Episode Twenty Five - You Win (Part 1)

Chapter Song Suggestion "Taste of You by Rezz ft Dove Cameron"

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PAST | Eira

"You don't have to take care of me."

She glanced down at Lars's sullen expression, though his attempt to look mad failed in comparison with his pasty complexion.

"I want to." She remained firm, unwilling to be intimidated by his black scowl. "It was my fault you ate that spoilt meat."

He released a gruff sound. "You didn't force me to eat anything and I know Ruxia gave it to you."

She blinked. How had he known?

As if reading her mind, he answered, "I saw her swapping the meals before you entered the camp."

"Then why did you eat it?" she demanded angrily, flushing red. "You could have thrown it away!"

"If I did, it would have caused more trouble for you," he admitted but wouldn't elaborate further.

Eira was aware that the girls in the camp didn't like her. If she died, it would kill two birds with one stone – one less mouth to feed, and one less pretty girl in the camp. Had Lars read the tension between them?

Their lives were at stake, yet these girls were plagued with petty jealousy. She couldn't understand what they were thinking. Grabbing Lars's hand, she placed a kiss upon it. "Thank you but, please, don't endanger your life like this. I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

She had no doubt. Lars cared even if he didn't want to admit it.

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PRESENT DAY

Lars twisted his head and choked at the sight of Eira standing in nothing but a towel, wet hair dripping and skin moist from the steam. Rounded breasts threatened to spill over, and he could see every inch of her delicious tan skin. A bolt of desire shot straight to his dick. "Put your clothes on," he ordered in his sternest voice, returning to his book.

He read not a single word, overwhelmed by a surge of lust.

Was she attempting to drive him crazy?

Eira smirked. "Your book's upside down, Captain."

He righted the book, clearing his throat awkwardly. She laughed, moving around while she dressed. "I'm serious, Lars. Take your shirt off. I need to check your wound and make sure there's no chance of an infection."

"I'm fine. It doesn't bother me anymore," he insisted, not entirely honest. HIs wound still throbbed uncomfortably but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. Pain was an old friend. The cut had been deep and laced with a special toxin that failed to help his blood clot. A few minutes too late and he would have died on the operation table.

Eira reappeared at the foot of his bed in a white lace nightie. God, this woman was killing him with her scanty attires! She had to be tempting him on purpose.

Lars swallowed hard when she crawled into bed, willfully straddling him. Fingers curling the hem of his shirt, she tugged, and he had no choice but to lift his arms.

Eira traced the faint, pinkish line of his wound, satisfied to see it healing nicely. "I was so worried you wouldn't make it," she confessed, emerald eyes melting with emotions he didn't dare to name. "The doctor had to administer several blood transfusions because you wouldn't stop bleeding. In your unstable condition, they ruled out injecting Cell II into your bloodstream, afraid the overstimulation would kill you immediately. Even so, you died once before they resuscitated you." She fisted her hand, a fierceness entering her voice. "I thought I lost you forever! Don't ever do that to me again. I forbid you to die before me."

Eira's adorable ferocity and selfishness had him smiling and he tugged her close, their body heat melding. "Yes, ma'am."

Their gazes met and held, confessing their emotions where words failed them — love, contentment, and happiness.

Her knuckles grazed his jawline. "Can I ask you a question?" Soft. Uncertain.

"What is it?"

"The doctor suggested I might have lost my memories because I was trying to protect myself from pain." Her gaze pierced him — his soul. "Did you hurt me, Lars?"

She felt his fingers digging into the fleshy sides of her waist, noticing how pain swirled in his eyes. So, he had. "Can you tell me what happened? I hate this uncertainty of not knowing. Every time I look at you, I know I love you but, why I wish to remember more of our past. Will you please help me?"

His silence weighed heavily with the crushing pressure of a hidden threat. Finally, he sighed. "Are you sure you want to know? It might change your perception of me — of us."

"Yes." No hesitance.

Lars exhaled heavily. He feared losing her, but hiding wasn't his nature. "I was a coward. I say was because when you told me you wanted to be with me, I panicked and remembered how I failed to protect my family. I was reminded of that helpless boy I once was. It's foolish because I'm strong and powerful now." His brows furrowed, as if realizing something important. "I guess the trauma of my parents' death left a very deep scar inside me. I became afraid — afraid that I would fail you in the same way when I couldn't even keep my first promise to you."

He made sure to look into her eyes when he said, "I betrayed your trust. I believed pushing you away was for the best and I fucked Kalina in the locker room. I knew your routine, and I planned for you to catch us. I wanted you to give up on me, and it almost worked." Pain turned his voice hoarse. "I'm so sorry for hurting you, Eira. If I could turn back time, I wouldn't have done it. I understand if you don't want to be with me after this."

His utter shame and misery convinced her that he was truly regretful and that he blamed himself. "And did I give up on you?" she pressed, pinning him with the intensity of her green eyes.

"I wasn't sure," he admitted. "But when you fought Kalina in the championship, I knew you were staking your claim. Unfortunately, the accident happened, and you lost your memories of me." His voice became mock-thoughtful. "We never had a starting chance."

Several heartbeats of silence ensued.

It hurt to know how far Lars went just to be rid of her. What had her other self thought about his betrayal? Thanks to her lost memories, it was hard to reconcile this remorseful Lars with the old him, but now they can start over with a clean slate.

Wasn't this what she wanted? No more lies, just plain honesty. Eira dug deep for courage. If Lars could be honest with her, then she could too. This was their chance to be together. "I haven't recovered all my memories but sometimes, I think I dream about them. I often wake up feeling hurt and angry, but I never know why. Even after everything you've put me through, I believe I never intended to give up on us." Placing her hand over his heart, she said earnestly, "You're it for me, Lars. And I'll tell you every single day if I must. I just want to be with you and share your life." She bit her bottom lip, lashes lowered. "Is that too much to ask?"

"Oh, Eira." He touched his forehead to hers. "I want that more than life itself."

The most beautiful sound escaped her – her laughter, and the way her face lit up with love and happiness filled his aching soul. He felt whole, and his loneliness disappeared. Eira was the sun hiding behind rain clouds, making him feel ten feet tall whenever he basked in her radiance.

"I was a fool, Eira. Can you ever forgive me?" He grabbed her hands, palming them in his larger ones. "I know words are cheap, and I'll prove my worth to you."

"I do. I forgive you," she replied cheekily. "But don't let that stop you from making it up to me for the rest of our lives."

He growled low, nipping her earlobe. "Minx."

"No. Just mine." She pulled him close, their breaths mingling as their lips met. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Eira's mouth opened under the delicious pressure of his kiss. Lars's taste filled her – decadent, masculine and utterly irresistible. Her tongue brushed along his, teasing yet bold, earning his low growl that sent a rush of prickly heat straight to her core where she wanted.

And it had been a long time since she felt this way.

Scooting back, she lifted her arms, urging him to take her dress off. Lars had never seen a more intoxicating sight; her pupils were blown, and her face flushed with desire – for him. "Are you sure?"

"I'm tired of waiting, Lars."

"Me too," he confessed with a sly grin and pounced.

Eira squealed when he tackled her to the bed, reversing their positions after stripping her naked. She smelled like sin itself – sweet, addictive, and heady. Lars's mouth closed over her engorged nipple, hot and sultry as he licked and sucked, stiffening his tongue to rub tiny circles around it. He moulded her other breast, pinching the hardened nipple.

She moaned, her back arching at the sharp pleasure-pain of his teeth, nipping her tender buds and marking her tan slopes with dark red love-bites. He was marking her. Lars lifted his head, tracing the tattoo on her sternum. "I've always wanted to ask. What do these symbols mean?"

There was a crescent moon between the valley of her breasts, connected to a series of shapes he couldn't make out but, knew had meaning. It was something Eira would do.

"It's a representation of my tree of life. The moon is a symbol of our creator, these teardrops are my parents, the smaller stars are my siblings I wish to reunite with and this" — her finger pointed to a heart made of tiny flowers — "represents the love of my life. It's you, Lars."

Lars's throat closed up; the words lodged in his throat. "I didn't know…,"

"That's alright. I did it for me, for the people who are important in my life."

She started when he suddenly hugged her so tightly, crushing the strands of her wet hair. Just as she wondered why he was so tense, Lars kissed her, his mouth was hot and demanding, a brand over her own.

His lips descended to her neck, grazing her pulse before trailing a heated path down her collarbone, over her tattoo and down her quivering belly. "You have no idea how many times you've tempted me with this fucking sexy body," he growled into her sensitized skin. "You ought to be punished for torturing me everyday."

Her response was a moan when he sucked hard on the soft skin of her inner thighs, his unshaven jaw adding to the wonderful sensation.

Lars could smell the heat of her distinct lust, his own mouth watering for a taste. He didn't deny himself. Mouth open, he licked her opening to the top of her throbbing little bud. Sucking on it, he teased her mercilessly, circling at times and dipping his tongue inside to taste her honey.

Eira's heels dug into his back, her hands messing up the sheets as the fire build between her legs. She whimpered as he repeated the cycle over and over, bringing her to a fever pitch but never allowing her to come.

"Please Lars!" The words tumbled out of her mouth. "Please let me come!"

His smile was cruel as he relented, thinking he had teased her enough. Eira was practically overflowing, his fingers sliding right in. "You're so hot and tight, Eira. I'm going to make you come." Pumping his fingers, he continued rubbing her nub, a volatile crescendo built so swiftly, Eira didn't have time to catch her breath before incandescent heat cascaded over her, staggering through her body as she convulsed uncontrollably.

"Ahhhh! Lars! Oh my God!" she cried; eyes squeezed shut as she drowned in the pleasure.

Lars prolonged the tremors of her orgasm, waiting until she subsided in rhythmic pants and her muscles turned to jelly.

"That was amazing!" she said in boneless declaration.

His smile was both smug and boyish. "It'll feel even better when you come on my cock."

Her eyes turned to sultry, glittering slits. "Show me. Take off your pants, Captain."