Page 4 of A Soul to Embrace

He lifted his hands to his head at the migraine that shot across his skull from the dehydration.Hands,plural. He threw them away from his face, twisting his palms one way and then the other. He wiggled the fingers of his left hand that had not long ago been missing.

They... healed me.Without lifting his head, Jabez finally looked down through his bottom lashes at the Mavka he could scent there.Were they not actually torturing me, but aiding me?

Wiggling the toes of his right foot, surprised to not only feel them but also see them, he vaguely remembered the suffering. At each interval, the pain had drifted further and further from his torso as itcrawleddown his limbs.

He touched his face once more. Jabez noted the burns from whatever magical explosion the redheaded human had detonated were gone. Actually, all of his extensive and near-fatal injuries were gone.

The only pain that remained was from the residual effects of ookmanik.That was unlikely to fade, although the worst of it had receded.

Shit. Despite the Mavka giving me back most of my strength, I have no magic with which to defend myself.

Only a fucking idiot would fight against a Mavka, and Jabez wasn’t an idiot.

Unfortunately, no matter how long he stared at them, he couldn’t fully discern who they were through the lack of light. He saw the white bone of their skull, their antlers, and general body shape, but it wasn’t enough to recognise them.

They were also shuddering as they curled up against some form of exit, with a set of white orbs seeing into him. They chittered, and Jabez noted the fretful hint in it. They shuffled back against the exit, blocking it further like a skittish animal.

Once more, an irritated sneer curled his upper lip, but the moment his fangs were bared, they let out a warning growl. He cooled his features as he slowly pushed up with his elbows to sit.

He eyed the unpredictable creature before him.

He’s guarding the exit to ensure I can’t leave.

The moment those words formed in his mind, two things became apparent.

Firstly, he saw his own body properly, and noted he was naked – likely due to soiling his clothes while unconscious. He’d no doubt also sweated an unholy amount, considering he was over the worst of the ookmanik.

Secondly, and curiously, Jabez realised this Mavka was actually afemale.Despite never coming into contact with a female Mavka before, he’d know the difference in scent anywhere – and she’d left it everywhere in this dark hole.

The chuckle that fell from him was rather snide. “Have fun curiously poking around while I was naked?” he asked, refusing to cover himself.

She chittered in return, but her glowing orbs, the only colour and thing he could properly see, morphed from white to teal. He tilted his head at that.I’ve never seen a Mavka have teal orbs before.

He noted it, but ignored it. He’d been expecting orange in reaction to guilt, or for her to shine a reddish pink in shame at his accusation.

He didn’t actually mind, nor care. He was thankful to not wake up in disgusting clothing, somehow semi-clean, and she could poke and prod considering she healed him. He also doubted she knew what any part of his body meant. His ass felt fine, so at least she hadn’t gone sinking her fingers where she shouldn’t.

He was concerned that his body glamours had faded now that he’d completely lost his magic; mainly the fake Demon streaks that’d marked his skin, and those that physically changed him. His ‘seam’ had altered, returning him to his more Elvish species nature. It meant his dick and balls now hung freely and, unfortunately, dangerously between his thighs. They weren’t tender, but she’d no doubt wiggled them in curiosity, unbeknownst to an unconscious Jabez.

Ah, the things I have done to protect myself.

At least the white patch of hair at his groin partially concealed them.

As he’d first surmised while delirious, this wasn’t a fully formed Mavka. Adult, yes. But her intelligence was low; therefore, he assumed she’d also lack physical development. She would be nothing but skin and bone, and even now, in the darkness, he could tell she was grossly underweight.

Despite all his observations, they did nothing to explain why he was here. Nor did they enlighten him as to what he should do to free himself from this female, who obviously had little intention of letting him go amicably.

He needed to escape.

My friendship with Merikh should aid me.

His time with his friend had been short, but it had been enough for him to develop a deep understanding of the bloodthirsty skull-headed species. Jabez would use all he’d learned in the last few hundred years to escape.

This isn’t the worst situation I’ve been in.Nor the strangest in his long life.I’ve also had worse captors.Just the reminder caused a shudder to race down his spine.

I must be patient and remain as non-aggressive as I can.He was in the presence of, essentially, the brain capacity of a moving tree with fangs and claws.

She would be faster than him, stronger than him, and quicker to annoy than him.

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