Demigod Read online

  “You’re right,” Eve said, before I could interject to try to smooth things over between the two women. “I abducted people. I forced them to die in the Circle. Those who managed to survive I treated like soldier slaves, forcing them into combat Black after Black. What I did was wrong. I cannot make up for what I did. I cannot blame the Three. These were my choices and mine alone. All I can do is try to do better going forward. Goddesses know why I’ve been given a second chance, but I’m not going to waste it. The next time I Find I will do it a better way. Ryder’s way. Your way.” The last two words were spoken directly to Vrill, the two women’s eyes meeting across the space with me in the middle. There was tension in the air, an electricity I feared might singe my eyebrows off. Surprisingly, it dissipated and left my eyebrows intact.

  Vrill only had two words in response. “Prove it.”

  “I will.” With that, Eve strode ahead, vanishing inside the ward shields far to the right of us, ensuring she was well on her side of the line.

  Beside me, Vrill ground her teeth together. “That woman infuriates me,” she said.

  “I know,” I said. “But you’re handling it pretty well.”

  Vrill breathed out a laugh. “You think so? As Darcy used to say, I feel like steam is coming out of my ears.”

  I enjoyed hearing her use an Earth-ism she’d learned from her old friend, now deceased. I was tempted to ask her more about Darcy, because I’d always been curious to learn more. But I thought better of it and just said instead, “You’re handling it well because you haven’t commanded your dragon to eat her yet.”

  Vrill laughed again and stopped gritting her teeth. I was glad the humor had diffused her anger. “That does sound like a good idea…”

  “Whoa, whoa, I was applauding you for not doing that.”

  She changed the subject, to one I was more than happy to discuss. “I’m tired. That fight was brutal. I need rejuvenation.”

  Translation: Let’s fuck. The Lri Ay needed sex the way us earthlings need water and food. And who was I to make Vrill go hungry and thirsty? “My dwelling or yours?” It was a joke, because lately we’d been sleeping—and doing other things—in the same dwelling.

  The sarcasm, as usual, was lost on Vrill, her brow crinkling. “The same place as usual?”

  “Agreed,” I said, grabbing her hand and whisking her forward through the ward shields, the familiar suck-pop sensation pulling at my skin as we emerged on the other side. Behind me I heard Beat offer a catcall—she knew exactly what we were headed to do. Thanks for that, Beat.

  Sex with Vrill had always been consistent. While she was a logical, methodical person in most situations, in the bedroom she was a wild animal, her movements carnal and filled with desire and need, a desperate longing for me to be inside her. This time was no different. The second we entered the stone structure she whirled around and got to work on the clasps on my armor, getting them undone with nimble fingers far more efficient than my own. While she worked, I pressed the buttons on the side of her half-plate of armor and heard the usual hiss as the pieces of metal separated, clattering to the floor and revealing the swell of her breasts. I dove right in, kissing and licking her nipples, flicking them with my tongue while she arched her back in ecstasy, reaching down to grab my growing erection, stroking it from top to bottom and then up again, teasing it with her fingers. She reached up with one hand and spit on her fingers before returning her hand to my cock, the added lubrication making her work slicker and more efficient as she jerked me up and down.

  Her bottoms were still on so I kissed my way down her abdomen, pulling her clothes off as I went. I used my tongue to lubricate the edges of her slit and then slipped it inside her, locating her clit and flicking at it. She moaned, a sound that spurred me on even more. As I ate her out, my dick hardened to rock. Ahem, I should also point out that each upgrade had made me stronger and, uh, longer in more than one way. The Level up to Demigod had been no different, and now I was half god in numerous respects. This, however, would be the first time I would take my new body for a test drive.

  I was glad it was with Vrill.

  When I could tell she was wet and ready, I licked my way back up her abdomen to her chest, pausing to circle her nipples, which were standing at attention now, with my tongue. Then I tugged at her neck with my teeth, which made her say, “Sam, oh Sam.”

  I ran my hands along the curve of her ass, cupping her at the base and then picking her up. She naturally encircled me with her legs, straddling my torso. I pressed her against me until there was zero space between us, our bodies becoming one as I slid inside her.

  She gasped slightly, and I could tell the experience was different for her too. Given my growth, it was a tighter fit, with more friction than ever before. Such a thing might’ve been more painful, but she more than made up for it with her own natural lubrication and the saliva she’d added to the mix. “You’re so big now,” she said.

  “Leveling up has it’s benefits,” I spoke into her neck, still biting and licking.

  I swelled further inside her as she pumped against me, assisted by my hands, which fell into rhythm with her thrusts.

  The other thing that tended to happen when I Leveled up: my stamina increased. Hell, back on Earth, a beautiful woman like Vrill would’ve made me come before I even touched her. Pathetic, I know. Now, however, she rode me like a cowgirl and though I was feeling an extreme amount of pleasure, I had plenty left in the tank, as did she. That was very good.

  She touched herself, playing with her nipples and licking her lips. I added my tongue to the mix, alternating between her chest and her tongue, tasting her in every place I could.

  “Take me from behind now,” she demanded, and in a single motion I removed myself from her and whirled her around, placing her back on her feet as I clutched her hips to hold her steady. I pumped back inside her, my thighs slapping against her ass and making a clapping sound, like we were being applauded for our efforts. I released one hip and grabbed her long hair to pull her head back against mine so I could kiss the back and side of her neck and reach around to cup her breasts.

  “More,” she said, like I needed the suggestion. “More.”

  I gave her more. Much more.

  She turned her head, breathing heavily, and said, “What do you call that position where we both pleasure each other orally?” she asked.

  Oh yeah. “69,” I said. “Because our bodies will look like a conjoined number 69.”

  “Yeah. That one. I want that one.”

  Who was I to argue with a dragon rider? I eased out of her once more and lay on my side, pulling her naked body beside me, but facing the opposite way. Her legs opened to reveal her glistening pussy, reading and waiting. She quivered slightly in anticipation. I eased my head forward, stopping only briefly when I felt her own lips close around my other, smaller head. Her tongue licked whatever drippage had escaped and then she worked her way along the shaft, cupping it with both hands at the same time.

  I reciprocated, entering her with my tongue for the second time, this time in a more comfortable position and able to focus on every detail, locating her clit in record time and thrumming against it to make it sing. She stiffened which I knew meant I’d been successful in locating her g-spot. It also made her work harder on her end, closing her lips around my cock and then beginning to pump it in and out of her mouth, shoving it way back into her throat as if she was trying to reach the very base though such a thing, given its new length, would be nearly impossible. Still, I appreciated the effort.

  I continued to tease the sensitive spots inside her, cupping her ass at the same time and pulling her toward me in gentle thrusting motions, simulating standard sex to keep her pleasure at the maximum level.

  Meanwhile, my stamina was finally waning somewhat as she continued to suck me off. The head job was as good as I’d ever experienced, her technique perfect, sending all my blood rushing to my penis and causing a rising tide of warmth to roll in. She seemed to sens
e I was close so she worked even harder, pumping me in and out of her mouth, her tongue licking up and down my shaft.

  I doubled down, sliding my own tongue back and forth in a sawing motion to keep her at the pinnacle of climax, her legs and ass stiffening even more beneath my fingers.

  Neither of us wanted it to end, so we stopped abruptly, almost as if we’d had a timer set and we’d both counted down to zero at the same moment.

  “Holy fuck,” I said, to which she replied, “Well, you are half-god now, so I suppose ‘holy’ isn’t far from the truth.”

  I sat up and she climbed aboard the Ryder Express backwards, luscious ass right in front of me where I could enjoy it and grab it with both hands. I was the horse and she was the trick-riding cowgirl showing off by mounting her steed in reverse. She grabbed my dick and probed at her pussy, allowing some of my fluid to drip onto the edges to moisten them. Then she pressed just the tip inside, leaving it there for a moment while she played with the rest of it with deft fingers. Centimeter by pleasureful centimeter, she slid it in further by grinding her body into mine. Her entire weight was on me now, which meant I was as far inside her as I could get.

  She released her weight and lifted up, causing me to slide out. She sat back down, somewhat faster and harder this time. Repeat. Up and down, in and out, her glossy-magazine perfect body a revelation as I watched her graceful movements. She started to release a high-pitched yelp each time she sat down, which eventually crescendoed into a scream of pure, unbridled pleasure, her entire body going stiff as she arched her back and grabbed her breasts with both hands.

  This was normally the moment I would come too, but my new body had decided to hold out a while longer. Holy fuck was right.

  “You’re not finished.” Her words were a statement of realization, filled with awe and surprise and a little hint of excitement.

  “Uh, not exactly,” I said. “But it’s fine, you climaxed so feel free to rest.”

  “Sam, I think you know me better than that.”

  I was hoping she’d say that. Vrill spun around once more and took me inside her again, riding plain old missionary style, which I liked quite a lot, especially when the woman doing the riding was six feet tall and the perfect mix of slender and curves, rock-hard abs and soft hips. I did a stomach crunch forward so I could lick and suck on her nipples while she thrust against me. I also thrust, our motions perfectly synchronized, each grind causing a billion sensations to course through my body, making my mind go white, then black, then white again. All thoughts and memories, hopes and fears, literally everything that was not Vrill, exited my mind as I focused on her—just her—our bodies like two parts of the same being. It lasted for ten minutes, fifteen minutes, twenty, but she didn’t give up, never gave up, forcing me to the precipice, my new body clutching at the edge, hanging on, refusing to let gravity pull it over the edge….

  Until, finally, it did, the explosion inside her like the spray from a firehose as I filled her with my seed. “Uhh,” I said, the release made audible.

  She laughed, dropping her body so her breasts pressed against my chest as she continued to thrust against me, grinding her hips in as far as they would go. Ten more times, twelve, forcing every drop out of me. She kissed me and our tongues danced as the throes of pleasure and passion began to, slowly, subside.

  “That was a workout, Ryder,” she said.

  “Was it?” I said. “I hadn’t noticed.”

  In fact, I had. Both our bodies were hard and taut, our muscles pushing against the insides of our skin like we’d just spent two hours at the gym. The sex workout, I thought. Back on Earth I could’ve made millions.

  She collapsed on top of me and I held her, stroking her lean back, cresting the curve of her backside, and running my fingertips along her lean, chiseled quads. She really was a specimen.

  The break from the reality of our harsh world was much needed for both of us.

  I knew it wouldn’t last.

  THREE

  HISTORY LESSON

  It was hard to watch the once-strong goddesses as they struggled to sit up. The only one with a heart, Airiel, assisted them, propping feather pillows behind them and raising cups of water to each of their lips in turn so they could sip.

  Persepheus’s skin was an ever-changing tapestry of greens and blues, her nude body scaled in some places and flesh in others. Out of the water, she wore two legs that ended in small feet. In the water, she had a tail that would be the envy of Syrene and dolphins alike. Her breasts were half-covered by seaweed-like hair that fell all the way to her waist. Minertha, the earth goddess, was formed of a blend of smooth stone and skin, a unique combination that made her all the more attractive—at least when she wasn’t on her death bed. Her brownish/reddish hue had gone a decaying shade of gray.

  Airiel, next to her sisters, was like a light in the darkness, her flowing white gown hugging her pale white skin in all the right places, her golden hair like sunbeams breaching thick cloud cover, her bright blue eyes set into her porcelain face with her high, strong cheekbones and perfectly symmetrical features. I could just make out the tops of her white wings above her shoulders. They were tucked behind her now, but I’d seen them spread out as she flew, an experience that was beyond description. In short, she was a vision, a dream, angelic. She was, by any standards, a goddess.

  Which made the other two look all the worse.

  To be honest, the scariest of all was seeing Persepheus look so resigned to her fate. The once proud and tenacious—and yes, sometimes evil and malicious—goddess of the sea looked frail and brittle now, like a gust of wind might knock her flat over. Given my Demigod status, I could see her life meter as plain as day. I almost wished I couldn’t.

  16, it read. 16 life points left out of a possible thousand.

  Worse, Minertha’s life meter was at 12, on the verge of dropping into the single digits, as Airiel’s once had before we managed to recover her heart in a moment of desperation. Speaking of which, the only positive was seeing Airiel’s life meter continue to climb higher and higher. It was well over five hundred now and climbing even as I watched it. Another day or two and it would be maxed out at 1,000. Then, perhaps, she could shoulder the entire burden of sending our Finders out to the Eight Planets to recruit the Warriors we desperately needed.

  I had the urge to comfort Persepheus and Minertha, to tell them it was going to be okay, that our next mission would be to recover both their hearts. But that would be a lie, and I wouldn’t lie to them, even if it was a lie of mercy. Instead, I gave my report in factual terms, my tone stiff and without emotion. “Last night’s Black was successful. The Morgoss sent two waves of Vostra, more than I’ve ever seen. We managed to repel them with minimal losses. Vrill and Mrizandr were instrumental to the victory.” I figured, what the hell, why not give them the credit they deserved. Yes, maybe the Three had a dark and rocky history with Vrill, but they needed to understand how crucial Vrill’s presence was to our success.

  “How many?” The question came from Persepheus, her voice weak. I took it as a positive. She still cared about the details, which meant she was still fighting, even if it looked like she wasn’t.

  “We counted thirty-six Vostra in total,” I said. “We killed them all.”

  “That’s not what I meant,” Persepheus said, which gave me pause, my head tilting to the side in confusion. “I meant, how many did we lose?”

  I blinked. She’d never asked that before. She never seemed to care how many we lost, so long as we protected her and continued to replenish our numbers through Eve’s Finding missions. “One. Only one.”

  Her chin dipped and she looked genuinely sad. “Who?”

  Another question I couldn’t in a million years have predicted. She barely knew any of the Warriors’ names. “His name was Isk-far-non,” I said.

  “From Askander then,” she said, surprising me for the third time. “May his fur grow ever whiter in the next life.”

  Her words were compassiona
te and genuine. It was sad that it had taken the brink of death to soften Persepheus’s hard edges, but I’d take it anyway. This was what the Warriors needed from those they’d sworn to protect. This was in line with the new era we were trying to usher in.

  Airiel spoke next. “How much do you know about our history?” she asked.

  I blinked at the question, because it was off track from the conversation I’d pictured with the Three. I shrugged. “The basics, I guess. I mean, I’ve been told about the growing darkness, about the Warriors, including Demigods, who tried to kill the monsters on your behalf.”

  “They failed.” This from Persepheus, that familiar note of disdain in her voice.

  I nodded. “The monsters overthrew your family’s reign, ripped out your hearts. The Morgoss took over. You three managed to flee, clinging to survival, heartless, as only goddesses could do.”

  Airiel nodded. “There are many details left out, but yes. But what happened after?”

  I cocked my head to the side. I knew there’d been generations of what we had now. Warriors, Protectors, Seekers…but how had that all started? I’d never thought to ask. “I don’t know, not exactly.”

  “We were defeated but not lost,” Airiel said. “Not yet. We were fortunate to have those who would fight for us. Those willing to give up their lives for ours.”

  That was what was always expected of us. To fight and die for the Three. Things were changing though. Some of us might be willing to step in front of a raging Vostra for the Three, but others, like Vrill, would likely step aside and let the monsters devour the Three. What was right? Neither, I thought. It should be a two-way street. Right now, we were on a one-way street to Nowhere Town. “What happened?” I asked.

  “Those who’d managed to survive the overthrow came to our aid. They helped us find this place. We used our power to summon the ward shield. The Black was growing at that point. The early monster attacks were particularly fierce as the Morgoss pressed their advantage. We had six hundred soldiers back then. My sisters and I decided to grant them a small measure of our power in a ceremony involving the primordial ooze and sacred cloth.”