Chapter 44 - A Rose Without Thorns 🌶️

***“Preserve your sexual energy for someone who is worth orgasming for.” ― Drasen***

***Neron***

*Apophis, nicknamed “the evil lizard” or “serpent of the Nile”, is the giant snake god the Ancient Egyptians believed was responsible for the ills and misfortunes of their world*. *He’s known as the god of evil, chaos, darkness, and destruction*.

I ground my teeth as I continued reading from the mythology website I found during my research.

*In some retellings of his legend, Apophis was a former sun god, who was pushed aside when Ra had risen to take the throne as king*. *Ra and Apophis are, therefore, constantly fighting since Apophis does not want him to succeed in his task of bringing the dawn every day*.

That was interesting. I thought back to Asim and his brother’s reactions to each other three years ago—the tension and underline hatred. I wasn’t surprised. Their relationship reflected their gods’.

My hand trembled as I scrolled to read more.

*Apophis is not worshipped, but is feared*. *Shockingly enough, he is possibly the only god who is considered to be all-powerfu*l. *He does not require any nourishment and can never be annihilated, only temporarily defeated*.

I should’ve known. Gods cannot die, so how could I expect Apophis to? Inhaling deep through my nose, I leaned back in my seat and laid the back of my neck over the spine of my chair. Mom reunited with Ezekiel at Iron Stone and Nuria remained with Phoebe.

Kiya and I, along with the girls, came back to Onyx Moon early this morning and since then, I’ve thrown myself headfirst into researching all I could about this evil deity my father sold himself to.

Dad took advantage of me; stripping me of all my defenses and leaving me chained like an animal for almost two fucking days. Anger roared in my blood from memories of the dingy cave flashing before my eyes. The acrid smell of wet earth flooded my nose again. I rubbed my now-healed wrists, remembering the silver chains searing into my skin.

Odessa almost assaulted me. Dad hurt me again. That bastard tried so hard to turn me back into that scared child I once was. Knowing Mom and Nuria were also chained up some distance from me made me want to find him and rip him limb from limb. The white-hot rage I felt when Nuria told me Dad *slapped* her; the hurt I saw in her eyes afterward, like someone took a sledgehammer and smashed her heart into pieces…

I knew I had to find out every possible way to kill him. It was my duty to my mother and sister to rid the man who caused us pain yet again. So, why am I sitting here with ten browser tabs open, all focusing on the mythology and retellings of Apophis?

He was the true monster behind all of this madness.

And my key to defeating Dad once and for all.

There was information out there, deep in his history, which can lead me to Dad’s Achilles Heel. Apophis couldn’t be truly defeated, but my father could be. However, Dad was too powerful for me to beat alone, and compared to him, I was an infant.

I had to be smarter, stronger, and more prepared so he wouldn’t catch me off-guard next time.

The plus side to this was my research could help Kiya and the other avatars, too.

Exhaling out of my nose, I leaned down to a drawer beside my leg and fished out a notepad and a pencil. Upon picking the notepad up, something slipped out from the flaps and fell flat against my shoe. Arching an eyebrow, I set my items down on top of the desk and picked up the folded piece of paper.

That’s when I remembered what this was.

Unfolding it, I placed the nearly-worn out paper against the desk, following the many outlines of the continents and countries with my eyes. A very faint musty scent emanated from it tickled my nose.

It was the map my grandfather gave to me.

‘*This can help you defeat him*.’

How, *morfar*, how?

‘*You’ll know when the time is right*.’

Dots decorated each continent, minus Antarctica, but most accumulated in specific areas of Europe, Africa, and parts of Central America. Did *morfar* do this or did someone else? What was this a clue of?

Out of nowhere, Onyx’s deep growling filled my head. His agitation and rage rushed through me so fast, the vision of the map warped into a colorful haze. Tremors rocked my limbs, and I threw my arms on top of the desk as my lungs constricted like a rope tightened around them.

“**Get the fuck out of his head**!” I heard Onyx bellow. “**GET OUT, NOW**!”

Another presence filled my head, and I was blitzed by a headache armed with a hammer. One sharp pang after another battered against my forehead, sweeping over my eyes, blinding me further. I bit down on my tongue hard to stop my screams as I threw my hands on my head, clutching it as the pain persisted.

Then, a third voice brought a bucket of chills and poured it down the length of my spine.

*His* voice.

“***You haven’t gotten rid of me, son***. ***Not yet***.”

Dad.

I knew something wasn’t right when I lost that enormous bruise on my side. I knew something wasn’t right when I became totally clear-headed after Dad fucked with my head back in the cave. It was all to give me a false sense of security and peace.

He was trying to control me again.

He was violating me in my *fucking* head.

Hell to the fucking no! I won’t let him win!

Picking up extra effort buried in my willpower, I pushed back. Hard. Onyx scratched, gnawed, and fought against Dad’s overwhelming malignant presence. It hurt me more than Dad himself, and he apologized profusely for causing me pain.

But, if that’s was what it took to get my evil father out of my head, then I welcomed it. Every last bite to the nerves.

Blood coated my mouth from how hard I bit my tongue, an unpleasant attempt of a distraction from the agony. Every bit of focus I had was to force the bastard out of my head.

Suddenly, Kiya came to mind like a burst of cool air.

Her smiles. Her passion. Her strength. Her courage. The little warrior who came into my life like a raging firestorm, burning me to ash and picking me back up.

And that was what I needed to push Dad’s presence out of my mind.

Because, in the end, not only am I protecting myself from him, but I’m also protecting her.

I’ll never be his puppet. Ever.

The rope around my lungs loosened, and I gasped a huge puff of fresh air, panting like I had run a dozen marathons at once. My head throbbed, my throat was dry, and my tongue was healing from my teeth, almost biting it in half. Lowering my hands onto the map, I slowly adjusted myself in my seat as my vision cleared to my office.

“**Are you alright, Neron**?” Onyx asked me, concerned.

I nodded, still panting. “*I’m…I think I’m okay*.” Small beads of sweat rolled down my temples. “*Did that really just happen*?”

“**Yeah, it did**.** Your dad is a fucking idiot**. **I felt him coming seconds before he arrived**. **He must’ve, somehow, linked you with him**.”

I was sickened and disgusted.

“*If I’m not careful next time*…” My blood went cold. “*I don’t want to know what else he could do to me*.”

“**You know what you have to do**. **You have to tell Kiya what happened**.”

I knew I had to. Goddess, she’d be so worried for me.

Her shriek of laughter pulled me to the window. Standing up from my seat, I walked over and angled my head toward the distant pool where she was swimming, with Alana and Aiyana paddling to her. The office was too far for me to see them closely, but I knew they were having fun.

Kiya risked a lot when she rescued me and my family. I wanted her to have fun today. I wanted the girls to have fun, too. Neither of us told them what had truly happened, out of worry that they might grow scared for us. We kept everything as normal as possible for them.

But seeing them enjoy themselves brought happiness to my heart. The world’s ills couldn’t spoil their joy, preserving their innocence in their little bubble. I half-mindedly wanted to join them, but after Dad’s mental attack, I didn’t think I could muster the strength to do so.

The mythology article on Apophis was still on my laptop screen.

I kissed my fingers and pressed them against the spot I could see Kiya and the girls before turning back to my seat and going back to the article. When I scrolled down further, I saw something that caught my eye.

*Apophis, hated and feared by the Egyptians, led an army of demons that preyed on the living and the dead*. *Priests of Ra created an ancient book filled with spells and rituals to keep him at bay*. *The anti-worship book emphasized the creation of snake effigies and destroy or desecrate them in any means as a way to strike him from the mortal realm*. *This was their way of helping Ra and the other gods, ensuring the sun will rise the next day*.

Hope crashed into my heart. Does this book still exist? Could this be the way to stop Apophis and permanently stop Dad and his lackeys?

“**What would we do if we cannot find this book**? **I mean, it’s not like we can find these spells in the bowels of the internet**.” Onyx scoffed. “**Give Asim a call**. **He’d know best, right**? **Being from Egypt and all**?”

“*Good point*,” I said, pulling my phone from my pocket. “*I know I shouldn’t get too hopeful, but it feels like the damn solution to all of this is right in my face*. *This shit has to end*.”

“**Hey, I’m not knocking you down on it**. **I got excited too**. **But we still need a Plan B, C, and D in case shit goes wrong**. **I’m still curious about this map our grandpa gave to us**. **What does it mean**?”

“*It could be our Plan C or D*. *These dots mean something; I know they do*. *But I’ll give Asim a call to double-check about this book*.”

At the moment I was about to press the green call button, a flustered and annoyed Valerian burst into my office, slammed a black plastic bag with something inside, and pointed a finger in my face.

“I’m never going to a sex shop for you again. Next time, have Kiya order delivery on the fucking vibrator.”

I busted out laughing, pulling the bag to me. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did I embarrass my tough-as-nails Beta?”

“Nowhere in my list of duties did it mention making trips to the adult toy store for you or anyone else.” He crossed his arms. I noticed a discreet box in his hand. “Well, except for Raina, of course. The amount of trouble I had to endure…”

“Had trouble with the ladies?”

“Had trouble with the *men*.” He huffed. “Be honest with me, Neron, do I look like a twink?”

I wanted to answer, but holding in my laughter was more important. Val made it worse when he glared at me harder.

“You’d—” I inhaled through my nose, covering my mouth to hide my smile. “…you’re more like a power bottom.”

“I fucking hate you.”

“I love you too, brother.”

Oh, the tears. The *tears*. I loved messing with Val, but one of these days, he’s going to fucking deck me in the face and I’d still laugh.

“I’m not sure why you need these, bro,” Kwame said as he entered my office with a small bag in hand. “Here you go.”

He tossed it and I caught them with one hand.

“What the hell are those?” Val asked.

“Silk and satin blindfolds. Lori had like, five packs of them, so she didn’t mind giving one away.” My Gamma arched an eyebrow, facing my direction. “…Please tell me you’re using them for sleep or to style your hair or some shit.”

I curved my lips into a grin, running my thumbs over the noisy plastic. “Let’s just say, it’s part of a lesson I hope to teach in the future.”

“I don’t need to hear about your sex life.” My Beta rolled his eyes and turned to walk out the door.

“What’s in the box?” Kwame asked.

“None of your business.” He answered, walking fast out the door. I didn’t miss the pink dusting on the apple of his cheeks.

*It looks like he picked up something for himself at the store*.

Kwame chuckled and shook his head, also turning to the door. Our favorite pastime was teasing the fuck out of Val. “Have fun with your lesson, dude. Thank Goddess for soundproof walls, right?”

“Yep.” I said, popping the ‘P’. “Do me a favor and ask Kiya to come to my office. She’s by the pool with Alana and Aiyana.”

“Sure. But you better bring her back in one piece.” He warned playfully before shutting the door behind him.

*Yeah, that won’t happen*.

Curious, I glanced inside the bag to see the type of vibrator my sweet little student picked out. Discreet packaging? Check. I didn’t want Kiya to go into town to pick it up because of present dangers, and I’d never miss the chance to embarrass the fuck out of Valerian, so I ordered him to pick it up instead.

I opened the package and pulled out the actual package of the toy.

*Oh*.

I didn’t know she was the *flowery* type.

Onyx chuckled like an evil gremlin in my head. “**Oh, I like that toy very much**! **She won’t be escaping her fate with this**.”

*No, she definitely won’t be*.

As I waited for her to arrive, a fit of giggles passed by my door, followed by two pairs of feet. I laughed to myself, shaking my head. Whatever was in that box Valerian tried to brush off, Raina was going to love it.

A couple of minutes later, Kiya waddled into my office draped in a white-and-purple stripped pool towel. She looked like an adorable ghost by holding the towel in place in front of her. Giving me her heart-stopping grin, she stopped at my desk. “You rang?”

“Yes. Did you and the girls have fun?”

She shrugged the towel off her head, revealing her damp coils. “We did! The girls haven’t swum before, but honestly? They’re naturals and needed a chance to shine. They’re playing with the other kids their age, so we don’t need to worry about them too much.”

“As long as they’re being looked after by the older pack members,” I said, rising out of my seat. Kiya’s breath hitched when I rounded the desk and gently gripped her chin. Fire sparked under my fingertips from our bond, mapping throughout my hand. Her eyes bounced from my face to my neck and back, glimmering with curiosity. She clutched her towel tighter, squeaking when I lowered my head and kissed her plump lips.

*Still so goddamn sweet*.

“There are two things I need to tell you.”

Kiya blinked. “What is it? Anything I should be concerned about?”

“Just one thing.” I sighed, expanding the distance between our lips. Sitting on the edge of the desk, I explained everything that had transpired; from my research to Dad getting in my head, to the discovery of the anti-worship book. Kiya stood still in her spot, her earlier mirth gone from the stone mask she donned.

“Of all the things your father would do…” She grumbled under her breath, shaking her head. “But the book sounds promising. If it exists, we can use the spells and rituals against your father and his undead comradery since Apophis siphons his powers to them.”

“The keyword in that sentence is ‘if’. I’ve thought about calling Asim to see if he can verify his existence, but if such a book exists, wouldn’t he know about it and tell us sooner?”

“Logically, yes, but there’s a chance that he doesn’t know about it either. There’s a good reason to why there isn’t a lot of information about that book on the internet.”

If I was one of those priests, I wouldn’t want such rituals falling into the hands of reckless teenagers or trolls who can manipulate its authenticity with a click of the mouse. I’d stow the book away in a place so sacred where no one would get to it. Unfortunately, none of them counted on Apophis raising vengeful souls to go after other people.

“I’ll give Asim a call and ask about it later. I trust his judgment.”

“That aside, are you sure you’re okay?” Kiya asked, furrowing her eyebrows. “I know I’ve been asking that a lot, and—”

“I like it when you do.” I smiled. “It means you care.”

“I do…” She whispered, averting her eyes. “I care about you.”

My smile didn’t leave my face when I pulled her into me by her towel. She stood in between my legs, meeting me at eye level. I rubbed her back, mentally cursing at the microfiber barrier preventing me from touching her skin. A soothing ember burned in between us, sucking us into a vacuum where only she and I exist.

And the thought of bringing her to pleasure all over again flushed all the blood from my head straight to my groin.

“You said there were two things you wanted to talk to me about.” She murmured while blinking slowly. “What was the second thing?”

I leaned back and picked up the black plastic bag and handed it to her. She hummed and looked inside the box I had opened.

Her eyes sparkled like fireworks. They bounced from the bag to me with her smile stretching wide. “When does the lesson begin, sir?”

A growl ripped through my throat. “Now.” I surged forward and tossed my mate on my shoulder, giving her pretty ass a nice smack. Kiya’s squealing turned into laughter as she pounded her fists against my back, completely unaware that it was only spurring me forward when we left the office.

The need to touch her was great. The need to taste her was even *greater*.

“*Sorry, Onyx, I’m going to need some privacy*.”

“**Aww, but I wanted to watch**! **Please**?”

“*Nope, not today*.”

Onyx cursed me out before trotting behind my mental wall.

I kicked my bedroom door shut once inside. Impatience coursed through my veins as I set Kiya on the bed, crawling over her body to kiss her neck. She pushed the bag with the toy beside her pillow. Chlorine mixed with her sweet scent, but I didn’t mind. My sweet angel gasped and threw her hand around my neck, letting the towel drop, pooling from her waist.

Her simple two-piece pink swimsuit was lovely to look at, but it was the enemy of my raging desire. I pulled the towel from under her and tossed it aside, running my parted lips over her collarbone, over her pulse, and up to her earlobe.

She writhed and whimpered when I took the lobe between my teeth.

“Today’s lesson is how to have fun with a toy.” I rasped in her ear. “You picked out an interesting toy, *min gudinna*. What were your thoughts when you chose it?”

“W-well…” She mewled from my hands running up her sides, my knuckles brushing against the side of her breasts. “The toy had the most five-star reviews on the website, and it looked p-pretty.”

“Is that all?”

“The color is cute, too.”

I laughed, pressing my hand to her chest to push her down fully on her back. Her big brown eyes looked up at me with so much trust, and her sweet arousal continued to bombard my senses. I toyed with the straps of her top, sliding it off her shoulders. “It’s cute. However, I think this toy may be too intense for a beginner like yourself.”

Picking up the bag, I ripped the toy out of its confinements and held it up to her. It was a baby pink, rose-shaped vibrator with a suction hole at the top for the clit. Pressing the ON button, the rose shook and hummed in my fingers. Kiya stared at it, mesmerized by the sound, but I didn’t miss the flash of nervousness on her face.

“Can we make it work?”

“We will, don’t worry,” I reassured her with a kiss on her forehead. She sighed, fluttering her eyes closed. “Right now, all you have to do is relax. Let me take care of you, my love.”

Her arousal rose to new heights as I pampered her body with open-mouthed kisses and gentle caresses. Her moans were like decadent deserts to my hunger. Her whimpers were gentle melodies filling my ears. Every sound she made planted their seeds in my memory, waiting to sprout from their soil. I stripped Kiya bare, throwing her bathing suit to the side as I filled my mouth with her ample breasts and pebbled nipples, drinking in her essence as it perfumed from her pores.

My cock strained against the zipper of my pants, fissions of pleasure striking it from Kiya’s palms running over my chest and arms. ‘Let me touch you’, she said when she discarded my shirt to mark her claim on my skin. I had sunk into a storm of pure heat when I claimed her lips again, forcing her to swallow my groans when she pulled me forward by the belt loops, unzipping my pants and seeking where I needed her to touch the most.

I groaned, fondling her beautiful tits while she wrapped her delicate hands around my cock, pumping it at an agonizingly slow pace. Torturing me. Crumbling my defenses. Her smile flashed with wickedness as she watched me trying to keep control despite my body buckling with her touch.

“Goddamnit, Kiya.” I hissed from her thumb swirling around the head, gathering and smearing the pearls of pre-cum around.

“Is this too much for you to handle?” She teased, increasing the speed of her hands. “I thought you were much stronger than this, Professor.”

“You just love to test me, do you?” I fought the stars flashing in my eyes to glare down at my grinning girlfriend. “I don’t want to take off points from your grade.”

“If anything, I’m only **adding** to my grade.” Kiya giggled, lifting her head from the pillow. “And you don’t have the guts.”

She pumped faster. “Goddess, where has my sweet little student gone to? Who are you?”

“I ***am*** your sweet little student. The one that loves how you feel around her hand. The one who loves to hear *you* fall apart. But, most of all…” She kissed my lips, nuzzling her nose to mine. “…I’m your sweet little student who can’t wait to feel you inside of me.”

I became *undone*.

Pressure swirled in my groin and was pulled into my cock by Kiya’s hands, building and swelling until it became too great. My balls swelled and lifted, and my eyes blurred into a bright white painting over my love’s triumphant grin. I threw my head back, a mantra of ‘fuck’ spilling from my lips until I roared into completion. Thick ropes of white spurted onto Kiya’s belly, decorating over her scars as the rest of my cum dripped onto her hand, droplets sliding down her inner thighs.

She knew all the right words to drive me crazy.

This woman was a vixen. A fucking vixen with a mask of innocence.

And I fucking LOVED it!

“Oops…” She sang, staring deep into my eyes from below me. “Whatever are you going to do about the mess you made, Professor?”

“Make a bigger mess,” I growled into her face. “But, this time, of **you**.”

I hauled her to the foot of the bed by the legs, sank to my knees on the floor, and burrowed my face in her pussy before she got the chance to protest. Squirming against my face, I yanked her closer, forced her thighs open with my hands, and pressed the flat of my tongue against her entrance, swiping slowly in between her lips toward her clit.

Flicking. Nibbling. Sucking. I groaned into her, relishing in her shakes.

Kiya screamed out my name, sinking her hands in my hair. However, I pulled them off and pinned them against the bed.

A beast feeds without assistance.

My tongue poked and prodded her entrance, scooping her juices into my mouth. She raised her hips and ground her pussy against my face, whimpering and moaning as the pleasure became too great. Kiya became sweeter and sweeter, feeding my addiction, feeding the lust only she could awaken.

When I swiped my tongue over her sensitive clit, it swelled. I knew she was ready.

A groan of disappointment left her lips when I removed my mouth. Her body dropped back onto the bed. She glared at me, but her eyes widened when I picked up the rose toy. Panting with her taste seared into my lips, I smiled. “Are you ready for it?”

She nodded enthusiastically. “You won’t be jealous of the toy after this, are you?”

“It’s a teammate, angel, not my competition.”

I parted her pussy lips, enclosed her swollen nub into the suction head, and pressed the ON button, starting at the first frequency.

Kiya’s body snapped up into a powerful arch and her lips parted to where *no* sound came out.

*I got her right where I wanted her*.

I dropped to my knees again and feasted wildly as the toy vibrated above my nose, breathing hard and fast.

Seconds later, Kiya shattered the heavens with her impassioned screams.

I wrapped my free hand around my hardened cock and pumped myself with urgency, driven by her sweet noises.

She tore into my bedsheets, balling them into her fists. Her body squirmed as I held the rose in place. Sugary sweetness flooded my mouth uncontrollably like a running garden hose. Her cum was my fountain of youth. Her sweetness was mine to taste, mine to savor, and mine to drink alone.

One final scream of my name.

And Kiya drenched my entire face when her orgasm ripped through her and burst open the dam.

I drank, and drank, and drank like I had first tasted water after days of thirst.

*Mine*. *All mine*.

I didn’t remove the toy. A second, orgasmic wave consumed her whole, and she came harder, gifting my needy mouth with more of her sweetness.

And soon after, I reached my release with a deep groan into her pussy, drenching my hand with my seed.

Kiya’s body plopped and melted into the mattress, her chest heaving wildly with her gasps for air. I removed the rose and turned it off, rising to my feet. A film of sweat coated her skin and her head rolled to the side on her pillow, her damp curls fanning against the silk cover.

“Fuck…” She mewled, closing her eyes. Her arms lay like led at her sides as she continued to catch her breath. If I could only hold up a mirror to her to show her how beautiful she looks post-orgasm…

Because she looks so goddamn **beautiful** with my cum on her stomach.

I walked over to the head of the bed and ran my knuckles against her cheek with my clean hand. “It’s out of the question to ask how you’re feeling right how, right?”

“No s-sh-shit,” Kiya mumbled, her breathing slowing down. “I saw Jesus Christ. Do you know how high I had to be to see the Christian god? We’re keeping the rose.”

I laughed and dropped a kiss on her forehead. “We were keeping it, anyway. I’m going to draw you a bath, okay?”

“Nooo…” She whimpered, shakily raising her hand. “Don’t leave…”

“Oh, my sweet little student. *Min godjenta*.” I whispered, caressing her cheek. “I’ll be right back. I promised to take care of you, and I need to get you cleaned up.”

“What does that mean? What you just said in Norwegian?”

Grinning, I leaned into her ear and traced the tip of my tongue on her earlobe. “It means you’re my good girl.”

Her cute little squeak echoed behind me as I made my way to the bathroom to washed my hands and face. I put my flaccid cock back in my pants and plugged the bathtub. Thick steam billowed to the top of the bathroom with the hot water filling up the tub. Once I felt it was a good enough temperature, I searched the bathroom closet for one of Kiya’s bubble bath bottles.

There was also an array of colorful bath bombs, each smelling either fruity or overall sickly sweet. Compared to my preference for mild, woodsy scents, I must be pretty damn boring.

In the end, I picked a bath bomb that smelled like mandarin and lavender and dropped it into the water, watching it fizz and expand, and squirted some of her bubble bath liquid with the same scent. Bubbles circled the tub once I turned off the running water.

When I walked out to pick Kiya up from the bed, she was standing on her feet with a wild grin on her face.  

*I guess her refractory period was shorter than I thought*.

Her eyes traversed downward, and she pouted. “Aww, you put it away!”

“I had to. Having my cock flop around my zipper isn’t exactly ideal.” Chuckling, I walked up to her and cupped her face. My heart did a little dance when she nuzzled into my palm. “You did very well today. But remember, the point of the lessons is for *you* to feel pleasure and for you to have fun.”

“I know that, but I want to reciprocate too.” Kiya shrugged her shoulders. “You can have fun too.”

“Love, your pleasure IS my pleasure. When you feel good, I feel good too. I don’t want you to feel like you’re obligated to satisfy me.” I kissed her lips. “You do that enough just by being yourself.”

Kiya’s eyes widened and brightened like little stars. “Can I make a request for the next lesson?”

“Sure.”

“I know you get off on my pleasure, but I’d still like to know what you like and don’t like.” She exhaled and looked into my eyes. “Teach me how to pleasure you. It’s the least I can do.”

Huffing out a sigh, I nodded. She wanted to do it; I could tell from the look in her eyes. “Alright. That’s doable.”

“And I’d like to suck you off next time.”

I almost choked on my spit. “…your bluntness, sometimes, is insane. I’m more of a giver than a receiver, but if you want to learn, I can make an exception.”

She hopped. “Great! Artemis has been giving me a few pointers, so I think I know what to do. How hard can it be? She did it with Onyx, so…”

“It’s a skill, I suppose.”

“Damn. I should ask Galen for some pointers, too. He’s the BJ expert.”

“Alright, my sweet student.” I slipped my arms around her back and under her legs, lifting her up bridal style. “Your enthusiasm is great, but it’s time for you to get cleaned up.”

“Yeah, I need to clean my stomach, don’t I?” She laughed, resting her head on my shoulder. “Thank you, Neron.”

“Hmm? For what?”

“For showing me that sex isn’t and shouldn’t be scary. I’ve had fun with our lessons.”

Butterflies of happiness carried my heart into the skies. I tightened my arms around her and kissed her again, nuzzling my head into her lovely hair. “It’s my pleasure, *min gudinna*.”

“And I meant what I said earlier.” Kiya lifted her head when we entered the bathroom, softly touching my chest. “I can’t wait to feel you inside of me.”

“You know what, Kiya?” I set her body in the bathtub, watching the water rise beneath her shoulders. I dipped my hands in the water, cupped some, and poured it over her shoulder blades.

“*I can’t wait either*."