3

Meanwhile from Ultraman's POV

Pinning her down to the ground I felt her tremble beneath me. Fear, a feeling I had long grown to expect from others. But why did it hurt to feel it from her? From the look in her eyes, we were one and the same—unwanted freaks of nature.

"Your mother sold you to me for a hefty fee," I growled.

The Amazon's eyes grew wide with horror. Her big, beautiful pale blue eyes. Oh god… Did she not know why she was sent here? What level of deception was this? Curious, I pressed her further.

"I can only imagine how low she thinks of you… Clay thing…" I continued. "… To sell you to a monster like me…"

The muscles in her face tensed as she bit down on the inside of her cheeks. Clay… A mark of shame? Or a name regularly used to denigrate? The longer I stared down at her face, it became clear. She was hiding her pain. What had those women on that island done to her?

"… With that knowledge, do you still desire to go home?"

Her face softened as if accepting death. Why had I asked her this? Did I truly want to kill her? Did I need to?

"It is my home," she replied softly.

As she spoke tears welled in her eyes.

"It is either die by your hands or theirs," she continued through her tears. "I choose to die by yours…"

I watched her close her eyes as her tears fell. For a moment, I saw a flash of my younger self staring back up at me. It was the me that was ripped from the farm back in Kansas. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I realized that those whom I had called family had sent me to the wolves. I longed for someone, anyone to come and save me. Sadly, no one did.

Through the haze, I gently brushed my thumb over her cheek. I couldn't save myself back then but maybe…

"…You can stay here with… me," I whispered.

She opened her eyes.

"I belong to no man or god," she answered.

Belonged? Hmmm. An intriguing notion, to belong to someone. I had never had such an attachment. Lois didn't 'belong' to me. Hell, I never wanted her. But the idea that one could belong to one person… My heart raced. Was this what I wanted?

"What use do you have for such… a thing?" she said coldly.

Why did referring to herself as a 'thing' make me feel emotions? I had none. I'd just killed a woman in cold blood and felt nothing. But this tiny woman's words stirred something within me.

I smirked, "I am neither, so several…"

She flinched as I hovered over her. Fear. There was the look I'd grown accustomed to. Everyone feared me. Even her brief attempt to kill me ended the same way every attempt on my life ended. With me, receiving my worship of fear.

"3, 2…" I thought.

"Then what are you?" she asked.

I was startled by her question; I half expected her to beg for her life. Especially, since she seemed so eager to meet her end moments before. But her eyes were so pure at that moment. For a woman who just tried to kill me, she had the face of an angel. This Clay woman… Diana was untouched in more ways than one. She didn't bear the stank of bloodshed on her. A smell that oozed out of every pour in my body. My thumb felt unworthy of touching her.

For a moment, the burning in my chest burned hotter. Dark thoughts and feelings ran through my mind. The things I wanted to do to her. Gods it was sinful. Distracted, I felt her rotating her pelvis trying to flip us over. I bit down on my lower lip.

"Shit…"

A sensation of primal possessiveness took over me as I let her flip us over. Her wide hips spread on top of my cock. The weight of her on top of me felt right as my cock strained in my pants. I let her pin my hands over my head. Her raven hair fell over her face, shielding her face from my view. Was she trying to kill me again or fuck me? Either way, my cock wasn't going to calm down. I rocked my hips upwards pressing myself against her. Her face flushed.

"Mine!" I hissed.

I took hold of her hands and sat up. Grabbing a fist full of hair in one hand, with the other I wrapped her legs around my waist. She was in my lap. Her gazed I craved it. It made me feel. Would she let me have her, to mark her? I could feel her heart racing. Her eyes were dilated. I could smell her wetness. My eyes grew violently red. I felt their heat seeping out of the side of my face. Her face panicked.

"Are you… afraid?" I asked.

She shook her head. Lie, they were always afraid. Something in me needed to press further. I pulled her head to me.

"May I…"

She nodded once more. Never taking my eyes off her, I pulled her closer.

"… Hold you…"

Tightly she pressed her eyes shut as I touched my forehead against hers. She flinched as our skin touched, but then relaxed.

"It's warm…" she said. "… the heat from your eyes…"

Again, her words shocked me.

I laughed.

"Did you think I'd burn you?"

She paused for a moment.

"… No…" she replied. "You are…"

As she spoke, my second-in-command voice cut her off.

"Hey, boss…."

I heard J'onzz's hefty voice behind us.

"Oh shit…" he gasped.

I glanced over my shoulder. J'onzz had stopped inches from Circe's decapitated corpse.

"You're fucking someone over…" he paused.

His face was filled with disgust. Not over the possibility the body belonged to my 'wife', but because he wasn't one for the sight of blood. He saw too much in the Martian wars back on Mars.

"Damnit Kal… At least wait until we remove her body."

I couldn't help but shake my head.

"If I killed her," I replied. "Her head would be on a pike out front."

J'onzz was one of my oldest companions and the only man I trusted.

"I see,"

The Amazon in my lap looked uncomfortable at J'onzz's presence. He was tall and green, something she'd probably never seen before.

"Don't mind the green man," I said.

Turning my attention back to her, I heard the soft beating of 'her' heartbeat. J'onzz noticed the care in my voice. My attentiveness to her.

"Who's the girl?" J'onzz's voice rang in my mind.

"Nothing that concerns you,"

Tightening my grip around her waist, I lifted our joint bodies upright. As I pulled upward, her face hit the middle of my chest.

"Right," J'onzz snorted. "Says the man with an unknown beautiful woman in his arms."

Silence filled my mind for a moment. I could feel J'onzz rummaging around in my head. He saw me hesitate with her.

"You like her…" he said.

"What of it?"

"You haven't shown anyone this level of mercy," J'onzz answered.

Lingering in my head, he felt what I felt. He saw me looking down at her. How I wanted to help her, to care for her. To do what no one had done for me. To protect her from this painful experience.

"Out of my head, you green ass,"

He knew how I felt about him invading my personal space with his mind. It was a

violation and one I had experienced first-hand done by others.

"You wouldn't have told me if I hadn't," he said aloud.

I rolled my eyes at his words. I wouldn't have. My feelings were my own. As long as they remained with me, no one could use them against me.

"Do you want me to…" he said as he made a sweeping motion to the corpse.

I nodded while ensuring I shielded the Amazon from Circe's body.

"Get Arthur to throw this trash into his shark tank," I ordered. "I'm sure his babies are hungry…"
The clay woman trembled in my arms and it made me feel sick to my stomach. I took no pleasure in causing her pain as I did with most people.

"And what of the woman you are holding?" J'onzz asked in my mind. "Shall I have her interrogated? I hear Bruce is looking to try some new techniques…"

"Take her to my room,"

"What?!" J'onzz replied. "She just tried to kill you… unless you're going to…"

J'onzz saw an image of me asking to touch her.

"Oh…"

"She is a guest in this house," I continued. "Have a bath prepared in my room…"

The silence in the room made the woman mumble something.

"Gaia what have I gotten myself into…"

"Don't mind the green man over there," I whispered. "He's harmless mostly."

"Well, that lasso she's got wrapped around you isn't so harmless," J'onzz replied. "It's called the lasso of truth, those 'feelings' tugging at you… it brought them to the surface."

A light in my head went off. Ever since the rope had touched me, I felt a pull. Every lie stopped before escaping my lips. What matter of magic was this? Quickly I yanked the lasso from around my neck and kicked it toward J'onzz. Creating a space between us, I ordered.

"Lock it up,"

J'onzz nodded as he walked around us. Picking up the lasso in his hand, he smiled.

"Greetings, young lady," he said. "You must have had a long journey."

The woman looked down at the slight red ring around her wrists. Giving her a once over, I realized that my blood-covered clothes stained the cream dress she was wearing. Shame filled me. I'd tarnished her.

"You can use the shower first," I said as my eyes met hers. "I'll have someone bring you a new dress … Clay."

As I spoke, she interrupted me.

"Diana," she said. "… please call me… Diana."