Page 12 of Vylit: Glowing for Her
The pirates faltered, clearly unprepared for reinforcements. Vylit seized the opportunity, driving forward with renewed vigor. He grabbed the shark-head by his elongated skull and slammed him repeatedly against the cavern wall. The pirate's body went limp, but Vylit didn't stop until the skull cracked like an egg, spilling its contents into the churning water.
I watched, transfixed by the savage beauty of it, by the knowledge that this violence was for me—to protect me, to keep me from becoming someone's possession. The realization sent a confusing mix of emotions cascading through me—gratitude, horror, and something darker that I wasn't ready to name.
Kazmyr cornered three pirates, his massive hands glowing with heat as he reached for them. Their screams cut off abruptly as the water around them flashed to steam, cooking them inside their own skin. Silvyr dispatched two more with a serrated blade that seemed to extend from his forearm, moving so fast his attacks blurred into a single, continuous motion.
The final pirate, a bulbous creature with multiple limbs, tried to retreat through the original breach. Vylit intercepted him, catching him by what might have been a throat and slamming him against the wall beside me. The pirate's eyes—all six of them—rolled in terror as Vylit's face pushed close to his.
"Tell your kind," Vylit snarled, "the Mavtrosian's mate is claimed. Fully. Completely." He punctuated each word by tightening his grip. "Spread the word. Any who come for her will meet the same fate."
With a final, vicious twist, he crushed the pirate's throat and let the body slump to the ground. The cavern fell silent except for our ragged breathing and the soft plink of fluid dripping from wounds.
I pushed off from the wall, legs shaking with spent adrenaline, and rounded on the newcomers. "What the fuck took you so long?"
Silvyr wiped his blade clean, his expression shifting from battle-rage to amusement in an instant. "Pirates scrambled our teleport signal. Took me precisely eight minutes and thirty-four seconds to hack through their encryption. Once I realized what happened." He shrugged, as if breaking alien code was a minor inconvenience. "Would have been seven minutes if Kazmyr hadn't been breathing down my neck."
Kazmyr grunted, the sound rumbling through the water like distant thunder. His molten-gold eyes assessed me with unsettling directness. "You're alive. We're here. Complaining solves nothing."
"Complaining is my God-given right as someone who almost became pirate breeding stock!" My voice cracked, hysteria threatening at the edges of my composure.
Vylit moved between us, his massive body effectively blocking my view of his brothers. His hand found mine, fingers intertwining with a gentleness that belied the violence I'd just witnessed. His luminescence had dimmed to a soft, protective glow that pulsed in time with his hearts.
"You fought well," he said, his voice pitched low for me alone. "Like a true warrior."
The compliment caught me off guard, warming something deep in my chest despite everything. I became acutely aware of my appearance… my dive suit torn from collar to thigh, my skin marked with Vylit's luminous patterns, evidence of our bonding displayed for all to see. Heat flushed my cheeks as I tugged uselessly at the tattered fabric.
Vylit's eyes narrowed, catching my discomfort. He turned, shoulders broadening as he blocked his brothers' view of me entirely. "Eyes elsewhere," he snarled at them, the possessive edge in his voice sending an involuntary shiver down my spine.
Silvyr raised his hands in mock surrender, but I caught the knowing smirk that played at the corners of his mouth. Kazmyr simply turned away, his attention focused on securing the cavern's exits.
As if sensing my embarrassment, the Nest Moss that had cushioned our mating stirred to life. It crept from its refuge among the rocks, slithering up my legs like a living blanket. I yelped in surprise as it wound around my hips, then spread upward, sealing over the torn sections of my suit with its warm, pulsing substance.
"What the—" I started, then fell silent as I realized what was happening. The moss molded itself to my body, creating a second skin that preserved my modesty while leaving my arms and legs free to move. It hummed against my flesh, a strangely comforting vibration.
"It's protecting you," Vylit explained, his glow softening with what might have been affection. "The moss recognizes its... role in our bonding."
I snorted, running my fingers over the living material. "So now I'm wearing sentient, voyeuristic moss that just happened to witness alien sex? Great. Just great."
The moss puffled in what felt suspiciously like contentment, sealing itself more firmly against my skin. Despite everything, I found myself fighting a smile. The absurdity of my situation had reached new heights… standing in an alien cavern surrounded by pirate corpses, wearing living moss, and somehow feeling oddly protected by it all.
A low rumble shook the cavern, dust and small fragments of rock showering down from the ceiling. The battle had compromised the cave's structural integrity. Larger chunks began to fall, splashing into the water around us.
"Time to go," Silvyr announced, his hand already at his belt, activating what I assumed was a teleporter. "Skiff's waiting. Unless you'd prefer to be crushed?"
Kazmyr moved to his side, one hand extended toward us. "Now."
Vylit's arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me tight against his side. His heart thundered against my cheek, the rhythm somehow steadying my own frantic pulse. In that moment, surrounded by death and danger, I found myself leaning into him not just for protection, but for comfort.
"Ready?" he asked, his voice vibrating through me.
I nodded, too exhausted for words. Silvyr activated the device, and light enveloped us… not the violent, disorienting light of the Gate that had brought me to this world, but something gentler, more controlled. The cavern dissolved around us, replaced by the familiar interior of Vylit's skiff.
As reality reassembled itself, I remained pressed against Vylit's chest, his heartbeat a steady counterpoint to my own thundering pulse. We were safe, for now. But as my hands traced the wounds on his body, the luminous fluid still seeping from gashes that should have killed him, I knew this was only the beginning.
I had chosen Vylit over the pirates, chosen a bond that now marked me at a cellular level. The full implications of that choice stretched before me, terrifying and exhilarating in equal measure. What the fuck had I gotten myself into?
CHAPTER 6
VYLIT
