Chapter Thirty-Six
Serenya
Kael finally let go of me when my legs began to shake. Not from fear this time, but because my muscles had officially filed for resignation.
He held my hand as we exited the viewing booth, his tail looped around my waist. The sounds of the crowd had died out the first time he’d knotted me, and the tunnels near the arena were deserted, everyone having left when there was nothing left to watch.
My cheeks burned and I tried not to squirm over how I smelled. There was no hiding it. Kael smelled like sweat, blood, and victory, while I smelled like the aftermath of us. Sweet but sweaty, musky, and undeniable.
No one stared at me for it even though I saw a few nostrils flaring as we began to pass others on our way down from the High Ledge. Most stared at Kael, though.
Kael walked through the corridors without a single thread of clothing, still half-painted and oiled, streaked with blood that hadn’t been washed away yet. To the Morrak, nudity wasn’t a shame, it was simply a state of being. A show of strength, not scandal.
But every scrape, puncture, and wound leapt out at me with nauseating clarity.
“You need treatment,” I muttered as we reached the stairs leading down toward the Market level.
Kael made a noise halfway between a dismissive grunt and a humored snort.
“Later.”
I planted my feet, tugging his hand.
“Now. Please.”
He stopped and looked at me. The bond held a hint of annoyance but threaded with something that made my throat tighten. He weighed duty against my wants.
This time, I won.
He brushed my cheek and nodded.
“Okay, veyrari.”
Even though I knew shael meant beloved, him calling me veyrari meant something more to me. The way he said it now showed how much had changed, and my heart squeezed.
He led me down to the River Caverns. Not to the pool we’d used before, but a public section of the river where the water was slow and shallow.
The moment we approached, several bathing Morraki moved farther down the riverbank or to another pool, giving Kael space without needing to be asked, but he didn’t head for the water.
A figure in grey robes detached from the shadows near a pillar, bowing his head to Kael and gesturing for him to take a seat on a stone bench. His expression barely flickered at the sight of Kael’s wounds or his continued nudity.
They murmured a few words in quiet Morraki, the male poking at the puncture in Kael’s shoulder.
It still oozed, although blood had clotted in the wound and slowed the bleeding.
I felt an echo of the pain from the injury in my own shoulder.
It had to be worse for him, yet Kael never flinched or let it show.
“This will be interesting.”
Kael’s remark confused me until I spotted Saed stalking towards us, his feathers standing on end, giving him the appearance of having grown larger since I last saw him in the booth.
“I anticipated the necessity of this,” he said when he reached us, passing a jar to the Morraki attending Kael’s wounds.
The Morraki opened it enough for me to see a thick salve similar to what he’d used on me, but instead of neon green, it was bright yellow.
“Is that—?”
“The same compound I used for your wounds,” Saed confirmed. “Modified for Morraki biology. This version helps muscle repair as well as accelerating dermal knitting. It will leave a scar, but it will heal quickly.”
The Morraki holding the jar lifted it towards his nose, sniffing carefully. Saed watched him, then added one last instruction.
“It must be applied into the wound to help subdermal tissue.”
Shaking his feathers, he turned and stalked off, the resemblance to an irritated bird making me smile for a moment before focusing on Kael again.
“Go ahead, Kethral. I’ve seen his concoctions. I trust it.”
The Morraki dipped his head and then pulled what resembled a popsicle stick from a pocket of his robes. Scooping a bit of the salve with it, he placed the jar on the bench beside Kael, then gripped Kael’s shoulder with his empty hand.
Kael turned his head to the side, appearing relaxed until the Kethral pressed the stick into the wound. Kael hissed, the sound deepening into a growl the longer the stick irritated the wound. His tail thrashed as the attendant smeared the salve into the hole and then across the ragged puncture.
The Morraki stepped back, giving Kael a moment to suck in a deep breath before examining the wound.
His own tail twitched, pale kethra brightening as Kael’s shoulder seemed to spasm, the swelling of the red tissue inside receding before the skin tightened until the injury looked almost fully healed.
“How?”
It was the only word he had uttered, blinking at Kael in disbelief.
“Qy’shaeuhl knowledge. It is why we need the alliance.”
The Kethral simply stared for a moment before Kael shifted and extended the leg with the wound on his calf. Using a fresh stick, he did the same to the shallower wound, and Kael managed to keep mostly still as it closed and sealed.
“Keep the rest,” he told the Kethral when he went to hand the jar to Kael after swiping the salve over some of the deeper cuts. “Study it. Use it for the luthra or severely injured. I will do my best to supply more before it is gone.”
The Kethral bowed low before backing away, staring at the jar in his hands. Kael remained seated, watching him go before heaving a sigh.
I hovered at his side, wishing I could be useful, but also wishing I didn’t still feel so… guilty. After having the bond between us blocked, the way it hummed beside my heart now was hard to ignore, and I didn’t think I could live through losing it again.
Kael reached for my hand, pulling me into his lap and tucking me against his chest. Brushing a hand over my hair, he purred softly.
“Nothing that happened was your fault.”
I sighed. Logic agreed, but emotions refused to listen.
“I was so scared. I thought you were—”
I couldn’t say the word, but it helped that I didn’t have to look into his eyes when I admitted my fear. His heartbeat was a steady thump beneath my ear, a visceral reminder that he was alive, and we were together.
“So was I.”
If I hadn’t been so close I wouldn’t have heard the words, but it wouldn’t have mattered, because I felt them. I knew the truth. We may have started out as a political alliance, but it was more than that now.
We sat like that a few moments more before Kael released me and put me on my feet again. Standing, he took my hand and made to walk towards the stairs.
“Come. I must speak to the Council before this can be settled.”
My cheeks heated as I raked my eyes down his bare back and I raised a brow.
“Like that?”
He blinked back at me.
“Like what?”
I gestured toward his waist with my free hand. Even though he’d knotted me twice not long before, he was still erect.
“You’re naked.”
Kael looked down at himself as if just remembering he was smeared in blood and oil and sand, not to mention our fluids, without a stitch of clothing to cover any of it.
“They won’t care.”
I let out a sigh that almost sounded like a growl as I narrowed my eyes at him.
“It’s distracting.”
Tipping his head to the side, his lips twitched as he tried to play innocent even though his tail wrapped around my thigh.
“For who?”
I did growl then, and he smirked liked he’d won the Ravak’torr again, teeth flashing as he huffed a laugh. Pulling me against him, he dropped his head into the crook of my neck, tongue snaking out to lick over the new bitemark he’d given me.
I’d never come so hard in my life, and the reminder made fresh wetness seep into my ruined underwear.
“Weren’t we leaving?”
He hummed, dragging his tongue up the side of my neck. I shivered, nipples tightening, his tail moving up to cup my center as his shaft prodded my belly.
“The council?”
He didn’t bother to acknowledge that reminder, dragging his mouth along my jaw to cover mine. I leaned into him, already losing myself in his desire, but he pulled away with a groan.
“Duty first.”
He muttered the words as if reminding himself, displeasure laced through the lust flowing between us as he pulled me over to a wall that had been carved into cubbies.
Reaching into one, he retrieved a pair of loose black pants like I’d seen other Morraki wear, tugging them up his legs and tying them above his tail in the back.
The effect was somehow worse than his nudity. His muscles, scars, and fresh blood were on full display, but at least there was something covering the important bits, even if his hardness was obvious.
We ascended through Korvashan much slower than we’d come down. Other Morraki moved aside with their heads bowed, some touching their fingers to their chest in what seemed like a sign of respect. Others stared openly, kethra flaring as they took in the signs of the Ravak’torr’s outcome.
None looked at Kael with doubt or scorn. None we passed, anyway.
By the time we reached the Council Hall, six of the eight council seats were full. One of the empties was Kael’s.
The other, Rath’s.
Kael strode to his place at the curved stone table and sat with the relaxed posture of someone who had no worries. He pulled me into his lap once more, the familiarity of it making it less awkward.
Rhydek was the one to break the silence.
“You live, and so does Rath. I have to say I’m surprised.”
Kael arched a brow.
“It would have caused administrative inconvenience otherwise.”
A few council members huffed quiet laughs. Even Rhydek’s lips twitched. The burly warrior was one who always seemed irritated at the world, so that was likely as close as he came to a smile.
“Rath departs first light to patrol the outer sectors for Skarashk incursions. He retains the rank of Torashden and his place on the council. He is too good to lose.”
Murmurs rippled around the table, but no one argued. They’d seen the fight. They knew what had happened in the arena, and more importantly, they’d seen Rath bow his head in acceptance.
Kael continued, tone firm.