpful citizens of Red Ridge.”
“I’ve done enough for these people,” he huffed, rolling over.
“Come on,” I laughed, sitting up from our bed and looking at him. “Get up,” I said, less cheerful this time.
Kodyn scraped his lip with his teeth and tossed the blankets off him before bounding outdoors. Clearly, something was still bothering him. We hadn’t properly healed from what had happened back at the fortress.
“I’m getting pretty sick of this,” he snipped, gathering a basket and a gun to go help gather food for the day.
“Yeah, I know it’s been a little hectic. But this is all part of the plan, right?” I offered.
He narrowed his eyes at me and scoffed. “Is it?”
“Well…” I shrugged, picking up a machete and wandering out into the patch of forestry outside the golf course. “Yeah.”
“I'm tired of trying to prove myself to these people. It's like you're parading me around like I'm some sort of beast. Let me be a good little pet and gather their supplies: show them I'm not something worth fearing.”
He wasn’t wrong, but there was nothing we could do about that until they learned to trust us.
“Sorry, but yeah that is what we have to do,” I breathed.
“I'm sick of it,” he fumed, whipping his knife against the thick vines that we’d cook into sugary, sweet broth.
“Too bad,” I laughed with annoyance.
Kodyn looked at me then and tossed his basket to the ground, dropping his knife as well. “Is that right?”
“What now?” I pleaded with frustration. I felt like all we did these days was screw and fight, fight and screw. There were no moments of peace. “Yes, Kodyn, yes! That’s what we have to do because, if you haven’t forgotten,” I rushed him, pushing him toward a thick palm tree, “you’re the one who slaughtered the humans, remember?”
His eyes went wide and crisp, fury overtaking him. “You want to talk to me about slaughter?” he enunciated slowly. “About loss?”
Here we go, I thought. Another monologue about Fiona. I pushed my hand up in front of him, halting the great diatribe with annoyance. “Yeah, I'm sorry your little girlfriend died there, but you're not the only one who lost something.”
He took a deep breath; nostrils flared as he said, “I lost—”
It was me who cut him off this time, emotion welling in my throat as I screamed, “I lost my whole life! My planet, my sister, my safety, my mind… some days!”
I huffed and threw my weapons down into the basket, unsure whether I wanted to cry or laugh. There was an awkward silence that built up between us as though I had just slapped him.
“I have to agree with that last part,” he said finally.
I sighed and spun on my heel, twisting in circles. I was so sick of caving to him.
“Please,” I said, kneeling down in front of him. “Work with me here. I said I'm sorry. Please, just stop pushing me away, Kodyn.”
“If they do not accept me now, they never will,” he said carefully.
“Hey,” I shrugged and teased, “You’re just not that likable. They need a couple days to warm up to the idea of an all—”
“The alliance, yes, yes, I know,” he waved me off. “You know what, Elise? I'm tired. Tired of all this: this fight with you and this journey.”
“That's it? You're done?” I said, breathless.
Did he mean with me? He was done with us, just like that?
He shook his head, rubbing his hand across his eyebrows. “These people don't—”
“Wait,” I snapped.
Kodyn blinked in surprise and waited for me to go on. When I didn’t, he asked, “What?”
“Look... I know I'm single-minded at times and I know I can make you pretty crazy. And this is the last time I'm going to say this because frankly, the words aren't my favorite but... I'm really sorry. For what happened back at the fortress, and for Fiona, and for saying all the stupid things I say.”
I could feel my body starting to shake. He went to reply, but I put up my hand to stop him, the words tumbling out. “But I love you, and I don't want you to leave.”
Kodyn licked his lips, stunned. “I…”
“Please,” I pleaded before he had the chance to force an ‘I love you back,’ or worse, not. “Please say you won't leave. I need you to stay... with me.”
He looked at me with soft eyes then, grabbing my hand and pulling me up toward him. He drew me into a safe embrace and said, “Then that's what I shall do.”
“Sorry to bother you,” came yet another interruption. It was Cristopher.
Kodyn caught one look at him and then shot me a look that said he wasn’t in the mood for more human banter.
“I’ll give you some privacy,” Kodyn offered as he picked up his basket and continued farther into the woods.
“I just wanted to say thank you,” Cristopher said. He watched Kodyn disappear into the brush and the regarded me with a wide, friendly smile.
“For… for what?” I asked.
“Everything you've been doing to help us. I'd heard about you from a couple of friends of mine. They were in your camp last month. Had a long chat with you about your vision,” he said, and I nodded along. “I can see now why they were so passionate about your ideas.”
“Thank you,” I beamed.
“Look,” he began quickly, ready to get to work. “We want to help. You and Kodyn have been an asset to this camp. His ability to work with the humans and the love he bears for you makes us sure that…”
I couldn’t hear the rest of his sentence. I was too lost his words then: mesmerized by the word love that had spilled forth from his mouth so soon after I’d made my own revelation to Kodyn.
He’d said it as though it were fact, without even a second thought.
I knew I loved Kodyn; I hated myself for it. But, surely he didn't love me back. He couldn't even seem to stand me as of late. Was Cristopher seeing something that I couldn't see or had we really been that successful at putting on a false show for them?
My heart skipped, and I wanted to ask him to back up: to repeat himself and explain to me in every conceivable way why he believed that Kodyn had feelings for me. But, before I had the chance to, Cristopher was looking down at me expectantly with his hand out for me to shake.
My hand found its way into his, and he shook it.
"Great doing business with you,” he said with a wink.
“Yeah,” I said, ecstatic. “Great.”