CHAPTER 344: 344: PROMISE FOR THE ROAD

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The first pale light of dawn crept across the mat, gentle as a hand lifting a curtain. Kai stirred, his body still heavy but his spirit light in a way he had never known. She shifted beside him, sighing in her sleep, and tucked herself closer as if the daylight might try to take him away.

He smiled and kissed her cheeks. For now, he did not rise immediately to train, to hunt, to fight. He lay still, content to let the sun come to him. He was admiring the naked beauty beside him.

When she finally woke up, her eyes were hazy, her lower lips swollen a bit from Kai’s anaconda drilling into them, her body was sore but her face was glowing with satisfaction. She looked at him with wonder, then with laughter, then with something deeper than either.

"You didn’t leave," she said softly. "You look so handsome, naked. And your anaconda it’s so big. Can I kiss it? I really want to kiss it. It gave me the best time of my life."

"I had no reason to stop you," he replied. "You are my woman now. Kiss it, play with it how you want but if it’s awake again... get ready for another round." Kai smirked.

She held the anaconda with both hands then kissed the tip of it, slow and warm, and when she parted her lips from the anaconda tip, she whispered, "This world is kinder than I thought. It didn’t get hard." She paused and showed her lower lips to Kai, "look it’s swollen. You can’t love me again now, even if it gets hard. You need to give me half a day to heal."

Kai held her, and for a rare moment, he agreed. "I know, I know. I was joking."

She stood up and touched his cheek. "Thank you for last night. For the fire. For the shelter. For love and patience."

He covered her hand with his. "Thank you for asking me to mate with you. Thank you for trusting the rules you set."

They sat down. He checked the bandage. The skin looked better. She stood, slowly, and tested her weight. It was held. He made tea again. They drank it in silence and watched the light climb the ribs of the shelter.

"Ikea," he said. "I need to go back home."

She watched his face, then the trees. "Where is your home?"

"A short walk from here," he said. "It sits at the border where the forest ends and the desert begins. If you climb a rise, you can see my mountain. It is a dark stone with a high top. There is a cut in the rock where birds land and take off. That is where I live."

Her face warmed with interest. "It sounds strong."

"It is strong because of the people inside," he said. "Not only because of stone."

She held her hands in her lap. "What should I do now," she asked. "What do you think is best?"

"What is your plan," he asked back. "Do you want to come with me?"

She looked down at her bandage, then up into his eyes again. Her voice was clear. "I want to come with you. I want to be with you every night. But I am here on a journey. Yesterday I told you the truth. I used to be a high star rank. I fell because of a mistake. I am no star now. I must learn life again and climb back. If I hide in comfort, I will not heal what broke."

He listened without trying to fix it. After a time he nodded once. "I hear you," he said. "I will not force you."

He drew a slow breath. "Let me tell you something I did not tell you yet. I have a soul type power. With it I can talk to anyone I care about. I can send my voice like a thread. I can reach you if you are far. I will contact you from time to time. You must tell me where you are each time. If you face danger, call me. I will also assign one of my people to protect you from a distance. Come with me now to my home. I will set this up, then you can return to your road."

She looked moved and troubled at the same time. "I am touched that you want to take care of me," she said. "It makes my chest feel warm. But I do not need a protector on this part of the road. Hardship is my teacher now. I must carry it myself or I will finish this journey and still be empty. I will come and find you soon. I want more nights like yesterday with you. I want your warmth. I want your raw power to fill the part of me that went cold for years. But not right now. Now I walk."

He watched her steady eyes. He accepted what they held. "All right," he said at last. "We will do it your way. But I can still do one more thing."

He stood, drew a breath, and checked inside himself. His aura was full and bright again, a wide lake under his skin. He spoke in his mind.

[Ding! System Notification: Aura reserves at full. 4300 of 4300.]

"Good," he said under his breath. He set his feet, set his hands at his sides, and reached for the wall of power inside him. Heat moved through his chest and then into his arms. The air around him rippled. A faint red gold light spread from his palms and circled Ikea like a slow ring. It rose to her shoulders. It sank to her ankles. It is sealed with a soft sound, like a drop of oil touching water.

"What is that," she asked, eyes wide.

"A protective shield," Kai said. "I will pour all my aura into it. It will break only if a six star beast strikes it head on. It will turn aside most other dangers. It will fade as the day fades and will be gone in a few days. It will buy you time if trouble comes before you can hide or run."