The Witch and the Dragon Ch. 12

"You're beautiful," Zak heard Seth tell her, his guiles blue eyes on her face.

Amaranth's lip quivered. "Thank you."

Seth smiled, making Zak's heart almost stop. He rarely ever smiled.

"When I grow up I'm going to marry you," he stated matter-of-factly.

Devon coughed and Zak felt a lump form in his throat. Seth was really in love with the pretty reaper.

Amaranth's mouth moved, no words coming out as she stared at him in shock.

Seth puckered his tiny mouth and pressed a kiss to the corner of her lips.

Amaranth wrapped her arms tighter around him in a hug. After a long moment, she lowered him to the ground.

"I—I'll need to remove this just in case he grows bigger than normal," she said gesturing to the loose shirt Seth wore. It was so big it fell to his pudgy feet.

"Bigger?" Zak arched a brow at her.

Amaranth took a deep breath, her eyes darting from Devon's to his. "When I tried to change Remi, there was a moment when he grew very big."

Zak nodded, remembering the hundreds of vids showing Remi in dragon form squeezed inside the atrium of the studio where a live interview was being aired the eve before Angel of Retribution's tour with Draconius Imorteus and Ashtar.

Devon and Zak stepped back after she gently removed Seth's only covering. The reaper began to whisper and circle the wide-eyed tiny boy.

***

Alluna had lunch with Anniel and later on dinner with the rest of the angels aboard Alpha 7.

"So Haddasha tonight?" Remi asked as speared a juicy morsel of food on his fork.

"You think it's a good idea?" Angel looked at Remi. "I mean with all the fuss in the media about..." her gaze darted to Alluna and then back to Remi, "stuff."

Remi shrugged, his jaw working the bite of food before he swallowed. "They're always s be stuff. If we're going to remain hidden every time there's stuff, we'll be trapped here forever."

Alluna listened half heartedly to their conversation, her mind on Zak as usual. Anniel had done her fingernails in deep red to match the enhanced color of her lips. They'd tried dozens of tones, from black to purple to green and even blue. Afterwards, Alluna had sat beneath a portable hairdressing unit that twisted and braided her hair into hundreds of styles. At the moment, her long hair had been braided into hundreds of braids that were twisted and coiled around her head with ribbons of white and gold. It looked pretty but Alluna didn't like the way it pulled at her eyes.

"Luna, I forgot to give you this."

She looked at Remi as he fished in his pants pocket a moment and then extended his hand to her across the table.

Alluna let him place a small round object in her hand. It looked like a rounded gemstone with on of its sides flattened.

"It's a probok. You place it on your forehead and see a story."

"Probok?"

"The stone projects the stories images inside your head. If you look closely you'll see the probok's cover image.

Alluna look into the stone and was surprised to see the form of a female on her knees with her hands cuffed behind her back.

She looked back up at Remi. His green-gold eyes remained steadily on her. "There's allot of misconceptions about what Zak is into. If anyone harasses either one of you tonight about it, I just want you to be knowledgeable on the subject." He went back to eating before he muttered "As well as being able to decide for yourself if you truly want to live this lifestyle. Either way, I'm sure Zak won't give you up...even if he has to live vanilla."

Alluna frowned, not comprehending fully what he meant. Both girls remained staring at her.

"Alluna," Rowie began. "After you view that, if you like, I'll let you sit in on one of Remi and my play sessions."

Anniel made a noise and Alluna slid her gaze sideways to see the pretty girl trying not to grin.

Curiosity piqued, Alluna finished off her dinner, an array of steamed vegetables and a protein substance that was strange yet tasty.

Since she still hadn't learned how to teleport, Anniel sent her to Zak's quarters.

Stone in hand, Alluna walked into the bedchamber and sat on the bed.

"Lights dim," she ordered and then laid back on the luxurious satin bedspread.

Placing the probok on her forehead she closed her eyes with a sigh.

Soft music began catching her by surprise, as well as a soft feminine voice.

"I am O."

From within pink mists, the nubile form of a girl appeared. Her hair was brown and tucked behind her pointed ears. She was completely naked except for a studded white collar around her throat, and tiny silver hoops piercing her little coppery nipples.

O narrated about her life and how she became a submissive. She'd always been unhappy, always feeling the intense desire to please and feel accepted, treasured and protected.

She been engaged to be hand fasted to one of her Elvin kind, but the young Elf's attempts at sex did nothing for her. Oh, she faked orgasms and pleasure but his gentle caresses and almost shy lovemaking left her on the brink of tears. O thought there was something wrong with her. Was she frigid? When she masturbated and fantasized she had orgasms.

"But my fantasies were perversion," O said in her soft sweet voice. "I'd dream of pirates abducting me, tying me up and forcing me to have sex with them. I told my Elvin fiancé about my dilemma and he... he scorned me. He told everyone in the village of my perversion and I was shunned. My family cast me from our home and for days I roamed the forests. That was when I met my master."

The mists turned purple and out stepped a tall white-haired male Fae. He looked fierce, but his violet eyes softened when he stood next to O. She smiled, adoration clearly in her eyes as she knelt next to him. Her hands gripped his thighs and her lips pressed kisses against the leather of his fawn-colored pants.

"I found her half dead, starving and neglected."

Alluna listened to their story of forbidden love. Listened to how O gave herself willingly to her male. They loved intensely, Alerai cared for her like the most prized treasure while O's only desire was the pleasure and contentment of her master.

As Alerai caressed her hair, O spoke of how she would observe him—always. She could anticipate his every desire, knew when he was hungry, in need of comfort, or sexual gratification. She tended to his every need and whim. His words of praise and the intense pleasure he gave her were her reward.

By the time Alluna finished viewing the entire story of Alerai and O, there was no doubt in her mind what she wanted...Zak.

***

Zak was glad Seth hadn't shifted into his tiger, although his tiger stripes had appeared. He'd hissed and snarled as he stretched into a fully adult male.

What surprised Zak the most was how his hair grew with him. When Amaranth finally stopped her magic, Seth trembled at her feet, the spill of his white hair almost coiling around him. He looked up into Amaranth's face, the lower half of his face sporting a beard and mustache.

"W-what the fuck...is going on?" he whispered and then looked down at himself. "Why the hell am I naked..." he gripped a handful of his locks, "and why do I look like Rapunzel?"

A young reaper ran from the castle toward them, his golden curls gleaming in the setting sun. He wasn't a fledgling, because he was wearing black pants and boots instead of the skimpy loincloth fledglings had to wear.

"I realized who all of you were," he said excitedly, his grin stretching almost ear to ear. He shoved a pair of black pants toward Seth but stayed looking at Devon and Zak. "I'm Abdiel." He pointed at scars along his arm and ribs. "I got these fighting alongside your father. I was just a boy then, but Dava rode my back into the demon realm to save you and your brother."

Devon's face paled. The young reaper smiled at him. "Eriel used to hang with your dad too, but he had his memories wiped of that time. It was too much for him. Losing Dava and Lucy hit him hard." Abdiel's smile wavered and then disappeared. "Poor fuck's never been the same ever since."

Zak kept himself from snorting. "Who the hell didn't know Eriel? All he did was drink and fuck, and let himself be fucked...by anything. He was a worse slut than Zak had ever been.

"If you fought alongside Davariel, how can you still be..."

"A celibate reaper?" Abdiel finished for him. He looked at Amaranth with a warm smile. "She brought me back. I was barely fifteen sun orbits. I wasn't ready to make such a rash decision about my calling." His gaze grew solemn. "But I'm ready now."

"Abdiel," Ashriel's voice snapped. The big dark reaper stalked toward them.

Abdiel took a step back, fear in his eyes. Zak tensed, knowing that if Ashriel dared try to hurt the kid, he wouldn't just stand idly by.

Ashriel stopped right in front of them, gave Seth, who was buttoning up his borrowed pants, a scathing glare, and then bared his teeth at Devon.

"Are you trying to entice him into abandoning his calling?"

Devon stepped up to Ashriel so that they were practically nose to nose. "You know something reaper, You're really starting to piss me off." As if to underline his point, his veins became slightly visible beneath his pale skin.

Oh, shit. Zak wasn't sure what would happen if Devon's dark side took over...again. He'd only known it happened once, and, according to Seth, it was a damn scary piss-in-your-pants thing you wouldn't want to witness.

"Am I now?" Ashriel spat. "I'm watching, Devon. I'm watching all of you." His silver eyes swept around to glare at Zak and Seth. "Lucifer will not be released in my lifetime. I pray for those that come after me."

Devon backed away to Zak's surprise. "Let's get the hell out of here. Amaranth." He strode over the female reaper and kissed her cheek. "Thank you."

Zak also kissed her cheek. Seth remained staring at her and then looked at Zak. "Isn't anyone going to tell me what the hell happened?"

"It'll come to you, Sethaliel," she said.

Zak's brows rose when she suddenly gripped Set's face and kissed him full on the mouth.

"Amaranth," Ashriel snapped.

"Oh stop," she snarled back. "We're allowed to kiss, Ash."

"It weakens the flesh."

"It keeps us human. You ought to try it sometime."

Ashriel gaped at her, and Zak chuckled as he threw his arm around a stunned Seth's shoulders to direct him back to Devon's Viper just outside the city gates.

Remembering Abdiel he turned to give a wave to the young reaper who smiled and gave him a nod. Somehow, Zak got the feeling it wouldn't be the last he saw of the death angel.

Back inside the now cramped Viper, Seth balked about his hair.

Rolling his eyes with an exasperated sigh, Zak removed the tie from his braid and tied off Seth's hair at his waist. Using a blade he like to keep in his boot, he cut the ponytail just above the tie as Devon did his best to explain to Seth how he'd been turned into a toddler.

"There. When we get back home, you can finish fixing it in your hygiene unit."

"What did I saw to her?" Seth asked ignoring Zak.

Devon rubbed the back of his neck. "Um..."

"You said that when you grew up you were going to marry her," Zak said without preamble.

Seth stared at him wide-eyed, before slapping his hand over his face with a groan. "Damn. She must think I'm a pathetic shit."

"Aw, come-on, Seth," Dev chuckled. "You were just this cute little thing."

Zak laughed until he felt Remien's presence.

Just outside, riding alongside the Viper, was Alpha 7's star cruiser.

What's going on Rem?—Devon was the first to ask.

Zak felt Remi's calm as well as his happiness and relaxed, knowing that all was well back home.

Time to celebrate. Rowie's back home and it's been a while since we've all hung out.

Zak's sense of ease faded. Dev, you think it's safe for us? His mind was on Alluna however and the others saw.

Everything will be fine. We can't hide as though we're guilty of something.

Besides—Remi added,--the girls are already getting ready. They're meeting us at Haddasha. I brought us extra clothes so you can change. Hurry up and board, it's getting late and I want to get there before they do.

Despite Devon's assurance, Zak still couldn't shake the feeling of apprehension that settled over his bones.