She sobered as well and gave me an apologetic look. “I’m sorry if I—”
“No,” I interrupted gently. “Do not apologize. You have done nothing wrong. Like I said, I want you to feel free to ask me anything. I have no secrets. It doesn’t mean certain topics aren’t more sensitive than others. The male you see standing before you is 100% Varnog,” I said gesturing at my body. “My original host is dead. All that remains are the memories of the boy full of hopes and dreams that he was, the loving son, and the devoted boyfriend to a charming Janaurian female. And the memories that still haunt me at night are of his terror while he tried to run away from the parasite that I was as I chased him down the streets of his village before latching onto his spine. I can still hear the way he pleaded and begged me for days, his voice dimming over a few weeks as I slowly fused with his body and eventually snuffed out his soul.”
I clenched my teeth at the painful memories. Back then, the predator in me had reveled in my victim’s fear—in Fedun’s fear. Acknowledging his name always made it harder as he became a real person, not just a vessel I had appropriated. But he deserved as much, if only as my penance for destroying such a beautiful young life. My fingers found their way to the back of my head to rub the hard shell of the parasite I had once been.
“The bug is no more,” I said, tracing with my fingertips the clawed legs of my original body embedded in the fleshy part of my shoulders, right above my clavicles. “My consciousness has taken over Fedun’s brain, which in turn has allowed me to develop higher cerebral functions. With this new body’s brain, my previous one—as well as my previous body—became obsolete. As you can see, the bug has fully merged with this body. I could try to get it surgically removed, but it is so closely intertwined with my nervous system and spine that it might leave me crippled. Barring that, I would most certainly lose the use of my tail, which actually expands from the tail of my original Scelk body.”
Linette stared at my bug with fascination but none of the disgust I had feared. She unconsciously took a step closer to get a better look before catching herself.
“Stop being so worried about my feelings,” I said softly. “It honors me that you should show so much consideration, but I mean it: look to your heart’s content. I would see your curiosity sated. You may even touch it if you wish.”
Linette’s beautiful midnight blue eyes slightly widened, and she chewed her bottom lip with the obvious urge to comply.
“Go on, silly female. It won’t bite,” I encouraged her, realizing how badly I ached for her touch, however brief or superficial it might be.
No hidden agenda had motivated that offer. But now that the possibility of her hands on me had entered my mind, I couldn’t let go of it. Linette glared at me again in a way that said she knew I was goading her into doing something, but the excited glimmer in her eyes told me I’d won half a second before her hand started moving towards me.
My breath caught in my throat, and I forced my body to remain relaxed even as every single one of my muscles were attempting to stiffen, and my nerve endings were perking up in eager anticipation.
I barely managed to swallow back the moan trying to rise from my throat when the silky softness of her fingers brushed over one of the claws embedded in my left shoulder. Linette’s lips parted in awed shock as she explored what had to be an odd texture to her.
“This is too amazing,” she whispered. “So soft and yet so unyielding,” she added as she fiddled with them.
She glanced at me nervously to see if it was still okay with her to continue. I smiled encouragingly, hoping my face didn’t betray how exquisite it was to have her hands on me at long last.
Her hesitation as her finger slipped over the hard shell of my insect body—which covered my nape and the upper part of my spine, stopping halfway between my shoulder blades—made me hunger even more for her to do so. A fire lit in the pit of my stomach, and blood rushed to my groin as Linette became emboldened. Instead of a fleeting exploration with her fingertips, she used her whole hand to caress both the claws embedded in the fleshy part of my back, and the dolphin-like skin that bordered it.
A shiver ran through me, and my woman immediately stopped, although she didn’t take her hand away. She stared at me expectantly, and I nodded again, expressing all was well.
“Do not worry.” My deeper voice betrayed the extent of the emotions she was stirring within me. “I am not used to being touched. So, this is as much a first for me as it is for you.”
Linette’s eyes widened and ever so slightly as understanding dawned on her. A part of me was feeling self-conscious to have thus revealed my lack of experience. Yet, another rejoiced in the fact that it had given me an easy way to let her know I’d never given such privileges to any other—that she was special above all others.
Her hand pursued its journey down, close to the small of my back. As it did, I willed my tail to come out, slowly in order not to frighten her. Although she didn’t startle, she nonetheless bit her plump bottom lip with a look of wonder on her gorgeous face. Fearless as ever, my little woman let her hand glide along its length while it extended to a little over two meters. I recurved it over my shoulder so that I could keep Linette in my line of sight and observe her features while she examined mine.
“Careful, it’s sharp,” I said teasingly as the blade of my tail finished taking form. It had been more to hide how insanely aroused I felt in that instant than out of any real need to needle her.
“Don’t worry,” she replied with a similarly taunting expression. “I could probably teach you a thing or two on how to handle blades.”
“Careful, or I will take that as a dare. And you should know, I love a challenge,” I retorted, my gaze boring into hers.
“Challenge accepted,” Linette said, provocatively lifting her pointy chin.
Eyes locked, some sort of silent communication flowed between us. I couldn’t say what it was, but it formed a bond in that instant; a bond I intended to nurture until it blossomed into the fulfillment of my heart’s most improbable desire.
Then something changed in her demeanor.
“I’ve known you for three years,” Linette said, looking wistfully at me. “And yet, I now realize that I know very little about you.”
“No, Linette. You have not known me for three years,” I countered gently. “You have distantly interacted with me in various missions over those three years. But today, for the first time, you are truly starting to know me.”
And indefinable emotion fleeted over her beautiful features. She chewed her bottom lip, her face softening, taking on an odd expression, like a mix of gratitude, embarrassment, and something else I couldn’t label.
“You know, I never properly thanked you for saving our lives back on that dragonfly ship,” she said with a soft voice. “At first, when the General’s zombies zapped us with that weird weapon, I didn’t think we we’re going to make it. I thought we were going to end up like the other Soulcatchers that had been kidnapped decades ago. However, on the ship, while we were trying to escape, I didn’t give up, not only because that’s just who I am, but knowing you were right there with us, through Sabra, gave me wings. It gave me more than hope; it made me feel safe. I knew you would give us the edge to get our asses out of there.”