33
Valenteen caught me practically the instant I passed my dagger to Astra. I watched the black-and-red-feathered alien fly away and spent an extra few seconds at it before turning to acknowledge her frantic attempts to get my attention.
I was exhausted. I was naked, filthy, cut and bleeding in several places, cold, tired, and I'd put four more competitors in the ground on the way up this fucking mountain. I was not in the mood for this bitch, no matter how well she did the sexy teacher thing.
Though, it must be said, she did it very well.
"Everyone's talking about your incomprehensible decision to spare Maximus. Care to comment?" she asked, looking at me as though I were about to tell her the secret to life's greatest mystery.
Fucking journalists.
"No."
I started to turn away and she dropped a hand to my shoulder as she said, "Don't you dare walk away from this! Why did you spare him!?"
My eyes slowly drifted from her eyes to the hand she had on my shoulder, then back. By the time our gazes locked, her hand was gone, and I said, "Valenteen, there is a difference between a public interrogation and a private interview. This is the second time you've made that mistake and I am under no obligation to give you information of strategic value to me while other people involved in the games can overhear. Now, if you have any other questions, I'll answer them if I can."
As I waited for Valenteen to figure out what she wanted to do with that, it took every ounce of willpower I possessed not to reach out and throttle this ... creature. It wasn't even really her fault. I wasn't angry at her specifically.
I was angry at me.
The truth was I knew why I hadn't killed Maximus when I had the chance. I'm good with knives. I could have done it. His throat was exposed twice, not to mention the free chance at his groin that I'd had when he crouched, but I never took the shot.
Something held me back. If I were a better man it might have been my conscience, but I knew that fucking thing was still dead and buried with my brother's body.
The fact was, for whatever reason, I liked Maximus.
It was a serious problem, and it pissed me off. I'd hate-marched the rest of the way up the whole fucking mountain raging at myself for not taking the shot when I had the chance.
Mercy wasn't my style.
So I had to play it off as a strategic move. Most people would armchair quarterback that one to death, but if anyone figured out I was a softie I was fucking done.
It was a weakness I couldn't afford. Not when my ability to control the people around me depended almost entirely on their belief that I was essentially a rabid dog that might slip the leash any moment.
After several long seconds of silence, Valenteen actually surprised me when she said, "No, that was it. I'll arrange for a private interview later."
"I look forward to it. Now, if you'll excuse me," I said, flipped her the bird, and walked off.
As I did she called after me, "I still don't think that means what you said it means!"
"Too fuckin' right," I muttered, and about then Yim caught up with me.
As usual, she started with a complaint.
"Please don't piss off the interviewers. They can make or break public opinion of you."
I gave her a weary look, then said, "Maybe I should just offer to fuck next time she rolls around. That'd score me some points."
"Actually yes, it would. She'd almost certainly accept and even for a succubus she's hot. Your audience rating would skyrocket."
I just rolled my eyes and said, "Anywhere I can get a shower around here?"
She pointed, then walked with me to a temporary building set up as a locker room. The summit of the mountain was a vast caldera and while a lot of it was taken up by a picturesque lake, it was also windy as fuck and cold. We were on a small artificial island in the center of the lake: the last few hundred yards of the race had actually been a floating bridge over the water.
Despite my best effort I hadn't been first up the mountain, but I was too tired at that point to care. I just wanted my hot shower, and pressed through the door to get it. Yim startled me when she walked right in after and started stripping down.
I stopped to watch, eyebrows raised, and she paused when she noticed. The insides of her ears reddened, which I saw because they where white and the contrast was really stark. She said, "I'll clean you up. I've got some cream that'll take the sting out of those cuts and help them heal faster."
"Suit yourself," I said and stepped into the communal area that took up fully half the temporary and turned on the water at one of the central pillars. It sprayed down at me from the ceiling and the pillar, and I groaned as the crusted mud and blood started to slough off. I set my hands on the pillar, leaned over and just closed my eyes, letting the water pound my weary flesh.
Yim's hands were so gentle that I almost didn't register the touch, gliding slowly up my back. Once they got to my shoulders she dug her fingers in and got a groan out of me.
She leaned over me and murmured, "I know why you spared him."
"Yeah? Well, don't say it out loud. Someone's always listening," I said, head lolling as she kept working my shoulders.
She kept going for several long minutes, and I gotta admit, it was a small slice of heaven amid the hell I found myself in generally.
"Will you say it?" she asked.
I blinked, then leaned away from her and twisted to look, causing her hands to drop away as I asked, "Say what?"
She gazed steadily at me, then reached out and set a hand on my chest. Her hand was half again as big as mine, but her touch was gentle as she said, "If you want more, will you ask for it?"
As I watched, she lifted her other hand to cup one of her breasts. The soft flesh melted into her hand and the sight of it was ... well, it had an effect on me. She was bigger than I was, but seemed vulnerable in that moment. Her eyes were liquid as she gazed at me, ears forward, hair plastered to her head as she stood before me, glistening under the spray.
I was pretty sure her mother'd put her up to this, and before she'd filled her hand with boob sex'd been dead last on my list of things to do. She'd bumped it waaay up that list, but I was hurt, tired, and honestly?
"I just want more of what you were doing earlier," I said.
She nodded and stepped in close as she said, "I will. First, let me wash you."
She did, and she was very attentive about it. It took about three times longer than it had to, and while I'm usually not patient with that sort of thing a combination of my weariness and the fact that Yim was probably making a real effort even trying this made me put up with it.
The fact that it felt really good made that easier.
When she replaced soapy hands with a supple tongue, I didn't complain. Instead, I set a hand on her head and explored the base of one of her ears with my fingers. Her eyes momentarily crossed as she leaned hard into my hand, and I grinned when she looked up at me with accusing eyes and said, "I'm supposed to make you feel good."
"I enjoy this," I said, fingers settling again and rubbing absently. "It puts me at ease."
She tried valiantly to keep playing with my cock, but eventually wound up with her cheek on my thigh, tongue lolling out of her mouth as she leaned into me while I rubbed her ears.
It was obvious she was better at receiving than dishing out.
Settling down at the base of the pillar from which the water sprayed, I sighed and closed my eyes. Yim laid down with her head in my lap and rolled her head toward me, quietly accepting her lot in life.
"This isn't what I had in mind ..." she murmured at one point, but when I didn't answer she didn't press.
After a while she absently said, "Smooth fingers are so much better. I love the way you can dig in and it doesn't hurt."
"Thanks for this," I said, not bothering to open my eyes.
"I still don't understand why you like it so much."
"I don't know the word for it. It's like being young again, when the world was full of promise and life ... when everyone I ever loved was still alive, and we could dream impossible dreams together. Stay like this with me for just a little longer ... okay?"
Yim wrapped her arms around my middle and pulled herself fully onto my lap. I slid off the pole to lay on the tile, but she covered me and set her head on my chest. I could feel all the curves, but kept my fingers working behind her ears, switching every once in a while.
It was a long time before I finally came a little back to myself and opened my eyes. I glanced down to find her staring soulfully at me, her muzzle on her hands on my chest, and when our eyes met she said, "I'm ... so sad for you. I don't think I've ever met anyone so deeply unhappy."
I smiled and leaned up. She did as well, but I caught her cheek with one hand and leaned in, kissing the tip of her muzzle lightly as I said, "Well, you made it better, if only for a little while. Come on. If I stay under the water any longer I'm going to shrivel up."
"Really?!" she asked, ears flicking to focus on me, abruptly alarmed.
I rolled my eyes, shooed her away, and finished my shower. There was a fresh set of blue-and-gold clothes waiting for me and I dried, then dressed as Yim quickly washed. I waited for her, and we left the temporary together.
Pala was leaning against the wall outside and glanced up when we appeared, then raised an eyebrow. I noticed her nose flexing as she scented the air, then her brow furrowed as she looked at her daughter.
"She was exactly what I needed," I said. "Has Maximus finished yet?"
Pala blinked twice in answer to my question as she asked, "What do you mean? I don't smell any sex. She was supposed to seduce you."
I just gazed at her for a moment, then said, "She did. Completely."
They didn't follow me as I walked away, but I heard them talking. Since I didn't care what they might say I went over to where the leaderboard was displayed. Most of the first-leg contestants that weren't dead had already arrived and passed their batons on for the next segment of the race.
Astra had already passed her baton off to Phoebe, though my doll hadn't finished her leg yet.
Valenteen was there, but as she glanced my way I smiled and gave her the middle finger. She scowled and turned, obviously looking for someone else to interview.
Felt good man. Felt reaaal good.
Eventually, Pala and Yim found me on a bench set up for those waiting to participate in the second leg. It was otherwise empty save for one lone duoden female, obviously Maximus' ally. She was sitting as far from me as possible and giving me furtive glances, but I didn't give two shits about her, so it didn't bother me.
"Our transport is waiting," Yim said. "It'll take us down so we can greet Phoebe when she finishes her leg. She'll be done in the next ten minutes. We should hurry if we want to make it."
"You two go ahead. I'm going to wait here."
"Why?"
It was Pala asking, and her tone was flat. I glanced back at her, then said, "Because I fucking want to, that's why. If I need a better reason you've got a fight on your hands. Now git. I'll be along later."
Yim said, "How? If our transport leaves without you then-"
"Then I'll climb back down this fucking mountain in the dark. I'm staying."
"But-"
Yim's protest cut off with a yelp of pain, and I heard Pala muttering as the two walked away: "It'll be good drama."
It'd been somewhere around noon when I crossed the finish line. It was evening when Maximus limped into sight on the far side of the bridge. By then almost everyone had left the checkpoint, though there was a medical team standing by, obviously waiting for the borealan.
Valenteen was there as well, though she'd kept a wary distance from me that I appreciated.
The duoden stood up, as did I. Yet while she advanced to the pass line, waiting in an obvious agony of concern for her ally, I stayed where I was at the bench, watching.
Maximus was moving awkwardly, using both hands and his lone foot to advance, but when he reached the floating bridge he passed it up, jumping into the lake to swim the distance instead. It was probably far easier than making it on foot, but it was obvious that he was bone weary and even swimming his progress was torturously slow.
Nevertheless, he made it, crawled ashore, and took the baton from his teeth to pass it to his teammate, who then raced off across the bridge on her way back down the mountain.
I glanced over at the medical team but they were all staring at me, as was Valenteen.
Since they were giving me the moment, I strolled up to Maximus, now on his back, panting and on the verge of blacking out by the look of it.
His eyes focused when I came into view. I nodded once and knelt next to him. I knew I was in range, knew he could reach out and snap my neck as easily as I had snapped the syban's, but he lay still. I leaned close to his ear, inhaled deeply through my nose, then murmured, "So that's what failure smells like. I always wondered. Now I know."
I leaned away to look him in the eye. After a long few seconds, he blinked, unable to hold my gaze.
I raised my eyebrows, staring with deadly intent at him as I said, "Remember this feeling, Maximus ... but if you ever forget it, don't worry. I'll be here to remind you."
Standing up, I looked down on him and added, "Get well soon."
He stared at me, then closed his eyes. I'd expected more rage from him, but apparently he was too tired. I turned and — as the medical team closed in — walked away.
If I was lucky, I'd put the fear of mankind into the big pussy, and Maximus wouldn't try for another direct confrontation. If I was unlucky ... well, honestly, he'd probably have his revenge. That was the real reason I'd stayed, why I'd said what I said. I wanted to make sure that if he ever did try again, he did absolutely everything he could to kill me as quickly as possible knowing that if he missed, I wouldn't.
The only thing left to do was figure out how to get off this cold-ass fucking mountain.