Chapter Four:

Asami whimpered in agony, curling in on herself and clamping a hand between her slick, tense thighs. The past several hours had been among the most frustrating of her life. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't find relief. A hollow ache screamed in her abdomen, and she had never felt such all-consuming emptiness. She had already rubbed the stiff bud of her clit raw, but her inner muscles continued to pulse in search of more, and satisfaction hovered out of reach.

She normally didn't have this much trouble handling her heats. Her own hand and some herbal tea were usually enough to make her desires bearable. When that didn't work, it wasn't hard to find a willing alpha or beta to take care of the problem. Several of her father's business associates had sons and daughters around her age, and she had partnered with a few of them on her worst days. Mako had taken care of her adequately enough during her last cycle, but the discomfort she had felt then was nothing compared with this.

Another sharp pang of need rippled through her stomach, and she blinked back tears, sliding two fingers inside. The fullness was double-edged. She was already sore from penetrating herself, but being empty was worse. She gave a few quick thrusts of her wrist, but gave up before she could get too carried away. Deep down, she knew her own hand would never be enough, no matter how many times she came. Her body was calling for a proper mate, and whenever she closed her eyes, only one face floated to the front of her mind.

"Korra…" The name tasted so good on her tongue. Felt so right when she wrapped her lips around it. She couldn't think about anything or anyone else, and had long since given up trying. Images of Korra's hard, muscular body, gleaming with sweat as she rolled away from the lashing metal cables, had seared themselves into her mind. How would it feel to have all that power moving on top of me? Inside of me?

At the word 'inside', her inner muscles clenched and fluttered around her fingers. Her front wall began to swell with need, and she tossed her head to the side, burying her face in the nearest pillow and screaming until her throat burned. She wished she hadn't snuck a single glance under the table at dinner. The outline of Korra's erection had been painfully obvious even beneath her loose pants. It had taken all her willpower not to reach across the small space between them and run her hand over the thick bulge.

It's only a physical reaction, she told herself for what felt like the hundredth time. She can't help it. The same thing happened to Mako when he passed me in the hall, and both of the twins. Just because my scent caught Korra's attention doesn't mean she wants to mate with me.

Still, some greedy part of her hoped. If Korra had said a single word of interest, made her intentions clear in any way other than by staring at her with those pleading blue eyes, she wouldn't have hesitated. But even in the midst of the worst heat of her entire life, she was unwilling to do anything that might upset her friend. If Korra wanted her, she would have to say so. Until then, all she could do was suffer by herself. With her heart fixed so intently on the one alpha she couldn't have, she couldn't even imagine inviting anyone else into her bed.

Before she could decide whether to continue touching herself or pull her hand away, loud shouts filtered in through the window. Asami sat up in surprise, wiping her hand on the sheets and turning to look. She couldn't see much, and the voices were indistinct, but the other sounds weren't. Loud rumbles shook the courtyard outside, and the smell of fire seeped into her room, burning in her nose.

The commotion was enough to make her forget her lust. She hopped to her feet, rushing to find her nightgown. Her hands trembled as she put it on, but she did her best to hurry. If Korra was in danger…

Korra. Why did my mind immediately jump to her? She's the Avatar. I shouldn't need to worry.

But she was worried, and that worry made her hasten her steps as she flew out into the corridor and headed for the front door. The sight that greeted her when she burst into the courtyard was even worse than she had feared. Her stomach lurched as she watched Mako and Bolin fly backwards on a bright plume of flame and dust. The columns around them shuddered, and it was several moments before she could make out whether they were all right. She rushed toward them, kneeling in the middle of the rubble. "What happened?"

Mako was the first to sit up. He barely spared a glance at her, turning sharply toward the worst of the fray. "We can't let them take her!"

"Take her?" Asami's heart nearly stopped. A shudder of dread coursed through her, and her overheated skin was suddenly drenched in a cold sweat. Korra. He means Korra! She whirled in the same direction, and a wave of relief crashed over her when she saw Suyin's guards lifting large metal panels from the ground. Through the darkness, she could just glimpse several shadowy figures inside. One of them was sprawled on the ground, and Asami recognized Korra instantly. She could pick up the alpha's familiar scent even through the fire. "I don't think they're going to get far. The guards have them trapped..."

The biting smell grew worse, and clogging the air as the ground in the middle of the courtyard began to bubble. All of the earth melted, splitting and cracking as a pool of red-hot lava spread around the five trapped figures. "Korra!" Asami leapt to her feet, rushing forward on instinct. She didn't care about the boiling lava, the boulders flying in every direction, or the fact that she was only wearing her nightgown. She wasn't about these people take her friend, her alpha, her...

"Asami, wait!" A rough hand dragged her back, and she found herself being hauled behind a makeshift barricade. She whipped around to see Mako clutching her shoulder. He relaxed his grip in apology, but his serious expression never wavered. "We can't rush them like that. We have to…"

"Shut up," she snarled, jerking out of his grip. "She needs me. I have to…"

The arrival of Lin and Suyin prevented her from pushing past him to try and find a way across the lava pit. "How did they get in here?" Lin barked, crouching beside her and peeking over the barricade.

Suyin's eyes narrowed. "I don't know, but we're not letting them escape."

Surrounded by so many people, there was no way Asami could leave to join the guards. She watched helplessly as they used the remaining metal panels to try and reach the lone island of sand amidst the sea of lava. Another explosion rocked the courtyard, and she let out a cry of anguish as the bridge collapsed. "We have to cross that moat," she sobbed, her voice cracking around the painful lump in her throat. "Korra's out there. We have to…"

"We don't need to cross it." Suyin's calm voice left no room for questioning, but it did little to soothe the sick, empty pit that had opened in Asami's stomach. "Lin and I can drop in over the dome on cables."

"That's a great idea," Lin said, "except…" Another explosion rocked the courtyard, and all of them ducked back behind the barricade. "We'll get blown up the second that third-eyed freak sees us."

Asami had no idea what Lin was talking about. She hadn't even bothered casing the enemies. The tactics and logic she usually relied on had devolved into a fierce, primal rage. All she cared about, all she knew, was that Korra had been taken. Her Korra. She clenched her bare hands into fists, cursing the fact that she hadn't thought to bring her glove. An electric shock could easily put someone down no matter what kind of bender they were.

"She's a combustion bender," Suyin explained. "If we can stun her, her powers will be knocked out temporarily."

Mako seemed to brighten. "Bolin can land a shot," he said, clapping the omega on the shoulder.

Bolin's eyes widened with surprise. "I can?"

"You have to take her out right before we drop down," Suyin said. "Hopefully, it will buy us enough time to grab Korra and get out of there."

Asami blinked the red haze from her eyes. Only one word of the entire conversation remained stuck in her head. Korra, Korra, Korra… She snarled and slammed her hands against the metal barrier, ignoring the shockwaves of pain that travelled through her arms. Everyone turned to look at her, startled by the violent motion, but she didn't care. "Bolin, you have to do this. If you can't keep the combustion bender distracted, I will."

Bolin gaped at her with a panicked expression. "Asami, you can't. You aren't even wearing clothes!"

"Then take her out. Korra needs us!" Korra needs me.

At last, Bolin nodded his head in silent acceptance. "All right. It's Bolin time. I can do this!"

The next two minutes were agony. Asami remained crouched behind the metal barrier, shaking with fury while Lin and Suyin headed for the top of the dome. Mako and Bolin were throwing as much fire and earth as they could summon at Korra's abductors, but they didn't seem to be making a dent. Korra was in danger, just beyond her reach, and she couldn't do anything to help. Never before had she felt so angry, or so incredibly weak and broken.

At last, a sharp cry broke through the rumbling all around them. Asami jerked her head up just in time to see a tall, dark haired woman jerk back in surprise and the sky above the island pop with bright, burning globes of fire. But just behind the searing circles of light, she made out two dark figures flying up into the air on cables. She couldn't be sure, but she thought one of them was carrying something over their shoulders. Please let that be Korra. Spirits, please let that be Korra in Lin's arms...

"Ha!" Mako cried out in triumph beside her, flinging an arm around Bolin's shoulder. "Nice job, little bro!"

If Bolin responded, Asami didn't hear it. She grabbed the radio Mako had abandoned with trembling hands and jammed her thumb into the call button. "Lin? Lin, do you copy? Is Korra safe? Do you have her?"

At first, there was no answer. The bottom dropped out of her gut, and her throbbing heart began to crumble in her chest. Finally, just when she was about to leap from behind the barriers and join the guards converging on the island, clothes or no clothes, the radio crackled to life. "We copy," Lin's clipped voice said over the connection. "The Avatar is safe. Repeat, the Avatar is safe."

Asami finally allowed the tears stinging in her eyes to stream down her face. Her chest heaved with ugly sobs, but all she felt was relief. Korra is safe. My alpha is safe. A comforting hand settled between her shoulderblades, but she jerked away from the touch, whirling around to see Mako staring at her with concern. "Asami, did they get Korra? What did Lin say? Wait, are you okay?"

Her thoughts were too scattered to put into words, and she couldn't possibly form a response to any of Mako's questions. Instead, she simply nodded her head yes, swiping at her tears and clambering back to her feet. She didn't care if any of the Red Lotus members who had tried to abduct Korra were still around. She needed to find Lin and Suyin as quickly as possible and confirm for herself that Korra was going to be all right.