Unknown

Jere shot upright in bed.

Ylfa groaned as the sudden movement jolted her awake. She rubbed at her eyes, trying to clear them - only to realize the darkness wasn’t her vision failing; it was still deep night. She yawned, voice thick with sleep.

“What is it, darling?”

He didn’t answer at first.

“There’s a distant noise.”

“That could be anything,” she mumbled, burying herself deeper into the mattress.

He shook his head.
“No. This one was different. It wasn’t natural.”

She listened as hard as she could, but even with her wolf nature, her hearing could never match his. After a moment, she sighed and flopped back down, her bare skin craving the warmth beneath the sheets.

“Let’s just go back to sleep… you’ll wake Eny…”

But he still didn’t lie down. She frowned.

“What if I say we can do more baby-making in the morning?”

He barely reacted.
“You’ll say that anyway.”

She giggled into her hands.
“Yeah, I suppose you’re-”

Before she finished the sentence, he vaulted out of bed, dressed in seconds, and dove straight through the window. The sudden shift of air from his wings rattled the room, and she was left blinking, naked, confused, and suddenly very awake.

He wasn’t gone long. Jere slipped gracefully back through the window, wings folding into him as he landed.

“Two armies,” he said. “Demon and human. Both heading toward each other, but not toward us.”

Ylfa’s heart thudded.
“Are they-”

He shook his head.
“No. They’re going to fight each other. They don’t know we’re here.”

She exhaled in relief - only for anxiety to crush her chest moments later.

“But… what if they find us?”

He shrugged.
“Then we run or fight.”

Tears sprang to her eyes.
“Are we… are we really going to be on the run again so soon?”

He looked at her with quiet pity.
“Unless you’d rather defend the house.”

Her tears vanished.

A fierce look took their place.

She stood, eyes flashing in the dark. The blanket fell away, revealing her figure like a painting come to life - raw, powerful, primal. She clenched her fist.

“No. I’m done running. We’re staying.”

He nodded, utterly unfazed by her nakedness.
“What about Eny?”

A low growl vibrated in her throat.
“I’ll protect Eny. You protect me.”

“I can do that.”

She stood taller, confidence radiating from her like heat.
“Then we fight and live and stand, or die.”

Jere shrugged.
“Well, preferably not die.”

She grinned, letting her hands glide sensually down her sides.

“Then you’ll have to make sure you’ve felt every part of me, in case you don’t get to again.”

His heart kicked into high gear. She stepped toward him, hips swaying, tail flicking, her skin glowing faintly in the starlight. Then she leapt into him, lips crashing onto his.

He kissed her back, the night still young - and suddenly, very warm.

Jaka watched as Miro steadily grew more tired. They had been flying most of the day, weaving their way south in a wide, zig-zagging path before finally landing in an open field as night settled. Miro yawned again, her eyes reflecting the flickering firelight. She muttered something he caught perfectly - yet it was complete nonsense - then stretched and padded over to where he sat cross-legged on the grass.

She plopped down beside him and smiled up at him.

“You look comfy.”

He glanced at the grass beneath him. Comfortable was not a word he would ever have used for it, but he nodded.
“I guess.”

She grinned.
“I didn’t mean how you were feeling, idiot.”

Then she clambered into his lap as casually as if she were sinking into a favourite cushion, curling up like a cat. Her tail wobbled once before looping around with her. She purred.

“That feels better. Looks like I was right.”

He froze, unsure what to do with his hands, his posture, his existence. She turned her head, giving him a sly, knowing look.

“Well go on. Don’t hesitate.”

Her voice was velvet, dripping seduction. Hesitantly, Jaka reached out and brushed her hair. She let out a soft, pleased rumble. Encouraged, he stroked her head more deliberately. She melted into him, her whole body shivering once.

“There we go… that’s more like it… oh yeah, right there…”

It was manageable until she started moaning. Jaka felt his face heat, processors misfiring while still dutifully recording every micro-reaction - mapping patterns, adjusting his fingers with increasing precision. Each minuscule change made her gasp or twitch or arch, as if a simple headpat were something far more intimate.

Then her muscles spasmed. She went still, breathing heavily. Turning weakly, she gave him a blissed-out smile.

“That… that was amazing…”

He stared, stunned. Her reaction was alarmingly similar to how Ylfa looked after spending a night with Jere. He shoved the comparison away before it could finish forming.

“You… you…” he tried, but his emotional regulators were overwhelmed.

She grinned.
“What? You what? Want to know why I react like that?”

He gave a small nod. Her smile widened.

“No you don’t.”

She flopped back down on his lap, as if that settled it. Jaka hesitated, but questions bloomed through his mind - rapid, multiplying, impossible to contain.

“M… Miro…”

“Mhm?” she hummed, not lifting her head.

“Why… why are you comfortable being so close to me… when I’ve killed so many of your kind?”

She glanced up, perplexed - then burst out laughing. Hard. So hard she rolled off his lap, clutching her stomach. Jaka froze. Of all possible responses, this was… not one.

She wiped tears from her eyes.
“You… you’re actually serious? And here I thought you’d already figured out I wasn’t one of them.”

He blinked, processors stalling.

Her laughter returned, chopped between gasps.
“Oh goodness… you really didn’t…”

Sitting back up, she inhaled deeply, calming herself.

“Okay, okay… here’s the deal.” She paused for dramatic effect, eyes sparkling.
“I… am not a native demon. Or a demon at all.”

She leaned forward, grinning.
“I’m an experiment. Something cobbled together by the demons. I thought you would’ve known.”

Before he could process the words, she blurred - vanished - and reappeared on his lap faster than his optical sensors could track.

“Did you really think teleportation is natural?”

He shrugged helplessly.
“I’ve only been here for a few days…”

She laughed again, bright and musical.
“Serious? That explains so much. Guess I’ll have to teach you.”

She pointed toward distant mountain ranges, barely visible in the night.

“Okay. Let’s say you need to carry a pahūtanga seed over those mountains. What do you do?”

He blinked.
“Fly it over?”

Her grin turned wicked.

“Oh, you sweet summer child. Let me educate you.”

She mimicked a tiny flying object with her hands.
“See, if you fly over with that seed, you’re gonna die.”

She made the imaginary object explode in her palm.
“Those seeds detonate if they’re disturbed. High altitude, too fast, planted too quickly, boom. The explosion’s stronger than a magic fireball.”

Jaka stared at her… then slumped his shoulders, which made her snort with laughter again. The lingering euphoria from his headpats had clearly put her in a very good mood.

“Don’t worry. I’ll teach you,” she said warmly.

He nodded. He had more questions - thousands of them - but before he could speak, she curled up on his lap again, eyes already fluttering shut.

“I’m gonna sleep now. G’night.”

And then she simply flopped down and passed out instantly.

Jaka was left with the crackling fire, the cold night, and a billion questions - questions that continued to multiply at a steady, unstoppable pace.