Chapter 20

Nikki had waited for Zachary to close the door before she had made her way to Xavier’s side. She sat down on the bed right next to him and remained there, keeping vigil until he woke up.

It was nearly an hour later when she felt him stir. Glancing at his face, she saw his eyelids flutter a few times before he moaned softly.

She leaned in and ran her fingers along his brow softly whispering, “Xavier? Can you hear me? It’s Nikki.”

He blinked his eyes, trying to clear his vision as he looked up at her.

Nikki smiled at the sight of his clear emerald green eyes. “Hi.”

“Hi,” he mumbled.

“How are you feeling?”

“Sore and a little tired,” he said, trying to sit up.

As he began to frown at the chains holding him hostage, Nikki placed a calming hand on his chest, “It’s okay. They did it for your protection. We weren’t sure if you’d wake up whole or not.”

“Whole? Did I…?”

Nikki nodded, “Yeah, your father pushed you too far it seems. You got angry and attacked him. Do you remember any of it?”

Xavier closed his eyes and shook his head negatively.

Nikki sat up and continued to stare at him. He couldn’t remember any of it. That meant it was even worse than they all thought.

Nikki sighed, “Why did you lie to me?”

He opened his eyes and looked at her, “What do you mean?”

“You told me you were handling it. Zach said you weren’t that bad.”

Xavier sighed, “I thought I could handle it, I didn’t want to worry you.”

“You didn’t want to worry me! God Xavier, you wanted me to be honest and open with you and here you are hiding things from me!”

“Nikki…”

“No! Listen to me! What if you hadn’t come back this time? It took two shots Xavier! Two of them! And they said it still took you a while to go under! They weren’t even sure you’d wake up yourself! And what’s worse, you can’t even remember what you did! This has gone too far!”

“Nikki, please. I’m okay now. I came back.”

She closed her eyes, “And what about next time, huh? Do you think it will take three shots then? Or will I lose you forever?”

“I can do this! I know I can! We just have six more days and…”

“Xavier! Your mother said the healers think you only have about two more days! If you’re lucky! Do you really want to risk that?”

“They’re just scared.”

“We all are! And I’m sorry, but I don’t want to risk losing you like that.”

“Nikki?”

She slowly stood up from the bed and looked down at him. “I don’t want to wait anymore, Xavier. We are here, in your room, in your bed and I want to be yours.”

Xavier lay there stunned as Nikki put her hands on the hem of her shirt and lifted it up to reveal smooth skin. Swallowing, he whispered, “Nikki, please. Don’t do this.”

She paused in her removal of her shirt, “Why? Don’t you want me?”

“Yes, but not this way.”

“If not now, when? After the wedding? Xavier, don’t you get it? There isn’t going to be a wedding if you don’t do this now.”

He shut his eyes and Nikki could see him clenching his jaw. Through gritted teeth he growled, “I won’t use you like this! You mean more to me than a sacrifice Nikki!”

“Oh Xavier, don’t you think I know that? I know why you wanted to wait, I do. But you know we can’t. I want to do this. Look at me.” She waited until he opened his eyes, “See? This is me, your ulhi’maos, who wants to be one with you. I want to love you.”

Xavier took a deep breath trying to keep calm, but when Nikki continued to remove her shirt, he felt his body go rigid. His eyes went wide as Nikki let her shirt fall to the ground before she began to undo her jeans.

Curling his fingers into fists, Xavier felt the beginnings of his claws as he helplessly watched Nikki shimmy out of her jeans and her sandals. By the time she was down to her bra and panties, he was beginning to hyperventilate as fear began to grip him.

Nikki walked towards him and he shut his eyes, feeling the wildness beginning to rise again. He ground his teeth together and dug his claws into his palms trying to leash the wildness. But he knew it was a losing battle when it had begun.

Nikki leaned over the bed, noticing Xavier’s tightly shut eyes and his tensed body. She reached out to wipe away the sweat beginning to form on his brow. “Xavier, look at me. Just relax and look at me.”

He made a soft sound, a cross between a whimper and a growl.

Nikki didn’t back down, “Open your eyes, dimo agalo.”

Xavier’s body arched off the bed, surprising Nikki who instantly pressed her palms against his chest, trying to push him back onto the bed. He opened glowing green eyes staring at her helplessly for a moment before tossing his head back and letting out a deafening roar.

Nikki’s ears hurt from the sound, but she refused to cover her ears or show him any sign of fear. She would beat this, she had to if she wanted to save her love. Leaning over him once more, she gently caressed his jaw, talking to him in a soothing voice, “It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m right here. We’ll be okay, mo’ba.”

Xavier began to struggle, twisting on the bed, trying to get his limbs out of the chains and growling as they refused to give. Nikki slowly slid over him, until she was straddling his waist.

“Xavier, Tazolo sa nem.”

When he continued to growl, she leaned down and brushed her lips over his. He hissed softly, but allowed her to kiss him.

Nikki deepened the kiss until she could slide her tongue into his mouth, brushing it against his. She felt his body shudder beneath her and softer growls rumbled through his chest where her hands lay.

She heard his voice in her mind, I’m sorry Nikki. I wanted it to be perfect for you.


I’m with you, Xavier. How can this not be perfect? she replied while sliding her hands down his chest, to take the hem of his shirt in her hands.

Nikki slid down his body until she was over his thighs, then she leaned down and pushed his shirt up, exposing his chest. She looked up to see Xavier looking at her with pale green eyes. She gave him a smile as she lowered her head and pressed a kiss against his abs.

Xavier’s breath hitched at the feel of Nikki’s lips against his sensitized skin. He gripped the chains in his hands as she trailed kisses up his chest, all while pushing his shirt up too. As she straddled his hips once more, she gently pushed his shirt over his head, then behind it to keep it out of his way.

Nikki leaned down and kissed him again, pressing her chest against his. He moaned into her mouth and almost whimpered when she moved away, to sit up. He stared at her as she reached behind her and undid the clasp for her bra. Xavier’s eyes widened as she began to slowly remove it, but his eyes stayed trained on hers.

When she tossed the bra to the side, she sat there watching him. His chest rose and fell with his heavy breathing and Nikki could feel him trembling. She slid her hands over his chest and whispered, “It’s okay to look.”

He swallowed and lowered his eyes to her chest. “Nikki…” he hissed as he shut his eyes once more.

Nikki sighed and slid down his body once more. She began to undo his pants as she kissed and nibbled on his skin. When they were undone, she moved off of him to slide them down his hips. Her eyes went wide and she gasped as she realized he wore nothing underneath them.

The soft growling whimper came from Xavier again and she heard his inner voice again, You don’t have to do this, if you’re not ready.

She looked up at his face, his eyes were clenched shut again. She smiled as she realized he thought she was shocked by what she saw. She had never seen a naked man like this before, but from all the times she’d been near Xavier, she had an inkling that he wasn’t small. No, she wasn’t shocked by his body, she was actually thrilled and very excited.

She went back to pushing his pants down to his calves, “I’m ready.” She said as she leaned over him once more, her mouth near his ear, “Can’t you smell how ready I am?”

His response was a quiet rumbling growl which sent shivers down Nikki’s spine, and not the frightened kind either. Nikki could feel her heart beating faster, in time to the beat of Xavier’s. She heard it clearly. He was as excited as she was, but she knew his excitement was tempered with fear for her.

Curling her fingers around his jaw, she turned his head towards hers and kissed him again. She took her time kissing him. Savoring the taste of him and allowing him to get lost in her kiss. She felt him responding to her, felt his body relaxing as he kissed her back.

When she was certain he was relaxed enough, she slid over him again, pressing her body over the length of his. He moaned in her mouth and a slight tension in his body was the only sign of his lingering fear. She slid her hands down his shoulders, his chest, and rested them lightly against his ribs.

Slowly pulling her mouth from his, she kissed the corner of his mouth, then nibbled her way down his jaw and neck. As she made her way over his collarbone, trailing her tongue over it before kissing his chest, she could feel him trembling again. But she knew, this time it was from anticipation, not fear.

She moved her lips over his chest and swirled her tongue over his right nipple, eliciting a gasp from him. He clutched the chains in his hands once more as she gently sucked his nipple before moving to the other one and giving it the same treatment.

Xavier kept his eyes closed, unable to look at what she was doing to him for fear he’d lose control. Instead, he was beginning to lose himself in a world of feeling as Nikki’s hands, mouth, and body wreaked havoc on his skin. He’d thought it’d been hard before to touch her with clothes on. But now, he could feel almost all of her naked skin and his body was telling him it was heaven.

He felt her lips moving up his chest once more and then she was kissing him again. He willingly opened his mouth to her, allowing her to suck him in. He was so lost in her that he was vaguely aware of her legs sliding over his and moving towards his hips.

Nikki continued to devour Xavier knowing this was the only way to keep him from panicking. As she kissed him, she slid her underwear off before shifting up to position herself over him. She placed one hand on the bed for leverage and slid the other one down to his hip. She kissed him for a few more moments before quickly straightening up and impaling herself on him.

Xavier’s eyes opened wide as he heard Nikki gasp. She sat still over him with her eyes clenched shut. He went limp beneath her as he saw a single tear slide down her cheek.

“Oh Nikki,” he whispered hoarsely.

Nikki opened her eyes to look down at Xavier and saw the way his eyes glowed a dull red. She sighed, “I’m okay. It just hurt for a moment that’s all.”

Before he could protest, she began to slowly rotate her hips. Closing her eyes, she focused on the way he felt inside of her. She could feel him tensing up beneath her again, so she linked her mind with his. Feel me Xavier, the way I feel you. Let me love you. Don’t you know how long I’ve waited to feel you inside of me like this? Idi agalo esu.

Xavier moaned at her words, even as he felt her begin to lift up and slide back down his length. He watched her as she slowly rode him, her face showing him the pleasure she felt from him. He watched as she tilted her head back slightly, her lips parting as she panted. He could feel her fingers digging into his sides as she quickened her pace.

He couldn’t take it any more. Watching her love him was more than his body could handle. He shifted slightly, distributing his weight so that he could lift his hips to meet her downward thrusts. She moaned as she felt him deeper inside of her and leaned forward, placing her hands on his shoulders.

Opening her eyes, she looked down into his and smiled. His eyes were now a milky white as he stared right back at her. Her heart flipped as she saw an answering smile spread over his lips. She used her thighs as leverage to keep riding him as his moans and pants began to match hers.

She could feel the pressure beginning to build inside of her. Tightening her body even more, she picked up the pace, wanting to reach the end quicker. Suddenly she gripped Xavier’s sides and threw her head back with a cry of ecstasy.

It was the only warning Xavier got before he felt her liquid heat wash over him. The sudden tightening of her walls around him was all he needed to mix his cry with hers.

Nikki felt Xavier explode inside of her even as her own orgasm continued to roll through her body. She kept her hold on him for as long as she could, trying to prolong the pleasure for both of them. When she felt him shudder and relax beneath her, she slowed her movements. Slowly, she lay down over his body, tucking her head into his neck.

They lay like that for a while, allowing their heartbeats and breathing to return to normal. When their bodies had cooled down, Nikki lifted her head to look at Xavier.

He turned his head to look at her and she smiled when she saw his clear emerald eyes again. She shifted slightly to kiss his lips and delighted in the way he immediately deepened it.

When she pulled away to look into his eyes again, he spoke, “Idi agalo esu, Nikki. Vergita dimo ulhi’maos.”

Tears welled in her eyes as she responded, “Vergita. Idi agalo esu vergita, Xavier.”

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Zachary paced back and forth in front of the stairs. Every now and then he’d glance up the stairs as if expecting to see Nikki running down them.

It had now been almost two hours since they had left Nikki alone with Xavier and he was really beginning to worry. Especially since it had been too quiet for the last hour. He even wondered if they would have been able to hear Nikki’s call for help from the first floor. Now that he thought of it, he didn’t think Nikki’s voice would carry all the way down from the fifth floor.

Zachary turned to face Marcus who was sitting on the couch next to his wife, “Your Highness, I think we’ve let enough time go by. We should go check.”

Marcus sighed as Devnet spoke, “Leave them be, Zachary. They’re fine.”

“How do you know?” He protested, “It’s been too quiet for the last hour! What if she called to us and we couldn’t hear her all the way up there!”

“Trust me Zach, if we didn’t hear Nikki, we would have heard Xavier. If he managed to get loose and hurt her, he’d be on his way down here, don’t you think?”

Zachary opened his mouth, but immediately shut it when he realized Devnet was right. If Xavier had gotten loose, the last thing the wildness in him would want was to be contained. He would definitely try to get out of his cage and run rampant through the kingdom until someone put him out of his misery.

Frowning, he turned to look up the stairs once more and let out a gasp of surprise as Nikki slowly drifted down. His eyes did a quick inventory of her physical being and he immediately noticed her hair hung loose and she wore a robe with Xavier’s initials on it.

The others in the room came to their feet as Nikki placed bare feet on the last step and looked at them all. “He’s all right now.” She turned to Zachary and held out her hand, “I need the keys to the chains.”

Zachary frowned, “Are you certain? What if he has a relapse and…”

“Zachary,” Devnet interrupted as she locked eyes with Nikki, “Give the ipa’sprin the key.”

Silence descended as Devnet’s words sunk in. Zachary turned to Nikki and realized what had happened as he took in her appearance once more. Without another word, he reached into his pocket and handed the keys to Xavier‘s princess.

Nikki nodded her thanks and turned to Devnet, “I’ll take care of him tonight. You should all go and get some rest, you can come see him in the morning.”

Devnet nodded, “Of course.” She gave Nikki a smile, “How are you feeling?”

Nikki gave her a soft smile, “I’m whole, so is your son.”

Devnet’s smile widened, “I’m glad. Thank you, ko’dau.”

Nikki’s eyes let Devnet know she understood that Devnet considered her to be her daughter now, since she was as good as married to Xavier.

Marcus nodded his agreement, “Yes, thank you, Nikki.”

Nikki nodded as the others bowed to her before leaving the room behind the King and Queen. Once the door closed, she made her way back up the stairs to the bedroom.

Xavier opened his eyes when he caught Nikki’s scent. He smiled as she closed the door, locked it, and made her way to the bed. He took in the sight of her wrapped in his large robe and decided he liked how it looked on her.

Nikki slid onto the bed and pulled the keys out of the robe’s pocket. She held them up, dangling them in front of him with a grin, “Will you be a good boy if I let you go?”

He arched an eyebrow, “What if I don’t want to be?”

She chuckled, “I could keep you chained like this all night, you know.” She slid a finger down his chest, “I kind of like you like this.”

Xavier playfully growled and nipped at her finger, “Unchain me, go’malar! So I can show you how a wahani ipi’sapri loves his ulhi’maos!”

She giggled and did as he said, unlocking the chains from his wrists and his ankles. She tossed the keys on the floor as Xavier sat there massaging his wrists for a moment.

He looked into her eyes and asked, “How are you feeling?”

She chuckled, “You really are like your mother aren’t you?” At his questioning look she said, “She asked me the same thing.”

Xavier blushed at the realization that his mother knew what had happened between him and Nikki.

Nikki reached up to caress his cheek as she answered, “I told them I was whole, just like you are.” She leaned in to kiss his lips as she continued, “So they know what happened. It was inevitable anyway. I had to save you, Xavier. Your mother knew it was the only way.”

Nikki crawled into his lap and wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he wrapped his around her waist. “I don’t regret it at all. You have to know that Xavier, I loved every moment of it because I was with you.”

Xavier closed his eyes as he held her tighter, “I know. I’m glad. I love you Nikki. I promise I’ll always love you.”

She pulled away from him with a twinkle in her eye, “Good. Now, my ipi’sapri, show me how you would love your ulhi’maos.”

With a grin, Xavier pulled her down into the sheets.

Translations
ulhi'maos - soul mate
dimo agalo - my love
mo'ba - baby
tazolo sa nem - look at me
idi agalo esu - I love you
vergita - forever
ipa'sprin - princess
ko'dau - daughter
go'malar - woman
ipi'sapri - prince