The Fractured World, page 17
“So? Is there a law saying I can only defend those mated to me?”
“No…”
“That’s what I thought. If I want to keep you safe, I will. No mating needed.”
Faris sighed. “It’s no wonder Casella fell for you…”
“What was that?” I replied.
“Nothing,” she said. “I’m sorry.”
“What have you done now?”
“It’s for doubting you all this time. Turns out this nice guy persona isn’t an act. You just wanted to help us. No ulterior motives needed.”
“Well, that’s not strictly true,” I said. “Although it’s nothing like you presumed. You could say it was me repenting.”
“For what?” Faris replied.
“Failing to protect someone I loved,” I responded. “My own sister.”
Faris took her sweet time working up a reply. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pried.”
“I told you. I’d hardly constitute that as prying. Besides, it was a long time ago now.” Not that I would ever forget that terrible day she was taken from us all.
If only I’d been stronger. I could have stopped her from going and talked some sense into her.
I could have driven that bastard away before he killed her.
It was too late to change what had happened. However, the future? Our future? That was still to be written and there was no reason I couldn’t be the one penning the script.
Our journey to paradise wasn’t a short one. It was a long trek across the entirety of the frozen landscape. On top of the vast distance which had to be traversed, we were slowed by the condition of our party. We didn’t want to expose Faris to the cold more than we had to which meant breaks whenever we found a suitable cave. Casella also needed the rest. Her body couldn’t keep up with me and Trez.
I didn’t blame her. The only reason I was managing so well was because of her power. That much was obvious.
It wasn’t an expedition that could be handled in one day. We spent the night snuggled around a warm fire while I stayed up to keep watch. First thing in the morning, we set off, be the weather wonderfully clear or spitting down frozen swill.
We were alert to possible dangers at all times. I never closed my senses in case any stalkers were lurking right on our tail. And it wasn’t as if they were the only monsters we had to worry about.
A traveling group of four was too much for the furred demons of the forest to resist.
Both reptilian wolves and monstrous bears tried to have their way with us.
One strike of my club was all it took to put those meat-hungry bastards down.
That was how the cycle of our journey proceeded. Walk, rest, defeat anything which underestimated the danger in front of them. Over and over, across four tiring days, until we finally proceeded toward the light at the end of the tunnel.
“How much longer must we travel?” Casella asked as we stopped for a rest. Her endurance had improved somewhat thanks to Faris’s help but a few days graft couldn’t overwrite a lifestyle of mollycoddled isolation. A flush glow burned her cheeks and flowed out in the form of raspy breaths.
“Give me a sec,” Trez said, dropping her luggage and taking off into the trees.
She did this every time we took a break. Her job was scouting the area while I took care of keeping Casella and Faris safe.
Faris had quietly accepted her role, or at least stopped grumbling about it.
It’d gotten to the point where it felt weird not having her weight against me. My stomach didn’t feel right without her constricting tail.
Even though she was recovering, her body still radiated heat. Her every breath was unmissable in an otherwise frosty climate. It was comforting when hiking through the snow. The same could be said about her natural earthy scent. It almost lulled a guy to sleep.
I jerked myself back upright and rubbed my eyes.
Not happening. You can sleep once Faris is better. No sooner.
My eyes did their best to ignore me.
Trez gracelessly clattered back into our temporary den and knocked some much-needed sense into me. “Big news! We’re practically there.”
That perked us all up.
“Really and truly?” Casella said.
“Oh aye. Just around the corner it is.”
I jumped to my feet. “What are we waiting for?”
“You sure you don’t want a longer break first?” Trez asked.
“Not a chance. We’re going.”
“You beast!” Trez cheered. “I can’t wait to see you tackling the next bit.”
Before I had a chance to quiz her on what she meant, Trez had scooped up her bag and took off. I gathered up Faris and took off after he.
As Trez had promised, we were only fifteen minutes away from our destination. It was on the other side of the forest which had persisted all the way through our journey.
I wasn’t going to miss it.
As I burst through the final wave of foliage, my heart jumped in my chest. Seconds later, it sunk back down to reality. I gawped at the scene before me. “What… what is this?”
There was no tropical climate or whiff of green. What stood before us was gray: a solid face of rock which rose up toward the sky.
It was a cliff.
“Huge!” Casella said.
Faris tightened her grip around me.
Trez sighed and stretched her arms up into the sky. “Here at last.”
“Trez, what is this?” I said.
“Huh?” she replied. “It’s the way out. Why… you had no idea this was here, did you?”
“Not a clue.”
Her eyes darted between me and the cliff. “You said you saw it!”
“I saw the green. I never saw a cliff.”
“How was I supposed to know? I thought you had some plan.”
I held my tongue. There was no reason to blame Trez. It had been a misunderstanding and nothing more.
Sadly, that didn’t fix our monumental issue.
“Our destination is up there?” Casella asked. “However will we manage?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “We can’t climb that. Maybe Trez but not the rest of us.”
An uncomfortable silence engulfed the group.
“It’s my bad,” Trez said. “How’d I think you lot were gonna handle this? I’m such an idiot.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m the one who got overexcited.”
“Please, stop,” Casella said. “I don’t believe anybody to be at fault. This cannot be helped, yes? We must find a way to scale this cliff.”
“How?” Faris said. “I don’t have the strength. Neither do you.”
“True… however, I trust my Brandon.” Casella’s expectant eyes stared at me. “My mate has an idea, yes?”
I bit my lip as I eyed up the sky-smothering cliff. “Maybe there’s a way around?”
“Maybe,” Trez mumbled with an air of surrender. “I’ve been up and down a couple of these. They’ve all been the same. Exactly like this. I wouldn’t be counting on anything like a path. This whole place is completely fragmented. Every bit is segregated from the others.”
If that was true, then this was less a cliff and more a great wall. One designed to keep us trapped in a snow-covered hell.
It wouldn’t be doing its job if it allowed us an easy escape.
“There will be another solution, yes?” Casella continued. “My Brandon will think of something. He always pulls through, yes?”
Her comforting words were like daggers to my clueless mind.
She’s expecting too much of me. I’m a walking cheat code, not a miracle worker.
If I can’t punch it to death, I’m useless.
The longer I stayed silent, the more worry spread across Casella’s beautiful features.
I wanted nothing more to blast all those woes away with some brilliant solution, but I had nothing. I was stuck.
“It’s getting dark,” Faris said, nudging my ribs.
“She ain’t wrong,” Trez said. “Sun’s almost set.”
“We should camp, yes?” Casella said. “We can figure out what to do tomorrow.”
“Yeah,” I mumbled under my breath.
We should have been celebrating our successful escape in the glorious sunshine of our new tropical summer home. Instead, we set off back into the cold in search of another dingy snowless cavern.
Chapter 20
The crackle of burning logs filled the otherwise silent cave.
I was the only one still up. The girls had all gone to sleep.
Joining them wasn’t possible. For one, somebody had to keep watch. There was no telling when trouble would arrive. We couldn’t rely on a sheet to keep us safe.
Exhaustion wasn’t so problematic this night. My head was racing. It was searching for a solution to our problem.
I can’t climb a cliff.
Superpowered or not, this is a step too far.
Even if I did climb, what if something went wrong? What if I fell and took Casella and Faris with me?
I shook my head. That was the last thing I wanted consuming me. I had enough problems without imagining up some ghosts.
In a few hours, the girls would arise and look to me for inspiration.
I had to give them something. I couldn’t choke at the final hurdle. What sort of protector loses to a steep climb?
“My Brandon?” Casella said as she trudged my way. Her eyes were heavy and her hair a mess. “You’re still awake?”
“Just keeping watch for the bad guys,” I told her. “Nothing to worry about. Get back to sleep.”
Rather than doing so, she popped herself down beside me. “Is something troubling you?”
“What? No. Of course not.”
“You don’t need to lie to me, Brandon,” she said. “I can feel when something’s wrong with my mate.”
I clicked my tongue.
This soul business seriously isn’t fair.
“Of course, something’s the matter,” I said. “We’ve come this far and… that’s it. We’re stuck.”
“Has my Brandon been up all this time thinking about this matter?”
“I wouldn’t be a good mate if I hadn’t.”
“That is simply not true. You are a wondrous mate.”
“Then why can’t I think of anything?” I grumbled, clutching my head.
Protecting them was my duty and I was going to let them down. I knew Faris couldn’t survive here and yet I couldn’t do anything to save her.
I’m so useless. Why did I think all this power would change anything?
Under all this strength, I’m just the same guy I’ve always been.
“I’m sorry, my Brandon,” Casella said.
“That should be my line,” I said.
“Not so. You have done nothing wrong. This is my doing. I never should have pushed all this responsibility onto you. That’s a bad, Casella! Very bad!”
“Hey, no. I’m your mate. It’s only natural you rely on me.”
“I adamantly disagree,” she said. “It’s not right that I force you to do everything. Look what it has done to you. You look ever so stressed.”
“It’s not that bad,” I mumbled.
“Please do not lie to me, my Brandon. Your well-being means the universe to me. I hate seeing you so down. Exhaustion, the same. When is the last time you got a wink of sleep?”
“I don’t need sleep.”
“Not true. You’ll get sick if you don’t get proper rest. Hasn’t Faris’s overexertion taught you anything?”
I bit my lip. “She was different.”
“Not so. You are both destined to go the same way if you keep this up.” Casella grasped my hands. “Please, my Brandon. You are the most capable mate I could ever have wished to have. You’re strong and brave and always looking out for me. Please allow me to return the favor. There is no reason why you should carry this burden alone, my Brandon.”
“Yeah.” Trez flopped herself over my shoulders. “You’ve got us.”
I jumped. “When did you get here?”
“Dude, how am I supposed to sleep with you two having a domestic?” She let out a big yawn. “I heard the whole thing and I can’t say she’s wrong. You’ve been lost in your own world ever since we parked up in ‘ere. It’s obvs you’re thinking of a way to get us over that cliff.”
“Aren’t we all?” I mumbled.
“Sure, but we ain’t beating ourselves up when we’re coming up with diddly-squat. I don’t remember anyone telling you that you had to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. We may be shacked up together, but I still style myself on being the strong, independent type.”
“I’m not sure I could go that far myself,” Casella said, “but it’s true that I can think for myself. You don’t need to do everything for me, my Brandon. I thought you knew that already?”
“Of course, I do. But—”
Trez clamped her hands over my mouth. “Stop right there, buster. I can see some self-loathing shit coming from a mile off.”
“There is no reason to put yourself down, my Brandon. You have done so much for us,” Casella said.
“You conveniently trying to forget all that awesome shit you’ve done or something?”
“You mustn’t forget, my Brandon. You have been ever so heroic.”
“Yeah, what she said. If anything, you’ve done too much. You need a rest.”
I managed to squirm my way out of Trez’s hold. “I can’t do that.”
“You bet your ass you can,” Trez countered.
“The stalkers could arrive any second.”
“Then let me and Cass handle the night shift.”
“Cass?” Casella said.
“Like it?” Trez said. “Rolls off the tongue pretty nicely if I do say so myself.”
Casella repeated it to herself. It became a spell that summoned the most radiant of smiles. “I love it! I’ve never had a nickname before.”
Trez grinned. “So, Cass? Wanna stay up all night keeping watch and telling ghost stories?”
“I would love to! Although, I can’t say I have any tales to tell.”
“Don’t sweat it. Leave that bit to me. I’ll tell you stories so spooky they’ll scare you back to Ederhim.”
“How’d you expect me to sleep like this?” I grumbled.
“Will you give it a rest stressing out?” Trez sighed. “You’re a bigger pain than I thought. This might call for some special measures.” She slid off my back and waved Casella over. “Oi, Cass. Come for a little strategy meeting with me, will ya?”
“Erm… okay?”
The two wandered to an isolated spot and started whispering amongst themselves. It included a lot of gasping and even some giggling. When they returned, they were both wearing the biggest grins.
“So… me and Trez discussed things and came to a decision,” a swaying Casella said while nibbling her bottom lip.
“You see, there’s one tried and trusted way to help relieve a guy of all his stress,” Trez said.
Together, they pushed me back. Moments later, they were disrobing.
My breath was stolen by the combined offensive of the busty Casella and the bottom-heavy Trez.
“We’re gonna drain that stress out of ya,” Trez said.
“And we’re also going to show you how much we appreciate you,” Casella said.
“Now, strip,” they said in unison.
I hadn’t been in the mood. I’d been sullen and clouded by my inability to save them. However, there was no resisting this. Their demanding double act was a hypnotic maelstrom that could not be denied. My hands moved before my head knew what was going on.
My shaft obediently stood to attention.
“Now ain’t that a good boy?” Trez said, slipping to her knees.
“You do seem ever so excited, my Brandon,” Casella said. “So, it’s true that men enjoy the company of multiple women at a time.”
“Like you wouldn’t believe. I mean, picture the inverse. You and a few Brandons.”
Casella’s cheeks lit up. “I… see the appeal, yes.”
“Then what we waiting for? Let’s get very appealing ourselves.” Trez flicked her tongue against my sensitive tip.
I swallowed back a grunt.
Casella licked from the other side.
They worked in tandem, pleasing me as one. It started with just their tongues but took very little time to evolve into a hardness-sandwiching lip lock.
I clenched my hands into fists and tried desperately to hold on. This was every guy’s fantasy realized and then some.
It wasn’t enough to stop me from throbbing and drooling.
“My Brandon, you seem more excited than usual,” Casella spoke into me.
“Of course, he is. He’s got double-o babes,” Trez chuckled, sending vibrations coursing down my length. “Why so quiet, stud? Too much for you, right?”
“You know it,” I said through gritted teeth. “I’ll blow the second I let my guard down.”
“That’s the point, ain’t it?” Right there and then, Trez ramped up the moan-filled aggression.
Casella was led astray and followed suit. The vigor of her make out assault increased. Each deep kiss was filled with her scintillating groans and the hot wet passion of her adoring tongue.
I tried it all. Bracing, resisting, thinking of things so thoroughly off-putting they should kill an erection dead. None of it worked. Their slurping lips were weapons I was too inexperienced to overcome.
Euphoria consumed me. Red hot pleasure surged through my body and released.
They saw it coming. The two of them moved to capture my load. It landed on them and covered their gorgeous faces with my sullying seed.
Neither seemed to mind. In fact, smiles peeked below masks of my making.
“There’s so much,” Casella said. “And it smells so deliciously naughty.”
“Tastes it too,” Trez said, licking her lips. “Damn you needed that. Look at the state of me.”
“It’s dripping onto my chest,” Casella said, swaying her large breasts. The splatters drooled deeper, adventuring into her cleavage.
Trez pouted and gave one of Casella’s a nipples a pinch.
Casella squeaked and hopped in place. “Whatever was that for?”
“Nothing you need to worry about,” Trez said. “More importantly.” She pointed at my cock which remained painfully rigid.
