Page 88 of Over the Emerald Valley
Temaj squealed and took off. The earth flew by beneath his feet. The wind chilled his cheeks and tangled his hair. His body obeyed his mind in ways he’d never dreamed possible.
An exhilarated cry escaped his throat as he moved with such speed the rest of the world morphed into a blurred painting of gray and black. He gasped in full breaths, expecting his chest to burn from the effort, but it never happened. Where once his lungs would be overly labored, now he only felt limitless possibilities.
He whirled to a stop and scanned the horizon for Solon. Skies, he’d left the man and the donkey so far behind him they were but specks in the distance.
Had he really traveled that far in only seconds?
And could his eyesight really be so spectacular as to pick them out across the valley by only the light of the moon?
Temaj let out a breath, focused on his lover, and raced back to him at an all-out sprint. In a blink, they were side by side. Chuma snorted his confusion.
“By the gods.” Solon gaped at him, wide-eyed, his jaw dropped low. “It’s impossible.”
Temaj shook his head. “It’s a miracle. Chuma will never be able to keep up with us. You have to try now.”
Solon handed Chuma’s lead to Temaj and took off. Temaj scratched the donkey’s ears as he watched. It was nothing like observing Abasi, who’d all but disappeared when he moved at top speed. Now that they were like him, they could track the movements without difficulty. Solon was a white streak flying over the ground like a dust storm. A miracle indeed. Poor Chuma would only slow them down.
Solon returned with a smile so wide Temaj could see his gleaming white fangs.
“You’re right,” said Solon. “A miracle.”
Temaj loved the new abilities, loved all the promise his future now held, but most of all, he loved Solon—especially when he wore that look of wild-eyed wonder on his handsome face.
Temaj grabbed his cheeks and drew their faces close for a kiss. “Let’s go catch dinner so you can make good on your promise.”
Hunger of every kind flared in Solon’s liquid brown gaze. “Let’s.”
Off they went to steal a meal from jackals. Temaj had never been so excited in his whole life.
CHAPTER29
One Year Later
Solon
Temaj lay spreadlike a starfish along the grassy bank of the Nile, naked aside from the golden jeweled strands that decorated his long hair. The smooth pale skin of his abdomen stretched taut around his bloated pooch of a belly, so gorged was he on fresh blood as to have plenty to spare.
Because as it turned out, Temaj enjoyed feeding on just about anyone who was willing, but Solon only enjoyed feeding from Temaj. Together, they’d perfected the art. Temaj would binge. Then Solon would collect the surplus.
Solon gazed down at Temaj through kohl-lined eyes—still fully clothed from his leather boots to the silver necklace Temaj had gifted him around his neck—and licked his lips. He loved Temaj like this, uncomfortable and needy, strung out on blood and lust. He loved Temaj any way he could get him, but especially like this.
They lived in Kushite territory, just outside of Napata near the river. They’d taken their time traveling, discovering the talents and secrets of their new lives along the way.
“How are you feeling?” Solon asked the squirming man on a bed of silk sheets strewn upon the ground.
“Full,” Temaj whined, rubbing his puffy belly lower and lower until his fingers trailed along the length of his hard cock.
As pretty as he looked, touching himself like that, Solon wanted the pleasure all to himself. “Hands off, plucky. Let me.”
Naughty streak intact, Temaj only stroked with more vigor. “What took you so long?”
This, too, was part of their game. Solon had been watching, of course. He never let Temaj out of his sight if he could help it.
“Tied up in conversation with our benefactors. Eshe says you’ve been a terrible influence on her youngest.”
A wicked grin crossed over Temaj’s face. Solon knew his lover harbored a not-so-secret desire to debauch Eshe’s new fledgling. And Solon’s not-so-secret desire was to watch him do it.
They’d flourished under the guidance of the blood demons here, making acquaintances, then friends, with the close-knit group thriving in Napata. It had been frightening in the beginning, seeking others, ultimately finding them. But they’d been lucky. Eshe offered knowledge, community, and protection in trade for their loyalty.
