Beauty and his beast, p.13
Beauty and His Beast,
p.13
Panting, Marrex slid his hands under Juniper’s backside to support his weight, giving the exhausted Human some respite while slowing him further. Juniper groaned and came again, and this time Marrex wasn’t able to delay his climax. He grunted, pulling Juniper down hard enough that he cried out weakly as Marrex pumped his seed into him, each pulse accompanied by a burst of such intense pleasure that Marrex was left a moaning, twitching mess in its wake.
Before Marrex could pull out, Juniper went down into the depths of yet another powerful orgasm, shaking so hard Marrex was afraid he’d pass out. He quickly lifted Juniper off, and drew him against his shoulder, hugging him tight and soothing him until the stimulant had run its course and Juniper was able to draw a breath without crying out.
“Wow… I… missed… that…” Juniper said when he could speak, a dazed smile on his face as he panted. His hair was drenched, sticking to his forehead and cheeks, and his eyes were heavy-lidded in a face that was flushed purple in the dark.
Marrex chuckled and nodded. “I missed you.”
“But, Marrex, you have to promise me, swear to god, that you’re never going to pull that kind of stunt again—there’s missing me and then there’s freaking the fuck out the way you did. Talk about melodramatic…”
“I’m sorry,” Marrex said again, ashamed of how he’d acted. “I promise.” Then he wrinkled his brow. “It’s just… when you left, I could feel the changes starting again—the curse coming back.”
Juniper shook his head. “You’re crazy. You look fine… a little dirty, but no different from when I left.”
“I don’t?” Marrex asked, surprised. He touched the side of his head. “My horns… feel here.”
Juniper carefully investigated Marrex’s head and shrugged. “I don’t feel anything. I think it’s probably just part of your insane overreaction, you big idiot.”
Snorting, Marrex stared at Juniper, wondering why it felt so nice to be called an idiot by the young man. Maybe because it was said with such affection. The beautiful smile certainly helped.
“What I don’t get is why those things said you were dead,” Juniper said.
“What things?”
“You know… the not-S1N, not-VAL, floating nightlights?”
“The ship’s AIs?” Marrex said, confused. “I told them no such thing.” He cleared his throat and called out, “Computer.”
Immediately, two white globes appeared before them. “What did you tell the Human?”
“It asked to see the captain. The captain is deceased,” replied the sphere on the right.
“The captain has perished.”
“Who is the captain?” Marrex asked them.
“Captain Jennock Hassim,” they said in unison.
“Ah.” Marrex nodded, catching on. “I reformatted the computer using an old memory crystal I found,” he said to Juniper. “Captain Hassim was captain of the Stellerion before I took over. The AIs wouldn’t assist me with anything until I told them the captain was dead…” He slowly trailed off, astonished by the look on Juniper’s face. The young man was scowling at him. “What?”
“Please tell me you can bring S1N and VAL back,” Juniper said, his voice low. “Just like they were before.”
“I can,” Marrex said quickly. Juniper had been fond of them and, in truth, so had he. “They never gave up on you, Juniper. I should have listened to them, but I was too devastated to hear reason. They’re safely stored in a backup crystal. Promise.”
“Good.” Juniper lay back down, carding his fingers through Marrex’s chest fur. “All right… you’re forgiven.”
Marrex closed his eyes, enjoying Juniper’s touch, and sighed. He had been a big idiot. After a while, Juniper’s silence worried him. He lifted his head to look down at him.
The smile Juniper gave him was apprehensive.
“What is it?” Marrex asked, concerned.
Frowning, Juniper nibbled on the corner of his bottom lip as though he was reticent to speak. At long last he said, “Marrex, are you sure you really want me?”
“Of course. That’s an absurd question.”
“Is it?”
“Absolutely.” Marrex laid his head back down on the springy moss grass and watched the fireflies above them, slowly caressing Juniper’s smooth flank. “You stepped into my nightmare and transformed it into an enchanting dream… one I’ve been waiting for my whole life, it seems. Do you know what it means to me that you’d stay by my side and give your love to me?”
“What’s that?” Juniper spoke in a hush, his voice tender.
“I never need wake from the dream.”
Epilogue – 3 Months Later
Juniper walked down the hall, carrying a mug of hot chocolate in each hand. By his side hopped a large fluffy black rabbit.
“This is the stupidest mode of transportation,” groused S1N, his ears flopping with every bounce. “Please change me back? I’m dying here.”
“I think you’re cute,” Juniper said with a smirk. “And I’ll change you back when I think you’ve suffered enough. You were downright rude to those Denobians.”
“They left a mess in the dining hall! You should have seen the slime everywhere.”
“I did, and that’s no excuse to be such a dick. Do you have any idea how much profit we’re making because of them? Their synaptic lubricant is the best on the market, and we’re getting it at cost, S1N.”
“Fine. I’m sorry,” replied S1N, hopping along like an angry little storm cloud made of fluff. “Change me now?”
“Not yet.”
Juniper stopped in front of a door. “VAL, can you let me in?” Immediately, the door slid open and he stepped inside, smiling. Marrex looked up from the book he was reading, his brow wrinkled. “Is that hot chocolate?”
“It is.”
“With sheppik crumbs in it?”
“Just like you like it,” Juniper replied with a laugh, handing over the mug. He looked down at his father lying in bed with his eyes closed. He seemed so frail. Reaching out, Juniper took his father’s limp hand and sat down on the other chair. “How is he?”
“I think he likes this better than the book of Ghelyxian poetry.”
“No kidding,” Juniper said. “What are you reading to him now?”
“It’s called Prince Marcassin.”
“How can you tell if he likes it?”
“I don’t know… something changes in his face,” Marrex replied, taking a sip of his hot chocolate. His nose wrinkled with pleasure. “Thank you for this, love. My throat was getting dry.”
“You’re very welcome.” Juniper sighed and shook his head. “You know you don’t have to read to him every day.”
“I enjoy it. Besides, he’s family now.” Marrex looked down at his father-in-law. “I want him to know my voice.”
Blinking quickly to dry his eyes, Juniper cleared his throat. “Speaking of family… I didn’t know when the right time to tell you was…”
Marrex glanced up, his black eyes round. “Tell me what?”
Juniper fished in his pocket and pulled out an intricately folded piece of molimfibre. He stared down at it. The seal was broken, and the edges of the thin, flexible metal were creased from the half-dozen times he’d read through the short message.
Brow wrinkled, Marrex looked at the letter. “That’s… a royal missive from Ghelyx.” His black tongue darted out to lick his upper lip, a nervous gesture. “I don’t understand.”
“I… wrote to your cousin,” Juniper said a little nervously.
“Why would you do that?” Marrex sounded like his old cantankerous self, and Juniper winced.
“I knew you’d freak out, which is why I was waiting for the perfect time… but I think you should really read this,” Juniper said, unfolding the letter. He held it out to Marrex.
Marrex flared his nostrils, his shoulders hunching defensively, but he set aside his mug and took the letter, reading through it twice before sitting back in his seat. His pupilless eyes lifted to Juniper’s.
“I don’t understand,” he repeated. “The letter is an invitation to meet her at the border of Imperial space.”
“She’s a reformist, Marrex. And she’s going to be queen one day… probably soon.”
Marrex let out a harsh laugh, shaking his head. “That means little.”
“Does it? Besides, what can it hurt? She’s agreed to meet you, and, once she sees you’ve changed so much, maybe she’ll question this insane practice of exiling the cursed—maybe even push for that childhood treatment. You can’t be the only Ghelyxian to experience some reversal of the condition.”
Marrex looked back down at the letter, the muscles working in his jaw as he mulled over Juniper’s words. Finally, he shrugged and grimaced. “There’s reform… and then there is revolution. Things move slowly for my people.” Juniper took a breath, set to argue further, but Marrex quickly put a hand over his mouth. “I wasn’t saying no. I was just stating a fact.” He cupped Juniper’s chin, his thumb pressing against Juniper’s lips gently. “I’ll meet with her. Thank you.”
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” VAL broke in. His smooth face was the colour of a ripe peach, clashing wildly with the bright-green bow tie that floated beneath. Juniper thought the addition suited him quite well. “There is a shipment of belemedermidian clorex arriving shortly, and I was wondering where you would like it.”
“Oh right,” Juniper said. Reviving his father’s company was proving to be more work than he’d expected. They were filling a much-needed trade role between legitimate businesses existing outside Imperial space and those within. It wouldn’t be long before they’d have to hire more workers. “Tell Peggy to put them with the boxes of fetrenium ore.”
Suffering from heartbreak over being dumped by her Cebari boyfriend, Peggy had been only too happy to spend her summer interning aboard the Stellerion. He’d never be on great terms with his sisters, especially Acacia, but he could be civil if it meant he could be part of his niece’s life. Already, she was proving herself to be a great addition to the crew.
“Yes, Juniper,” said VAL, his bow tie drifting a little further away and acquiring pink stripes as his face shifted to yellow. “I’ll tell Peggy to put them with the fetrenium.”
“No… not… fetrenium.”
Startled, Juniper looked over at his father. The man still had his eyes closed, but his head moved weakly from side to side. “Dad?” He could barely breathe, thinking he’d imagined his father talking, but the pale lips parted, and his dad spoke again in a voice hoarse from disuse. “Not… fetrenium.”
“What does it mean?” Marrex asked quietly.
“I have… no idea. Dad? Can you hear me?”
S1N rose up into the air, his bunny-nose twitching. “Scans show… hmm…”
“What is it?” Juniper slid his hand into Marrex’s, and the Ghelyxian squeezed it gently.
“I’ll tell you if you change me back.”
“S1N!”
“Fine,” replied the AI, sitting up midair, one ear up and the other down. “My scans show improved brain activity with a spike in key areas pertaining to memory processing and self-awareness.”
“Not… next… fetrenium,” muttered his father, shaking his head again.
“Dad?”
“Fetrenium… interacts… clorex.” Gradually, his father’s eyelids lifted, and he frowned at Juniper.
“Oh my god… Dad! Are you ok?” Juniper exclaimed, quickly taking both of his hands. “I was so worried.”
“Fetrenium… BDM clorex… ore… clorex…”
His father’s eyes lost their focus, and Juniper shook him lightly, trying to snap him out of it. “Dad?” he said, perturbed. He got no answer.
“He’s been unresponsive for so long… I don’t want you to get your hopes up, Juniper,” Marrex said quietly. “It might just be a reflex… like muscle memory.”
It was a bitter pill to swallow, but Juniper knew the Ghelyxian was just being logical. “I know. I’m just… let me be excited, all right?”
“Sorry.” Marrex wrapped an arm around Juniper’s waist, bestowing a kiss on the back of his head.
“Your old man’s right, though,” S1N announced. “I just looked it up—the two shouldn’t be stored in the same vicinity. Airborne chemical traces of the ore could render the clorex inert should they mix. He certainly knows his business.”
“Ok, Dad,” Juniper said, smiling. He wiped a tear from his cheek. “I won’t store them together. Thank you for the advice.” He cleared his throat, trying to get rid of the lump. “VAL?”
“I’ll relay the message,” the AI said and winked out.
Slowly, his father’s eyes closed. He seemed fast asleep.
“Well, at least it’s a change,” Juniper said, turning around to look up at Marrex. “And I’m happy, no matter how small it is.”
“I am too,” Marrex replied with a nod. He stroked a hand down Juniper’s back, pulling him away from the bed. “Why don’t we go finish that movie. I want to know what happens with Mr. Darcy and—”
“Juniper.”
They both started and turned. His dad’s eyes were open again, his gaze remarkably steady. “Good… choice… with… Marrex,” he said, in his hoarse voice. Then he smiled, closed his eyes, and began to snore.
“I’d say that was more than just a reflex,” Juniper said, laughing with giddy relief.
Marrex hugged Juniper to his chest. “Maybe there’s a happily ever after in store for everyone in the end,” he said in a low voice. “Come, let’s leave him to sleep.”
Looking back at his fluffy little tail, S1N wrinkled his nose in disgust. “Happily ever after? Yeah right.”
VAL smiled wide. “I think it makes you look sweet and likeable… just like you truly are, even though you try to appear disinterested.”
S1N lifted his head, staring at his counterpart. “Sweet?” he said faintly.
“Yes.”
“And… likeable?”
“Very much so.”
S1N blinked at VAL. “That bow tie makes you look stupid.” His nose quivered uncontrollably as he looked away.
“You’re welcome.”
Books by Bey Deckard
For an up-to-date list of titles, visit:
https://beydeckard.com/blog/buy-my-books/
Max, the Series
Max
Max, the Sequel
Baal’s Heart Series
Caged: Love and Treachery on the High Seas
Sacrificed: Heart Beyond the Spires
Fated: Blood and Redemption
Careened: Winter Solstice in Madierus
F.I.S.T.S
Sarge
Murphy
F.I.S.T.S. Handbook For Individual Survival in Hostile Environments
The Actor’s Circle
The Complications of T
The Last Nights of The Frangipani Hotel
The Stonewatchers
Kestrel’s Talon
Standalone Books
Better the Devil You Know
Exposed
Beauty and His Beast
The Blacksmith’s Apprentice
Short Stories
Don’t Touch Me (UnCommon Bodies Anthology)
Rakka Surprise (UnCommon Lands Anthology)
About the Author
Artist, Writer, Dog Lover
Bey Deckard is the author of a number of novels including the Baal’s Heart books, Max, Beauty and His Beast, and Better the Devil You Know.
Bey lives in Montréal, Canada where he spends most of his time writing, doing graphic work, painting portraits, speaking French, cooking tasty vegetarian eats, or watching more movies than is good for him. If you’re the curious type, www.beydeckard.com is where you’ll find art and free stories by Bey as well as information on his published works.
bey.deckard@gmail.com
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Bey Deckard, Beauty and His Beast
