Liv was humming in the car ride back home, glued to Ryker as Maddie drove them home. She was in a great mood after hearing Anna's concession to being number 2.
When they got home, she immediately went into Ryker's room. No more getting up in the middle of the night to switch beds. She had decided that it was a permanent stay for 1 day. Because tomorrow they'd be leaving.
She unhooked her black bra and let it drop to the floor with a sigh. Her jeans and blouse were next, leaving her in just a pair of simple black panties. Then she immediately grabbed one of his shirts and threw it on.
The scent of him, the scent of them, clung to the fabric, and she breathed it in, a comfort drug that immediately calmed her racing thoughts.
He chuckled, picking up her clothes that were on the floor.
"You're going to have be more neat when we're in Meridian," he said, folding her jeans neatly and placing them on the chair.
"I know," she replied, but made no move to help, choosing instead to sprawl across his bed like she owned it.
Ryker had mana crystals on his stand. They were old. They were the ones he bought when he was still a child, dreaming of having magic. He still kept them as a painful reminder.
"Did you already reach Delta?" Liv asked.
He shook his head, "Not yet."
This past week he had been busy absorbing the mana daily, trying to go from Iota to Delta as quickly as possible, but it still took some time.
Picking up one of the crystals, he decided to do a bit of core strengthening. He was sitting crosslegged on the floor. He took a deep breath and placed the small, shimmering stone in his palms.
The other predator in the room kept staring, the intensity made him feel like an exhibit at a zoo.
"Liv are you going to sleep?"
"Just admiring you," she cooed.
Rolling onto her side, she rested her head on her arm to watch him.
When he tried to channel the crystal's energy, the two manas in his core were fighting. Species with two magic like dryads who had nature and healing, had to deal with this issue but with more training, their cores would balance it out.
So he decided to do the process and put in the time. He channeled the ice mana first. The cool blue energy flowed through him in a soothing wave. When he was done with one crystal, his body felt relaxed, the stress of the day melting away.
"How many more crystals to go?" Liv asked, her eyes now fluttering.
"Maybe 10 if it's the same speed as a dryad," he replied, reaching for another.
When he switched to the space mana. A tremor ran up his arm, a violent, disconcerting hum. A thin crack of purple light spiderwebbed across the crystal's surface before the entire thing shattered with a sharp 'tink', the energy dissipating into the air uselessly.
He clenched his teeth. This had been happening a lot. Everytime he tried it with space mana.
"Damn it."
Asking Valerica or Isabella seemed like the only option to fix it but he didn't want to ask them.
"Ready to sleep?" Liv yawned and patted the spot next to her, "Your spot is warm."
But he shook his head, "Not yet."
With a frustrated sigh, he decided to go to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. Warm water splashed onto him. He stared at his own reflection. His shadow was reflected on the wall behind him.
Suddenly the shadow contorted, shaping itself into a humanoid form without eyes.
He turned around but it was gone.
Ryker ran a hand through his damp hair. Just tired, that's all, a trick of the flesh computer.
Returning to his room, Liv was waiting with open arms, but he shook her off. The image of the eyeless shadow clung to him.
"What's wrong?" her ruby eyes were wide with concern.
"I saw a weird shadow," he said, the words sounding foolish even to himself as he said them.
Liv immediately pulled him into the bed and hugged him.
"I'll protect you," she whispered into his ear, gently nibbling on the lobe as her fingers traced circles on his chest.
His body was growing hot from her touch. The sensation was a slow, creeping burn that was anything but unpleasant. It was getting warmer.
"Do you still think we can't? Like that night in the shower," she asked, her voice a husky murmur.
She grabbed his hand and put it inside her shirt, guiding him to her breast. Her skin was impossibly warm against his palm.
"I don't think..."
Stealing a kiss from him, her tongue danced with his, "Shhh. Just feel," she said, her eyes filled with a dangerous intensity that both thrilled and unnerved him.
She sucked on his tongue, making his head spin as the heat intensified, threatening to melt the very bed beneath them. His tongue devoured her slippery serpentine one and she had to pull away to catch her breath.
Saliva strands hung between their lips, then he moved to her neck, inhaling the sweet fragrance of vanilla. A gentle touch made Liv shiver in anticipation, her breathing grew ragged.
Licking her tender neck, he found the mark he had given her. His tongue circled it, a slow, deliberate act of possession. A small moan escaped Liv's throat, her hands futher pushing him to her neck.
His teeth sank back in the small holes, breaking skin.
Liv gripped the sheets as a rush of electricity coursed through her body, her toes curling from pure pleasure. The addictive rush of her blood seeped into Ryker.
The heat inside him skyrocketed. Her soft gasp, the taste of her, the feel of her. He needed more.
His hand wandered down her side, tracing the curve of her hip before slipping beneath the fabric of her panties. She shivered again, her breath hitching as his fingers found her slick warmth.
"Last chance to stop me," he rasped, his voice thick with a desire he could no longer contain.
Liv simply bucked her hips against his hand, an answer that required no words.
His finger entered her. A soft gasp.
He paused, watching her face. Her ruby eyes fluttered, half-closed and dazed, her lips parted in a silent "O" of surrender.
He started moving, slow at first, then faster, finding a rhythm that made her back arch off the bed. Her gasps turned to cries, her hips rising to meet each thrust of his finger. Her own hands gripped his shoulders, her nails digging into his skin. A welcome pain.
One finger became two. His thumb found her bud.
Ryker's head buzzed with a cocktail of lust, power, and a dizzying sense of rightness. This was Liv. His Liv.
She yelled his name like a prayer, "Ryker."
The single word sent a jolt straight to his groin.
Her pinkness clenched around his fingers. A new flood of warmth coated his hand as she spasmed against him. A loud moan and a contented sigh came out from her.
A smug grin formed on his face. He pecked her on her lips.
"We should sleep before it's too late," he said, looking at the clock.
She pouted, her cheeks still flushed.
"You sure?" her hand wandered down to his hardened bulge, giving it a confident squeeze.
"Pretty sure," he chuckled, capturing her wrist, "We have a plane to catch tomorrow."
He kissed her one final time to seal the deal, "Besides we have a hundred more years together," he promised.