40. Passage to Freedom
FORTY
PASSAGE TO FREEDOM
Syasku
Despite the overcrowded ship, we are left alone.
In the dark, rusty room we are in, I have nothing to complain about. I have Vivian and our son resting within my tail’s coil, and other than brief interruptions, no one disturbs us.
No one asks for anything or tries to take from us, and with the door unlocked, we embrace our hard-won freedom with rest.
All we have left to do is wait. Gritting my teeth, I am tired of waiting.
Kyle has joined the flight crew to help them navigate to my home on Earth. It remains as the only place on the planet brimming with life—where the humans can survive without the trappings of their technology.
I have found out that the majority of Earth is a wasteland, and only the forests and mountains around my territory can sustain life. It makes sense. I have seen the wastes myself and exploring it near the wetlands, have never found an end to it.
Still, whether I like the human’s invasion or not waits to be seen. As long as my territory, my mate, and our child are left alone, I do not care if the humans form a colony. The vegetation continues to expand, and the forest, mountains, and land surrounding it are large enough to accommodate all.
If my home remains, the wetlands provide plenty of fish to eat. That is, if it has not been taken over by humans like Asera had warned…
He had to have been wrong.
I brush Vivian’s curls behind her ear, watching our baby as he rests beside her in a small cradle I have made with my tail. She sleeps, recovering from the ordeal of her labor, and the aftercare, only rousing long enough to feed the baby and herself.
During one of those few moments, we named our son.
Audrin. She says the name means grace, and it is grace she needs.
I have not yet told her that we will land soon. In the two days we have been on the freighter, I have shared little of the news Kyle brings upon his few visits.
I want her to be healthy. I want her full of life.
She has been sick and in pain from her gestation, and it upsets me that I was not there to do anything about it.
We barely escaped The Dreadnaut and, for a time afterward, unbeknownst to her, were chased by battleships determined to destroy the freighter rather than allow it entry into Earth’s atmosphere. The battleships failed in their attempt and have since returned to The Dreadnaut.
I do not want to burden my mate any more than she has been. She lost a lot of blood birthing our child and has faced too much already. Where I will eventually regenerate from my wounds, she could still die from hers.
Ursula sought my fluids—my seed and then Asera’s—because of something she called Genesis-8 within it. I’ve told Vivian this, and hope it is true. Genesis-8 can make one stronger, more durable, and potentially help heal one’s wounds and extend one’s life.
It is in my pheromones, and it is the reason it affects humans, but it is stronger in my blood and seed. Humans can not drink blood without getting sick, leaving my seed as the strongest source a human can indulge in.
The problem is I do not know if I can believe Ursula, and when I debate releasing my prick and milking it for seed to feed Vivian, my hand stills over my slit, uncomfortable with the prospect of doing something so blatantly sexual in our current state.
Not only that, but I have deteriorated from being captive for so long, denied the nutrients I thrive upon on Earth. I regret abstaining from the food given to me for so long. I will need what strength I have in the days ahead, and with the bullets that had punctured me dug out with my claws and piled in the corner, my body still needs to recover from my most recent wounds.
Forcing my appendage to harden so I can milk it for seed will only weaken me further.
So I guard my mate and watch her carefully, even allowing Muffin near her to do what is necessary to help her through this. Considering his omission of Vivian’s bred state while I withered away in that disgusting room waiting for my sight to return, I will not forgive him. I will not forgive Kyle either, despite my growing fondness of him.
They did not believe I would delay if I knew she was pregnant.
And despite my fury for not being told, they were right. If I had known, nothing, not even blindness, would have stopped me from going after her. I never would have considered seeking the help of others, or even listening to them.
And without them Vivian and I would not have had passage back to Earth.
Releasing a tired hiss, I rest my head against the wall.
Vivian’s sire remains alive. It does not fare well with me, failing on an oath I made. But there is nothing I can do about it now. Volp remains on The Dreadnaut, and I will be on Earth, far away, nesting with his daughter.
Inhaling, I resolve to prove to Vivian and our son that I am worthy of them. I will spend the rest of my life trying to convince them of this if I have to.
I make another oath, one far more important than those I have made in the past.
I look down at my mate, and my throat constricts, still afraid at how close I came to losing her. I vow my life for hers. I vow my life for the babies we will create.
Volp will be dealt with, I am certain of it. There are enough humans left aboard The Dreadnaut who despise him.
A knock on the door attracts my attention, and Kyle pops his head in.
“We will be landing shortly,” he whispers when he sees that Vivian and the baby are asleep. “I thought you would want to know.”
I run my fingers through my dirty hair, shifting it out of my eyes. “We are prepared.”
He gives me a tight smile and ducks out, gently shutting the door behind him. Shortly after, Vivian stretches, peers up at me, and yawns.
I curl the end of my tail around her ankle. “Go back to sleep,” I murmur, letting her know everything is fine. “There is no reason to wake yet. You need to rest.”
She smiles.
A ruckus sounds outside the door coming from the cafeteria, where a large majority of the humans have been ushered into for the trip.
“Kyle was here before the baby woke,” I tell her before she asks. “The ship will be landing soon.”
She pushes up on her arms and wipes the sleep from her eyes, and knowing I cannot force her to sleep, I settle for watching her. I love watching her, trying to figure her out.
Everything about her appeals to me. We are so unalike, it is hard to believe someone like her exists and is also mine. She is good, or tries to be good despite whatever circumstances she is thrown into. She is what I need, and what I want my offspring to have.
Her sire abused her. He did not deserve her and the goodness she is. Which is fine by me because I am more than ready to keep her. I only wish I could have taken his head first.
“I don’t know why, but I’m scared,” she says.
She is not the only one; the scent of human fear is thick around me. “You have nothing to be frightened of.”
“All I’ve heard about Earth hasn’t been that great. I can’t help it. The idea of… bears and that they could attack at any time from any direction is unsettling.” She whispers the words like the bears themselves could hear her. “And wolves, you said they travel in packs, right? They have sharp teeth.” Her eyes glaze over with distance. “Birds.”
“Bears and wolves can be vicious, but unlike some of the other creatures that we will encounter, bears mostly keep to themselves, same with wolf packs, if they are not out hunting. They will attack if they are hungry or to protect one of their own.”
“You’re not making me feel better.” She shifts to sit higher up and winces. Sliding my tail behind her, I offer her leverage. When she is resettled, she licks her lips, worry clouding her features. “Syasku…”
I slant my head when she does not continue. “What is the matter?”
She exhales, closing and opening her eyes. “I don’t know anything… about surviving. I can’t even use a basic gun.” Her eyes drop to her lap. “I can maybe reset a broken bone, wrap a good bandage… two things you’ll probably never need… I’ll be a burden, especially in the state I’m in.”
I hiss. “You are not a burden. You did not need these skills in your previous life. Any skillssss you need now, I will teach you.”
She gives me a look of disbelief. “You say that now. But you’re forgetting I don’t even have shoes anymore, and I’ve heard that the ground is far from flat.”
My eyes drop to her feet positioned out in front of her. Strange and small, they have always fascinated me. Her small toes are cute. “I will carry you. Do not worry about small things. If shoes are what you need, I will get you shoessss, or I will make them.”
I will take them off the feet of another human if I must.
“What if a bear attacks while you’re busy holding me?”
I growl. “I will kill it with my tail, strip its body of fur and meat, and make a hide for you and our son for warmth.”
“You… can do that?” Her lips part as her eyes flick over me and the muscles of my arms.
Unable to help it, I smirk. “I will not have to, female. A bear will never get close enough to attack you, and my nest has more hides than you will ever need. But if you decide you want another, another you will have.”
As the baby wakes up and she brings him to her nipple, I watch as she caresses the back of her finger over his chubby cheek. Every day Audrin grows bigger. While it surprises Vivian, it seems natural to me.
When I think back to my youth, I do not remember remaining small for long… Then again, I do not remember much about those first years.
Her eyes drop further, and I know she still worries.
“Maybe…” she looks up at the door, “staying?—”
“Vivian,” I pronounce her name as clear, and as human, as I can. “I have made a promise that I will protect you. You will not remain with the people here, nor will our son. I have had enough of humanity, and if our son is like me, he will be better suited around water.”
“I meant until I’m healed a little more and I have shoes. We’re healed a little more,” she amends, looking back at me. “I know we can’t stay with these people. Father will eventually send someone after them—us. I might not mean all that much to him, but he’s spiteful, and if he has a chance to recapture me, he will try just because he can.”
The mention of her father returns my scowl. “Thissss is what will happen,” I rasp, struggling to hold back the anger I have that he remains alive. “We will leave as soon as we land and make our way home. I will keep you and our child safe and provide for your needs. Do not worry further on the matter.” I shift upward and lean toward her. “Focus on our baby and healing the wounds you have sustained. I will not speak more on this. I am all you need.”
Her eyes gleam as she slowly nods.
I grasp her chin and trap her gaze, lowering until my face is mere inches from hers. “We are free, and I will have you naked and coiled up in the rings of my tail as I have dreamed since our separation.” Sterner on my grip, my voice darkens with lust. “When your body swells, I will be there to witness it next time. You will trust me to care for you and our young because there issss no other path for you or me. Not anymore. Not while I live.” I glance at Audrin. “Our family stays together and our family is not staying here.”
She nods again, her eyes widening as a blush forms across her cheeks. “Okay.”
I release her. “Good, female.” Her submissiveness calms me. I will not have to worry about her listening if danger arises. Taking in her beautiful features, I take my time putting them to memory. I have missed her greatly and I am ready to show her my world. “We understand each other.”
I have caught Vivian, fought for her, earned her, bred her, and now I will finally take her home.
And if any unmated naga male gets in our way, I will destroy them.