Warning: Sexual content

Chapter 22

Aurora and Tamor returned to Myssa's anteroom. She went straight for Byakuya and held her arms up for him to lift her into his lap. "I found the perfect token for you, Uncle Byakuya." She held up a bracelet of clear beads that had pink flower petals suspended in them.

He held out his wrist for her to put it on him, "That is very pretty."

She fumbled with the clasp, "Tamor said that when you call your zanpakto it looks like flower petals."

"He's right," he gave her a soft smile, "which makes this the perfect token."

"I bet it's really pretty when you call your zanpakto. Maybe I can see it one day?"

Myssa said, "Aurora, if you ask him nicely, Byakuya might show you his bankai."

Aurora's eyes went round, as did her mouth, "You have a bankai?!"

"Yes, I do." Her face lit up and she began firing off question after question. Byakuya chuckled, held up a hand, "Today, after the challenges are over, I will demonstrate my bankai for you to see."

Aurora squealed then hugged Byakuya. "I can't wait!" She shimmied off of Byakuya's lap and went to the table where Tamor was enjoying an orange, peels and all. She sat down to eat some of the fruit too.

Myssa went into her bedroom for a moment then returned with a thickly linked blanket. A charm hung from it – a silvery jewel unlike anything Byakuya had ever seen. She fastened the bracelet on his other wrist, "This is my token for you."

"I have never seen a gem like this. What is it?"

"This is the last piece of the star jewel."

"The one your mother demanded as ransom for you?"

She nodded her head, "The very same. My father's dragon fire shattered it, scattering most of it's power into the cosmos." She touched the charm, made it swing and catch the light, "This fragment still holds some of its power."

"What kind of power? Is it dangerous?"

"I don't know what kind of power. I've never tinkered with it. It's just a piece of my past, a reminder of how far I've come. It's always seemed to bring me luck." She smiled at him, "Maybe it will bring you some today."

"I do not need luck, I have superior skills."

She grinned, "You're not entering a kissing contest."

He grinned too, "But if I did, I'd win."

She laughed then leaned close to him, "I may need a demonstration of your winning technique later when we have some privacy."

Outside, the festival to celebrate Myssa and Byakuya's engagement was in full swing. Game stalls were everywhere along with food, crafts, and other fun things. Large eating areas were scattered with tables and benches with an open bar nearby.

Myssa, Byakuya, Aurora, and Tamor were headed for the sword arena when they ran into Rukia, Renji, Isane, and Hanataro heading the same way. Aurora was instantly shy and hid behind Myssa's legs. Renji said, "Did I just see a little girl?" He peeked around Myssa, "There she is! What 'cha doin' back here?" Aurora squealed then ran to hide behind Rukia. "Wow! She's fast!" He pursued. More squealing ensued as she ran for Isane. When she tried to run behind Hanataro, Renji caught her. She laughed as he swept her up and slung her over his shoulder. "Hey! Look what I caught!"

Aurora called out, "Aunt 'Leris!"

"Don't holler for me, kiddo, you got yourself into that." Myssa replied.

Aurora slid down so Renji would catch her against his chest. She played with his hair, a look of awe on her little face. "How did your hair get so red?"

Renji shrugged, "I dunno. I was just born that way."

Her fingers traced one of the tattoos on his neck, "Were the lines born too?"

He chuckled, "Nope, I added those."

She gave him a coy smile, "I think you're really pretty."

"Well, thank you, you're very pretty too."

Myssa tugged on Aurora's shirt, "Hey, flirty girl, haven't you forgotten something?" Aurora shrugged. Myssa continued, "Wouldn't you like to know the pretty man's name?"

"Oh!" She beamed a smile at him, fired off words in rapid order "Hi! I'm Myssa Aurora Starjax! I was named after my aunt Myssa Aleris Starjax. When we're together, people call me Aurora and her Aleris, 'cause if you just say 'Myssa' we both answer. And, and, today I get to spend the whole day with my Aunt Aleris – isn't that a pretty name? She's my favoritest person in the whole world because when I was born my mommy and me, we almost died but Aunt Aleris, she saved us. She – "

Myssa gently put her hand over Aurora's mouth, "How do you breathe around all those words?" She took Aurora from Renji and set her on her feet. "Now, remember, like we practiced."

Aurora leaned back against Myssa's legs to tip her head and look up at her, "I was rude, wasn't I?"

Myssa held her fingers apart for measurement, "A little bit."

Aurora took two steps away and bowed to the group, "Please, forgive my rude be – be – beeee – "

Myssa whispered, "Behavior."

"Behavior." She straightened, "I am Myssa Aurora Starjax, please call me Aurora. I would be very happy to know your names so we can be friends." She looked over her shoulder at Myssa who gave her a thumb up.

Aurora took her time to meet each of them one by one. She was sweet and charming. Although, after the introductions were over, she went right back to Renji.

Byakuya watched Aurora lift her arms for Renji to pick her up. He spoke softly to Myssa, "Looks like Aurora has a crush on my lieutenant."

"It's the hair. He's sporting her favorite color."

"Auron is going to have his hands full in a few years."

"Without a doubt."

He put his arm around her shoulders, kissed her temple, "Pray we have sons." She snickered.

They all continued on to the sword arena. Aurora sat on Renji's shoulders and played with his hair.

In the center of the audience section, a set of bleachers was set apart for the royal family. Cushions adorned the seats. Xanthan and Abby were already there and stood to greet everyone.

Abby cast a disapproving look at Myssa, "Aleris, are you going to send your man into battle without his braids?"

"I was just about to tend to that."

Everyone sat down from the third row and up with Xanthan and Abby near the top. Myssa led Byakuya to the bottom row. He sat down. She nudged his knees apart with hers so she could stand close to him. The heat from her body was nice. He could smell her clean scent and had to stop himself from dragging her against him. He imagined how fast he could have her out of that camel-colored, suede skirt and off-the-shoulder crème top. Her bare shoulders and collarbone were so tempting. The crème hose on her legs disappeared into knee boots that matched her skirt. She looked so attractive with her hair up in a high ponytail. Her lovely neck was on display. He'd love to kiss there, hear her moan, feel her shiver.

Having her ample bosom so close to his face was making his dick twitch. She unwrapped a leather cord from her wrist and began section off a portion of his hair. He tried to distract himself, "Explain the braids."

She started at his right temple, secured the leather there, "Well, long ago, ladies began to braid their warriors' hair before they went into battle." She started braiding, weaving the leather cord in, "Some say it was to help with visibility during battle. Some say it was a way to wish them luck."

He looked up, enjoying the view, "What do you think?" He loved this angle. The lovely lines of her neck and face, her cute ears, the way her gold hoop earrings swayed when she moved.

She shrugged, "Maybe a little of both. Now, it's a tradition." She smiled at him.

Rukia said, "Myssa, Aurora said that you saved her and her mother's lives. What happened?"

She shrugged again, "It's not that big of a deal."

Hanataro spoke up, "I'd love to hear the tale."

"Me too." From Isane.

"Me too." Xanthan's voice carried, "I never get tired of hearing about the brave deeds of my favorite daughter."

Myssa shook her head, "I'm your only daughter!"

"All right, fine, you're my favorite child, just don't tell your brothers!"

Byakuya chuckled. He'd heard this exchange before and it was still just as endearing as the first time he'd heard it. He spoke up, "I'd like to hear the tale too."

Her gaze dropped to his, she sighed in resignation. "All right." She tied off the end of the braid, moved to start the other side. "First of all, a quick lesson for those unfamiliar with this realm. We have four kingdoms: North, South, East, and West, to keep it simple. I won't bog you down with their names. Over all these kingdoms is one king of the realm."

Xanthan broke in, "Me."

She continued, "The king of the realm keeps the balance. Each kingdom has a royal family. My brother, Auron, fell in love with Princess Amelia of the northern kingdom. She and her kind are what's known as cold drakes."

"Ice dragons?" Hanataro asked.

"Yes, and no. There are two types of cold drakes. The majority of them have no breath ability. However, they are gifted sorcerers with magical abilities unique to their kind. The royal blood line carries the ability of ice breath. Amelia has it. Marcel, their son, has it. We don't' know if Aurora has it yet, or if she'll be a fire drake like her Daddy. She's still too young for it manifest."

Aurora huffed and puffed, "I want cold breath!"

Myssa snickered, "You need cold britches, flirty girl." Everyone chuckled. She was having trouble with the braid. She had to undo it and start over. Something was interfering with her focus. Then, it hit her – Byakuya's fingers were tracing lazy patterns on the back of her thigh. She hissed so only he could hear, "I can't think straight when you do that!"

He had a smug little grin on his face. If she was that sensitive through hose, he couldn't wait to see her reactions when it was flesh on flesh. And he wasn't about to stop.

"If you don't stop I'm going to end up tying knots in your hair." She still spoke low.

"It would be worth it."

She started over, and so did he – with the other thigh. She visibly shivered, looked down, and saw him watching her with a grin on his face. Her voice dropped to a whisper, "You almost made me moan."

He whispered back, "I cannot help myself, you have great legs."

"Un-hunh, I think you're just plucking the strings before you decide what tune you want to play."

His grin turned wicked, "I know the tune. I have been dreaming of the tune for a long time. I just don't have access to the instruments yet."

Her look was heated, "You're closer to 'access' than you think you are, love."

What did she mean by that? Before he could ask, Renji's voice drew them back to the original conversation. "Hey, you gonna finish the story?"

"Sorry," she said, "So, five years ago, Amelia was pregnant with Aurora. I came home because I always want to be here when new Starjaxes are born. Amelia, Auron, Abby, and I were visiting the northern kingdom so Amelia could be with her parents when she gave birth." She shivered and shot Byakuya a warning look. She lost track of her thoughts, "Um…invaded…the East kingdom launched an attack. They caught us while we were traveling to one of the royal villas. Amelia and I were trapped in a ground-floor room of the villa with a healer and two of the caravan guards."

"Where was everyone else?" Hanataro asked.

"They were still on the road. Our carriage was the first to arrive at the villa. We had to make a run for the house. A few moments after we'd locked the doors, the upper floor came crashing down on us. One of the enemy dragons had been knocked from the sky and landed on the villa. The – Eeeeep!" Byakuya's fingers hit a sweet spot on her inner thigh and she nearly jump straight up in the air. She shook her head, giggling at the self-satisfied look on his face.

She quickly tied off the braid and moved back to sit on the rail facing them all. She crossed her legs. The motion drew Byakuya's eyes – any excuse to look at her legs. Her skirt rode up a bit, just enough to reveal that she wasn't wearing hose…she was wearing thigh-high stockings. His eyes widened a bit – they were lacy, contrasting so nicely against her skin. He looked to her face for any clue that somehow, she had seen into his dreams, had deliberately worn those stockings then displayed them just for him.

She went back to the story, "The guards were killed when the floor came down. The healer was pinned under the rubble and I couldn't get her out. She died a few minutes later. Amelia was freaking out. Then, suddenly, her water broke." She shook her head, "I have never seen a baby born so fast. It's like I blinked and there she was in my hands."

Rukia cooed, "Aw, was it beautiful?"

"You want the truth?" Rukia nodded. "It was the grossest thing I have ever seen." Isane and Hanataro both started laughing. "See, that laugh tells me you both know exactly what I mean."

Rukia was disappointed, "There was no wonder, no feeling of the miracle of life?"

Myssa smiled at her, "Oh, there was plenty of that. When Aurora took her first breath, she didn't cry. Most babies do. But, not this little one. She opened her eyes and just cooed a bit." She paused briefly before continuing, "I got them both cleaned up as best I could and settled on a couch. That's when the first enemy soldier got in. He came through the one window that wasn't blocked. He nearly killed Amelia. If I had been a few seconds later turning around, Auron would have been a widow."

"What did you do?" Hanataro was wrapped up in the tale.

She ignited the runes on her right hand, let her power glow, "I shoved him out the way he came in. He landed on some rebar in the rubble outside. He died, impaled." The glow around her hand winked out. "I took his halberd and broke it down for someone my size. The next soldier lost his leg trying to climb in that window. Took his weapon too. I moved Amelia and the baby into the farthest corner from the window and shoved furniture and rubble around them to shield them." She shrugged, "Then I waited for Auron and the other royal guards to show up."

Xanthan's voice was stern, "Tell them, Aleris."

She pushed off the rail, threw her father a hard look, "I did what had to be done. Nothing more."

Byakuya knew immediately that something was wrong by the way she held herself. He expected Xanthan to say what he was prodding for, but it was Abby who spoke.

"She killed 82 enemies that day." There were gasps, even from Byakuya. "When we found her, we thought she was dead. She was laying on a pile of bodies – covered in blood, head to toe. None of it was hers." She met Myssa's angry gaze, "More important, none of it was Amelia's or Aurora's."

"Not that big of a deal, eh?" Rukia said.

Myssa's jaw was clenched. She looked upset. Aurora chose that moment to jump into her arms and hug her tightly. Myssa's whole demeanor changed in an instant. She smiled as her niece said, "And that's why Aunt Aleris is my favoritest person in the whole world!" She kissed Aurora's cheek then put her down so she could go back to sitting with Renji.

Myssa was on the verge of tears. She mumbled, "Excuse me." Then was gone in a blur of shunpo. Byakuya went after her. She did her best to put some distance between them, but he was faster.

He caught up to her at the edge of the forest. She didn't want him to see her cry and tried to turn away. His hold was firm, but gentle. "Tell me." She shook her head. "We could leave it for later, but I prefer we deal with things as they come up." He lifted her chin to bring her eyes to his, "I know you have horrors in your past. Running from them won't solve anything."

She knew he was right. She'd never had someone that wanted her to face her demons, wanted to face them with her. Her face started to crumble, "Those soldiers…Byakuya, they were so young! Their faces – they couldn't have been more than 20 years old. And they just kept coming. One, two, three at a time." She squeezed her eyes shut, tears spilling, "There was so much blood – in my eyes, my nose, my mouth."

He could see the flood gates were open and that that day was spilling out of her word by word.

"All I kept thinking was 'I can't let them get past me. If just one slips through, Amelia and the baby are dead.'" Her eyes lifted to his, "What I did to those men – those boys…I was death." Her hands were fisted against his chest, "Then it all stopped. The words stopped. The thoughts stopped. Everything seemed to stop, but the soldiers kept coming…and I kept killing." She gave in, crying as he held her. She cried for the men she'd killed, for the part of herself she lost that day. Byakuya said nothing, just held her tight. She finally calmed, sniffled, "My father, the mighty Xanthan, to him what I did was something to be proud of. For Abby, I protected my family, I did the right thing. No remorse for an enemy."

He stroked her back, his hand coming to rest on her shoulder. "It is easy for them, they are not the ones that have to live with the memories."

Her voice skipped, "Or the nightmares."

"Amelia went through it with you. Have you talked to her about that day?"

She nodded. "I tried. She calls me a hero. Look at how Aurora celebrates that day, that's all from Amelia. She doesn't understand, or maybe doesn't want to understand how out of control I was that day."

"What about Auron?"

"He understands. He's seen me in full dragon rage before. He knows how it makes me feel. But, that day – he's glad it was me in that room with them."

Byakuya squeezed a bit. He'd yet to see the full extent of her powers, but he'd experienced enough of his own birthright to warrant a guess as to how much power two birthrights could channel. Add in dragon rage, and he was sure the power she wielded was mind-boggling. He could understand why Auron was glad Myssa was there to protect his wife and child – who better to stand alone to face an army? She had been their salvation that day, but it had cost her dearly, the echoes of it still tormented her now.

She sighed, the tension leaving her, "Are you sure you want to marry me? It's not too late to run."

He leaned back enough to have some space to cup her face in his hands, "You told me the first night we met that your history is messy."

"But, now you're getting to see how bad it is." Her eyes held tears that threatened to spill.

"Hush." He kissed her lips, lingered until he felt her relax. "I came here for you. I love you. I need you. I want you by my side for the rest of my life." He smiled down at her, "And I always get what I want, Myssa."

She smiled that bright smile that never failed to cut right through him. "I love you so much." She wrapped his battle braids around her fingers and tugged his lips back to hers. "Care to explain what you wanted a little while ago when you were driving me crazy with your magic fingers?"

"Your breasts were so close to my face. I needed to touch you." His lips skimmed along her neck making her shiver. "You smell so good. I find it impossible to keep my hands off of you." Both of his hands slid down to follow the curve of her butt. She sighed and leaned into him. He pressed her lower belly against the hard length of him. He expected her to gasp and pull away, Hisana had the first time she encountered his erection.

Myssa made a sound in her throat somewhere between a moan and a purr, it was soft in his ear, "My god, Byakuya, is all that you?" She rolled her hips to rub against him as she smiled against his ear, "And you're all mine."

His control was fraying fast. That last statement nearly snapped the last thread. He had to get away, get some air, get back control.

Suddenly, he was gone in a blur of shunpo. Myssa caught a flash of him in the forest and followed him.

When she caught up, she found him facing a tree, both hands gripping the trunk with his head down. She crossed her arms, leaned casually on the tree near his right hand. "Are you all right?"

"I need five minutes," he said thickly.

"There's a cold stream near here. It runs straight down from an ice pack up on the mountain. You can dip your 'dignity' in there. Always works for my brothers. Except Rygar, he usually requires full immersion." She saw his shoulders shake then heard him chuckling.

Byakuya lifted his head. There was a predatory look in his eyes, "You're going to kill me. You know that, right?"

"Nah." She grinned, "But, you will feel like you've died and gone to heaven." Bark snapped. A small bit flew past her. He was gripping the tree. "My, my, you are strung tight."

He closed his eyes, slowly shook his head, "The ponytail, the way you smell – unnnnh, the stockings. That smile, and what you said."

"You pressed that amazingly big cock of yours into my belly. What did you expect me to do? Squeak like a mouse and run away?"

His look answered for him. His knuckles and fingertips were white against the tree, he was pressing so hard. Hearing her say he had a "big cock" made him want to shove up her skirt and impale her on it right there.

She quirked a brow, "You're thinking about pushing up my skirt and taking me right here against this tree, aren't you?"

More bark snapped and went sailing. "How do you get into my head like that?"

She smiled, "I'm not in your head, sweetheart, I'm in mine."

A loud cracking noise made her jump. Both of his hands pulled away chunks of the tree. He gritted, "Where is that stream?"

Trying not to laugh, she pointed, "You can see it through the trees –" he was a blur, "—over there." She called after him, "I'll wait here for you." She leaned against the tree, started singing, letting the acoustics of the forest carry her voice to him.

When Byakuya heard Myssa singing to him, he smiled. One moment she was wickedly teasing him, now she was being so sweet. It took a few minutes to regain his control. He turned to walk back and heard her make up one of her silly songs. As the refrains of "Sometimes You Gotta Dip Your Dignity" went from innuendo to a cold bath, Byakuya found himself laughing.

Then, he saw her. She was leaning against the tree, one leg bent with her foot on the trunk. Toying with a piece of bark, flaking little bits away, she was oblivious to his stare.

Byakuya appeared next to her and she looked up, "Feeling better?"

"Much better." He ran his hand up her thigh to the lace fringe on her stocking, tucked his finger under it to rub her skin. She went still, her eyes roaming his face. "These suit you. Like you, they are beautiful," he kissed her lips, "delicate," kiss, "elegant," kiss, "alluring."

"Do you like all lingerie, or just the stockings?"

"I like slowly unwrapping my gift before I enjoy it."

She gave him a playful smile, "Your 'gift' is also wearing the bustier and panties that match these stockings."

Byakuya's eyes flashed a split second before he grabbed her top at the shoulders and pulled it down to her waist, trapping her hands in the sleeves while revealing the lacy bustier. Myssa gasped in surprise. His hands moved over the material, following the supports from her waist up to her breast, "It fits you like a second skin."

She was about to say something when his hand reached the top, traced the edge of the lace along one breast, into her cleavage, then across the other. He hooked a finger in the material and peeled it down to expose her right breast. He gently palmed that lovely globe of flesh, dragged his thumb over her nipple, smiled when it reacted instantly by beading under his touch. She groaned. He put his arm behind her back, securing her as she arched a bit toward his touch. He leaned in, kissed the curve of her cleavage, and heard her sigh. A few seconds later, the warmth of his mouth closed over that rosy peak. She sucked in a breath through her teeth, pressed herself into him. He looked up, expected to see her head back or her eyes closed, but she was staring at him – not his eyes, his mouth. He tilted his head so she could watch him give her a slow lick over her nipple. That dragged a groan from down deep. She felt and heard him chuckle.

When he paused to move to the other breast, she squirmed to free her arms from her sleeves. One hand sank into his hair, cradling his head against her as his mouth closed over her nipple. The other hand pushed his hair away from his face. She lowered her lips to his temple, working in kisses between moans and sighs.

After a few moments, he looked up to see her lower lip trapped between her teeth as she watched every move he made. He moved up to free her lip, kissing to soothe. His right hand went up her skirt and into her panties. Her hips tilted toward his touch, following like a magnet. His middle finger slid into her slick folds and he groaned, "You are so soft."

She whimpered against his lips as he stroked her. His tongue plunged into her mouth the same time as his finger dipped into her.

The shock was so great she bucked and nearly bit him. He retreated, went still, searched her face, "Did I hurt you?"

"N – No. I – I've just never…" Her eyes were darting from his lips to his eyes, "I mean, I've never felt – anything inside me before."

It was Byakuya's turn to be shocked. He knew she was virgin, but this – this was a whole new facet. "You mean you've never used your fingers when you pleasure yourself?"

"I do – only on the outside." Her cheeks were a bit pink, as were her ears.

He smiled at her, relishing the sudden knowledge that he was going to be touching a part of her that no one, not even she, had ever touched. "My beautiful Myssa, you really are a gift." He kissed her, drawing her into a rhythm. He waited until he felt her push herself against his hand. That's when he started stroking her, long and slow like the way his tongue was stroking hers. This time when his finger slipped into her, there was only a slight hitch of her breath and a moan of pleasure.

Myssa had named it correctly – magic fingers. Byakuya was playing her like a fine-tuned instrument, making her whole body come alive. She didn't care about anything except the amazing sensation he was creating between her legs. She could feel the pleasure coiling tight, building toward something that seemed to racing through her, rushing to where Byakuya's fingers were gently stoking a fire that threatened to consume her.

He had stopped kissing her, leaning back so he could watch her. This was a special moment for them both and he wasn't going to miss the chance to watch the first time he made her orgasm.

He didn't have to wait very long. Her whole body arched, her head went back. Her lovely, melodious voice rang through the glade. Inner muscles clenching at his fingers, hands clinging to him for support, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He kissed her neck, enjoying how she bucked against him a bit, riding out the pleasure as long as possible. As the waves began to abate, he pulled his fingers back to draw slow circles around her clit, and sent her right into another orgasm.

He waited until he felt her relax before he stopped stroking her and took his hand out of her panties. He hugged her close, enjoying the sound of her breath as it returned to normal. He felt her shaking a second before heard her giggling. "What's so funny?"

"I don't know. I felt like crying or laughing." Giggled, "You see which one won."

He smiled knowingly, "Ah, I see." He rubbed the back of her neck, pressed a kiss at the corner of her mouth, "We'll see about working on your endurance."

She laughed, "Great, more training."

He chuckled, "You will enjoy every minute of it, I will see to it." Kissing along her jawline until he reached her lips, "Next time, I'll use my tongue." He felt her whole body shake. He kissed her softly before helping her correct her clothing. Once she had recovered, he laced his fingers with hers and began walking back toward the sword arena. It was time to face Rygar's challenge.