Chapter 14 A Risk To Take
FOURTEEN
A RISK TO TAKE
Julia
Conversation stalls at the sound of a ship taking off somewhere within the mountains east of us.
When the ship is gone, I turn to Krellix, expecting to see annoyance in his expression. Instead his face is calculating, his entire focus on the forest around us.
“Half a day won’t make much of a difference if it’s as bad as you say over there. Is it really that bad?” I ask, drawing his attention. I hope it’s not that bad.
His gaze lands on me and I stand straighter.
“Though I do not smell them, I sense my kind,” he says.
“There are more of them than usual. It has not been like this since the first weeks of the first ship’s arrival.
If we are found, you will need to run, and you can not do that easily in the dark.
I will not put you or the other female, who cannot run at all, at so much rissssk. ”
The heat of his expression burns my skin and I avert my eyes. “I’m not trying to argue with you. I just want to know what we might be up against. Tomorrow morning it is.”
Returning my attention to Olivia, I hear Krellix hiss in agreement before slipping into the forest and leaving. Glancing behind me as he goes, I wonder what’s on his mind.
I’m nervous that if it’s bad across the river he might change his mind and try to take us to Zaku’s instead. He told me himself Zaku’s isn’t the best option for Olivia with resources low, but he might decide to shift course if the only other option becomes worse.
I can bandage and clean a wound, I can sew one up too, the only problem is that we have nothing to sew up Olivia to begin with.
Rounding my arm under her, I help her rise and walk deeper into the forest where the others have moved.
I situate her small form beside a berry bush Quinton is already picking from.
Shuffling into a spot beside her and between another berry bush, my hair gets tangled in the leaves.
Tugging it free, I untie and retie my hair, wondering not for the first time about cutting it off.
Once we’re all settled together in the woods, Quinton hands a palmful of berries to Olivia and me.
I plop one in my mouth and immediately cringe from its sweetly sour flavor yet swallow it down anyway.
I’m going to need the energy later. Meanwhile I’m watching Olivia’s face scrunch each time she puts one in her mouth.
It has Quinton and me smiling, cheering her on when she tentatively picks up another one.
For a few minutes, everything is okay.
Quinton settles on the ground next to the bush and rests his head on his pack.
I help Olivia clear out some brush for her to do the same with a bundle of clothes from my pack.
Caressing her hair behind her ear as she drifts off, I glance up at Benjamin across from us.
Leaning back against a tree, he’s staring at something small in his hand that I can’t see around the branches.
In the peaceful minutes before twilight, everyone eases into their own, private spaces of silence.
Soon hearing snores from Quinton, my small smile fades into a yawn that has me arching my back and stretching.
Too much has happened too quickly and with far too little sleep.
The short nap early this morning barely cut it.
My mind whirls with thoughts that don’t stick, each one fuzzier than the last.
Listening to the chitter of creatures out of sight, I start to wonder where Krellix disappeared to. And as the seconds morph into minutes, and a golden hue fills the sky that is the same color as Krellix’s hair, my thoughts drift back to him and this… increasingly awkward thing between us.
I’m already exhausted by it, whatever it is. Because there’s something there, and if there is something like I’m beginning to think there is, I’m the type who wants to know before making any sort of decision about it. He and I made a deal… and I have yet to learn the terms of it.
With Olivia now dozing beside me, I wave at Benjamin before slowly standing. Trying to be as quiet as possible, I head back towards the river and in the direction Krellix disappeared earlier.
It doesn’t take me long to find him.
Lowering to the ground, I ease behind a tree to watch what he’s doing by the water, paying him back for spying on me earlier since he doesn’t seem to be aware of my approach.
Wet again from the river, and with his hair freshly plastered to his skin and scales, I hold my breath as he works his hands over his tail to rinse dirt and…
blood off. Looking around, I spy a flat stone to his left with several raw slabs of pig meat.
River stones shift and scatter as he coils his tail over and under, cleaning his long limb.
His small, sharp claws graze his scales, lifting some of them away from his skin, being extra thorough.
His tailtip slides into the river and splashes water back up and over his body, sending more mesmerizing rivulets down his sculpted form.
It’s not fair that all the nagas have toned, honed, beautiful bodies, many in an array of vibrant colors. It’s not fair how it seems so easy for them to be gorgeous. Because they all are, and cursing under my breath, I happen to be stuck with the most attractive naga of them all.
Enraptured by the way the evening sun’s rays play off of his shimmering scales, I can do nothing else except stare.
Bending his head to the side, he raises his hand to his hair. Sliding it up and down his neck, he pauses to thread his fingers through his thick, wet strands at the base while briefly looking up.
Stilling, I wait for him to turn in my direction or call me out.
Instead, he peers down at the front of his body with an annoyed hiss.
Unable to see what it is he’s hissing at, I frown, uncertain if he’s been hurt and I hadn’t noticed, or if it’s something else. The hand on his neck drops down the front of his body to drift toward his waist.
He turns slightly away as his hand settles along his middle, palm down, fingers splayed over his tail.
When his fingers press between his scales and into what I can only imagine is his slit, I stop breathing.
My eyes widen as my lips part. Instead of turning away like I know I should, I reach up and check that my mask is still firmly in place.
Krellix’s chin drops to his chest as the tips of fingers rub up and down the length of his slit, where the contours of a slight bulge have begun to form.
My cheeks burst into flame as I realize I am watching him pleasure himself, even if he’s not fully aware of what he’s doing.
Is he aware? Male nagas must pleasure themselves, right?
I know enough about male naga anatomy and what happens when they’re aroused from what Daisy and Shelby have said, anxiety hits me that at any moment, his cock is going to spring out of him.
Is he… aroused?
Or maybe he’s merely cleaning himself?
A taboo curiosity hits me, playing into the few times I’ve tried imagining what it would be like being with a naga physically.
For a time when I first began living with Zaku and Daisy, I was keenly aware that I might be the only woman on the entire planet not sleeping with a naga.
Then, after a few months, I was literally surrounded by attractive males who would kill to have the chance to try with me. So of course I’ve tried to picture it.
And with how lovey-dovey Daisy and Zaku are… I nearly roll my eyes. It’s a wonder that Daisy hasn’t gotten pregnant again.
Waiting for Krellix’s cock to emerge, a slow-building horror fills me that it might just actually happen.
Shifting back slightly, I glance around for an escape route even though my chances of him not hearing me aren’t good.
Still, I should try to leave anyway, but peering at the uneven forest floor behind me, covered with twigs, clover, and grass, I make no move to back away.
If I want to get out of here, I’m going to have to stand and risk creeping away.
A groaning noise fills my ears followed quickly with a prolonged low hiss.
Driving my gaze back to Krellix’s face rather than his middle, I find his expression strained, his brow furrowed with the wrinkle deep between his eyes.
My own eyes drop to the flattened palm pressing the middle of his waist as he curls it into a tight fist.
With my heart hammering, I hold as still as possible as he pulls his tail from the water and back to shore.
I pray he doesn’t hear the pounding in my chest, but he suddenly stiffens, and looks up again. His head snaps in my direction and hearing a low growl from his mouth, I half-clamber, half-dodge farther back behind the tree.
Fuck.
Fuck, fuck, fuck!
“What are you doing there, Julia?” he hisses, clearly having seen me like I knew he would.
Or smelled me. He might have gotten my scent. I curse some more.
Getting to my feet, I step out from behind the tree and face him, forcing my eyes to stay on his.
It doesn’t last more than a second as I glance down anyway to check for his cock, absolutely unable to help it.
I’ve always wondered what they look like…
I bet his cock will be golden brown like the rest of him.
Except, he’s completely smooth where his slit is. Hesitating on the area, I don’t know if I’m relieved or… disappointed.
Unable to believe how lewd my thoughts are suddenly, I turn away, hoping he can’t read them on my face. “I was just coming to see where you went. That’s all.” The words should be easy but I choke them out. “The others have settled, and Quinton and Olivia are already asleep.”
He pulls his wet hair over his shoulder and squeezes the excess water out as he peers at the forest behind me.
“You do not need to sneak around to do that.” His lips twist on the words but a wave of heat darkens his eyes when his gaze next meets mine.
“I was washing off the pig mess after butchering it.”