Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
Lila
T here’s an intense feeling of love in my heart as I watch my family get some quality one-on-one time in the bio level. Although the cats aren’t here with us, I understand their decision not to join us. I’m sure there will be plenty of more times like this to come.
Saxon and Xavier out did themselves with the food. There was all sorts of tasty treats, and as I stretch out on the blanket, my head in Tirrian’s lap, I smile as I watch the grandpas teach the children to feed the fish that are swimming in the pond. At one stage, Jack shifts and tries to climb in with them, and I laugh as William wrestles him to keep him out of it. All three of them look exhausted, and my worry was high, but in the last two hours, some of that worry has eased as they’ve taken a moment to enjoy time with our family. Even Bubby came for the meal, putting the ship on autopilot. Brannock promised he would give him a break in a few hours. The man certainly deserves a raise. He has gone above and beyond for us over the last few weeks. Usually it takes two of them to captain the ship, but Captain Lester never warmed up to me, and I always had an uneasy feeling about him. It’s why I voted not to bring him. The others agreed with me.
Tirrian’s hand brushes through my hair, and I feel his body tense beneath me. When I look up, I see him watching Cas, Link, Saxon, Brannock, Silac, and Xavier. They have a weird looking ball thing that is hexagonal in shape. It isn’t a solid object, but it flies through the air almost like a frisbee. They are divided into two teams and are throwing it back and forth and talking smack to one another.
“Go join them,” I encourage him, and he drags his attention away from them.
“Are you sure?” he asks, and I nod, looking at the two men who have remained on the blanket with me. Ghosie and Zeydan both declined to throw the ball around. Ghosie claimed it was way too much exercise for him. Zeydan didn’t say why, but I think he is still wary about all of this, not that I blame him.
“Yes, of course. I’m sure Zeydan would like to be my cushion.” I lift my head and raise a challenging eyebrow at him. Let’s see him turn me down.
He surprises me and quickly agrees. Tirrian gets up and waves an absent hand as he hurries over to join the rest of them, and Zeydan slides into his spot. He gathers my hair out of the way so it doesn’t get caught in his skirt as I lower my head into his lap. His tails are all snoozing under one of the trees. When Eric asked about them, Zeydan explained they were soaking in much needed energy from the surrounding nature, which they stored for him.
I asked why it wasn’t killing the plants like I did on Husadavia, and he explained it was a much slower process, and he only took small amounts from each plant. He said I would learn that in time, but that form was starved, which was why I killed everything. Our picnic blanket is actually sitting over the patch of grass I killed before we went to Husadavia. Some patches of green are returning, so I’m hoping it will make a comeback.
“This is really nice,” I murmur as he continues to stroke a hand through my hair. The artificial sun is shining, and the sounds of my family enjoying themselves soothes a part of me that was feeling jagged.
“Tell me about these automatons,” Zeydan requests, and when I crack my eyes open, he’s looking at a machine that is moving down one of the rows of plants. It’s not one I recognize, and I’m as clueless about the automatons as he is, so I can’t help him with that, but thankfully Ghosie has some mechanical knowledge.
“I think they are a subsidiary of Pleasure Bot Industries. They can be programed for certain tasks. I know there are some that can be programed for general household duties as well. My father has one in his household.”
“Tell me about yourself, Ghosie,” I say, wanting to learn more about the gorgeous bear, even if it means I grow more attached despite being unsure of where we stand. The attraction marks are still on both our bodies.
“What do you want to know?” he asks somewhat hesitantly.
“You grew up with your father? Was your mother in the picture?”
“The colony my father lives in is one of the few colonies that does have females. They are females of other species, but they have decided to make a life with a bear that asked them to be the mother of their children. They are all there willingly and have relationships with the male or sometimes groups of males.”
“How do they get around the fur thing?” I ask, hoping there might be a way for me to touch this obviously touch starved bear. He always looks so desperate every time he sees the rest of them show affection for one another.
“They only touch when they want to have sex. It’s not ideal, but neither is capturing and keeping women while they are pregnant and then disposing of them and their female children. Most of the residents of that colony are happy. My mother lives with my father and three other males. I have half-siblings, but I am my father’s only child.”
“Your species was cursed, is that correct?” Zeydan asks, also sounding curious, his hand pausing in my hair.
“Yes, just before the war. All of our females became males, and instead of our fur being an aphrodisiac on command like it used to be, we can’t be touched without it sending our partners into a lust craze. We have no females and rely on other species to bear our young. Any female children are born of the other species. In their desperation to see our species survive, our men became more and more inclined not to ask permission, because their fur had the effect it does. We became the pariahs of the galaxy, a whole species punished for one asshole’s mistake. No one would trade with us or employ us because our fur is problematic, and so we became space pirates to support ourselves.”
“You say it was a goddess that did the punishing?” I ask and shift my focus from the colorful bear to the god whose lap my head is in. He’s breathtakingly beautiful, and I can’t help but stare at his perfect features. “Can you help him or reverse the curse on the species?”
“A goddess cursed you?” Zeydan sounds confused.
“Yes. An old chieftain offered her a chance to warm his bed, and she laughed in his face and told him she was waiting to find her mate and wouldn’t lower herself, so he used his fur to manipulate her. When her mind cleared, she was furious and cursed our race… or that is the story I know.”
Zeydan purses his lips. “Well, that could have been any one of them, but my guess it was either Vivax or Sanshia. Both of them had tempers and could be vicious. Lilessa was a lot more benevolent.”
“Can you help him?” I ask again.
“A curse is usually placed on a single being. Once that being dies, the curse should end with them. I take it the chieftain is still alive?”
Ghosie shakes his head vigorously. “No, that was the first thing they tried. Somehow, the curse is linked to our DNA. Even medical intervention wasn’t able to help us have female children. They always change to male.”
“That is unusual. I can take a look, but I would guess the original goddess would need to lift it. Come here.” Zeydan gestures next to us, and Ghosie moves closer. I struggle to move out of his lap and give him room to work, but he places a hand on my breastbone.
“Stay. I don’t need you to move. I like you there.” I shiver at his commanding tone and instantly do as he asks, my inner animals practically purring at his dominance. Zeydan holds out one of his hands and gestures for Ghosie to take it.
Ghosie hesitates. “Will my fur affect you?”
Zeydan shrugs. “I guess we will find out.”
Ghosie doesn’t look convinced, but he does as he’s asked and clasps his hand. I hold my breath, waiting to see if and how the god reacts.
Zeydan’s eyes widen in surprise, and he grunts, his body shaking as it starts to glow green. His cock hardens beneath my head, but that is the only outward sign that he is affected. Unlike me, he doesn’t rub himself all over Ghosie. His eyes drift closed, and I feel him reach out with his power, but then he frowns, and his eyes pop open, and he releases Ghosie’s hand.
“I’m sorry, I can’t see anything. My power is too diminished in this form.” Ghosie’s hopeful look drops, replaced with one of disappointment. The breath I’d been holding heaves out as I mimic his feelings.
“Never mind. It was silly getting my hopes up.” He goes to move back to where he was sitting, but Zeydan holds out a hand, stopping him in his tracks.
“Hang on, let me change to my god form. I may be able to tell more in that.” He looks down at me and runs a nervous hand through his hair. “Can you get up please? I’m going to change, and I don’t want you to be frightened, but promise me you won’t run away no matter what you think,” he pleads, which surprises me. What about his god form makes him so worried I’m going to be scared?
I purse my lips and roll over to the side before getting up onto my knees. I take his hand and give it a squeeze. “I turn into various creatures, including a dragon and a kraken, so you aren’t going to frighten me no matter what you look like,” I assure him, but then I curse under my breath. If he looks like the Barcoa, it might be a hard pass for me, but I hold my ground. I said it now, and I won’t take it back. We can deal.
Zeydan whistles, and his tails abandon their nap and stream back toward him, flowing onto his body and reforming as tails behind him. His whole frame starts to glow green, and his body grows, expanding up and outward until he’s close to eight feet tall. His face changes, growing a muzzle, and velvet-like fur covers it, making him look like a true fox. The fur is the same red as his ears and tails. The rest of his body stays smooth, but growing up out if his back are a pair of extra appendages. Green fern fronds extend like extra limbs. I’m not sure what their function is, but they wave elegantly. Shifting beneath his skirt draws my attention to his crotch area. Something is moving under there, and my curiosity increases.
Both Ghosie and I look up at him with wide-eyed amazement. He’s like the living, breathing embodiment of Anubis from Egyptian mythology, and I am so here for it. I want to release my inner slave girl to see to his every need and press my thighs together and hope that nobody can smell how turned on I am. This is not the time or the place. Well, it might be the place, but it is so not the time.
I shove down my musings as I notice that all the sound from the game, as well as the sounds of the children, die off, leaving the bio level in anxious silence.
Zeydan in his god form is stunning, awe-inspiring but gorgeous, and not anything I want to run away from.
My kraken purrs and whispers inside my mind. Look at the size of him. I bet his cock is huge.
Shut up, you silly bitch. That cock would split us in half , I remind her, and I feel her laugh at my expense.
Your body will adjust. You are made for him. You are his mate. You need to take a ride on that very soon.
How did I end up as a mate to a god? He deserves a goddess as a mate, not a boring, slutty Skarrian.
I can feel her amusement at my thoughts, and I get the feeling she knows more than she’s saying, but she keeps the rest of her opinions to herself.
Zeydan holds his hands out to Ghosie once more. Ghosie hesitates for a moment before standing up and grasping the god’s hands. His body is enveloped in the green glow, and he lifts slightly into the air, his back arching and his mouth dropping open like he’s in pain. He moans loudly, and I jump to help him, my fangs clicking into place. Zeydan should have warned us it was going to hurt him, but I slam up against a barrier and can go no farther.
“Easy, mate.” Zeydan’s voice has deepened, and it feels like a caress against my skin. “I am not hurting him. In fact, my power probably feels good to him, sort of like what his fur does to everyone else.”
I ease back, my eyes zeroing in on his face. His eyes are squeezed shut, and what I thought was pain is actually exquisite pleasure. My gaze drops to where his cock sheath is, and my eyes widen when I find it. The sheath has contracted back, and his cock is exposed. It’s the same color as his fur and not smooth like a human cock. It has various different ridges and lumps and bumps along the length of it. I bet it hits all the magic spots on the inside. Sitting at the base of it is a nub very much like a woman’s clitoris, and I would love to know what the function of it is.
“Teddy!” Cally screams, and my head wrenches in their direction. Shit, they probably don’t need to see what is going on. I’m hoping they are far enough away that they can’t see his cock. Eric is quick to grab her and hold her close, whispering words of comfort to her.
“He’s okay. Zeydan is just trying to see if he can make him feel better.” I guess that’s as good an explanation as he can give. None of the others really know what we’re doing, just that Zeydan’s god has appeared.
“Zeydan is trying to see if he can do anything about the curse on the Carevasta bears,” I announce loudly for everyone, and I can see the rest of my family visibly relax. They were all on high alert at the appearance of Zeydan’s godly form, which I don’t blame them.
The men return to their game, and I hear John suggest to the children that they go see if the orchard has any fruit on the trees. That is enough to distract them.
I turn my attention back to the god and bear and find both of them floating slightly off the ground. Zeydan’s power creates a jaw throbbing pulse in the air, and I grit my teeth and hold my ground. Eventually, it seeps into my skin, changing from terror inducing waves into something more sensual and pleasant. I sigh and allow it to flow over me, but it doesn’t last long. The frown on his face tells me that whatever he was attempting isn’t working.
They both lower to the ground. Ghosie’s frozen muscles relax as Zeydan draws his power back into himself. He shakes his head, looking frustrated as he holds out a hand to steady the bear.
“I’m sorry. Much like the block on Liliana’s mind, I can’t force your DNA to rewrite itself. It will take the goddess who laid the curse or the god who is responsible for their creation to do that.”
Ghosie seems to sink in on himself, but he nods, even though his disappointment is visible. “I understand. Thank you for trying. I think I’m going to call it a day. I’ll see you all later,” he says, cupping his hand across his still erect cock. Without waiting for a reply, he departs.
I watch him retreat and take a step to follow him, but Zeydan puts a hand out to stop me.
“Give him a moment. He was so hopeful.” He sounds disappointed that he couldn’t help him.
I whirl to face him. “So were you able to tell who laid the curse?” I ask, my hands on my hips. “Who was the Carevasta bears’ creator? Obviously it wasn’t you.”
He shakes his head, and I watch as he allows his god form to recede. “No, it wasn’t me. Market is responsible for the Carevasta bears’ existence. If we ever find him, he may be able to help him, but with all our powers diminished, it just may not be possible, unless we can figure out why they are. I could tell it was Vivax who cursed them, but if she’s as diminished as the rest of us, it may not be possible either.”
“Would killing her fix the problem?” I ask, feeling slightly bloodthirsty. I hate seeing Ghosie so miserable. He’s such a gentle, loving soul, and he doesn’t need any of this.
He grimaces. “Probably not. She would have to use her power to undo the curse, and it is not easy to kill a god.”
My heart sinks, and I bite my lip. “Damn it. Well, I guess we need to add find Vivax to our list.” My eyes slide to Brannock as he leaps into the air to grab the frisbee thing they are playing with. “What about the Aaz’axian curse? The one where all their women died too? That sounds like a very similar curse. Brannock has a daughter. She is part human, so he’s hoping the curse won’t work on her, but ideally, we shouldn’t rely on that to save her either. Which god or goddess cursed them?”
He shakes his head and follows my gaze as Link tackles Brannock to the ground. The cheers and groans from the opposing team bring a smile to my lips. “No one knows. Hopefully Liliana may be able to shed some light on it.”
I turn my attention back to the god. “So you think it’s possible my grandma and your goddess is the same person? My grandpas sure seem to think so.”
He shrugs as childish shouts draw our attention to the orchard.
I stand up and hold my hand out to Zeydan. “Come on, let’s go see if they found some fruit.”
He doesn’t hesitate to take my hand, and I feel all warm and gooey. “It seems like the most probable thing. How that happened, I don’t know. Lilessa often spent more time with her creations than the rest of us, inserting herself into the societies she created so she could pretend to be normal. Vivax was the exact opposite, holding herself aloof. Being the goddess of death comes with the stigma of being intimidating and scary, and she did nothing to expel that reputation. Us elementals were a little different. We tried to be involved in our creations’ lives, but not to the extent where we inserted ourselves into them. We were happy to appear at religious services or holidays and bestow blessings when prayed too.”
“Sounds lonely,” I muse as the children notice our arrival and descend on us. There are hugs and kisses for both me and Zeydan, which startles him, and I can’t help but grin as he bends down and awkwardly returns the affection.
He looks up at me with slightly bewildered eyes and nods. “It was, but I have a feeling that is all about to change.” The smile that spreads across his lips as he manages to pick up all three children is blinding. He walks over to a tree that has fruit too high for them to reach and helps them each take a piece.
Eric sidles up next to me and mutters, “You’re fucked.” He grins wickedly and walks over to join them, holding out the basket for the fruit.
“You’re not freaking kidding,” I mutter to his retreating back. “So fucked.”