“You’re sure?” she asks, voice trembling.
“Yes, my trea—” I cut myself off when she starts to pull her hand back. “Yes.”
She looks up to meet my eyes and shakes her head.
“Can we… keep it slow?” she asks. My heart leaps into my throat. My mouth is too dry for words, so I nod. She takes the epis and holds it up before her face, considering it. “So little, for such a life-changing thing.”
She places it in her mouth and chews. Her eyes widen, then color rushes back into her face. She shivers then straightens.
“Wow,” she says.
“Better?” I ask.
“Yeah,” she says, still chewing. “It’s weird, kind of spicy but sweet. Tangy.”
She stands up and wavers. I grab her arm to steady her without thinking. Our eyes meet and my hearts gallop. I’m pulled in. I can’t resist her. I’ve stood against every danger Tajss has to offer and nothing compares to her. I will do anything for her. This simple touch is all I could ever ask in return.
She drops her gaze to my hand then looks back and forth from my face and my touch. I should let her go, but I can’t. Can’t break this simple contact. Can’t not touch her.
She leans towards me, taking a step until less than the width of my hand separates us. I’m hunched down, close to her face. Her scent is intoxicating. I’m spinning in a whirlpool of her. I move in, wanting to taste her. She doesn’t retreat, lifting herself on her toes. So close—
“Are you two about done with the puppy-dog eyes?” Bert asks, breaking the moment.
She drops onto her feet and I straighten, feeling oddly self-conscious.
“Yes,” I say, turning to him. “Thank you for your help.”
“Right, move on then. Some of us have work to do,” he says.
Anna walks ahead, and I follow in her wake. Outside the building she stops, holding her hands up and turning them back and forth. A smile forms on her face that is more brilliant than the double suns of Tajss.
“Wow,” she says.
“Yes?” I ask.
“I feel… better,” she says, wonder in her voice. “A lot better, already.”
“Epis is Tajss’s gift of life,” I say.
“That sounds like some mystical bivo-shit to me,” she says. “But I do feel so much better. I think I could leap that big fountain!”
“How about we wait for heroics?” I ask, smiling, and she laughs.
The sound of her laugh makes my heart sing. My chest swells with love and pride. There is nothing I won’t do to hear that sound over and over.
Behind my joy, though, are darker thoughts. The empty supply room hasn’t left my mind since seeing those bare shelves. She will need more epis. Since this is the first time she’s taken it, she’ll need more in the next few days at the most. Ideally, she’d take it every day for weeks until it’s had time to fully work its way through her body.
She feels great now, I’m sure, but tomorrow that will be gone. The day after that she’ll feel the first hints of withdrawal. There is going to be no time to waste on getting her more. All of them need it.
“Why did I wait so long to take this?” she says, laughing and shaking her head.
She whirls in a circle, holding her arms out to either side as she does. When she stops, she’s staring at me thoughtfully. She closes the distance between us. In an instant, she throws her arms around my neck, pulls my head down, and kisses me.
This is not a quick peck. Her lips press hard against mine, and liquid fire races through my veins. My core tightens, and my prime cock stiffens as I give myself to her. Her tongue licks my lips then pushes into my mouth. I lick her tongue, too.
She breaks the kiss and steps back. She touches her lips, still smiling. I wait, apprehensive, until she laughs long and loud.
“Wow,” she says. “You are a really good kisser.”
“Thank you,” I say, standing straighter.
“Can I touch your chest?” she asks. It’s such an odd request I don’t answer for a heartbeat, but then I nod my assent. She traces her fingers over my pectoral muscles. “They’re so smooth.”
“What did you expect?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “I don’t know.”
She continues running her fingertips over my chest, and then she places both palms on back on the same scales and rubs small circles. Desire is a raging inferno in my core. My cock throbs, expelling the first droplets of my seed.
She giggles and pulls her hands back. My body is as taut as a drum skin, still vibrating from her touch. The dragon roars to take her, to keep this going, to bring her closer. It’s all my will to resist, despite my years of training. I’ve never been tested the way she tests me. Being so close, having dreamed of her for years now, I know we belong together. It is a foregone conclusion, but she is not ready. I will not diminish our love by rushing her.
I have waited this long, but that doesn’t matter. It is still the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
“I need to see Rosalind,” I say.
My voice is rough, almost guttural, for my throat is so swollen with unexpressed desire. She tilts her head, not missing the difference, and nods.
“Let’s go,” she says, offering me her hand.
I take her hand in mine. Hers is tiny, delicate and soft. I cup my hand around hers, careful to not apply pressure. As we walk to find Rosalind, my steps become lighter. I’m walking on the clouds.
There aren’t many people on the streets. Almost everyone is staying in the tunnels under the city, despite the bombing having stopped. They feel safer, though I know it won’t make a difference if the dome comes down. Nor will it save them from the impending disaster of food and epis running out.
We run into no one we know before reaching the city offices where Rosalind works. She looks up as we walk in, but she’s not alone. Visidion, Ladon, and Sverre are with her, as are Calista and Amara.
“Yes?” Rosalind asks.
“I’ve come to offer the Order’s assistance in getting supplies into the City,” I say.
“You have a bright idea how to do it?” she snaps.
Rosalind looks drawn. The lines at the corners of her eyes are deeper, her mouth is turned down in a frown, and there are heavy bags under her eyes. I don’t answer her, though. Weariness and stress don’t excuse rude behavior. I’ve found that many times silence can be the strongest rebuke.
The silence stretches, but Rosalind has her attention on the papers on her desk, ignoring me. The others in the room shift uncomfortably while I wait silently.
“Hey, we want to help,” Anna says. “If you got this on your own, you don’t have to be a bitch.”
Rosalind’s head snaps up, eyes glaring. I take a step forward subtly putting myself partially in front of Anna.
“Excuse me?” Rosalind asks.
“I said—” Anna starts.
“I am here to offer help,” I say, sorry to cut Anna off. “I have able males who will fight as needed. There must be a way out of the city. I know the supplies are already running low. I don’t see how there is time to fight with each other when the enemy is at our gates.”
Visidion places a hand on Rosalind’s shoulder, easing her back into her chair.