The First Flame parts 27-28

After breakfast, Ran dragged Eon to Nebula and Jaxxon’s place. Nebula wasn’t around, so Jaxxon greeted them.

He casually looked over at Eon. He wasn't hostile, but not very welcoming, either. Eon didn’t expect less. Although Jaxxon shared no blood with Ran, he considered her a daughter.

“Can we see your rocks?” Ran requested, folding her hands in a pleading manner that made him chuckle.

He led them inside. Their wide place had walls that shelved rocks and metals from ceiling to floors.

Eon had never been too interested in collections, but this was jaw-dropping.

They walked around for a few minutes, pointing out and touching some items. As Jaxxon walked them through it, he tried to convince them that his collection was better than Nebula’s. It wasn’t. He barely owned anything, since he kept donating all his things to his wife. Anything Nebula seemed to be amazed by was given to her, but Jaxxon still liked to pretend like he was the artist amongst them.

Ran picked up a chunk of a diamond and peeked at Eon through it. He didn’t look at the thing, too fascinated by the perk of Ran’s lip. She was far more precious than a mountain-worth of jewels.

He took the diamond from her and leaned in to kiss her closed eyelids.

Jaxxon made a sound of displeasure, and Ran frowned his way. “This is bad? What about when you fondle Nebula around us?”

Jaxxon grinned. “Point taken.”

Eon glanced outside when the sound of voices picked up. It seemed like the hunting party was organizing. There were plenty of volunteers. Most male but some were female.

“I will see you later, Ran.”

“Okay! Have fun.”

He parted with a hug, not wanting to be too invasive since he knew she was sensitive to his touch.

As he jogged down the steps, he cursed himself for leaving his weapon behind. It wouldn’t matter. He would hunt with his bare hands if needed.

“Mothers,” he greeted everyone.

Men turned, most of them looking displeased, some annoyed. Their ages varied from older to young. Fathers and sons. The females were much kinder.

“I will join today.” It was no request. He wouldn't be treated as an outcast. Not anymore.

“Well, let us get going,” Kyros said with a quirked lip. He was one of Ran’s uncles; the most laid-back one. This was the closest thing to a break Eon would get.

They set out into the forest. People kept their distance and didn't offer Eon a weapon. He would have to figure this out on his own. That day, he didn’t take down any animals. Other than a nod from Kyros, he didn’t communicate with anyone, either.

Ran made it all better at night. She chatted, helped him clean up his tent, and went star-gazing with him. She pointed out a galaxy in the sky. He wasn’t embarrassed to admit he couldn't identify it. Ran wouldn’t judge him. As expected, she eagerly explained and told him about Earth’s Galaxy– The Milky Way.

It was cold that night, and he wanted to pull her to his lap. He only resisted because he wasn’t sure how his groin would react to having her so close. He didn’t want to risk scaring her. Not when their relationship was in such a fragile state.

She squeezed his hand. It felt nice. It was enough.

The next day was pretty similar. They ate breakfast, walked through the gardens, separated when he joined the hunting party, and came together at night. When she left, he worked out until exhaustion sent him down.

Over the next few weeks, he didn’t see much of Vrox. They steered clear of each other when they crossed paths. Eon still considered it progress. At least they were no lunger lunging for each other’s throats.

“You have a letter.” The mailman peeked his head inside his tent and handed it to him. Usually, he tossed the thing in there and parted without facing Eon.

“Thank you,” Eon nodded.

The man left, and Eon felt a surge of happiness. Working his ass off every afternoon while hunting was finally paying off. He took down plenty of exotic animals so The Ruins would have juicy meat for dinner, showed the men a few tricks he knew, and even collected spices for the cooking. Some hunters had warmed up to him. They greeted him, maintained eye-contact, and shared a few jokes.

He opened the letter. Over the past weeks, he had been writing to his father.

This letter was short. His father wrote that he would finally be moving into The Ruins to be closer to him. It made Eon happy to have his old man nearby.

He carefully stored the letter away and then dropped on his hand and knees to start exercising. This was the most excruciating part of the day, but it was paying off. His stamina was improving. If he kept this up and stuck to his diet, he would become one of the strongest men in The Ruins.

He grunted as his body burned from the effort.

“Eon, are you taking a shit or rutting a female in there?” one of his tent-neighbors joked.

“Fucking your female!” Eon tossed back.

“Joke is on you. I have no female!”

Eon winced.

I won’t have one either, unless I give Ran a reason to stay with me.

That thought had him working harder, faster, angrier. He did pushups until his arms couldn’t support his weight anymore, and he collapsed on the ground so loudly that his concerned tent-neighbor came to check on him.

– • –

RAN

It has been two months, and she couldn’t imagine a life without Eon. He made her feel like she was exploring the world all over again. Spending time with him was always more intimate at night, where there was nowhere around and the cool air nudged them to get closer.

Eon remained a complete gentleman. He accepted her when she went in for a hug or a kiss, but rarely started anything. Once, when they were messing around in a lake, she was undressing while Eon walked through the bushes collecting wood. She noticed that he respectfully turned when her top accidentally loosened. He could have lurked in the shadows and stared, but he pulled away instead.

She talked to her mother about her fears, and Kira did a great job at listening and encouraging her toward healing.

She was getting better. Her sexual attraction for Eon was definitely healthy. She couldn’t help but notice that his chest seemed to have gotten more refined, his hands more calloused. Those hunting parties must be keeping him in great shape.

Maybe she was ready for more than kissing and hugging. Two months ago, when she freaked out on him, Eon promised that he would be patient. He kept that promise. If he was irritated that she was taking so long to take things to the next level, then he was doing a great job at hiding it.

She didn’t get any more troublesome dreams or gut-wrenching discomfort around Eon. Maybe speaking with Kira was helping, or maybe her body finally accepted that the kind giant with the bright smile and the stubborn streak had no plans of hurting her.

“Princess?”

She paused her conversation with Terra. A man was there, standing at a respectful distance with his gaze low.

“Hi,” she greeted. “Did you need something?”

“I thought you might want to know…” he paused and looked over his shoulder. “I have nothing but respect for you and your family, and…”

“Thank you,” she encouraged. “Is something wrong?”

“You see, I am two tents down from Eon. I have been hearing odd sounds coming from his space late at night. I… I… I believe he may be sharing his bedroll with a female, and I know it is not you because you always leave at a certain time.”

Terra coughed behind her, and Ran’s face drained. “What? What sounds?”

This had to be some sort of mistake. Eon wouldn’t choose flesh over heart. He wouldn’t get tired of waiting on her for two months. He wouldn’t do this to her.

“Well…” the older man began. “The sound of flesh clapping, grunting, pounding…”

She covered her mouth. The thought of Eon cheating was unbearable. What about their promises? What about the fun they had and memories made?

She headed in the direction of his place, and Terra marched right beside her. Her speed-walking became a sprint, and her eyes locked on Eon’s tent. He shouldn’t be there right now. He should be hunting with the others. He always joined them at this time.

The sound of clapping came from inside. It was steady and strong.

Her throat closed up, and her feet scurried backward.

“No, Ran. You need to confront that jerk now. No running,” Terra encouraged.

Ran knew her sister was right, so she rushed forward and pulled the curtain of the tent so hard that it ripped off.

Eon clapped his hands and fell to his hands. While maintaining a plank-position, he stared at her with alarm.

“Ran?”

Oh, mothers. He had only been exercising.

She dropped her fist-full of curtain, and looked at him with embarrassment. “I’m so sorry,” she blurted. “There was a… misunderstanding.”

He sat up and reached for a blanket to cover his naked lap.

He stood up. Ezronians didn’t sweat, but she could tell he had been in the middle of an intense workout from his heavy breathing and stark veins.

“Misunderstanding?”

Ran rubbed her hands on her pants to stop herself from fidgeting.

“I’m out of here. I’ll see you guys around,” Terra said, stepping away from the awkwardness.

“What is happening?” Eon insisted.

“Someone told me you’ve been making a lot of noise. Noises that can be confused as sexual… uh, I thought you had someone in here.”

He looked confused. “What sexual noises?”

“You know, from your workout. I’m really sorry for doubting you. I should have trusted you.”

Everything checked off. Eon had been sensitive to touch in the mornings, groaning whenever she hugged or nudged him too hard. He must be waking up with terrible soreness.

Instead of showing offense, Eon laughed. “You thought I had a female in here?”

She smiled, glad he wasn’t upset. “Yeah. Sorry.”

“Ran,” he hugged her gently. With a kiss to her forehead, he said, “I got lucky in getting you. No female in her right might would want me.”

That made her frown.

“Why do you frown?”

“Because that’s not a nice thing to say. Why would you say that about yourself?”

Eon only shrugged, as if it was the truth.

“Would you like to join me? I was about to finish a few more sets.”

She cupped his jaw. “Eon. You are wonderful. I don’t want you to ever think that you are less than anyone.”

He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. That worried her.

“Come, join me.” He fell to the ground, and she followed him.

They worked out together, but she couldn’t get their conversation out of her thoughts.

“I’m beat,” she panted an hour later.

“Come on. One more set.”

“Why are you working so hard? You’ve been going at it for months, and I’m afraid you’ll hurt yourself.”

“To build more muscle.”

“You’re already the size of a pyramid. You fought my dad and didn’t get decapitated. I don’t think you can possibly get any bigger.”

He snatched her and began lifting her over his head. Her warnings got lost in her giggles, and soon the conversation was forgotten.

The end is near! I will start updating Rider King twice per week. Chapters 1-3 are up