Sacred

Chapter 17

   She could see it now. Well sort of. It had leathery black skin from its chest down to its waist, where two hairy dog legs took the place of human legs. It's arms were long and each hand had six fingers like Nick had described. But no words could describe how terrifying the head was. It was a wolf's head, but it had little to no fur on it, as black as the rest of it. The only part of the beast that wasn't remotely hairless was the humongous tail that had to be four feet long and drag the ground. It was so fluffy, it looked more like a fox's brush. It's pain crazed eyes were red and seemed even more so now that flames were engulfing its body. It's lips were pulled back in a snarl and drool dripped down its fangs, stained red by what looked like fresh blood.

   Abel. She thought.

   It made a terrible hissing sound before it collapsed, jerking and twitching on the ground. Nicholas went over and stabbed it in the chest with his knife. It gave one last twitch before laying still. He yanked his knife out and kicked the carcass into the river.

   Alex smiled and threw the top blanket off, keeping the one that hid her body, but as she did, she had a realization that she should have had much sooner. "You're the fifteenth descendent of the leader of the Lights. Why didn't I see it?"

   He shrugged and twiddled his fingers, getting awkward again. "Umm…probably because I've been acting like an awkward nerd ever since you stepped up to the house."

   She laughed and rushed into his arms. Jacob and Grace came out of their tent and smiled at him. Jacob spoke for both of them. "Thank you. For protecting us and our daughter. I also thank you for being the man she gets to marry."

   Nick nodded and glanced down at the ring that Abel had placed on her hand. He touched it and then pulled it off, chucking it into the water behind him. "I don't want any reminders of him. I'll get you a proper ring when we get back to the surface world."

   She laughed and hugged him tighter. He smiled and bent his head down so he could press his nose into her perfect hair. He didn't expect to make it back to the surface world. The Darklens would kill him if he made a mistake. He just aimed to live long enough to make sure she was pregnant with his child. To ensure they had one though, they'd have to make several attempts. The only thing wrong with that is that there was no privacy down here. Sound echoed and the floor was cold to bare skin.

   Nick glanced down and caught a peak of her breasts as the blanket parted. He shook himself and yanked the blanket closed, hiding her body from his eyes. He didn't need any urges right now. When one Darklen could get in, all of them could get in. He pulled her over to his tent and she crawled in, laying out on the sort of mattress he had there. His blankets were thrown randomly across it, making it look tacky, but when she laid across them, they looked majestic and regal as her pale skin and blonde hair contrasted the scarlet color. It contrasted even more so when she threw the blanket off, exposing every last curve and hollow he wished to see. He couldn't stop himself.

   Once again, they made love, even quieter this time, but he figured the others would still hear them a little, but that didn't worry him. What worried him was the possibility that he'd never watch his wife's stomach become heavy with a child. Never get to see his child learn to talk, walk, or grow up. He wanted to see every last memory.

   He had earlier denied that the priest wed them because he refused to marry her in an underground tunnel surrounded by threats and fear. He wanted a proper wedding, with flowers and sunshine and everyone in their kingdom to watch. He could just imagine it. He'd watch as she came up the aisle, decked in a wedding dress that complimented her body figure. He'd hold her hands as they said their vows, watch her tear up when he said I do, kiss her lips to seal their vows. As he rolled off and laid beside her, panting and sweating, he looked at her, staring into her green irises.

   "I love you." Her soft voice whispered into the silence, slicing it like a knife.

   He smiled and chuckled. "I love you too." He took her hand in his before pulling the blanket over them and falling asleep.