Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Marvel.

A/N: There is a lot of sexuality within this chapter, be warned. Thank you to all my reviewers. I still need to hear from you. Please let me know how you are feeling about the story. As always…enjoy!

Chapter Eight: Levels

The flight was over sixteen hours long. Erik was grateful that he had slept when he did the night prior. It didn't go unnoticed by him that Ashtyn had been quiet for quite some time. He didn't dare ask her if something was wrong, for he knew that their last interaction was nothing but wrong. Yet, he felt no guilt, and that was most likely a problem for her. She was a fighter, and she wasn't going to let him have the upper hand, at least not for long. He only hoped that she would decide to put off their impending talk, at least for a little while more. Yet, she didn't.

"You do realize that your terms can be highly unfair at times." She stated, not questioned.

He sighed. Erik didn't know how he should respond, he only hoped that she would drop the higher-level convo altogether, she would not.

"I didn't ask for you to eat me out after you abducted me." She added curtly. Erik loved the rawness of her words. It made him want to match her manner of speaking.

"As I recall I ate you out without being asked, and that was prior to me snatching you up. Plus, if time permitted I would live down there all-day long, lapping at you like a dog." He countered, a devilish smile spreading widely upon his face.

"You are trying to avoid the real issue at hand. You can joke all you want, but I will not always give in to your demands."

"Actually, I hope that you don't. All that sassiness of yours is enticing. I love how you keep me guessing."

Ashtyn hadn't expected his reply. She wanted to drill into his mind how she was not a docile creature, who was willing to obey his every command. Yet, he had revealed that he loved her feistiness, and perhaps even looked forward to their back and forth battles. She wondered how far she was willing to take their convo, she had decided all the way.

"When we get to land. I want you to show me how much you love this pussy, and I better be satisfied."

Her words had cut through Erik like a knife, she was trying him in a way that she hadn't before. He loved her filthy mouth, and felt his dick getting harder by the second. He wanted to comeback with something clever, something equally as disarming. Yet, he was lost for words. She had done it again, she had gain the upper hand. "You should watch your mouth when you're talking to me. Bad little girls like you sometimes get what they want."

Ashtyn said nothing, she didn't have to. She had won the battle and she knew it. He gripped the steering wheel as he imagined all the nasty things that he wanted to do to her. She would regret taunting him. He was lost within his lustful thoughts, when she suddenly switched topics.

"So, tell me more about this border tribe, and their leader W'Kabi." Erik had nearly forgotten about his mission at hand. His thoughts had been so consumed by Ashtyn and applying all sixty-four sexual acts of the Kama Sutra on her ass; that he had truly forgotten his purpose for going to Wakanda in the first place.

"W'Kabi's parents were murdered by Klaw. That is why I decided to take his body to him. It will be our ticket for getting W'Kabi and his tribe on our side.

"How could you possibly know about that?"

"My father was the one who gave Klaw the intel about Wakanda and its rich resources."

"So indirectly your father is responsible for W'Kabi's parents' death. Obviously, he is not aware of this minor detail."

"No, he is not, but I am at least giving him something that he wants."

"Klaw's dead body." Ashtyn acknowledged. "What else did your father tell you?"

"My father told me about the history of my people. Every night he would tell me stories about his life in Wakanda. He wanted me to know that regardless of the impoverish surroundings, that we found ourselves in; that we were of royal blood. He was sent to the states as an informant, to determine the progress of the outside world. He wasn't supposed to have a family, but he met my mother and fell in love. My mother was killed by a random stray bullet during a drive by shooting.

"It was then that my father realized the injustice of Wakanda's policy, of not interacting with the outside world. Our people perish because those with the means to provoke change does nothing. From that moment on he tried to force his brother into action. That is why he had aided Klaw. He had anticipated that his brother's anger would be awaken, that he would see how they needed to assert their dominance over the world. Instead, he was killed because he visualized a greater future. If he would had succeeded, senseless crimes; like the one that took my mother away from me, would be no more."

Ashtyn sat still in her seat. The more Erik revealed his past to her the more her heart ached for him. "You want to ascend to the throne to change the world?" She asked.

"When I take the throne, I will change the world for the better." He answered.

"By what means?"

"By any means necessary." Ashtyn knew by the conviction of his words, that there would be no way of changing his mind. He had legitimate reasons for feeling the way that he did. Yet, Ashtyn knew that he was acting from a place of hurt, his mind was stuck somewhere in the past. Perhaps this is the reason why their paths had crossed. Maybe she was meant to help him during his transition into being a king. Though, she wondered if her words could encourage any positive change in his decision making, but she had to try.

"Remember, that you do not want to become the very thing that you hate." Ashtyn warned. Her words had caused Erik to reconsider his desire for gaining the throne. Did he really care about the world, or was he driven only by his past hurt? One thing he knew for sure was that he wanted to redirect the conversation to something else. He felt as though Ashtyn was peering into his soul. Usually he relished higher-level convo, but they were delving into a deeper level of himself that he wasn't willing to yet explore.

"Do you want to hear some music?" He asked. Ashtyn took it as her cue that their higher-level convo had ended. Now he wanted to embrace the blasé talk that he claimed that he hated, but she knew that he had already given so much of himself to her already. For repentance for abandoning him she had to kneeled before him and pleasure him; but he had to reopened old wounds to reconnect to her. This is the sacrifice that she required from him. Now things were even between them.

The remainder of the flight was uneventful. It was early morning when they had arrived, it was still dark outside. Erik landed the plane in an open field, a few miles from the border tribe's territory.

"I need to get some rest before we make the trip."

"Go ahead and sleep. I slept on the way over. I'll watch over you." Erik smiled. He never thought that he would hear that statement and trust that the person who said it meant every word of it. With Ashtyn by his side he felt invincible, and best of all safe. He wondered how this tiny woman could make someone like him feel safe, but she did. Without another thought he closed his eyes for some much-needed rest.

Ashtyn was left alone with her thoughts. She could hear Erik's deep breathing and was thankful that he was finally able to rest. Besides his breathing the night was quiet, only interrupted by the distant noises made by the resident animals, but she feared them not. It was comforting to hear the animals speak to one another. Still inside of the plane, Ashtyn popped the window hatch of the plane open, to breathe in the scent of the land. She couldn't explain it, but she felt an immediate connection with the unfamiliar environment. The fresh scent of the air was so different from the smog filled air of the city. She inhaled, allowing the air to fill her lungs, she felt alive. With Erik by her side she knew that she could make this land her home.

Erik awoke with the sun gently caressing his skin. His eyes fluttered open to view Ashtyn still on guard, just as she had promised him. He smiled. "Morning." Ashtyn only smiled back at him in response, she reached out to touch him, he grabbed her hand and guided it to his mouth. He then kissed the back of her hand, as if to greet her. "We need to pack up and head out."

"I know." She said as she gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "Are you feeling optimistic?"

"Of course. What could possibly go wrong?" Ashtyn wanted to roll her eyes, Erik's confidence was at times overly high. W'Kabi could still not accept Erik's proposition, in which case they could end up truly as his prisoners. However, if Erik did manage to convince W'Kabi to join him, then the only thing that would remained was to challenge his cousin, the king for the throne. She frowned when she considered that Erik never went into details on what the challenge would involve. "Are you okay?" Erik asked, when he noticed the grimace that had settled upon her face.

"Yeah, let's roll." Ashtyn replied, as she dismissed her icky feelings. She decided that she would take things as they came to her, worrying about the future was overwhelming. They packed their things and made their way to the village. Erik dragged Klaw's body the distance to the village's border. When they arrived, they were approached by W'Kabi and the village's elders. Erik immediately uncovered Klaw's face for W'Kabi's viewing. W'Kabi looked upon Klaw's corpse, and then turned his attention to the man who stood before him. Erik explained who he was, he then revealed his inner lip tattoo, and his royal crest; as proof that he was the son of Prince N'Jobu. He then went on to declare that he was the rightful ruler of Wakanda and would challenge T'Challa for the crown. W'Kabi was initially taken aback by his directness, but respected that he was a man of action. Unlike T'Challa who had failed to capture Klaw. He agreed to give Erik and Ashtyn refuge. The following morning W'Kabi agreed to take Erik to Wakanda, in the guise of being his prisoner; so that he could officially challenge T'Challa for the sovereign position as king.

W'Kabi had one of his servants to show Erik and Ashtyn to a lavish pavilion that was next to a lake. Once alone Erik turned to Ashtyn and kissed her passionately. She accepted his kiss fully and hoped that it would lead to the sexual compensation that he had promised her. However, he abruptly ended the kiss. "I have to talk to W'Kabi more about our plans for tomorrow." He stated.

Ashtyn wanted to pout, but she knew that they weren't on a romantic getaway. If he said that he needed to talk things over with W'Kabi then she wouldn't stand in his way. However, before he left her, he guided her around the pavilion to familiarize her with her surroundings. Once he was satisfied that Ashtyn would be alright he left to speak with W'Kabi.

A few hours had passed. Ashtyn had fallen asleep. She awoke to a hand gently stroking her hair. "Erik?" She questioned.

"Yes." He answered.

"What time is it?"

"It is nearly dusk."

"How long have I been asleep?"

"Almost seven hours. You looked so peaceful I didn't want to awake you, but I have something special planned for you down by the lake."

"What do you mean by something special?" Ashtyn questioned. Erik shrugged, and replied that she would have to follow him to find out.

He took her by the hand and guided her to the lake shoreline. He wouldn't even allow her the time to put on her shoes, swearing to her that the ground was soft enough for her to walk on with her bare feet. He was right, the sands that aligned the shore caressed the bottoms of her feet, as she breathed in the sweet scent of an unfamiliar species of flower.

"That scent?" She inquired.

"Saintpaulias, or it is often referred to as African Violets, align the edge of the lake's shore. Come let me show you." He guided her over to the flower, so that she could place her fingertips onto its petals. It was so soft and delicate.

"Beautiful." She uttered.

"Its beauty is nothing when compared to you. You have no idea how breathtaking you are. I am amazed that someone like you loves someone like me." He grabbed her by her waist and pulled her closely to him. They kissed again, he pressed himself against her, loving how her soft curves gave way to his hard body. "Let's go skinny-dipping." He suggested.

He could see concern etched upon her face. "Relax. Trust me, I don't want anyone seeing you naked but me. We are the only people in this part of the village. W'Kabi have granted us this space to have as our own for tonight." He assured her. Erik wasted no time as he began to disrobe. Ashtyn could hear his clothes dropping to the ground. She followed suit, not wanting to waste anytime getting into the cool water. They descended to the bank, by now night had fallen.

Erik couldn't take his eyes off her, so he didn't. He watched as the gentle currents broke, as it met her body. He took her deeper into the cool water and stop just before the waves could cover her perky breasts. He wanted her, but he had made a promise that tonight was going to be special. Tonight, she would know how much she meant to him. He pulled her closer to himself. He then dipped his head down to take her left breast into his mouth. She arched her back, as pure ecstasy traveled throughout her entire body.

"Do you like it when I taste you?"

"Yes..." She panted. He then moved to the other side, holding her close to him with one hand. He assaulted her sensitive nipple with his tongue. All the while his free hand massaged her other breast, making her writhed beneath his touch.

"You asked something from me, the first time we were together. You asked for me to make love to you. Do you still want me to?"

"Yes…please" She answered breathlessly. He reached between her legs and pushed two fingers deep within her. He kissed her, and she moaned against his mouth.

He broke away from their kiss. Seeing her beneath the moonlight, so close to climaxing, was so erotic. "Tell me what you need from me." He demanded.

Ashtyn had to take several deep breaths, before she could answer him. He wasn't making it easy for her to do so, his fingers were drawing out her orgasm. It took all her strength to keep herself from peaking. "I need you to make love to me."

He wanted to be gentle and kind to her, but he couldn't help but to tease her, just a bit. "In the plane you said that I better show you how much I love your pussy. Now that I am fingering you how does it feel? Are you satisfied?"

Ashtyn previous words were thrown back at her, and she knew what he wanted to hear her say. "I am satisfied."

Erik closed his eyes taking in her confession. "May I have you now?" He had nearly pleaded. He looked at her, teasing aside he was captivated by her. His world was slowly becoming all about her, and he wasn't going to complain.

"Always." Her permission was all that he needed. Lifting her up, she instinctively wrapped her legs around him. He slid inside of her effortlessly.

"Damn…girl." He said, as he felt her walls enclosing around himself. "You have no idea how good this feels to me." He said as he began to slowly move inside of her. Ashtyn offered no words as she bounced up and down on him. Erik felt his body giving in to her persistence. Yet, he had promised her that he would compensate her for her willingness to submit to him. He was already giving her everything that he could physically, his words were all that he had left to push her over the edge. "My world is better because you are in it. You are my heart."

Ashtyn heard his words and was moved by them. She felt his hand gripping her hips, as she slid up and down him. He had said that she was his heart, and the notion had nearly broken her. She fisted his dreads in her hands, and roughly yanked his head to the side and bit him. He gasped, the pain he felt had hit him with tremendous force, he came harder than any other time before. She had taken him beyond his limits. He roared loudly, and he climax, and she soon followed him. Tears, flowed from his eyes. Though Ashtyn couldn't witness his emotional break, he felt expose in the most wonderful way. It hurt to be this in love. The fear of losing her was overwhelming. Yet, it made him feel more alive than he had felt in years. There was no going back for him, she was his future. There was only one thing that he needed to say. Looking at her willing his words to carry the weight of his devotion for her. He said, "Be my queen. Marry me."

Ashtyn's breath hitched, as her heart skipped a beat. She was utterly stunned by his command. He wanted her to be his wife, to be his queen. She only wished she could see him. Her blindness was a curse, but in moments like these it seemed to be wholly unfair. She wanted to gaze upon his face. Because she wanted to see the look on his face when she said, "Yes."