ZARAMANNI (BOOK ONE)
PART TWO: CHAPTER THREE

Zara surprised herself by replaceing the courage to sleep soundly after the terrible thing that happened to her.

Waking up after hours of sleep, Zaramanni sat up and scanned her blurry sight across the large room. When she recalled how close to death she was, Zara shuddered.

Zara wasn’t one to dwell too much on the past, but she couldn’t help but wonder if her brief encounter with the cold hands of death was a continuation of her terrible relationship with Gavin.

But that was highly impossible.

She was so many universes away from Gavin. There was no way for that monster to replace his way to that strange universe.

“Oh well,” said Zara as she got off her bed.

At least there would be one good thing about her sudden appearance in that universe- there would be no Gavin.

Soon, she was walking towards the door that led to the bathroom.

That room gladdened Zaramanni ever since she entered it. It was a huge space that gave off terrific soothing vibes. And there had to be something in that bathtub that was big enough for three people.

During her lengthy bath the previous night, Zara felt instantly relaxed and sleepy once in the filled, metal-coloured tub.

The nightwear she had on soon slipped onto the ground as her eyes grazed through the array of clothes that greeted her on her way to the bath area. Everything on the hanger looked expensive and rare. They were designs and materials one would never replace on earth.

Well, it seemed she found another good thing about Zenrada- they had nice clothes.

With her nakedness on full display, Zara walked towards the bathtub which was already filled with water. She wondered if Sham told the lady that brought her drinking water to fill the tub.

“You must be the new resident,” a deep voice said from behind and the girl jumped into the bathtub as fast as she could to hide her nudity from the stranger.

Her sudden movement distorted the water body and the tiled floor had a few drops of water decorating it.

“Who-” Zaramanni immersed her body into the water some more as the man laid his gaze on her, not minding her exposed body. “Who are you? You are not Sham.”

“Oh, is that who you were expecting? Do you two have a date in the bathtub right now?” The man wore a knowing smile that made Zara weirdly curl her lips.

“No,” she strongly retorted, a huge frown on her face. Her lashes sweeping over her eyes furiously, she asked, “What on earth are you thinking?”

This man who had eyes that managed to look soulless amid his teasing words walked closer, his footsteps a resounding feature as his fur-like trousers made woosh-like sounds.

Zaramanni, who was startled by the strange man’s approach, wondered if he was responsible for her near-death experience.

To prevent another encounter with death, Zara reached for one of the bottles behind her. Thankfully, all of the heavy containers felt like they could knock out a grown man. Once that weapon was secured, Zaramanni scuffled towards the near end of the huge bath.

“Easy now,” said the man as he saw that Zara was prepared to hit him if he made a wrong move. He stopped walking and said, “I am Zoey, Beta of The Crown Blood Pack and present owner of this manor.”

“Oh.” His introduction made Zara relax a bit but she was still worried about his presence while she was still naked and deeply immersed in a pool of water.

King Darren already had his share of looking at her nude bust, it would be more embarrassing if someone else got the same experience.

Zara, in the midst of her thoughts, narrowed her eyes as she studied the stranger’s features.

He looked tall, taller than King Darren and Sham.

“Do I get to know your name?” his sultry voice asked.

Zaramanni deduced from his voice that he likely had the ability to be deceptive. The random smirks on his lips suggested the same.

“Uh…” She held onto the bottle a little tighter in case something worse than name introduction happened. The bath water danced a bit as her lower body adjusted to the coldness of the tub’s bottom. “My name is Zaramanni.”

“Hmm, Zaramanni.” The man resumed his walk until his knees kissed the ground, right in front of the bath.

Zara jolted for a second as one of his masculine hands reached for her free hand. Enveloping her hand in the warmth of his, he brought his dark-coloured lips closer and planted a gentle kiss on the back of her hand.

Eyes widened instantly, Zara watched without words as he got up and smiled at her.

“You’re welcome to the manor. You have to forgive me,” he continued, his hands gesturing towards no direction in particular. “You have come to Zenrada at a very inconvenient time. Unfortunately, you will not be chanced to enjoy this realm to the fullest.”

“Oh!” Zaramanni shook her head as she tore her long gaze off his moving lips. “I won’t be staying here for long and I will hardly have the strength to have fun.”

The man called Zoey nodded, his dubious yet attractive smirk still persistent. “If you say so, Zaramanni. Well-”

”May I ask what you are doing here, Beta Zoey?”

Zara recognized Sham’s voice right away.

Zoey turned and faced the King’s guard who had his arms folded as he advanced in Zoey’s direction.

“I came here to welcome our new resident.”

“You can do that some other time. As you can see, Miss Zaramanni is having a private moment.”

“Hmm,” answered Zoey, whose broad back faced Zaramanni.

“Wait, don’t tell me you came to see if the new resident is a woman who is up to your taste?” Sham’s voice was full of scorn. “You have a reputation of sleeping with every woman who replaces herself in the manor. Perhaps, I should ask His Majesty to have her room guarded so that a horny man-wolf wouldn’t come looking for her in the dead of night.”

”You think too much Sham and that’s why I don’t like you,” Zoey’s voice communicated the distaste he had regarding Sham’s entry. “And, contrary to your speculations, I don’t sleep around with my sacred body. I am pretty sure you have mistaken me for someone else. I hardly replace it easy to get a woman by my side and I like it that way. But-”

”But?” Sham asked, one of his arched brows flying. Zaramanni noticed that the frown on Sham’s face deepened as seconds flew.

Then, her pupils dilated when Zoey faced her again, a smile on his face. He faced Sham seconds later, leaving Zara’s confused self to ponder on the possible interpretation of his brief action.

Beta Zoey replied to Sham as he said, “But, Zaramanni is a woman that interests me, and all I wonder right now is whether I am up to her taste or not.”

“You-”

“But I can always replace out later, I need to pack my stuff. See you later, Zaramanni,” said Zoey, his head tilted slightly in her direction.

“Huh.. sure,” Zara replied almost absentmindedly. Her mind was already deep into giving meaning to the words she just heard the man called Zoey utter.

If Zaramanni was to understand what just happened, Zoey, the present owner of the manor, just said that he saw her as a woman.

But that didn’t make sense at all.

He knew nothing about her.

Zara bet that he didn’t know that she was human either.

“You have to excuse Beta Zoey,” Sham spoke as he walked closer to Zaramanni. Beta Zoey was gone from the room. “While he is someone I am obligated to respect, the lies that come out of his mouth make me want to spit in his face.”

”Is he not a good person?” Zara asked.

Sham sighed as he sat right beside the tub. Zara, who had already grown some hidden trust for the blue-eyed man, found her body swimming toward him. Looking into each other’s eyes, he said, “Let’s just say that he is not someone who can be trusted.”

“Can you be trusted?” Zaramanni found herself asking, her chin resting on the edge of the tub.

Their closeness had increased, so Zara could see him better in the dim light of the bathroom.

“Zaramanni,” his breath rushed heavily, “ no one can be trusted.”

Zara nodded in agreement and she took her face farther from him. “So, did you speak to King Darren? When am I going to Mount Hermos? Do I start packing now?”

“Wait,” the man chuckled as he spoke. “Slow down, don’t get too excited.”

”Why?”

Sham sighed. “I am sorry, but I wasn’t able to talk to the King. He is just too busy these days.”

“Oh. Can’t you just organize something for me? You can always inform the King of my departure when he is less busy.”

“No, I can’t just go behind His Majesty’s back.” Zara’s face fell. “I will keep trying though. I will look for the perfect opportunity to tell him.”

“But the perfect opportunity doesn’t exist,” Zara murmured to herself.

“Hey,” he called gently as his palm hit the softness of her exposed shoulder blade. Zara felt the warmth she felt when Beta Zoey kissed her hand earlier.

It was strange yet it felt soothing and she wanted that particular touch to last for a while.

But, not while she was still seeking refuge in the bathtub and hoping that she wouldn’t expose her nakedness to passing eyes.

“It’s fine.” Zara nudged his touch away and shifted backward. “I know you are busy as well. Don’t worry, I can be very patient.”

“I feel so bad, Zaramanni.”

Zara managed a smile. “It is fine, really.”

”You should come with us. The King has ordered a quick trip to the Heart of the Kingdom where most of our people will be relocating to.”

Zara’s lips scrunched, as she pondered his proposal. Surely, it would be wise to stay among people rather than in an almost empty manor.

But she wondered if she would be able to survive if she was surrounded by men and women who were likely to turn into wolves at any given opportunity.

“Zaramanni?”

“Sure,” she was quick to make up her mind, ” I would love to go. I have to pack some things, don’t I?”

”Yes. Just the essentials.”

Zara nodded as she recalled the sanitary pads she found while she was searching for a nightwear. It was surprising to replace another thing that linked that universe to Earth, but it was a good thing.

She could only imagine the disaster that would happen if her monthly visitor came knocking without her having the means to clean herself up.

“Will we be taking the horses?”

”No, the were-mobiles.”

“The what? Do you mean automobiles?”

Sham wore a frown, it was obvious the phrase was strange to him. “The were-mobiles,” his tender voice corrected.

“That’s fine. I will get ready soon.” Zara decided not to bother about what’s what in the strange land for the time being.

Sham got up and said, “Take your time, we will be leaving when the red moon burns bright.”

Her eyes glanced towards the sky from where she was. The moon or sun looked red, so it was hard to understand what Sham meant by the red moon burning bright.

But, she nodded anyway and watched as Sham walked away after saying goodbye.

~

“I can’t believe we spent the last few days doing nothing but having sex,” Ezeman said, his laughter louder than that of Alisha who hugged him tighter, their sweaty bodies glued to her delight.

“That is what happens when you stay away from me for too long. You have no idea how much I missed you.” Alisha’s lips landed on Ezeman’s and he pulled her closer.

“I wasn’t able to tell you why I am here.”

”You can say it now before we part ways again. And, I hate that we have to do that.” The witch groaned and her lips formed a pout as she pressed her sensitive nipples against his igniting skin.

“Well, I know you heard about the attack on Zenrada.”

“Of course, I heard. I never knew the fairies of Amarxona could be so bold and reckless. But then…” Alisha sighed. “... I have often heard rumours of dark fairies who descended from the extinct elves. So it will make sense if the dark fairies are responsible.”

Ezeman’s jaws clenched as he listened to her speak.

Cupping his face with her hands, Alisha asked, “So what is it you want to tell me?”

“I am sadly entangled with the fairies that initiated the attack on Zenrada.” Alisha’s eyes bulged instantly. “And since the fairy Queen doesn’t know about it, I can tell that I will be a scapegoat if things go wrong.”

For some seconds, all that filled the air was the sound of their collective breathing.

But Alisha soon broke the silence. Still straddling him, she asked,

“How did you get involved with those kinds of creatures?”

The fairy took a strand of his lover’s dark hair and played with it as his eyes wore distress. Then, after a heavy sigh, he quietly said, “I am scared, Alisha.”

Moved by the pain in his voice, Alisha who had somehow gotten used to being one-armed, quickly said, “What can I do to help?”

“Oh, my goddess.” Ezeman caressed the roots of her hair as he wore an appreciative smile in his eyes. Then, he said, ” The first step is to replace the King of Zenrada and the half-fairy that he is with. That way I can undo what has been done. Then, I can bargain for my freedom.”

“Wait…” Alisha tilted her head to the side, it seemed she was pondering something. “The King of Zenrada?”

“Yes.”

“I was just traveling with him and a girl called Zaramanni. They-”

Ezeman sat straighter, surprise in his eyes. “You were traveling with them?”

“Yes. They needed to take a shorter route to get to The Big Tear and I led them there.”

“Fuck,” Ezeman cursed loudly, his exclamation disturbing the atmosphere. Digging his fingers into the softness of Alisha’s buttocks, the fairy angrily spoke to himself. “How could I have missed such a great chance?”

“What have you gotten yourself into, Ezeman?” Alisha asked but the creature replied with a desperate look in his eyes as he adjusted his position, his lengthy member grazing her skin in the process.

Plea in his voice, the pale blueness of his hands holding the woman’s waist securely, he said, “Alisha, please help me out this once.”

“They are long gone, Ezeman. I bet they would have gotten to the heart of Zenrada by now.”

“Alisha…” He quickly grabbed her hands. Looking keenly into her eyes, desperation filled his voice.

“Alisha, we have to replace them. If not the king, we need to at least replace the girl and bring her to Amarxona. That way I can protect her and myself from the terrible grasp of my master.”

“Ezeman…”

The fairy swiftly planted a short kiss on her lips. “Please… huh? Please do this for me. If this goes well, I will get my chance to leave the palace. So, we can finally be together. We wouldn’t have to meet secretly each time we miss each other.”

Alisha sighed. With a look that told Ezeman that she had already given in, she asked, “All I have to do is bring the girl back to Amarxona?”

“Yes, my goddess, that is all you have to do.”

“Well, if one thinks about it, coming to Amarxona is the best option for Zaramanni. Don’t worry, Ezeman. I will take care of this. Well, after I take care of my arm situation.”

“Yes…” Ezeman kissed her again, his teeth pulling at the flesh of her lips. “You should do that. Having one arm,” the hold he had on her waist tickled Alisha who began to giggle, “is not a good look for a beautiful woman like you.”

”You know what is a good look for me?” she asked, a seductive tone in her voice.

“What?” Their lower bodies were now touching aggressively and their savage need for each other’s touch was openly communicated.

“Having your thick cock in my mouth.” Alisha’s seductive voice caused the fairy to groan lightly before he dug his teeth into her right shoulder blade.

And as Alisha bit into her lower lip and fastened the friction between their aroused groins, they both drowned in the sea of intense pleasure.