Notes:

Thanks to:
SueBe – wheee hi again.

Scouse – you see, there's a little problem with that but you'll figure out and if the idea of Liege/Khan becomes super popular I might just…twist something

mrs. Skywalker – pleasure to have you on board again

FluidDegree – update! Yay!

Chapter XXIX: Damn you, Imam.

Jack instantly replied to the lack of heat as she leeched herself onto Riddick as he tried to move. He had carried her to bed, intensely curious as to what made her tick. She would never believe it, but he knew she was very strong, so why did that affect her?

Growling softly, he leaned back into the mattress and held Jack close again, not wanting to have a repeat of what had just happened.

He knew Imam had been in the shadows of his study, watching the ongoings in his hall. Yet he had not made a move or said a word, which Riddick was grateful for. Imam must've realized the intensely close relationship between himself and Jack, seeing how comfortable they were around each other.

Subconsciously he took in a deep breath of Jack, savoring how she naturally smelled. He knew she would wake soon, but he had some time to think. What was Jack to him?

Immediately the idea of freedom clawed at him, but he caged it, going through the other possibilities first. Could Jack and his freedom work together? In one embodiment? He debated this, wondering if he could take her with him when he left New Mecca. Well, she wouldn't stand being left behind again, so he didn't think he had a choice on that aspect of his future life. But could he balance his freedom with her? He had to, because Jack was so important to him that in some cases, he realized, freedom had to become second priority.

Riddick felt determined to keep Jack with him, no matter what his inner beast commanded of him. He then realized, it wasn't that he was fighting against his inner beast, because they both felt the need to keep Jack. It was his strong need for freedom, one he had had since he was a child.

He could have Jack and she could share his freedom with him. Well, being chased by mercs 24/7, 365 days of the year wasn't the perfect idea of freedom, but he wasn't tied down to a singular planet or city. Feeling stronger with this new resolve, he looked down to see Jack move slightly, her long eye-lashes fluttering open.

She pretended not to notice how he tightened his grip on her when she looked up at him, as if he was set on securing her to him. Jack remembered instantly what had happened and looked down, her cheeks burning with shame.

"Jack," Riddick's voice rumbled deep into her, causing ripples in the pool of her mind and soul. "Care to tell Big, Bad Dark and Evil what happened?"

Her answer was muffled as she drew herself into him, not caring that her legs forced his to entwine with hers. He stroked her hair and kissed her forehead, wondering where all this patience originated from. Pulling off his goggles, he set them on the nightstand, knowing Jack felt better when they were off.

"Again, Jack. Didn't quite hear ya the first time."

"I had a flashback…not of H-G, but of why I was there. In the H-G crash. I had been hightailing it out of my city to get away from him." She was still looking down at his chest and gripped his arm tighter with her small hand, as if borrowing strength for what she was about to say.

"Well, my mom had been helping me. When he was just about to hurt me, she always came to the rescue, knocking him out. He never touched her, she was well…untouchable. I always had this silly idea that she was royalty and that's why he wouldn't touch her, but why would royalty marry a shit like him? Anyway, she was helping me escape, realizing that as I grew older, he would take more of a…sexual liking to me."

Jack was surprised at how easy this was coming to her, it had taken months to tell Liege that she had run away from her father in the first place. Snuggling deeper into Riddick, she was calmed by his warm breath over her head.

"When we were escaping the city, she promised she would escape with me. But that day we were at the airport, the transport was leaving in a few minutes and we began to board," her voice began to waver at the cruel memory. "We suddenly heard his unmistakable voice over the crowds and she pushed me ahead of her, making sure I was holding the ticket. Sure enough, he dragged her away from the transport, not believing that I was actually going to be on it, but that I had run away into a different part of the city. I got on the transport, that's where I met Shazza." Jack finished, her breath coming out in shaky pants as the screams of her mother faded in the background of her memory.

"That's my girl." Was all he said as he sat up, pulling her up with him. As she sat shivering in his lap, he wrapped his arms fully around her, burying his face in her neck. He nuzzled then licked at her pulse, feeling it slow under his tongue. A good sign, meant she trusted him completely if she relaxed under his touch.

He secretly rejoiced when he felt Jack's hands cautiously place themselves on his back, particularly on his spine, where they lightly traveled up and down. He shuddered as his nerves went on edge at the feeling, sending shorted signals to every part of his body.

With the soft, silky skin right at his mouth, he felt an incredible urge to claim Jack. Riddick kept licking and nuzzling the area, and soon enough she pulled back and looked deep into the platinum pools.

"Am I what you want, Riddick?" she asked quietly, yet completely seriously.

He breathed out heavily, looking away from Jack's tender gaze. Suddenly everything clicked and he knew she was exactly what he wanted.

Holding her eyes again, he waited for a few minutes, knowing Jack would have the patience. Then, in his undeniably simple manner, he spoke the truth that had been confusing him for days now.

"You are my freedom. You are what I want and need." Riddick stated, his eyes glazed with hungry lust as Jack immediately leaned her head back, willingly exposing her neck to him.

Whether the beast made an appearance, neither would know. Riddick held Jack fast to his body, appreciating the curves of her perfectly feminine figure. Licking the spot once more, he sunk his teeth into the satiny skin.

He closed his eyes in pleasure when she arched against him at the pain, letting out a quiet, yet joyful mewling noise. The noise soon turned into a growl as he back away and she wanted more. Pushing him back to the bed, she attacked his mouth with an unrestrained fury. Her hands now in the form of claws, she tore his shirt from his body without any qualms to what happened to the piece of offending cloth.

She pulled back and purposely sat on his hips, causing him to groan. Balancing on his left hand, he wiped the blood from the wound on Jack's neck. Riddick's eyes closed in ecstasy when Jack took his hand in hers and sucked and licked her blood from his fingers. She memorized his hand with her tongue, spurred on by how he massaged her hip with his free hand as he feel back into the mattress.

"Jack! Riddick!" Imam's voice called in the hallway, startling Jack, making her bite Riddick's hand. Kissing it quickly, she backed off his body and hastily retied her hair. Riddick cursed at the holy man's horrible timing and swore at his aroused state.

A cold shower would be in order.

Jack walked to the door, opening it and looking outside into Imam's face. She growled quietly, raising an eyebrow at his intrusion.

"Forgive me, but there was a message dropped off for you and I believed you would like to have seen it." He said quickly, curious if Riddick was raging behind the door.

"Can I have it then?" Jack asked, holding out her hand.

"Of course." Imam replied, giving her the envelope. He hurried back to his study, cautious of the feelings that the inside of Riddick's room were giving off.

Jack slammed the door, making Riddick wince.

"Christ, Jack, remember I've got sensitive hearing." He grumbled, still sitting on the bed.

"And I've got sensitive feelings towards having a perfectly good sexual-relief session being ruined." She snarled back, ripping the side of the envelope.

Riddick smirked as Jack threw the paper cover in his face. Unfolding the letter, she rubbed the back of her neck, not wanting to step back into the reality of her best friend being willingly taken from her.

Reviewing the information, Jack knew it was indirectly from Liege and was relieved to know that she was still alive and kicking. Tossing the letter to Riddick, she sat heavily back on the bed and waited for him to finish.

As she held her head in her hands, she looked to the side and watched how he held the letter in his hands. From the media one would think he could be anything but gentle. Yet Jack knew he was gentle, especially his hands. Suddenly she frowned, looking at the handwriting in the letter.

"Thank you." Khan said, looking over the ring Jack had handed to him to price for her.

"For what?" Jack asked, observing how critically Liege was watching Khan's every move. Not only that but every move of the market. She was impressed how Liege watched the reflections of other people in the shining trinkets that moved in the wind. They tinkled from their high hanging in Khan's colourful stall.

"For buying this."

"'e means givin' 'im money Jack, thas all this merchant cares about." Liege explained, glancing back to the silver ring. "Never 'as changed, 'n I doubt 'e ever will."

"Come now, Liege! You know me better than that!" Khan exclaimed, looking for a chain for the ring. Selecting a few, he laid them out in front of Jack to look at.

"'course I do, ye money-obsessed bastard." Liege muttered, guessing which one Jack would pick. She was right, of course. A simple chain, yet very strong. It wasn't too short or too long but was perfect for the purpose.

"Speaking of money, Liege, you should pay him." Jack interrupted, earning a glare from her friend and a grin from Khan.

"The little girl is right, tis time to pay." He agreed, enjoying how Liege grumbled as she took out a credit chip. Tossing it to Khan, she saw how carefully Jack threaded the chain through the ring.

He wrote a few lines of some message onto the receipt, which he handed to Liege. Glancing at it, she shoved it in her pocket and nodded.

Later that evening, Liege was in the shower and Jack was sitting on her bed looking at the ring. Could it really be his? Just then the memory of the slip of paper came up again and Jack became intensely curious.

Ignoring the "curiosity killed the cat" phrase that was running through her head, she found Liege's pants on one of the piles of clothes on the floor, that had been so kindly dubbed "Liege's Mountain Range of Cloth." Finding the paper, she took it out and was disappointed to find it in another language. The letters were in the English characters, but not the style she knew.

Putting it back, she went back to her bed where she feel asleep, protected from her nightmares by the thought of Riddick nearby.

Growling, Jack took the letter from his hands, ignoring his sounds of protests. She willingly accepted when he pulled her back into his chest and nuzzled her neck.

As she read the letter again, a free hand traveled up and rested on the smooth scalp of Riddick, gently tickling it. Turning to kiss his cheek, she was impressed on how far the relationship had come.

"What is it" He asked, never one for patience.

"Khan is part of this, I recognize the handwriting. So that must mean Khan has had some sort of contact with Liege. If we could just…"

"Careful, Jack. This will take planning. And a whole lot of it." He warned.

"Then get planning, sex god." She said, smacking his leg. Raising his eyebrow at her nickname of him, she laughed and kissed his nose. Annoyed and slightly confused at this strange affection, he began to let his inner planner take over.