Chapter 20

Tiye more or less flew all the way to the tent. She was agitated, hot and her body felt on fire. Her blood ran torrid through her veins. She felt itchy, her skin was crawling. The entire day she couldn’t sit still for a simple breath, and the night had fallen.

Nevertheless, she does not know what came over her and she didn’t have the patience to stay and try to think clearly. Her mind was absent and her tolerance was worn thin. She tried to walk; she ate and drank. She even stood bare in Mandisa’s tent. Still, nothing has changed throughout the day. All these endeavors irritated her further.

Chest heaving, she growled and clawed at her body furiously, seething from deep inside. It was as if the flames of the sun were licking her body, making her shudder from cold and warmth at the same time. She didn’t understand her body’s reaction, and it was driving her insane; she wanted to kill herself and be done with it. Anything to end this suffering.

The roar that ripped her chest in half made her fall to the ground, curling around herself like a small cub. Trying not to hurl, she sucked precious gulps of air erratically, feeling suffocated. The tent seemed to fall over her.

The small space squeezing her lungs, she couldn’t breathe. She gasped when blood rushed from between her lips, scorching after she bit her tongue. Gagging, she looked at her hand, expecting it to come crimson red, but found it liquid gold. “Gods help me.” She prayed between gasps and small cries.

The tent flaps shook, but she couldn’t move. She has crumbled. Finally, her body gave up, shaking from pain and power that thrummed through her veins.

“Princess, Tiye, what’s wrong with you? Are you ok?” She didn’t answer the male’s question. She couldn’t make her lips move. The male kneeled, holding her body to his broad chest, stroking her wet skin.

“Your body is on fire. Why didn’t you say something? You bloody fool.” She inched closer to him. His body was cooler than her feverish one. It was a pleasant relief at the moment. The male keened softly.

“Oh, digir-gu.” The male stood with her held protectively in his arms. He threw something on her body, making her cry at the contact.

“Please namkianga, bear with me. I will take the pain away. Just hold on for a while.“ The male kissed her warm forehead softly. The gesture was tentative and small that she barely felt because the small lull that blanketed her disappeared now and the pain was back, but with a vengeance.

This time she arched her back crying as a million needles stabbed her sensitive, aching body. She felt the warm blood seep through her mouth and ears even her eyes now were bleeding. Her hands started to move again, scratching every inch she could reach. She crooked.

“Please kill me. I can’t endure this agony any longer, PLEASE.” The male who is carrying her started to run.

“Urmah, what is the matter with the princess?”

“I don’t know, but she is burning up. I will take her to the lake, don’t make anyone follow us.” the male all but growled at their pursuer.

“Tiye, oh Tiye, what is wrong? Gods, what did you do to her? Put her down.” Someone clawed at her, pulling her arms. She moaned, but her moan turned into a scream. Someone roared above her.

“Don’t fucking touch her, she is in pain.” The male hastened, his gait tightening his grip on her.

“Keep that woman away and if I saw anyone close to the lake, I will fucking kill him. Stay away but don’t make anyone interrupt us.”

Tiye swallowed or tried to. The blood kept pooling in her mouth, so she turned her head to the side to get rid of the liquid that prevented her from breathing. Her body started to shake vigorously that the male almost dropped her, but he gained his footing again.

“We are almost there please.” His voice was shaking, anguished and small, his fear tinting it. She felt sorry for whoever he was. She raised her hand, trying to comfort him. It wasn’t his fault, but she couldn’t reach his face.

The male lowered his cheek, nuzzling her warm, shaky hand. “I’m here digir-gu with you.” She sighed at the admission, her heart warming, but the moment was cut short when something cold hit her body. She cried in, pain, trying to stay away from it, but firm hands kept her in place, dunking her whole body under the cold water.

“Please, no it hurts” She crooked her voice shook; her teeth were chattering and her body quivering. She gasped from the pain, cold, heat, and weakness her body felt.

“Just a little more, your body’s temperature is beginning to get back to normal, just bear with me.” The soothing voice of the male... no, it belonged to Urmah. Now her mind provided. Urmah’s arm felt nice and strong securing her when he tried to wash her face and body now to get rid of the blood and sticky sweat.

“Thank you Urmah.” Her voice came out still shaky, but at least her body now started to relax.

The male hummed and kept focused on his task; he turned her around, her back to his chest to clean the rest of her body. His hands whispered softly on her sensitive skin. She suppressed a moan when he tried to clean the blood that ran down her breasts and stomach, but she failed.

Her body, even though fatigued it responded to the male’s touch. And when he heard that faint moan, he stopped. His hand froze, hovering over her puckered nipple.

The prince’s head nuzzled her neck, his lips touching her skin ever so lightly. His hot breath made goosebumps on its wake, she shuddered. His hands started to move again, but now it lost its urgency and its clinical task.

He groaned when he pulled her taut nipple between his fingers, earning a loud moan from her. His other hand delved deeper, seeking her sex. Her hand shot quickly to stop him. This can’t happen. They can’t do this.

“Do you want to stop me or are you trying to make me move faster?” The teasing gruff tone ignited her even more, but when he pushed the evidence of his arousal into her back, she let his hand go.

Her mouth opened in a silent moan when his long fingers started teasing her delicate folds in a circular motion.

He growled when he felt her wetness. Even though they were waist-deep in the water, he sure could feel it. He rubbed the small sensitive nub nestled there, eliciting a seductive moan.

“Namkianga, I have been dying to do this. To taste your sweet skin and feel your body between my hands. Since the moment I saw you. It had been an obsession of mine.” He stood, straightened, holding her to him tightly and moved to the shore, lowering their bodies on a soft sheet of grass to blanket her bruised body.

She looked into his eyes, her hands on his cheeks, bringing him closer to her mouth. She kissed him tentatively at first, then he took the lead. The kiss turned hard and aggressive. The male holding her growled when her little tongue licked his lower lip, then bit playfully.

The prince chuckled. “You are playing with fire, little princess. I’m trying to control myself and you here teasing me isn’t helping.” His voice was full of humor, but the eyes that poured into hers were full of barely contained lust. She wiggled a little beneath him, making him grit his teeth.

“I’m not a princess. I’m a queen goddess, you mortal should start worshiping me to evade my wrath.” Urmah laughed. His body shook, then he bowed his head respectfully.

“As my goddess command.” With this, he gave her lips a small lick then began slowly to lick his way down her body, her breasts, her navel, then he was breathing above her sex. She shivered when he looked at her, his eyes glowing like a predator, easing her legs open.

“Let me worship you digir-gu, let me show you how a mortal like me can praise his one and only deity.” Then his mouth encased her nether lips, kissing and sucking with vigor, like a thirsty man who was tasting water for the first time after being denied for days.

Earning deep moans from her, his tongue was hard and warm, unyielding. It was the first time she felt like this. It was the first time a man has touched her intimately.

She felt as if he had put her soul together, then shattered her into little pieces, and when she came undone, she screamed his name as if her life was depending on it. With a small, tingling kiss, he crawled his way up again. He took her lips in a bruising last kiss, making her taste herself on his tongue.

“As sweet as honey, my goddess. It is even better than I thought.” He said sweetly, making her stomach flutter, then held her to his chest tightly.

“Never do that to me ever again, Tiye. I felt as if my soul was leaving my body.” She sighed, feeling protected and safe, then closed her eyes. Her body was protesting after the long day of suffering. He kissed her head.

“Sleep my Tiye. You need to rest. You are safe. Nothing will hurt you, sleep my queen. I will protect you.” That was the last thing she heard before sleep claimed her.