ZAIRO

I walk down an empty path. The camp is silent, save for the occasional creaking of an animal and the clapping of skin from couples fucking in their tents.

"Zairo," my father waves me down. He sits on a log outside a tent.

I walk past a master who stares at my father as if he's crazy for calling me by my birth name. Most of my men wouldn't recognize him as my father. Much of my past is a mystery.

"I assumed you retired for the night," he says.

"A question is keeping me up."

"Tell me."

I sit beside him on the log, my elbows resting on my knees. "There's a medical condition that my healers can't identify. I suspect you may know more about the matter."

His eyes brighten, my interest in medicine thrilling him.

"What condition? Are you ill?"

I chuckle, amused by the mere suggestion. "No, father. I'm still unstoppable. This is a skin condition. Have you ever seen two skin shades mixed together? Burgundy with a pale, beige shade?"

He frowns. "On a person? Or a beast?"

I sigh. "Pay this no mind, I—"

His hand snaps out and snares around my forearm. "Tell me everything."

The light of excitement in his eyes has dulled, and his voice is intense. Something is wrong

"I've told you everything. Have you seen this skin on a Zolano, or not?"

He hesitates. "But...it's not possible."

"Why not?" I reply, sitting straighter.

"Zairo, that would indicate the patient is part human. An ancestor of the Terra people."

Blood drains from my face, and a coldness like I've never felt before seeps into my skin.

The Terra people?

"But the Terra bloodline is dead. They were hunted down. Overthrown by our family. This happened centuries ago."

He looks around for bystanders, looking paranoid. "This is why I urge you to return to the palace and stake a claim as a royal."

"Enough of that. Tell me what you're hiding."

"It's a secret that the queen guards closely, but most of the elders know. The Terra were not killed off. They were forced onto an island and have never left it. They've been reproducing and living undisturbed for centuries. Trade with the rest of Zolan is prohibited, they're drawn off the maps, and their location is protected by naval ships that circle the island."

A headache begins to throb in my temple.

My father's words are inconceivable, and yet nothing else explains Elystia's quirkiness which drew me in. Her thick accent, unique mannerisms and disregard of social cues. I knew she came from far away, but not from the stars. Not from a bloodline that was supposed to be extinct. A bloodline that directly opposes mine.

Although I gave up on my title as a royal, I still bleed the same blood as the queen. We are cousins.

My ancestors destroyed the lives of Elystia's ancestors. I fell in love with the one woman whose very life was thwarted by mine. Her lack of literacy, which she's so insecure about, was caused by a lack of resources. If Terra is restricted from trading with Zolan, then it's clear why they don't receive many materials like books. My bloodline is the reason why Elystia suffered on an isolated, unknown island.

It's my fault. My family's fault. We overthrew and conquered. We destroyed.

"Zairo? Have you met a person with this condition? A hybrid?"

I jump off the log, hardening my expression and staring at my father as if he's an enemy.

"I'm sorry, but I've had enough of this conversation."

He can't know about Elystia.

I trust that he cares about me, but he's so obsessed with dragging me back to the palace that he would use Elystia as leverage. That can't happen. This secret will stay buried.

"The Terra cannot leave that island. Once they step off, they're banished from the island. So if there's a person that I should know about—"

"Father," I interject. "There's nothing to worry about. I'm simply rattled by the secret."

The tables turn, and now he's the one looking worried. "You cannot tell anyone. This is a secret only for royal ears."

I'm not a royal, I almost spew. But I know the words will fall on deaf ears.

Will Elystia believe me? Ancestors save me. I fear her reaction.

"I will keep this secret."

He sighs with relief before saying,"if anything troubles you, know that I'm here for you."

Except that I don't have time or space for weakness. I'm a captain. An army and a city depend on me. I can't expose my thoughts and fears to my father. I'm not even sure if I should reveal them to Elystia.

Must I reveal our conflicting ancestries to her? Can't I be selfish just this once and keep this secret? Preserve her easygoing smile and light? She has been so dedicated to archery and reading. I don't want to disturb her by shattering her world.

"I'll leave soon, Zairo. It seems like there's not much space for me in this camp."

I sigh. "I'm not rushing your leave."

"You're still not ready to listen to my advice. Maybe on my next visit, you will be ready to return to the palace with me."

I look at the dark mountains. "Maybe when all mountains crumble, father. Maybe then."

— —

I lay bedside Elystia, wide awake. My lips tingling with the memory of the kiss I stole. There's a roaring hunger in my belly to steal another one. A phantom trickling of an hourglass sand clock that's running out of time. I'm afraid that I'm going to lose her.

I don't sleep that night. I roll out of bed groggily and change into my thickest hide pants and throw a chainmail shirt on, the heavy metal clanking and awaking Elystia.

"Never seen you wearing that before," she says, yawning.

I stare as she endearingly rubs her eyes. So innocent and unaware of the evil blood that pumps in me. The blood that boils with passion for her.

"It's for protection," I reply. "I'm going to train with my men. I'll be more...combative, today."

I'm going to swing my fucking sword until I can't think of nothing but the ache in my biceps. Until I forget about the daunting news my father brought.

"Alright. Be safe?" She frowns, looking concerned.

"I want you to stay in my tent for the next few days until I'm convinced the fire in your tent was an accident."

"But what about my tent-mate, Sidra?"

She's always thinking about others. Always finding ways to make me fall deeper for her. Does she know about this fatal, silent charm of hers?

"She will share a tent with another entertainer until yours is repaired. Don't worry about her. Just focus on your archery class."

A soft smile works its way to her beautiful face. The sight of the soft lips I kissed last night squeezes my heart and throat. I rip my gaze away and walk out of the tent without looking back, although my body calls for hers.

I make my way to the training grounds and swing my sword until I forget my name. Until I can't think of pouty, soft lips because I'm too focused on blocking and landing hits. My father appeared by the sidelines, watching me as I sweat, shout, parry and swing. He's frowning at me, disappointed in his warrior son.

I wind up in a manic state, meeting with the clerk, headmistress, masters until the sun is no more. Elystia is asleep by the time I bathe and retire to my tent, her archery equipment neatly stored on the carpet beside the bed.

I don't see her in the next morning, or the one after that, although we now share a tent. My shame keeps me hiding. I bury my head in work, trying to forget the insufferable secret of my bloodline.

I miss Elystia. I haven't heard her thick scent, except for that one night when she murmured in her sleep. We share a bed and a tent, but I come and go like a ghost.

My father left camp yesterday, promising to return in the next few months. We shared a cup of blue wine and a knowing look. That was the end of it.

I meditate by a fire, dreading returning to Elystia's side and fighting the urge to steal another kiss. I walk through the fire quickly, the burn in my arm flaring as if sensing its origin. I never understood why I found so much peace meditating and walking through a destructive hellfire. Now I know that my soul, etched from generations of betrayal, pillaging and murder, bonds with the deadly fire.

I return to my tent and expect to find Elystia asleep. But my boots come to a thudding stop when I find her pacing the room, wide awake.

"Elystia, it's late. Why haven't you retired?"

"Have I done something wrong?" She blurts, uncrossing her arms and fisting them at her sides. "You've been avoiding me for days."

Fuck. I should have known it was going to come to this.

"I'm not..." My mouth dries. I can't finish the lie.

"Do you think that I set my own tent on fire?" She asks, brows furrowing. "To get closer to you? Because that's crazy, and I would never—"

I shake my head, quickly closing the distance between us. "That never crossed my mind."

Besides, playing games would be useless when I'm already infatuated with her.

I pull her into my arms, setting a palm against her head to press it against my chest. "I'm sorry," I whisper. "I didn't mean to worry you."

She glances up, looking at me with vulnerable eyes. She rises a few inches, lifting her face to mine. I should pull away. Indulging would mean taking advantage of her, given the conflicting knowledge I possess.

But those soft hooded eyes of her melt whatever restraint I have left.

I lean down and kiss her. This time it's not a shy peck stolen under the moonlight as she sleeps. It's hungry. It's languid, hot, and uninhibited. I say all I want to tell her without using any words, grabbing her hips and lifting her off the ground for better access.

She sets her hands on my shoulders, her feet dangling in the air as she struggles to keep up with my kiss. I can tell she didn't expect this. I can tell she was thinking the worst as she paced the room.

She peels her lips away to rasp, "bed."

I take her there, kicking my boots off in the process. When I set her down, I shut my mind off, ignoring all the reasons why this is wrong.

We rush to pull our clothes off. She's still pulling her top over her head when I set a palm against her belly and push her backward. I pull her skirt off and rip her panties, latching onto her cunt instantly. Deciding to appreciate it with my mouth instead of my eyes. I can stare at it later, when the faint dusting of hair on her pussy is creamy with my cum.

She jolts as soon as my tongue flattens on her, but then continues removing her clothes. She undoes her bralette, her breasts perky as I stare at them from a low angle. Two perfect mountains.

The ancestors know that I love mountains.

I lap at her, my tongue coming in rough strokes. She tastes fresh, a faint floral scent quickly getting replaced by the raunchy smell of sex. Of my saliva mixing with her juices. It's intoxicating.

I begin a sucking motion and quickly learn that she's sensitive to the pressure. She moans shakily as I groan and suck faster, circling her entrance with the tip of my finger as my cock aches with jealousy.

"Zairo," she whimpers.

I grab her legs and raise them so they're bent at the knees and her perfect pussy is bunched up like a snack for me. I dip my tongue into her entrance, desperately drinking from her. I trace her lips until I map her in my memory. I lick, slurp, kiss, and suck like it's the last day I'll have her. I drink every bit of her wetness, too greedy to share a drop with the blankets below.

And then she comes gloriously. Knees snapping around my head as she rides my face, groaning and twisting. Fisting my hair and suffocating me with a face-full of pussy.

She relaxes with a shudder, her limbs unfolding.

I rise, kneeling between her legs and presenting all of myself. Both of my cocks are painfully erect, pointing directly at her and begging for entry into either of her three holes.

Elystia stares and swallows, hard. She trembles with another shudder, but this one isn't from pleasure. It's fear.

"Trust," I whisper, setting my hands beside her head and leaning in to kiss her. "I'll take care of you."

I lean in, my cocks so erect they don't need any hand guidance. I press the tip of my lowest cock against her entrance, and her wide eyes become hooded. Wicked, as she realizes that she has her legs parted wide open for her captain.

She's too small. The tip of my cock can barely enter her. It will take time for my many other inches to fit, but I'll be patient. To enter this heaven, I'll wait a thousand fucking years.

I fuck her with that first inch. She closes her eyes and focuses on the sensation, moaning and sighing as her pussy gushes around me, beckoning more cock to enter. My upper cock rests against her lips, rubbing on her. I set a thumb against my cock to press it firmly against her lips, supporting my weight with my free hand.

She bites her lip, but I surge another inch into her pussy, earning a gasp.

"Let me hear you," I command.

She obeys. I pick up my speed, fucking her with my first two inches, watching her stretch around me. She snares around my cock so tightly that she leaves an imprint on me. A sensation of tight, slick, greedy walls that will never be satisfied by another woman. My cock falls in love with her just as my heart did. My balls stir and battle with my mind about whether I should cum inside her or not.

This tight little pussy can dismantle an army, because it maddened its Captain.

She moans louder than ever, spreading her legs wider. The friction against her lips and the cock inside her that's stretching her to her limits are arousing another orgasm. One of many.

Her eyes widen as if she can't believe what's happening. I feel the first few flutters of her sex as she orgasms, and instantly yank my cock out as it shoots ropes of cum. I soak her belly and pussy entirely, groaning as I grip both cocks and pump them.

Elystia watches me mesmerized. And then, right when I catch my breath, she opens her legs wider, whispering "more," as my cum streams down her lips.

My cocks twitch and spill more cum that I didn't know I had left. Already, my balls are regenerating more cum.

Ancestors have mercy.