The LEVELER King ✔

CHAPTER 3

A shiver ran through Indel, but he was too proud to vocalize his discomfort. Nala waited for the surly lord to gripe or complain.

Nothing.

He said not a word.

He was in pain, though. Maybe longing for that nectar he had whined about in his sleep. Nala had to focus on the nectar, because the other things Indel demanded in his listless rest had driven her to circle the barn in the dead of night to avoid hearing them.

They were safe inside this Earther structure, however. That had been the Summoners' downfall; these structures. The Earthmen came with their materials and technology. No one understood at first, that creatures and materials of this planet rotted when in contact with earth substances for too long. Animals noticed fast and kept their distance.

To stave off that rot, Summoners made sacrifices to keep their first stage for the benefit of their exoskeleton. In time, new generations simply could not reach beyond it.

Summoners, larger than Levelers but less interested in a fight, surrounded themselves with Earth matter as a way to be free of the Levelers' bondage.

Levelers were their protectors, their fighters, and admittedly, the ones to breed the most. Summoners, though bigger and stronger for labor, weren't as quick, weren't as violent, and weren't as...driven in desires of the flesh. They could succumb to them. Countless stories spoke of Leveler breeding males ravishing a Summoner female for hours, seducing her away from her clan. And Summoner males who fell prey to Leveler females were never heard from again. Their passion was unrivaled.

Unaccustomed to this new stage, this new body, and these new reactions, Nala felt on edge.

She had met few Levelers in her time. But to meet their king...her king, she was disappointed beyond words. The Leveler King was awful.

She could see now why Earthers had categorized them as they had. Meek and easily called upon; Summoners became the Earthers' allies. Violent, short-tempered and cantankerous, Indel's people were called demons, then Levelers. And it was true; Levelers were a truly horrible race.

"I apologize." Indel's voice sounded sweet without its usual edge. "I've always made the journey in silence. This time my Viceroy suggested this new, "faster" route. But it was an ambush. Perhaps if I hadn't been so...demanding, Viceroy wouldn't have been so eager to appease me. He would have been more thorough. The prospect of an assassination attempt troubled me greatly but that's no excuse. I apologize. I...you've taken me in and I've all but killed your Betty."

Indel's smoky grey eyes held sincerity, something Nala hadn't thought the lord was capable of. They seemed gentle and full of longing. Nala found herself calming as well.

"It's not a Betty," Nala grumbled. "It's a sloth, and I didn't name it."

"Oh." Indel shifted under his blanket. "My father talked of it. So many Bettys. It was a popular name for pets back then."

"Is that what you plan to call me?" Nala grumbled. "Since I'm a pet, too, in your eyes."

The young lord had the grace to blush, his pink skin darkening until it was nearly purple.

"Country brat, I have a problem," Indel said. His choice of words, though distasteful, held no malice. "I'm in the ready for spilling my seed. But I have no means to do so. Would you allow me but a lay? If only to stave off the anguish. My groin feels heavy, and my body tight. It's a burden I bear. But I am in pain. If you'd only offer your mouth...I would not disrespect you with the suggestion that you show your back to me and let me spread you."

Each word hit Nala, making her chest feel heavy.

"What are you asking?"

Indel stared at her, his expression blank. "I only ask that you take your king into your mouth for but a moment. Am I so unpleasant that you'd refuse? My body's narrow, and I'm full and thick. I know it cannot be my appearance. No Leveler female would ever refuse such an honor. Yet you shun me. Might I ask why?"