Nebula Book 1: His Breeder

“Hey, hey, hey,” Nebula raved as she tried to ward off Ak’s hands.

Grabbing his sword, he pushed the grip onto her palms and then snatched her off the floor. The scent of blood became stronger. He was shocked that it took him so long to catch wind of it. Usually, his senses were alert. Since he took the blow to the head, however, he couldn’t see through the dark or smell very well.

With his sword and female, he began jogging in the direction of home.

He had done his best to make Nebula comfortable, but he was no healer. He didn’t know what to do about her bleeding injury, and he could only hope that the other female– the one Vrox claimed as his, knew what to do.

The way Nebula held the sword against her chest was nicking his bicep, but he didn’t care to stop and re-arrange it. He ran for hours, doing his best to minimize her from jostling. Often, her hand would drop from his shoulder and scrape his scaled back. Every time, Ak would shudder. Unbeknownst to her, a man’s scales were intimate.

Over time, his chest became redder with her blood, concerning him further. Her moans of pain would come and go, but he didn’t want to stop to prepare medicine. Rubbing plants on her stomach wouldn’t stop the bleeding. He needed to get to the root of the injury and make sure it was cured.

When he figured that she needed break, he stopped by a lake and sat her on the grass. As he kneeled, one of his hands grabbed her calve. With a gentle touch, he rubbed at the rough, blue texture that covered her legs. Although her thighs were tightly shut, he could see the blood that soaked her inner sides.

Wanting to get a closer look at the source of the bleeding, he skimmed his hand higher. When it reached her knee, she stilled his hand. Her eyes jumped to the sword that was lying next to them, wondering if she needed to use it to keep him away.

Of course she wouldn’t allow me to remove her leg-coverings, Ak thought.

With his frustration evident, he walked to the lake and splashed water on his chest and the cut on his arm. After checking the position of the sun, he picked up Nebula and his weapon. The day was still young, but they had a lot of land to cover.

Nebula didn’t struggle, either because a cramp crossed her, or because she was tired of fighting his advances.

Ak traveled through the jungle for another hour, before a growl had him cornering Nebula against a tree. A paw swiped at him, and he turned just in time so his scaled back took the blow. Instantly, he spun and sent his arm flying, decapitating the animal in one smooth stroke.

With his blade dripping blue blood, he picked up Nebula once more and resumed running. The next stop happened when he located a cave. It was perfectly isolated. He couldn’t take Nebula with him, so he had to leave her in a safe area until he returned for her.

She was so lost in pain that she didn’t notice their surroundings. All she could do was writhe on the dirt.

“I will return,” he promised, pushing one of her braids away from her face. “Bear with it for a short while. I will do everything to help you.”

Not wanting to waste any more time, he dashed outside.

Fates, I know I am undeserving of your attention, but I beg that you look after the female.

He hoped his prayers were answered as he charged down the forest and toward his brothers’ camp. In his obsession with Nebula, he abandoned his family. He was their provider in his adolescent years, but they were now fully grown men that could take care of themselves. No one needed Ak, except his human.

When he got close enough, he eyed the wooden perimeter of the camp. Sneaking around his brothers would be a challenge for anyone that didn’t know their camp. Luckily for Ak, he knew of a vulnerability in the perimeter.

He placed his weapon down and sneaked up on the wood. He looked around for anything that was male and then peeked through a creek. There wasn’t much to see, so he pushed at the log that was weak. It shifted aside, giving him a better view.

His eyes desperately sought out Vrox’s female, but she was nowhere in sight. He shifted his weight from one foot to another, feeling uneasy. Walking into camp would be a foolish idea. He wasn’t welcome there anymore.

His heart thrummed in his chest when he saw a small figure walk in his direction. It was short and soft in places where he and his brothers were hard.

Kira.

Her face was childishly round, but he didn’t make the mistake of confusing her for a boy as Vrox and Draekon had.

Seeing his opportunity, he slid past the wood. The small entrance scraped his chest and back as if recognizing that he was an intruder.

Although Kira had her strengths, she was no warrior. She was unable to sense him sneaking up on her. Within seconds Ak was on her. Her body fought, but she was no match for him. Her futile efforts reminded him of Nebula when he pinned her to the dirt and tried to hurt her.

With a final scan of the camp, he dragged Kira outside. She called out for help, but he was quick to clamp a hand over her mouth. He dragged her outside, grabbed his sword, and ran away before Vrox noticed that she was missing.

Miles later, he placed her wiggling body down.

“You speak our language,” he blurted, turning her to face him.

She looked shocked to see him. “Akdronis! Where is Nebula?”

"Ney-la?” Ak repeated. “Is this the other female’s name?”

Kira nodded eagerly. “Yes! Please, please return her. I’ll take care of her. She must be scared.”

Ak eyed her for an excruciating minute, before surprising her with a look of fatigue.

“You must help me.”

“Help you?” Kira echoed.

“My female,” Ak started. “She is injured and I–” he stopped to run a hand across his short hair, which was almost identical to Vrox’s. “I do not know what to do. She is bleeding.”

“Where is she bleeding?”

Ak blew a heavy breath, his look of anguish becoming more potent. “Between her legs. I do not know how to heal this, but I cannot let her die. I cannot.”

It took a few moments for Kira to deliver, “I will help you.”

He nearly fell to his knees with relief. “I will carry you. We will travel faster this way.”

Kira began to fuss, arguing that she needed to tell Vrox that she was leaving. Ak was having none of it. He had already wasted enough time, and Vrox wouldn’t be interested in speaking. He would swing fists first and ask questions later.

After Kira reluctantly agreed, he tossed her over a shoulder and ran in the direction of his female.

I am coming, Neyla. I am coming for you.