My Wild Beast-Chapter 77: The Akhlut

Hours could have passed, or even days, but Nova was content to remain in Yoa’s arms, enjoying the warmth of his body, and feeling safe in his arms. The soothing hushed roar of the waterfall and the luminous pools and vines cast colourful firelight along their bodies. They hadn’t done anything but snuggle, but it felt so much more than that.

Nova sighed in content, smiling softly as her head rested on Yoa’s chest. His fingers idly stroked along her spine, ridge after ridge until her lower back then reversing the path up her back. Since covering his wounds with the leaves and paste, Yoa had relaxed more. He’d told her the leaves naturally numb any pain while the Rootmilk quickened the healing process.

Naturally, she did not lie on his injured side, but he still managed to hook her thigh over his waist. It took a lot of pain for Yoa to halt his advances on her after staring at her body looking so delicious and sprawled over him like some teasing fantasy. If it wasn’t for his injuries, he would have mated with her over and over again by now.

That raging inferno inside of him became a restless simmer and after a while calmed more when he heard the steady beat of Nova’s heart. She’d fallen asleep for a few hours, and he became hypnotised, watching her, and tracing every part of her body in worship. When Nova roused from sleep, she’d smiled up at him in the cutest way, all bleary-eyed and sank into his body further, lips pressing against his in a soft, lingering kiss.

This was like something out of a dream. If it was then Nova had no intention of waking up. Inside this cave, they were in their own little magical bubble.

They’d been in a comfortable silence after kissing and tracing each other’s bodies for, ignoring the sparks tingling on their skin to go further. But questions began spilling from Nova’s lips, her curiosity returning through the haze of their little love bubble.

"What happened yesterday? You had to leave when we were about to..." Nova trailed off, her cheeks blushing a little even though it was perfectly natural and they she was currently completely naked and flattened on him like a second skin.

Yoa sighed, his fingers pausing at the base of her spine and he kissed the top of her head. "An Ancient killed some vampiras and dragged one out to sea."

"Vampiras..." Nova murmured then shivered at the reminder of the naked bat weirdos that had tried chasing her. Count Dangula and his floppy freak.

She shook off the twisted memory and found Yoa staring at her questionably, and the rest of what he’d said fell into place. "An ancient?" Her eyes widened. "DRAGGED it out to sea...? So much has happened since I ran into them, but if they’re like the vampires in the films and shows in my world... Aren’t they meant to be quite fierce?"

Nova searched his eyes, seeking answers. She was already accepting everything now, and legend or fairytale, supernatural beings, they all swirled into one now with the possibility of them being real. Real in this world anyway, and perhaps a little in her own world.

She was here after all. There had to be some magic in her world to bring her to this beast one.

Yoa nodded, his lips downcast and brows furrowed. "They are. The vampiras were such a force once that our ancestors cast a tremendous about of magic to keep them locked in the caves. They are barely surviving but are still powerful. I’m not worried about them..."

His hand tightened on her thigh, casting a glance across the cave from their alcove, like a threat might jump out at them and take her from him. "You’re worried about this Ancient..." Nova tilted her head back to read his fierce expression. "Tell me about it?"

Yoa’s gaze dragged back to Novas, and he lowered his lips to hers, his mouth lingering on her, drinking the taste of her in, the pull of the Serakai bond tugging at him to take more, complete this, erase the Nokari bond, claim her. But he reluctantly pulled away.

He wanted to be whole when he claimed Nova, to share that moment without pain, without anything coming between them and what it was meant to be. The Serakai bond was no joke, and as much as he and the beast inside him wanted to make her his, to let Vulcan feel even a sliver of the pain and heartache he’d inflicted on them, Yoa couldn’t bring himself to do it. Nova would suffer too, to some extent, until the Serakai bond overpowered the Nokari one.

He would never do that to her. To hurt her was to hurt his soul.

"The Akhlut—the Ancient— has never appeared in all the time I served as a guardian. I knew of the creature that slept close to the shores, at the bottom of the sea, and I patrolled the coast even though it never showed itself..." Yoa trailed off, his eyes darkening, fixed on the cave though clearly seeing something else.

Nova’s hand slid along his chest, up his neck, and along his jaw, wanting to disband some of the tension there. "But...?" She whispered, prompting him to continue.

Yoa leaned into her touch, his eyes fluttering shut for a moment before snapping open, and locking onto her like she was something sacred, a mystical creature he couldn’t bear to look away from. His gaze lingered on her a moment longer, then sharpened as his thoughts drifted back to the Akhlut.

"It has only ever been known to skim the beaches for prey, never beyond that, not in all recorded history," he sighed, still finding comfort in Nova’s touch. "But this time, it sought out the vampiras. Their caves are nowhere near the beach. It took a few and killed them but not to sate its hunger. It left their bodies behind... like a warning, or for sport."

"For sport..." Nova whispered as a shiver trickled down Nova’s spine, and goosebumps prickled across her skin.

That was worse than if this creature just needed something to eat and couldn’t find anything on the beach!

Her brows drew together, worry shadowing her features. Yoa’s hands moved gently over her arms, chasing away the goosebumps, and he pressed a tender kiss to her shoulder.

"Is this something we need to be worried about?" She asked at last, then paused, suddenly wondering when it had become a we issue. Had she just overstepped some boundary? It wasn’t like she was the guardian of the island.

She glanced at him nervously, but Yoa didn’t look irritated or uncomfortable at her use of words, he didn’t pull away. If anything, his gaze softened. Whatever apprehension and insecurity she felt melted away the moment he met her gaze.

Yoa kissed her shoulder again with a soft smile, then leaned his head back against the cave wall, his eyes hardening.

"For now, it’s hard to say. The Akhlut has made its first appearance in my time as Tayun’s guardian, and it left a bloodied mark on the land. By targeting the vampiras it has shown how dangerous it truly is. It passed over easier prey, which tells me it acted with purpose. Whatever its reason... we cannot ignore it."

Nova nodded, letting his words sink in, along with the quiet strength behind them. She felt so safe in his arms, even while injured as he was. Those wounds had come from a brutal fight with a damned eagle shifter, and still, he held her like she needed protecting, even now in the safety of the cave. She nestled closer with a soft, contented sigh, her heart tugging toward him.

She wanted to know more about this man, the beast that had stolen her heart so effortlessly. And dare she admit it... from the very moment their eyes met in that pit. He was the beast, her beast, who had claimed her heart before she even realised she was giving it away.

Her fingers lazily drew patterns along his chest, enjoying the feel of his skin beneath hers. "How did you become the guardian of the island?" She asked curiously. "The other tribes act like you’re a menace."

Nova was reminded of the Cihuateteo and that haunting walk through the forest, as well as the description Yoa had once given her of the Ichtaca, the Ancient he’d tried to save that girl from. How could the tribes fear him so deeply, when all he had done was protect them? Her heart squeezed at the injustice of it all.

Yoa’s hand stilled on her shoulder. "They do not know what I am. Only the chiefs, and those who survived the trials to become Yiska, are sworn to secrecy."

Nova watched him with interest, her fingers pausing as she braced herself for his refusal. "Can you tell me more?" She whispered. "Or is it forbidden?"

"You can ask me anything and I will tell you all there is to know about me. I can sense your hesitation, your habit of second guessing. Be at ease with me, Nova."

His palm cupped her cheek as his gaze locked onto hers, his voice softening into a tender whisper that curled around her heart like a lover’s embrace.

"You do not need to fear anything with me. In time, you will see this. You. Are. My. Serakai." He whispered it like a vow wrapped in velvet, meant only for her.

Yoa grinned down at her, his smile a beacon of warmth, chasing away the uncertainty that had stupidly crept into her limbs once again.

She deflated a little against him with a long breath, her muscles relaxing as she settled into him more, a soft smiling curling at the corners of her lips. "Alright. Then... How long have you been a guardian? Wait... How old are you?"

Obviously, she knew they were around the same age, he might even be a little older. It was hard to tell. He carried the weight of his responsibilities like a man with a lifetime of experience, yet there were moments when he was playful, like the big cat he was, and other times he looked so much younger and carefree, making her wonder about his age.

Yoa chuckled at her little outburst, enjoying the spark in her eyes.

"Twenty-eight times the sun has chased the moon across the sky. The moon has watched me grow, the sun has burned me stronger. I became Tayun’s guardian after the first fourteen dances of the sun and moon," he answered, watching her with intrigue. "What about you, little mouse?"

Nova’s brows rose at the way he spoke of his age, though she knew intuitively understood it was common terminology here on the island. And—did she hear that right?! He was made guardian at fourteen?! Then again, was it really so surprising? He was probably bigger than most adults even then.

"I’ve lived through twenty-five turns of the sky," she said, feeling a little awkward about phrasing her it that way. But there was no amusement on his face, so she must have said it right. "As for the sun and moon... They’re hidden by clouds quite a lot where I’m from," she added with a small smile. "Now, tell me about these trials!"

Yoa smirked at her words and kissed the top of her head before resting his head back against the cave wall. Then, in that quiet space, he began to tell her about the trials he endured to become guardian of the island.

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