“Oh my God, I didn’t know that.” Lauren put a hand to her mouth. “What happened?”
Xairn shrugged. “I absorbed his power instead. Or rather, I started too. But my mother…” He had to clear his throat before continuing. “She…she begged me with her dying breath not to take his essence into myself. She said it would corrupt my soul. So I let it go instead.” He sighed. “When it did, my own power went with it. I can no longer read minds or compel anyone to do my bidding.”
Lauren looked at him hopefully. “So…you let that part of yourself go?”
“Only the power left,” Xairn said flatly. “My Scourge instincts and urges remain. And now that the small strand of human DNA which I got from you has been broken and overwhelmed by my own genetic material, I am worse than I was before.”
“I never thought you were so bad,” Lauren said softly.
“That is because you don’t know what is in my heart,” he said grimly.
“I want to, though. I want to know it all.” Scooping the wriggling puppy out of his arms, she set Little One down in the small patch of fenced in grass that served the condo as a front yard. “Stay,” she told the puppy. Then she motioned to Xairn. “Come in?”
“I shouldn’t.” He tried to look anywhere but at her beautiful body. “I…I only came to say goodbye.”
Lauren took a deep breath and he had the feeling she was fighting back tears. Then she lifted her chin. “You can’t say goodbye without talking to me one last time and I can’t keep standing out here like this.” She indicated the sheer red costume. “If the neighbors see me—”
“All right.” Reluctantly, Xairn went with her into the condo and shut the door behind them. He could hear Little One whining fretfully on the other side of the door but he knew the puppy would be safe in the tiny front yard. “Let’s talk.”
“Fine.” Lauren led the way into the kitchen and put a strange piece of fruit she’d been holding down on a plate. Then she turned to face him. “So you came just to say goodbye? You’re leaving because you don’t…don’t love me anymore?” Her voice trembled slightly but she kept her head high and looked him in the eyes as she spoke.
Xairn sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “You know that isn’t true. I still love you as much as I ever did—more. That is why I feel compelled to leave.”
“Because you’re afraid you’ll hurt me.”
“Because I know I’ll hurt you,” he corrected. He shifted, his secondary shaft throbbing behind his tight flight pants. “Even now seeing you as you are makes me long to throw you down and fuck you.”
“Do it then.” Boldly, she stepped forward, throwing out her chest. “I’m not afraid of a little pain, Xairn.”
At her motion, a flash of silver caught his gaze. “Not afraid of…Gods!” He grabbed her by the shoulders and studied her full breasts beneath the gauzy red top intently. “What have you done to yourself?”
“I had my nipples pierced.” She pulled the top down, baring her breasts completely so that he could see better. “It’s one of the Scourge marks of possession, isn’t it?”
Xairn tightened his grip on her shoulders and swallowed hard. Somehow he couldn’t tear his eyes from the erotic sight of her full, creamy brown breasts, naked and on display, with the lovely silver hoops piercing her tight nipples. “Yes,” he said at last, having difficulty forcing the words out. “It is.”
“I had them done soon after you left. They don’t hurt anymore. See?” Reaching up, she took his right hand and brought it down to cup one of her breasts. “Go on,” she murmured breathlessly. “Touch it. Touch me.”
Xairn couldn’t help himself. Gently he cupped the full undercurve of her breast and thumbed the nipple pierced with the slender silver hoop. Lauren moaned softly and pressed her breast more fully into his hand. The soft sound went straight to his cock, making him harder than ever.
“Do you know why we—why the Scourge—pierce our females’ nipples?” he asked, his voice low and harsh.
She shook her head, her breath coming short as he continued to stroke her tight little nub. “I thought it was just something you did. Is there a…a practical application?”
He nodded. “We do it so we can run a fine gold or sliver chain through the rings. Here and here.” Xairn cupped her other breast and tugged on both of the silver hoops gently, making her moan again. “Using the chain, we tether the female to the bed on her hands and knees. By tightening the chain and tugging on her nipples, we can force her to come further down. This raises her ass high in the air and gives the male better access to her pussy.”