Chapter 6 #7
“I managed. I submerged myself in my work.” He finished one of his sandwiches.
“It happens or it doesn’t. She carried the scent of other men constantly.
Beautiful, yes, but hollow—a vessel for vanity and manipulation.
The universe revolved around her needs alone.
Our few intimate encounters were..." he paused, "mechanical. Cold. She was fine with pleasure without connection. She enjoyed rough and emotionless sex.” He shrugged.
“And don’t get me wrong, that used to be fine with me too.
I am a Triaxen male. However, I grew to despise her presence. "
With the bill paid and the abusive mother reported at the clinic, they made their way toward the market. Ancelin's footsteps grew heavier with each block.
"Your energy is fading," Krevan noted, his tone gentle.
"Down to empty."
"My arms are yours if you need them."
"Just a little further." She looked up at his profile against the afternoon light. "I didn't mean to ask uncomfortable questions earlier. And back there, with that child—something just snapped in me. I couldn't stand by."
"Ancelin, what you did to protect that child has only deepened my love for you.
You're brave and kind. Others were impressed by your actions as well; no one else dared to step in for that child's sake. You’re a strong, courageous woman, and you did the right thing," Krevan reassured her, taking her hand.
"I used to do the right things, too, until my life took a turn and I became who I am now. "
"Maybe I'm brave, or maybe I'm just stupid," Ancelin said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Is it okay to ask about before? Your past?"
"Ask me anything." Krevan's voice dropped lower. "You're my mate now. No secrets between us."
Something fluttered in Ancelin's chest at those words. She gripped his hand tighter, afraid to trust this feeling—this safety that seemed too good to last.
"Earlier, you mentioned 'what you are now.' What did you mean?"
Krevan's eyes darkened. "I survived Hellgate Prison when most don't. Triaxen biology helped, but.
.." His knuckles whitened around his glass.
"I went in one man and came out something else.
Before, I protected people. Had purpose.
Was damn good at it too." He met her gaze directly.
"Now I'm just three things: a warrior, a survivor, and when necessary, a killer. "
"Krevan, we’ve both endured our own hells. Now that we've found each other, I believe you're my guardian angel." Ancelin wrapped her arms around him in a close embrace. "I want to make love to you, my angel," she whispered. "Let's head home quickly."
"I'm all for leaving to fulfill your request," Krevan teased, his voice a low rumble against her ear.
They hurried through the remainder of their shopping, the weight of the day's confrontation still hanging between them.
As they left town, darkness swallowed the path ahead, not a single star piercing the void above.
Krevan's hand found hers, his grip suddenly tighter than necessary.
When she glanced up at his face, his eyes were scanning the blackness beyond the path—searching for something only he could sense.
Chapter 7
The Verrian moons vanished as if they were swallowed whole, plunging their vehicle into darkness so complete that for one terrifying moment, Ancelin couldn't tell if her eyes were open or closed.
A crack of thunder shook the ground beneath them, and Krevan's knuckles whitened against the steering controls.
"We're in trouble," he said, voice tight. "That storm system I've been tracking just merged with another. Our way home is about to become impassable."
They pushed forward through the gathering tempest, the vehicle's navigation lights cutting weak paths through sheets of rain that seemed to fall sideways. Two hours of tense silence passed before Ancelin recognized the silhouette of the ancient tree where they'd shared their picnic hours before.
That's when the first piece of ice, large as her fist, smashed against their windshield with a sound like a gunshot.
"This isn't Earth or Triaxe," Krevan growled, knuckles whitening as he gripped the wheel.
"Verrian weather doesn't warn—it attacks.
" The vehicle lurched sideways as a gust slammed into them.
"Back home, storms build. Here, they hunt.
" His jaw clenched as ice particles machine-gunned the windshield.
"We push for home now. Waiting means…well it’s not good.
" The dashboard lights cast an eerie red glow across his face.
"Even military-grade transports have been found abandoned in Verrian ice storms."
They battled forward another hour, the vehicle shrieking against the elements.
Without warning, the tires surrendered their grip.
They spun violently—once, twice, three times—the world outside blurring into a howling vortex of white and black.
Ancelin's scream caught in her throat as they hurtled toward a stand of razor-sharp ice-coated trees.
The vehicle spun to a halt, throwing Ancelin against her seatbelt. "That was terrifying," she gasped.
"We're fine," Krevan assured her, his voice low. "But I guess we have no choice but to wait a bit. Even I can’t see good through the sleet." He glanced at the sleet hammering the windshield, then climbed into the back where they'd stowed their supplies. "Join me? The blankets are back here."
Something in his tone made her pulse quicken. She followed, settling beside him as he wrapped a blanket around them both. The warmth of his body against hers sent electricity through her skin.
"I've been thinking about you all day," he murmured, his lips brushing her ear. His hands found her waist, guiding her onto his lap. Through the layers of clothing between them, she felt his desire.
In the darkness of the vehicle, his eyes caught what little light remained, gleaming like a predator's. He kissed her neck, her jaw, her mouth, each touch igniting something primal within her. Their bodies moved together with increasing urgency, finding their rhythm despite the confined space.
Ancelin surrendered to the sensation, to the heat building between them.
His strong hands steadied her hips as they moved as one, their breathing ragged in the steamy interior of the vehicle.
She clenched around him, her inner muscles pulsating with each surge of ecstasy.
Every nerve ending seemed to light up in sequence as she trembled against him, lost in their shared rapture.
The intensity of her climax left her breathless and dazed.
"Ancelin," Krevan whispered against her ear, "you intoxicate me completely." He held her tighter against his chest.
"I feel... great," she murmured.
"It's our connection. And my bite—the venom enhances everything you feel." His fingers traced gentle circles on her skin. "We're perfectly matched, you and I."
She responded with a subtle movement of her hips that Krevan immediately understood.
With practiced care, he shifted her, positioning her to receive him fully.
He moved within her with deliberate strokes that soon had her gasping and clinging to his shoulders.
Their rhythm built to another crescendo, culminating in a shared release that seemed to dissolve the boundaries between them.
When his teeth sank into her shoulder, the sharp pleasure-pain sent her spiraling even higher.
Fatigue claimed her at last. Krevan eased her sleeping form from his lap where she had curled against him.
The persistent rhythm of raindrops on the roof coaxed her back to consciousness. Her eyelids fluttered open to discover herself wrapped in a blanket, secured in her seat while the vehicle's engine vibrated steadily. "How long was I out?" she asked, words slurring with lingering drowsiness.
"Just a little while. The ice is breaking up—thought we'd better push through.
" In the rearview mirror, Krevan's inhuman eyes captured what little light existed, reflecting back with animal luminescence.
"Go back to sleep. I've got the road. I'll wake you when we reach home.
" His tone deepened to a rumble. "You'll need your strength then. "
Ancelin met those glowing eyes in the mirror and felt a smile curve her lips. "Always hungry for more, aren't you?"
"You don't know half of it," he murmured, the corner of his mouth lifting. A pleasant warmth spread through her chest as she nestled deeper under the blanket. For once, her dreams were sweet—no shadows, no terrors from her past. Krevan had chased those away too.
"Ancelin." His voice sliced through her drowsiness. "Ancelin!"
She jolted awake, heart hammering. "What? What's wrong?"
Krevan's jaw clenched, his alien eyes watched her in the mirror and then on something ahead. "Strange vehicle. Parked at our house." His words came clipped. "Engine still on. No lights inside."
Her mouth went dry. "Who—" She shivered.
"Listen to me." His voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.
"You stay down. Flat against the floor. Lock every door the second I'm out.
If you hear gunfire—anything—you do not move.
You do not make a sound." His face was transformed into something she hardly recognized.
"If I'm not back in five minutes, there's a weapon under the driver's seat. Use it."