I can hear Thivoll's purr from across the cave, and I glance over at him. From the look on his face, I just scored some serious brownie points for bringing her out of her usual state of self-sacrificing obsession.
Or I assume that must be her usual state, judging by his warning and the brief glimpses I've caught so far.
She wipes her eyes and then continues. "Once you ride the wild bull you—"
"Nice one," I interrupt, impressed with the growth she is showing already.
I'm a great fucking influence.
She quirks her lips. "Thanks. Once you ride the wild... drakonid I think you'll only pick up his traits."
I quirk an eyebrow. "Who says I want to?"
She rolls her eyes at me. "Anyone with half a brain could see where you two are headed. You were made for each other. Like some sort of swoony warrior-meets-warrior story."
I give her a non-committal grunt. I might not be totally convinced, but she's close enough I don't have a pithy reply.
Dammit, that alone says more than I'd like to admit.
She looks around the cave, then speaks in a whisper. "The perma-arousal will go away, too."
Well, that would be nice.
I whisper back. "I highly doubt Thivoll can't still hear us."
She gives me a grin and Thivoll's tail twitches as he looks away, pretending to give us privacy.
"So... I keep gaining traits in the meantime? Some of them are pretty damn useful. That isn't a great motivation for bumping uglies with the big idiot."
She shrugs. "That's for you to decide, Kira."
"C'mon, now,Commander. You're supposed to think strategically."
She growls at me, extends her claws, and flutters her hands around while pivoting her wrists like a demented princess waving to her adoring subjects. "Don't think I won't cut you, bitch."
I tip my head back and let out a roaring laugh. "Diety, Ree. I fucking love you."
She smiles at me, and then goes back to shifting around supplies. I take a moment to figure out her organization scheme, then move to help.
While I do it, I think things over. I have the traits of multiple apex species. At what point is enough, enough? I look down at myself. There isn't a lot left that hasn't been changed.
It might be time to be done. I let out a huff. Who am I kidding?
I just want all this sexual tension and non-stop arousal to be over. We have been heading in this direction for a long while, no matter how much we deny it to each other.
Then I look over at Thivoll. One more round of changes wouldn't hurt, though. Right?
I pace over to the kitty, then tell him my plan. It takes no convincing at all. He simply extends a claw, cuts into his forearm and lets me take a nasty little blood shower.
Ree just nods, her face showing her understanding. When Drasuk comes back from patrol, he makes a grumbling sound when he sees the horror show but doesn't say anything.
Gotta love being around a bunch of warriors.
I let the blood crust over while we plan, urging the little robots in me to give me some useful changes, not just the streaks of orange I see in Ree's long hair. How does she stand it that long? Bleh.
We decide the best move is an ambush, with the two of us leading them into it, but Drasuk points out their sense of smell.
Ree makes an excited sound. "I know the place. It's a hot spring, with a lot of sulfur in the air. They won't smell Thivoll or me."
