Chapter 129 Heat

Avalyn

A brief moment of silence passed as we processed what was now our reality. And then suddenly, Nik's eyes turned sharper. "I need you to stay here, Avalyn. You're fragile right now, and your body needs to rest and recover," he said it as a command mixed with a plea. "The condition outside is not... it's bad, Ava."

The palace was a safe place, even from the sounds being created outside. But just because we couldn't hear them didn't mean that our people weren't suffering, fighting for their lives, dying.

"But I want to help." I argued but it sounded weak to even my ears. Because truth be told, I was feeling weak, I didn't feel I had it in me to step out in the battlefield right now. There was something brewing inside my body. I could feel it in my bones.

"You will help just by being safe, Avalyn." He said as he moved behind me and fiddled with the collar before it snapped open. "Knowing you are safe will put my mind at rest and help me to focus on better. Stay inside."

"Okay," I whispered. "Please be safe." I had no idea what was going on. But I knew the war we had been planning for, believing that it was a month away, was here.

In that exact moment, we heard a loud blast from somewhere on the top of the palace. My eyes flew up to see what was going on from the glass ceiling but I couldn't see anything. The sound was followed by the shuddering of the walls of the palace. It seemed like an earthquake had occurred but I knew that wasn't the case because the source was of this wasn't the ground.

"What the fuck was that?" Nik whispered in shock, looking up as well. Who the hell was strong enough to shake the entire palace? Especially a palace with magical powers of it's own!

"I need to go now. And you are staying here." Nik said before he kissed me one last time, softly, deeply. "I love you."

"I love you too." When I opened my eyes, he was already gone.

My eyes fell on Tessa just when her eyes fluttered open and she asked in confusion. "Mistress?" Her hand immediately raised to her neck where I had bitten her, only to find it healed. "Didn't you... did you..."

"Yes," I bit my lip in deep remorse. I hurt her. I hurt my Tessa. And she's only always cared for me and loved me. "I -I'm sorry, Tessa." I went near her to help her up but she flinched before scooting away.

I stopped in my tracks. Did she hate me now? Did she not want me as her Mistress anymore? "I'm so sorry Tessa. I didn't mean to hurt you. I don't know how it happened, I swear. I wasn't even aware of it!" I rushed out. "I would never hurt you! Knowingly, I won't. But— I guess you know this now—" Goddess, even saying that was difficult, "I'm now half vampire. And half faye." I swallowed. "I-I didn't know. I smelled your blood again..." I gulped at the thought of blood. I need to feed. Oh dear. Will I need to continuously feed? On humans? And hurt them? "I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

Tessa began crying. "Vampire?"

She hates vampires.

She hates me.

"Stop being a fucking bitch, would you?" My head snapped up to see Eliyah enter. But he was looking at Tessa. Scorching her with his glare seemed more appropriate actually. "So what if she fed off you? You'll forget all the good she's done for you? What happened to the ear-grating speech you gave me when I came here? She at least had the decency to heal you. Not everyone does that. Or cares."

"Don't talk to her like that," I shook my head. "Apologise."

"I'm sorry," he said, looking at me but saying it to her, "but I don't mean it. We were sick with worry when you were kidnapped. She said it was her fault to let you go alone and that she wished that it was her instead, and that she would give up her life for you. I guess she didn't really mean it. Or else she wouldn't have minded you drinking her blood, she wouldn't have flinched away or looked at you like you're a monster." His voice rose in anger, "hell, she isn't even fucking grateful to see you back safe."

"Eliyah," I sighed. I didn't have the energy to reprimand him, my head felt fuzzy.

"That's not true," Tessa fought back but her voice was weak. Does she really think of me as a monster?

"What?" Eliyah asked, as if he didn't know what he had done wrong. And he actually didn't. But I needed to keep his past in mind. He has grown up like this, with no sympathy and no mercy—towards himself or others. He has been taught to be a hard fighting machine and it's going to be difficult to unlearn.

"Everyone thinks differently, Eli," I whispered, clutching my head. It was pounding. I closed my eyes, massaging my temple. My head hurt. I felt weak. Terribly weak.

I opened my eyes to find Eliyah standing in front of me. And then he had swept me off my feet and he was carrying me outside. I couldn't find it in myself to complain. I didn't know where he was taking me. Everything was blurry. I saw faces after faces but recognised none. They all looked the same.

And then I was placed down, on a couch. I realised that we were in the west wing now.

"Drink." Eliyah ordered.

I forced my eyes to focus. Eliyah was kneeling between my legs and his head was tilted to the side as he offered me his neck.

Yes. Maybe I need to drink. Yes, that's what I need. More blood.

I bent forward and my fangs extended out before I dug them deep in Eliyah's neck. He didn't say a word or make a sound as I drank. He simply remained still.

His blood tasted different then Tessa's. But it was just as good. My eyes slid shut as I sucked harder, my hands holding on to his face and shoulder, trying to get the perfect position.

Nothing has tasted this good. Nothing. Every delicacy I've had pales in comparison to blood. And there was a time I used to find it disgusting. Definitely not anymore.

And then I could feel that I was drinking more than I should. It was difficult but I stopped and released him.

"Better?"

I nodded, licking the last remaining blood off my lips before savouring it. "Thank you." I waved a hand over the punctures of my fangs, instantly healing them.

He shrugged like it was no big deal and then stood up. He was probably used to vampires drinking his blood, having grown up on a vampire island. "I really mean it, Eliyah. Thank you for letting me drink your blood." I really did feel much better now. "Your body is yours and so is the blood in it. You letting me drink it means a lot."

His eyes met mine before they softened a tad bit, "you're welcome."

And then suddenly, there was a 'zap' sound. My head snapped in the direction to look at the source. A portal opened up, Nat fell out of it and then it shut back up before disappearing.

What the hell?

She was lying on the floor, her hands, feet and a part of her face muddy. And she was wearing Dimitri's t-shirt.

What the the happened? I rushed to her side, helping her up.

She screamed, "no!"

No for what? I cupped her face and wiped away her tears, resting her head on my lap. And then she let out a small moan. Huh?

"Do you have fever, Nat?" I caressed her back, hoping to sooth her. She was extremely hot. Her tanned body was red because of her high temperature. And she was crying her heart out.

I have never seen her cry.

There was no sign of injury on her body so I suspected that something happened to Max.

"Did something happened to Max?" I panicked. A freaking war is going on! Is he hurt? Please tell me no. "Nat?" Tears rose in my eyes seeing her cry so much. She looked like she was in a lot of pain. And not the kind she liked.

I immediately mind-linked him, 'Max! Are you okay?'

'A little busy killing dead witches but otherwise I'm fine. And glad to know you're back, Avalyn,' he replied with his usual charm but his voice sounded tense. 'Did Talia come back? She's hurt, Avalyn.'

'Yes,' I whispered, incredibly relieved that he was okay. 'But she has fever, Max. And she's crying a lot. I'm very worried.'

He was silent for a second. 'Fuck,' he swore. 'She doesn't have fever. She got her heat. It's been six months.' He sounded like he was freaking out.

Heat? I knew the basics. She-wolves got heat after six months of mating. It was nature's call meant to indicate the pair to try for an offspring. And the woman going through it had to be separated from the pack for two because she gave out a scent that enticed her mate along with other men too. It could cause bloodshed.

Thank Goddess the west wing was bare of all supernaturals.

That was where my limited womanly knowledge ended. I never had anyone to tell me more about these things. I panicked, 'what do I do?'

'I'll try to get home as soon as I can. But it's bad here, it's going to take time. Keep her away from other people. Get her to cool down underwater and whatever happens, don't touch her, it will hurt her more.' He sounded frustrated. Frustrated because he was unable to come here. I wanted to use my magic to bring him back home immediately but I knew I was too weak to do it. I would drop him somewhere in the middle and I knew for a fact that the situation outside was not good. The last thing I wanted was for him to end up in the middle of enemies.

'I already am touching her, Max. She's...' I looked down at Nat who let out another soft moan, 'she's moaning.'

He remained silent for a second. 'Please take care of her for me. Until I can come there and do it myself,' he requested softly before he shut the mind link.

Of course I would take care of her!

"Is she okay?" Eliyah came near us, a glass of water in his hand.

"She will be once Max gets here," I whispered, took the glass of water from his hand and put it against Nat's lips.

She drank it like she was severely dehydrated.

"Bring us some more water, Eli. I'm going to give her a bath," I said before I closed my eyes and gathered as much strength as I could.

"I can take her to her room, you're not in the right sta—"

"You can't touch her, it'll hurt her. She has her heat." I whispered, feeling my body get drained of power as I gathered it all in my mind. And then I used it all to teleport us to Nat's bathroom.

My head spun for a second but I held on to the bathroom counter, not wanting to fall. Nat had fallen down again and was crying in pain. "A-Av.."

"I'm right here, Natalia." I whispered and helped her up.

Their bathroom was the exact replica of us but they had decorated it differently. I tore off the clothes she was wearing before I led her inside the pool. The water felt cold on my skin but I knew Nat would feel better so I endured it.

She let out a soft sigh when we were standing in the water. My arms were wrapped around her as I held her up, her head resting on my shoulder.

The temperature of her body wasn't going down but the water was growing warmer by the minute. And then she started whimpering again. "M-Max..."

"He's on his way, Nat." I whispered. "What can I do for you?"

"It-it...everything hurts," she cried out. "P-please...."

Tears formed in my eyes seeing her in so much pain. I had no idea what to do, how I could help her. For a second I thought that maybe I could use my powers again. But I didn't have enough of them, I felt like the thing brewing inside of me was using them all up. I also knew that I shouldn't mess with a natural phenomenon of the body so I shouldn't use that power.

And then Natalia was crying again, thrashing around in pain. Her fist landed a blow on my stomach and I felt all the air escaped my body.

My hands automatically went to my stomach as I breathed through the pain. Damn this woman has strength. I opened my eyes to find Nat underwater.

I quickly pulled her out.

"You need to get her out of there," Eliyah appeared with a couple of water bottles in his hands. "You'll both get hurt."

He's right.

But getting her inside the pool was easy, getting her out was going to be difficult. She wasn't even in the state to stand up on her own. "Pl-pleasee..." Nat cried.

A spark shot up in Eliyah's eyes before he dropped the bottles on the floor. He rummaged through the cabinets before he pulled out a towel and then jumped in the water.

He wrapped a towel around her body before he picked her up, so he wasn't really touching her.

"Thank you," I whispered, knowing I wouldn't have been able to do it myself.

He easily carried her out of the pool and I followed. I began shivering so I quickly stripped down, dried myself up and wore a fluffy robe hanging on the door before I walked out.

Nat was lying on the bed, snuggling one of Max's t-shirts, the towel now flung aside. She wasn't crying as much anymore. But I knew that this relief was temporary until the smell won't be enough again. I took a seat besides her on her bed, reliving in the small moment of peace. Eliyah was standing on the side, eyeing the bedroom, taking it in.

I had never been here before either. I looked around to have a mini heart attack. It had a similar layout to mine but it was a totally different. This wasn't just their bedroom, this was Nat and Max's own piece of heaven. The bed had four posters and multiple, different types of cuffs hooked on them. There were various chairs and tables I didn't understand the meaning of but it was all definitely to have sex. There was a huge cross on the side too with cuffs on the side. There were more handing from the ceiling. And then I saw something like a swing on the balcony but it wasn't the normal kind—it was definitely for some kind of pleasure. I couldn't wrap my head around how anyone can use it.

And then there was a huge painting on wall above the bed. It was multicoloured with numerous strokes and imprints. I recognised hands and feet and....a butt?

Oh Goddess. This was... they made a painting—with their bodies. While having sex. They must have splattered paint on the canvas before having sex on it, letting the best kind of art create art.

It turned me on. I wanted to do it too. The thought of the kind of imprints Nik and I would make turned me on.

"Avalyn," Nat rasped...pulling my robe open and digging her nose between my thighs.

"Nat!" I jumped back, my eyes bulging.

"Your smell..." she took another deep whiff before she looked up at me, her eyes black now. Her wolf was at the forefront. She licked her lips and then got really close to my face, "I -I always wanted to do it with a girl. B-but then I met Max so it's cheating now."

My eyes bulged out even more and I looked at Eliyah anxiously, not knowing what to do. He looked amused, like he wanted to laugh at me. But he only smirked, "I wish I had popcorn right now. Your expression right now... priceless."

I narrowed my eyes at him before looking back at Nat. Her eyes were on my lips, "that asshole isn't here. I need him and he isn't here. You are," she bit her lip.

The heat has got to her head. She is so much in her head that she doesn't know what she's doing. I had heard stories but this was crazier than anything I've ever heard. She is so desperate for release that she doesn't care where she's getting it from. I'm not supposed to be able to touch her without hurting her. She's supposed to hurt when anyone except Max touches her. But I seem to be the exception. Not only that, she's liking my touch. If her expression and the smell of her arousal is anything to go by. The entire room is filled with her scent.

"Nat..." I said uncomfortably before I placed my hand on her shoulder to gently push her away.

She took my touch as an invitation and then her lips were on mine. I was shell shocked, frozen in my spot. She let out a loud moan before she pounced.

Natalia was a force to reckon with. In our entire Kingdom, she was was the strongest female warrior and one of the strongest warrior overall. When she wanted something, she went after it with everything she had. I have seen her being belittled countless times by the males in the pack. And I've seen her hand their ass back to them right that second. She has earned the respect of every person in the kingdom, fighting tooth and claw to just to prove herself, to say that she deserves the position she has.

And right now, this feisty female had her eyes set on me. And the weaknesses she was feeling earlier was replaced with determination.

"Natalia, stop," I used my Luna command on her and she stopped. Her eyes were on mine, the lust still present.

Eliyah realised it was serious and was quick on his feet to use the cuffs on the posters and cuff her one hand. I did the other.

"No," Natalia thrashed, trying to escape the restraints but it wasn't happening. "Please...I'm sorry!" She cried out frantically. "I need..." she rubbed her thighs together in desperation. That's when I noticed she was sopping wet.

'Please take care of her for me. Until I can come there and do it myself,' Max's words echoed in my ears and I finally understood what he meant.

But then the thought of Nikolai passed in my mind. Does this count as cheating? Will he feel it? Will it hurt him? Will it distract him from the war?

If he would've been able to feel it, he would have felt it when Nat kissed me or when she jumped me. He would have immediately mind-linked me and said something. Which means he doesn't feel it. Because my intentions are pure.

And then I knew I had to do it. And I didn't mind it one bit. I looked up at Eliyah who nodded in understanding, "I'll be right out, holler of you need me." And then he left, closing the door after him.

Nat was crying again. "P- please... please.... Avalyn. H-help me!"

"Shhh...." I cooed and caressed her hair off her forehead. Sweat coated her entire body, despite the fact that we were in the pool not too long ago. "Spread your legs, Nat."

She obliged and I slid my hand between her legs.

I put my finger over her clit and closed my eyes. This was the single point where all the bundle of nerves met.

I know that I shouldn't mess with her heat. It's natural cycle and using my powers to do anything about it can damage her.

So I simply cooled it down.

A moan left her mouth and my eyes flew open.

I looked down at her and smiled when I saw that the signs of distress had left her face. She was biting her lower lip. She looked like she was back to her senses too now.

"Feels good?" I asked when the smell of her arousal got thicker.

"Yes," she hissed before pulling at her restraints. "More."

I heeded to her request and began moving my fingers in circles, drawing gasps and moans from her.

Her thighs clamped tight against my hand but I didn't let that stop me. In fact, I increased my motions.

"Can you hurt me a little?" She cried out in pleasure.

I paused, not knowing what to do.

"Uhh...choke me?"

Got it. I placed my hand around her neck and squeezed lightly.

"Harder." She grunted and I squeezed harder.

Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she came the next second, moaning loudly, her body shuddering. I took my hands away.

"Better?"

"Yes. God yes." She whispered, her eyes closing in bliss. I wiped my hand on the bed sheet, knowing this was only the first of many.

Nat was breathing hard and her sweat coated her entire body as she looked at me with drooping eyes. "When will Max be here, Avalyn?"

"I don't know, Nat." I whispered as I caressed her forehead, pushing back the hair that were stuck to the sides of her face.  "I'm sorry you are in pain. Is there anything else I can do?"

She shook her head, releasing a harsh breath and then her eyes slid shut. Her heartbeat was incredibly fast, it was unnatural.

"I -I don't feel good." She heaved, tears escaping the corners of her eyes.

"Again?" I asked.

"Please." She cried.

I slid my hand between her thighs again and started fingering her, just the way she liked it. Her thighs squeezed my hand and she bit down on her lower lip, drawing blood. Her hips moved in synchronisation with my fingers and then small moans began escaping her.

"This isn't working!" She cried out, snapping her eyes open and looking at me, begging me with desperation. "I need pain. Real pain. Please."

I panicked, not knowing what to do. "What...how...?"

She eyed the door to the side of the bedroom with frustration and I jumped off the bed and entered it. I stopped dead in my tracks. It was filled with instruments I had never even heard of. Whips, canes, crops, quirts of multiple sizes and materials decorated the walls of the closet. There were other things I didn't recognise too. But there was no way I was touching those, I didn't know how to use them.

I rummaged through the drawers, searching for something easy when Natalia began sobbing and screaming in pain. My motions became frantic as I scoured the closet, finally stumbling upon a drawer filled with nipple clamps. Yes I could use those. I also pulled out a dildo from the drawer I opened earlier and ran out.

A weird sensation wrecked through my body and then pain erupted in my ribs. I cried out, tossing the items on the bed and then supporting myself up, resting my hands on the edge of the bed.

No time for this. Natalia needs me. I managed to lift my eyes to look at her. She was thrashing and crying, her entire body red and sweaty, her red hair flying everywhere and yet sticking to her sweaty face, neck and chest.

Panting through the pain, I picked up the nipple clamps with my trembled hands and began putting them on. On one first and then the other. They looked painful.

"Tighten i-it." She gritted. I did and then freaked out when she cried out.

And then when I tried to loosen it, she screamed in her hoarse voice, "no! More!" Unsure, I tightened them a bit, wincing when she did. She let out a loud groan.

I crawled down the bed, whimpering through the pain. It was a short, stabbing pain in my back that was growing and growing. I breathed through it. I picked up the dildo and pushed it inside her, pressing the small button to turn on the vibrator.

"Fuck," she screamed out before her moans filled the room. It was going to help her a lot. I didn't think I'd be able to do a lot myself. I was in too much pain and it was only growing.

And then suddenly, a snapping sound filled the room and I screamed when pain erupted in my back. More and more bones started breaking and I screamed. Unbearable pain shot through my back, right to my brain and heart.

"Avalyn?" Eliyah screamed in distress, banging on the door. "Open the door! I can't fucking come in!"

It must be the magic of palace or some setting the couple must have done. I wanted to open the doors I didn't even have the strength to move. the pain was all-consuming. It felt like I was shifting for the first time. But this time, I didn't have a wolf. What the hell was going on? Was I dying? Is this because I'm a hybrid now?

My eyes drooped, the pain was getting too much to bare. I just...I needed it to stop. I could feel my body shutting down.

"Avalyn!" Natalia screamed in panic, thrashing against her restraints.

I forced my eyes open to look at her. She had clamps on her nipples and a vibrating dildo inside of her and she was tied up, unable to break out, no matter how much she tried. She was in pain and completely miserable. I need to stay awake for her. She needs me.

That was the last thought in my mind when another wave of unbearable pain erupted from my back and darkness surrounded me.