Heir of Beasts

Ch. 5.1- Find Me

WARNING: This is 110% a mature chapter. It's a little smutty. Consider yourself warned.  As a general note, there's definitely going to be more romance/ sex at the end of part three and throughout part four than there is in parts one or two. Just don't want anyone to be taken by surprise. 

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"This is a fucking massacre," Irei says, whistling low as he looks out across the wooden board between us strewn with marble pieces. He makes a show of reaching over and ever so slowly raking my tokens into his already massive pile, winking at me roguishly. I roll my eyes as hard as I possibly can.

"Keep on bragging, Rei," I reply gamely. "You're only beating me because I've never played Jakla before. In a week or two, all of your tokens will be my tokens, and you'll have to come up with another obscure pastime to challenge my unparalleled strategic brilliance."

"Just play, man," he says gruffly, but he's smiling. I pause for a moment and look at him when I should be looking at the game pieces in front of me. I can't help it. He's fucking gorgeous when he's relaxed, unbuttoned, and boasting. His eyes are coals that smoke and smolder with a warmth that makes my body burn. His thick wrists, braceleted with ceremonial scars that are brutal and beautiful all at once, shine in the low light. The lantern casts dusky shadows on his face and his eyes are smiling.

"Staring at me won't reveal my brilliant strategy, h'yonmi." He's taken to calling me that, only in private, of course, and only when he's feeling especially warm. Tyro told me the letters at the end of the word act as a possessive, making it my little one instead of little one. Every time those syllables fall from his lips I feel a spear of pride, and a swell of gratitude.

Needless to say, I don't tell him I was admiring him instead of trying to figure out his master plan in my precious last moments, half-sunk and almost broke while Irei sits like a king before his gilded hoard.

If he wasn't being such an ass about it, if I wasn't loathe to lose even once, perhaps I would have fixed my tunic when it slid from my shoulder. As it is, I pull it a little lower, and watch his eyes follow my fingers across my gradually exposed skin. He regards me hungrily, shakes his head, and curses.

"Foul."

"What? You can't call a foul. This game doesn't even have fouls."

"You're cheating, Shira."

"How? I haven't touched a piece on that board. You've been watching it the entire time!"

"I was referring to your gradual disrobing. Very unsportsmanlike of you."

"Oh, come on! My tunic slid from my shoulder, Irei. You know Kamai clothes are always big on me. It was an innocent mistake."

"Innocent," he chuckles darkly. "Right. Sure."

"It's not cheating to show your left shoulder, or for that matter, your right," I huff. "Does this little bit of skin really throw you that far off your game?"

"Yes," he replies with an honesty that makes me blush. "Now fix it, or we'll be playing a very different game indeed."

"And what game is that?"

"Oh, it's the most fun one of all," he laughs. "You think you're crying over your inevitable defeat? Well, soon I'll have you crying for an entirely different reason."