The Predator's Loop

Chapter 10: Warm Chocolate

Adhira:

A few hours had probably passed when I woke up because I was on Nyx's lap and my hair felt dry. I had a surprisingly sound sleep considering the amount of anxiety I had right before I fell asleep.

"You're awake," she spoke and I just gazed at her features up close. She was a gorgeous creature even in her human form. She had long eyelashes, sleek cheekbones, and sharp cutting markers on her face. She looked rather formidable than beautiful... for beautiful had always been used to describe something innocuous. Nyx was far from innocent. She was dangerously attractive by her the look in her eyes as if she knew her own dominion.

"Is Invicta a part of your name?" I voiced my curiosity.

"Nyx Alarie Tempest. That's my name," she told me briefly.

I paused briefly to memorize her complete name before clarifying, "Then, why did he call you Invicta?"

"Panthers are rare in the jaguar family. You'll only ever find one at a time signifying that the trait always skips a generation. The ones born as a panther usually have a male beast irrespective of whether their human form is female or male or both or neither... They're called Invicta because it's a belief that they are the most vicious and remain undefeated in battle. The pride that has a panther is considered the most superior. These panthers live a long life as well and they live alone," she explained to my surprise.

My eyes lit up at the information, "You talk as if you're not the Invicta of this generation of jaguars."

She looked at me softly, "I don't believe that I'm invincible. Even the strongest of beings must bow down at some point in time. Like now, we're just puppets in a bigger world."

I just remained silent as I thought over the information. "So your cat form has male genitals."

"Yes. He does. He has a conscience of his own," she just replied.

"Are the others dead? The ones who ran with me?"

She sighed, "They were freed from the loop. Yes, they're alive. "

My forehead crinkled, "How?"

She remained quiet for a while. It made me wonder about what she wasn't telling me.

"Nyx?"

"They mated with their predators," she told briefly.

My eyebrows rose at the information. I felt appalled at the sick fact. Were they forced to?

"Most of them did. Others just took their prey elsewhere," she explained.

I sat upright, "How's that even possible? We're different species."

"We're different but not anatomically," her eyes ran down my form much to my embarrassment.

Heat flooded my face, "T- That's alright but how's that even connected to this whole ordeal?"

"We don't know but there's hardly been a known way to kill these few humans. They're just reborn again, day after day. The mating seemed to work. It binds their fates for a lifetime but they don't need to run after prey again despite repeating the day. And nobody's dying."

I nodded with a lot more worry than before. Are they being treated fine?

"Would you mind being bound to me?" She looked at me intensely.

I just looked at her with wide eyes, "I- No... I mean yes! As in I don't want to be bound to you." I stuttered.

I saw something close to amusement in her eyes.