Aeress

     She won. 

     She faced some of the most elite warriors this world had ever seen and survived. 

     Her broken body warned that she spoke too soon...

     Blood erupted from her lips as she lay there immobile. She coughed it up, struggling not to choke on the metallic taste as it coated her throat and the inside of her nose. There was a smothering feeling, having liquid block her breathing tunnels again, thick like slime. 

      She was still on the floor, just far enough from the exit. Thundering steps followed. She hoped it would be someone of mercy, not that she would truly deserve it. The damage she caused was of equal devastation. 

     "Godhead!" 

     A second of terror hit her body as the faces of her attackers hovered above her. In just a swift passing of time, she thought herself delusional and wondered if she was still in the maze. She screamed, but only more blood had arisen. The sensation of new blood mixed with dried blood revolted her.

     Diana had pushed forward. Her face transformed with a crippling guilt. Even after everything, she still managed to remain gorgeous. "It's over. We'll never hurt you again, Godhead. Please, let us help you. Please!”  

     Aeress shook her head. "Help... Yourselves.” She knew how badly they were hurting too. She would not prioritize herself above them. 

     “Not until you allow us to help you, Godhead.” Maribelle came forward with her deep southern accent. Her brow was split wide open. A nasty bruise was forming on both of her cheeks and her bleeding lip had seen better days. 

     Aeress gave in and nodded, even as they all themselves needed medical attention. She somehow knew their determination was far stronger than hers in that very moment. 

     Her eyes shot wide open-her vision actually went white-when hands made contact with her skin. All the pain she refused to the acknowledge-the broken bones, the torn muscles, the raw, exposed, and bleeding flesh wounds-suddenly had her full attention. Aeress was unashamed and voiced her pain. She knew her scream would have reached the very stars had her throat not been so damaged. 

     She recognized Idris as the person who lifted her. Shocked by his gentleness, but unquestioning, Aeress could only focus on her own physical trauma in that swift of a moment. While touched by his tenderness, the fact that he was moving her only made it worse. Her senses were overwhelmed by a pain that left a ringing in her mind. It reached points of numbness only to come tumbling down into the pits of burning and ringing and similar sensations which tortured her. She was jarred by the intensity of it. 

     Aeress was too weak to fight, but in her head, she was kicking and screaming, just like a child throwing a tantrum. She whimpered as he picked up the pace, jostling her, and she bounced like a doll. The following steps told that the rest of the Viceroy were not far behind. It was a comfort in a way, to know that her children felt some semblance of sentiment toward her. 

     The blood on her face persisted, some of it was drying but most of it was still wet and running still. She blinked against the changing lights, but even this slight activity was a burden. There were so many things she wanted to give attention to, and she had a strange thought that it would be easier to suffer when split in half, one side being her, the other being Godhead. 

     "Idris, be careful!" A male's voice roared-Adonis?-when they got to a new room. The vehemence of his volume forced her to moan in pain. 

     "Shut the fuck up! He knows what he's doing!" Another responded, perhaps Katrin. She had this notable rasp to her voice which was so very commanding. "Lay her here! Get the physicians-"

     "On what side of her body?" Diana demanded, "nothing's untouched, it'll hurt her if we put her down!” Aeress could not have agreed more. 

     "Look at what we did to her!" Maribelle cried. "She can barely breathe. How-"

     "Calm down, you're not helping!" Another male cut in. "What's done is done. Right now, she needs us, we can not fail her." 

     Aeress cried out when she was put on her back. Her skin was so tender, the most subtle contact sent a lash of pain throughout her entire body. Her mind threatened to shut down. She would black out before she could endure any more abuse, this she knew as the truth. 

     Her eyes finally came closed as she fought to stay conscious. 

     And then she felt his presence, covering her, embracing her like a warm blanket. Finally, she felt safe. 

     "David, go fetch-Premier! Sir! We-“ 

     “Leave now.” His voice left no room for discussion. In fact, she could feel the concealed fury underneath his calm and cold demeanor. She never recalled being able to read him so easily before. “Heal yourselves. I will handle her.” They failed to move for a hot second, but eventually did. 

     As soon as they were the only two souls in the room, he was by her side immediately. 

     “Look what they did to you… It’s okay now, it’s just me, Aeress.” 

     “Warrick,” she sobbed, it was a mumble but she knew he could understand her, “Warrick make it stop, please!” The tears rolled down her cheeks and she sobbed like a baby. “It hurts so bad, please.” She couldn’t breathe. Maybe she would die right there. 

     She screeched when he grabbed her. She was burning alive. This was what dying felt like. Every nerve was shot to shit. Aeress trembled, even as it only worsened how she felt. There was not much she could do but lay there. 

     “This salve is infused with my blood, it will hasten the healing process. I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to stitch some of these shut, and I need to put many of these bones back in their places. Anyone would have blacked out by now, but you are still conscious because you are too strong… I will help you.” 

     She felt a small prick in her arm and that was it.

______________________________________

    Her entire physique was an echo of pain. Every part of her reverberated with aching memories thrust into the core of her bones, bones which had been shattered not so long ago. But a dull, background ache she could take, and at this point, any moment of repose, she would gladly embrace. 

    She took a deep breath, and yes it hurt like hell, but at least she could breathe. 

    She felt the arms around her and whimpered. It was Warrick, she knew his touch all too well, but this time the contact between them did not torture her, and instead brought comfort like it always did before. 

    "Shh," he whispered into her ear. "I've got you. It's alright.” 

    She groaned as he let her naked form down into a warm pool of water. The shock of it startled her, but the healing effects soon made themselves known and soothed her before she could cry. Her eyes briefly shot up to Warrick. He was covered in blood, her blood. 

    The exhaustion is his eyes gave her a sadness, or maybe it was his sadness she was feeling. Aeress couldn’t quite tell anymore 

     He pulled off his murky clothing, one article at a time, revealing those tattoos she had come to think of as beautiful. The crimson had seeped through the cloth, coloring the spots of flesh uncovered by ink with lighter shades of red. 

     He got in behind her, causing the water to rise more. It was big enough so that his legs fits snugly beside hers. She leaned back, pressing against his firm chest. His arms came around her with a gentle touch, dripping the water across.

    “This water was brought from your river,” he explained to her as he caressed the liquid against her skin, clearing away the sweat and blood. She closed her eyes, because she didn’t want to see the atrocious state of her body, only to focus on his tender touch. “These herbs and petals have healing properties which will strengthen you.” 

    His hand travelled over a particularly nasty wound, forcing a whimper past her lips. 

    “I’m sorry.” 

    She was thoroughly surprised by how he was acting, and wished she would see this side of him more often, and not when she was beaten to a pulp. “It’s okay,” she rasped out, an octave lesser than a whisper. “Not my worst Tuesday night.” 

    Aeress knew he was shaking his head at her. “It’s Thursday, Aeress.” 

    She smiled, feeling that it was such a Warrick response. 

    Her breath caught in her throat as he trailed a finger pad down the middle of her spine, where she knew permanent scales lay instead of human flesh. “How do they look?”

    “Like you were born to wear them.” 

    Something cracked into place in her back. She arched against Warrick, bracing her hands against his bare thighs, hissing through her teeth as her body put itself together.  

      His hands crept around her belly, raising goosebumps in their trail, settling with his fingers massaging that area, where many stabs wounds were still quite raw. The fact that they were in between two places he could have easily claimed was brought to her attention. Her stomach quivered with both pain and desire, and odd mix to have to deal with. Her senses were replete by him, and she knew he did this to distract her from the pain. 

     Aeress supressed a moan as she felt his member pressed against her. Hot flashes danced through her muscles, having them spasm, unsure of whether to relax or tense. 

     The water swished around as he sat up in order to more firmly pin them flush together. He raised a hand briefly to lightly guide her head to lay against his shoulder at an angle so that her neck was put on display. Aeress shivered as his lips made contact, brushing and teasing her flesh. One hand skimmed against her side before tickling the side of her breast. Both were plump and puckered with a need for more. The other hand began to explore down south. 

     "Keep you thighs open," he whispered into her ear. The erotic tone had her gasping. Her chest moved up and up, filling with an exhilarated breath. 

     She bit her lip and nodded. "Yes." 

     The sharp edges of his teeth glided along her bare shoulder, and he teased her with his tongue, tasting her sporadically. She knew exactly what she was doing as she began a soft movement of her hips against him, rubbing him where he was already rock solid. The fact that her eyes were shut only heightened everything else. 

     His fingers finally found where she was pounding, pulsing with eagerness. All it took was the slightest of brushes, and she was moaning quietly, having them come out in small breaths. 

     He taunted her, only to build the tension. Exploring her in a way that avoided pleasuring but elicited her sounds of agreement. He touched her as if it was the first time, wanting to know every inch intimately, the texture, the responses. Aeress was becoming frustrated, but at the same time didn't want the focused attention to end. 

     This was all about her. He never once hinted to himself, and this made her crave him even more. 

     His other hand palmed her naked breast, playing with it also by massaging it and grabbing it so possessively. Her supple flesh heated at the contact, tingling with white static that shot straight to her core. 

     His fingers played with her folds, dipping inward ever so slowly only to pull out. Her clit was swollen, begging for attention, but still he refused. Her thighs threatened to close, but she remembered what he said and refused to give in to the urge. 

      "You were made for me," he spoke to her, biting down softly. "You are perfect in every way. It pains me not to pleasure you every single day." 

     "Warrick," she moaned, arching her hips so that his touch was harsher. "Please." 

     He chuckled. "You never have to beg me. Even when I refused before, I never stood a chance..." His touch roughened and Aeress wanted to scream with joy. 

     His arm tightened around her and he waited a beat before entering her with his finger. "I wish this was my cock," he rasped against her ear. She nodded her head along with him. The thought of his member inside of her had her clenching around his hand. "You'd fit perfectly, like a glove." 

     She kept rubbing against his hardness, stimulating the other breast he wasn't giving attention to. He noticed this and brought his other hand down to prod her little bundle of nerves. This provoked her into sexual overdrive. 

     All of the pain had been swept away, and replaced by Warrick and the way he was touching her body. She was wrigling against him, splashing the water about as he brought her closer and closer to climax. Aeress sucked in a breath as he curled his finger, hitting the right spot that got her right at the edge. A little push was needed. 

    This little push came when he bit down hard enough to break the flesh. It didn't hurt in the slightest, and sent her soaring off that cliff. 

     "Warrick!" she groaned, riding the waves, even as he kept massaging her limbs and body. This was healing. This was exactly what she needed. 

     Minutes passed of her recovering. It took no time for her to gather her thoughts. "I thought we couldn't do this anymore?" 

      "You need me, and no matter what you think, I will be here when you need me."

     "Because I'm your mate?" Way to ruin a moment Aeress! 

     He chuckled and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "No, Aeress. If only it were that simple."