Chapter 12 Eryx
ERYX
For a moment, there was only light.
Stark, unyielding light. It was cold wherever I went. The only solace had been Nory’s scent—in this between realm, she was here. I greedily drank it down, even if I no longer had a body. I could still feel the weight of her in my arms—the softness of her skin.
I had been so close to getting everything I wanted, and now, just like the rest of my kind, I had been undone. This is all I will be now, a ghost in this forsaken realm. A dark shelf for my soul to be put on and forgotten about as my corpse rots away in the land of the living.
The nothingness stretched—maybe that was my punishment. To be trapped in this nothingness, forced to live through the fading of my memories, rendering me nothing but an empty husk.
I should be grateful that I can at least remember myself and remember what I had, even if it was too brief.
Nory. My life, my heart, my love—I had loved her desperately from the first moment I saw her.
I recognize that emotion now. It was foreign to my kind, and yet I had felt it all this time.
My maker knew it that day in The Woods, and that’s why they had given me such an impossible bargain.
I should curse them for making me different, for giving me the capacity to love, only for it to be ripped away.
Yet, I know that would be a lie. I would never be ungrateful for any part of caring for Nory.
She was a gift in my final days—one I would give anything to experience just one last time.
I long to run my fingers through her silken hair or hear her soft moans whispered against my ear.
I can recall her voice and how she said my name. That is all lost to me now.
Still, her voice echoed around me, growing louder with each passing second. Nory’s presence surrounded me. My name sounded from the nothingness. I tried to call for her but I had no mouth. Was this to be my punishment? To feel her this close and yet be unable to reach her?
I fought through it, pushing through the light with every ounce of my wretched soul.
I followed the sound of her voice. Each time she spoke my name, it got clearer—I could scent her.
The taste of her skin overwhelmed me. Continuing to push through the light, the nothingness fought back.
The searing pain burned at my flesh as I raced against it and towards Nory.
The white light grew and grew until—in a flash—it faded, and all I saw were the branches of trees and the first rays of dawn. Darkness enveloped me and then revealed the scene again. The world around me kept cutting out before I realized what was interrupting my vision.
I was blinking. I was awake—alive.
Looking down at my body, my skin was pale but not gray. It was peachy. My frame was the same, even if my veins were now green and blue. Healthy blood flowed beneath the surface of my skin, and I was warm. Something thumped against my ribs—my heart, beating soundly. Racing like it never had before.
I was different. Alive and—
A gasp from beside me startles me. My heart thumps in my chest at the sight of her huddled next to me.
Clad only in my old cloak, Nory sits like a goddess in the morning light.
Golden sun illuminates her sparkling auburn hair.
Red-rimmed green eyes and a pink-tipped nose tell me she’s been crying.
Her freckles dance along her pale cheeks.
“Eryx,” she whispers, reaching towards me.
Happiness slams into me as I wrap her in my arms and crush her to my chest. I absorb her sobs of pleasure and inhale her scent. Our warm, bare skin meets, and I’ve never felt like this in all the centuries I’ve been in this world. My head falls to the crook of her neck, and I inhale greedily.
The scent of her blood calls to me—making my mouth water. That answers that. I am not human, at least not entirely. My hunger for blood comes roaring to the forefront, reminding me how long it’s been since I last fed. I’m something else now—still a revenant but changed.
Nory’s forehead rests against mine as she smiles. Has she ever looked so beautiful? The sight of her makes my heart squeeze. This new organ is quite active; I’ll have to get used to it.
“Your eyes,” she sighs.
I reach towards them and end up poking one. Moisture coats my finger as it begins to blur. The sensation is unpleasant, and I’ll have to remember how sensitive they are—Nory giggles before cupping my cheek.
“They’re beautiful. Bright blue like the base of a flame.”
I capture her hand, marveling over the softness of her skin and the calluses of her fingers. Each touch feels like a new exploration. Locking our fingers together, I stare into her gorgeous face.
“What happened? I was undone.”
Nory swallows before nodding. A shiver wracks her body, and I hold her close.
“I can hardly explain it myself. Once you were gone,” she pauses, eyes brimming with tears, “there was this light. Bright white light.”
I suck in a breath.
“My maker.”
Nory’s eyes go wide.
“Yes, they said you had done it. Whatever it is. Then they changed you into this new form right before my eyes.”
My mouth goes dry as I stare at her. My maker did this? That can only mean one thing. One beautiful, impossible thing.
“You love me.”
Nory gasps. With no threat of undoing, I can finally give her the explanation she deserves. Savoring her scent once more, I swallow soundly.
“The morning after you had taken me into your bed, I knew I had to find a way to earn more time. I knew I was dying—my undoing was only days away, and I was desperate. I sought out my maker and begged for more time with you. Told them I’d give anything.”
“Eryx…”
“My maker told me that the only way they’d grant me the time I desired was if I could find a way to make you love me.
If you could love a death omen, I would be spared my undoing and be given the future I begged them for.
I couldn’t tell you of our bargain or I would be undone in that very instant. ”
Nory is quiet for a moment. She bites her full lip as she looks at me over.
Her hand trails along my shoulder, squeezing the muscles she grazes.
I hold still, allowing her curious fingers to touch any part of me she wants.
My cock is already stirring, but I will it to relax. There will be time for that later.
Her eyes snap back to mine, laden with raw emotion.
“You did all that…for me?”
My laugh is pure shock.
“There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you. I love you, Nory. I’d endure the centuries of loneliness and hunger to be able to have you—even if only for a few days.” My eyes burn into hers. “You are my heart and soul.”
A conflicting look crosses her features.
“You’re still immortal.”
My hand caresses her soft cheek.
“I asked my maker to allow me to spend a human life with you. That is more than enough for me—once you pass from this world, so shall I.”
I had made peace with my end some time ago.
Immortality is meaningless without someone to share it with.
I recognize that now. All I want is Nory for however long I have her.
I’ll safeguard her to ensure her human life is as long as possible.
Once she is gone, I’ll follow her into the next life—the next world—no matter where that is.
Licking her lips, Nory rests her palm over my thunderous heart.
“There’s more.” She hesitates. “When your maker changed you, they said you could turn me into what you are, so that we could both be immortal. All you’d need to do was bite me.”
My whole body prickles with awareness. Nory immortal—the two of us seeing the world together without ever being parted. It sounds too good to be true. Maybe it is as Nory remains quiet, lost in her own thoughts.
“Would you want that?” I ask. “It is your choice. Always.”
Closing her eyes, Nory inhales deeply. I wait with baited breath, unease raking its nails up my spine. She may love me, but that doesn’t mean she wants to become like me. It is a lot to ask another to give up their humanity. I open my mouth to tell her as much, but her defiant eyes silence me.
Moisture beads along her lower lashes, but she blinks it away.
“For so long, all I wanted for myself was to make enough money so as not to be crushed under the weight of my work as my mother had been. I was certain I’d be forced into a marriage not of my choosing, so I was determined to lead a life of solitude.
Longing for the day I could leave the Snowlands and live independently.
” Her lips curl into a breathtaking smile.
“Now I see how foolish those dreams were. You came along and changed everything. My heart and soul belong to you, too, Eryx. I love you—and I never wish to be parted from you again. Not even in death.”
My mouth descends on hers. With a sigh, we taste each other, and this kiss feels different—final.
Our mouths slick over each other, and there's nothing more to say.
Our decision has been made, and our life together starts now.
No longer are we too lost and lonely wanderers, shackled to a life we could only endure. We have each other now. Forever.
With that in mind, my desperation abates as I take the time to savor her.
I have forever to enjoy every inch of her thoroughly.
To learn how best to kiss her until she’s breathless or to make her come at the slightest brushing of my fingers.
We have nothing but time now; there’s only one last thing to do to ensure our forever.
However, I want the taste of her pussy on my tongue before her blood.
Unwrapping my cloak from her shoulders, I spread it out behind her and lower her to the ground.
Nory sighs as I kiss down her body and settle between her hips.
I waste no time diving between her slick folds and taste her fully.
Her honey coats my tongue, and I’m pleased to find I can still lengthen the slick muscle.
I burrow it deep inside her tight cunt and groan as she fucks my face.
Curling my thrusting muscle deep, Nory erupts with a scream and soaks me with her come. I lick her clean before prowling back up her body. She lifts her hips, seeking my hard cock. Gripping the leaking hardness in my hand, I fit it to her entrance and fill her in one thrust.
I capture her moan in my mouth as I rock into her body again and again.
“Eryx,” she moans. “Please.”
Turning her head, she bares her throat to me in a silent plea. I kiss her cheeks and lick over the scar of my initial bites. They will be permanent once she is changed—my mark upon her forever. I shiver in delight.
“I love you, Nory,” I growl against her throat.
“I love you.” Her eyes fly open, and her pussy clenches on me. “Bite me.”
I do as she bids me, like the loyal servant I am. I break through her soft flesh, and her blood is as decadent as ever. It coats my tongue and flows down my throat. Our hearts pound together, and the threads of souls weave tight.
Nory lets out a cry and scores my back as she comes. I drink her down as I take my own pleasure. Spilling my seed deep within her, I’m awash in pleasure unlike ever before. Once I’ve given her all my seed and I feel her body relax, I pull out of her and lick up her wound.
Nuzzling her close, I pull her shivering body into my arms. Kissing her lips, I savor our mingling tastes.
“How long will it take?” she asks, voice already beginning to slur from exhaustion.
“I don’t know.”
Honestly, I don’t. We are in uncharted territory.
Whatever the future holds, we will blaze the path together.
Of that I am certain. I look down at her and everything clicks into place.
Had I never come to this forsaken town, our paths would’ve never crossed, and I would’ve been undone.
This cruel world would’ve crushed her, as it does so many with kind hearts.
Instead, we’ve found each other forever. In this moment, I am more grateful to my maker than I ever have been before. If I had not been different, I wouldn’t have this. Every lonely moment—every starving hour—led me to Nory. Both our journeys were challenging, but we found each other.
That is all that matters.
“Will you hold me until it’s over?”
A yawn sneaks up on her. Kissing her forehead, I draw her deeper into my chest.
“Always,” I say. “Forever.”