Chapter 10 #2
“When I don’t feel well, my body makes extra venom.
It’s healing to us, like it is to you.” Krevan opened the shower door and helped Ancelin step out.
He dried off and toweled off Ancelin. “I do feel warmer and better. My headache has subsided, but it’s not completely gone.
” Ancelin rushed and dressed in her pajamas.
“I thought we were going downstairs,” he said.
“We are. It’s PJ time. You know, we can relax and be comfortable. We aren’t going anywhere, there’s a snowstorm outside. We’ll be comfortable inside and watch SatView. I like to hang out in my PJs sometimes. Didn’t anyone do that at your home when you were a kid?”
“I guess so.”
“Well, you aren’t feeling well, and I want to feel cozy around the house,” Ancelin said and stroked Krevan’s taut abdominal muscles. “You’re so nice.”
Krevan gently squeezed her right breast. “Only to you.”
Krevan dressed in some casual soft pants and an old shirt. “You look comfortable. Come on, let’s go eat in front of the TV and watch something entertaining. Let’s get comfortable, like a slumber party.”
“What is TV? And you love parties. What’s a slumber party?” Krevan asked, curious about Ancelin’s unusual terms.
“TV is an old Earth word for something like SatView,” Ancelin explained.
She grabbed the large blanket off the bed and handed him two pillows.
“A slumber party is where we sleep, like downstairs on the floor or the sofa, watch SatView all night, eat food, and talk.” Krevan still seemed to move much slower, and his eyes looked tired.
They were their beautiful forest green. “Let me baby you,” Ancelin offered and lovingly stroked his arm.
"Baby me?" Krevan's brow furrowed. "Are you wanting to procreate? Allow me to recover from this headache, and I'll gladly attempt to fulfill your request." They descended the stairs to the living room.
Ancelin laughed. "Your literal mind exhausts me sometimes.
I meant I want to nurture you back to health—and remember, I've had my contraceptive injection.
" She tucked the blanket around his legs as he sank into the sofa cushions.
"Though clearly reproduction occupies your thoughts.
" She positioned pillows behind his back while he scrolled through SatView channels, then brought his steaming soup and settled against him.
They remained there until dawn broke, bathing the room in pale light.
Outside, snow continued its relentless assault.
The barns had disappeared behind a white veil, and cold seeped through the windowpanes.
Ancelin hung bedsheets over the glass while Krevan sealed the upstairs doors, preserving heat in their downstairs sanctuary.
The generators hummed their constant effort.
As the day progressed, Krevan's movements slowed further, his speech occasionally tangling on his tongue.
His usual vigor had abandoned him—even in their intimate moments, his body responded with the dreamlike languor of underwater movement.
Chapter 14
Four days into the storm, their cozy routine was interrupted when Krevan could no longer put off checking the barns.
The animals needed attention, despite the barn generators running at low power to keep them warm.
Ancelin wouldn't let him go alone. She huddled in the vehicle while he trudged through knee-deep snow to inspect everything.
"All good," he reported when he returned, snow crusting his clothes. "I replenished their food and the generators are running. They'll last another few days at least."
The drive back to the house was treacherous—just yards from home, yet the whiteout and the depth of the snow made it feel like navigating a vast landscape. Once parked in the garage, Krevan sat motionless behind the wheel.
"Everything alright?" Ancelin asked.
"Just need a moment. It's... brutal out there.
" When he finally emerged, his movements were wooden, mechanical.
Something about his sluggishness made Ancelin's chest tighten with an unnamable worry.
She met him at the front of the car, and together they inched toward the door like figures in a slow-motion film.
"Let me fix you something warm to eat and drink. You should get in a hot shower. I could have checked on the animals instead," she said, rubbing her arms against the lingering chill.
Krevan's jaw clenched. "What kind of male would I be if I stayed inside while you froze?
" His fingers gentled as they tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Your human body wasn't designed for this kind of cold.
When it gets this severe, every humanoid struggles.
Nothing warm-blooded thrives in this." A heavy breath escaped him.
"I can still push myself when I need to—like you witnessed earlier.
But afterward..." His eyes darkened. "I pay the price. "
"We're supposed to take care of each other," Ancelin said, touching his arm.
He didn't respond immediately, focusing on each careful step toward the door. "The cold slowed me down, drained my reserves. But don't worry." His green eyes met hers. "When it matters, I still have what it takes."
"I know," she whispered. "You're the last person anyone should underestimate."
"You couldn't handle that cold, not like what’s out there," Krevan said as they entered the kitchen, his teeth still chattering.
"This place is unbearable when it freezes like this.
" He collapsed into a chair, his limbs heavy.
"Never seen a winter this harsh here. Not that it's... affecting me much. Just...need energy conservation."
Ancelin squeezed his shoulder and set a steaming mug before him. "My hero," she whispered, brushing frost-dampened hair from his forehead, her fingertips lingering on his icy skin.
"Not trying to be heroic," he mumbled, the words blurring together. "Just don't want you to worry. Need you to know you're... safe with me."
"Is that what matters most to you? Keeping me safe?"
His eyes locked on hers. "Always."
She squeezed his hand. "I've never doubted your strength." The mystery of Triaxen males would always elude her, she thought, watching color return to his face as his body temperature rose. She pressed herself against him, her warmth seeping into his cool skin.
Five days later, the storm had transformed into something even more monstrous. Wind shrieked around the house like a living creature, rattling the windows with each gust. Krevan checked their communications panel for the dozenth time that day.
"Nothing," he said, his voice tight. "SatView's dead, “Satphone won't connect, computers can't reach the net. My father's been silent for four days now. This snowstorm has completely isolated us."
Ancelin slid her arms around his waist from behind. "Whatever shall we do without our precious entertainment?" she whispered, her voice carrying a suggestive edge.
His mood lightened instantly. "I'm feeling much recovered." He turned, teeth grazing her shoulder as he guided her down to their makeshift bed on the floor.
"Your venom," she sighed as his fangs pressed against her skin. "It's in my bloodstream now. Five hours without it and I've started feeling shaky. You've turned me into an addict."
His fangs gleamed white in the dim light. "And you're my favorite flavor."
"What now?" she asked. "We used to alternate between this and SatView."
"We're getting better at this," Krevan murmured as their bodies joined.
His movements remained deliberate, careful.
"Is this alright?" he asked, his voice low and attentive as they found their rhythm together on the makeshift bed of blankets spread across the living room floor.
Darkness enveloped them, deepened by the makeshift window coverings.
In the shadows, his eyes caught what little light remained, reflecting it back like twin stars.
Ancelin treasured these moments—watching his expressions shift as pleasure overtook him, feeling her heart swell with emotion.
"Perfect," she whispered, arching against him, her fingers tracing patterns up his back before clasping behind his neck.
He paused, pressing his lips to the hollow of her throat, the curve of her shoulder.
She returned his kisses with equal tenderness.
Suddenly, mid-embrace, Krevan froze, his entire body tensing.
He withdrew abruptly, leaving her startled.
"What is it?" she asked. He gestured for quiet.
"What's wrong?" she breathed, barely audible.
Krevan's lips barely moved. "I hear voices."
The words sent ice through Ancelin's veins. "Out there? In this storm?" She whispered back, leaning closer. "That's impossible."
"Shh." He raised one finger; head tilted toward the front of the house.
In the silence that followed, she heard the voices too—muffled fragments of conversation carried on the wind.
As she watched, Krevan's features hardened.
His jaw locked, nostrils flared, and something ancient and predatory flashed behind his eyes.
The transformation was so complete she almost recoiled.
"What are they saying?" she breathed.
"They're discussing entry points." His voice was flat, clinical. "Stay close. We need to move downstairs—now. Bring those blankets."
She gathered their things without question as he guided her through the darkened house. At the basement door, he paused. "Lock this behind me. I'm going to see what we're dealing with."
Ancelin clutched Krevan's sleeve. "Stay. Please." Her voice cracked. "They wouldn't brave this storm without weapons—better ones this time. They're counting on catching us vulnerable." She swallowed hard. "What will you fight with?"
Krevan's mouth curved into something ancient and hungry as his lips drew back. The teeth behind them looked suddenly longer, sharper. His fingers splayed before her, the nails lengthening into translucent points that caught the light.