The Chosen Pervert

Chapter 24: Heat and Chaos

"Alright," Aldric said, standing and brushing ash from his robes. "We need to establish a watch rotation."

Everyone looked exhausted. The day's journey along the chasm had drained us all—physically and mentally.

"I'll take first watch," one of the mercenaries said, a grizzled man named Torren.

"I'll take second," Lyra offered.

"Third," I said.

Aldric nodded. "I'll take fourth. That should get us through the night."

The group began settling in for sleep. Bedrolls were unrolled. Weapons were placed within easy reach. Lyra's bear curled up beside her, its massive body providing warmth.

And Rue...

Rue moved to the far edge of our camp, as far from me as she could get without leaving the firelight entirely.

She sat with her back against a twisted tree, her knees pulled to her chest, her tail wrapped around her legs.

She wouldn't look at me.

What did I do?

I wanted to go to her. To ask what was wrong.

But every time I'd tried today, she'd snapped at me or moved away.

So I stayed by the fire, watching her from the corner of my eye.

Her body shuddered occasionally. Her ears twitched. And those soft sounds—those purring, chirping sounds—kept escaping her throat.

Is she sick?

Is she hurt?

What the f**k is going on?

Aldric caught my eye and gave me a look that said leave it alone.

So I did.

For now.

The first two watches passed without incident.

Torren woke Lyra. Lyra woke me.

"Your turn," she said quietly, her hand on my shoulder. "Nothing to report. Just... stay alert. Those sounds from the chasm haven't stopped."

I nodded and sat up, rubbing my eyes.

The fire had burned down to embers. The blood-red sky above was darker now—what passed for night on this cursed continent.

Lyra settled into her bedroll beside her bear, and within minutes, her breathing evened out.

I sat by the dying fire, and tried to stay awake.

It was hard.

Exhaustion pulled at me like a weight. My eyelids felt heavy. My body ached from the day's travel.

Just stay awake, I told myself. A few hours. That's all.

I focused on the sounds around me.

The crackling embers.

The distant, eerie echoes from the chasm.

The soft breathing of my sleeping companions.

And then—

A sound.

Closer.

I jerked upright, my hand glowing faintly with mana.

What was that?

I scanned the darkness beyond the firelight, my heart pounding.

Nothing.

Just shadows and twisted trees.

You're imagining things, I told myself. You're tired. You're—

The sound came again.

A soft rustling. Movement.

I turned—

And froze.

Rue.

She was crawling toward me.

Not walking. Crawling.

On her hands and knees, her body low to the ground, moving with a fluid, predatory grace that made my breath catch.

Her golden eyes were locked on mine, and even in the dim light, I could see her pupils.

They were blown wide. Massive. Black pools that swallowed the gold entirely.

And they were fixed on me with an intensity that made heat coil low in my stomach.

"Rue?" I whispered, my voice barely audible. "What are you—"

She made a sound.

That soft, purring, chirping sound.

But louder now. More insistent. Almost... needy.

My pulse quickened.

What the hell is happening?

She crawled closer, her body swaying with each movement, her tail swishing behind her in slow, deliberate arcs.

The firelight caught on her skin—tan and smooth, glistening slightly with sweat despite the cool night air.

Her pupils flickered. Contracted slightly. Then dilated again.

Like she was fighting something. Struggling for control.

Is she possessed?

Is something controlling her?

"Rue," I said, louder this time. "Are you okay? What's—"

She moved.

Fast.

One moment she was several feet away.

The next, she was on me.

Her body slid along mine as she pressed herself against me, her movements fluid and deliberate and sensual in a way that made every nerve in my body light up.

I froze.

Every muscle in my body locked up.

What the f**k—

She pressed closer. Her chest against mine—I could feel the soft weight of her breasts through the thin fabric of her shirt. Her hips settled against my lap. Her face inches from my neck.

And she was warm.

Burning hot, like she had a fever, her body radiating heat that seeped through my clothes and into my skin.

Her scent hit me—earthy and wild with something underneath that was purely her. Something that made my head spin.

"Rue," I said, my voice shaking. "What are you doing? Are you—"

She made that sound again. That purr. That chirp.

And then she started moving.

Slowly.

Rubbing her body against mine.

Her hips grinding against my lap in slow, deliberate circles.

Her chest pressing harder against me with each breath.

Her hands slid up my chest, her claws—retracted, thank god—dragging lightly over my shirt.

Oh f**k.

Oh f**k, oh f**k, oh f**k—

My body reacted instantly.

Blood rushed south. Heat flooded through me, pooling low in my groin.

No.

No, no, no—

Stop it. Don't. She's not in control. Something's wrong—

But my body didn't care.

Within seconds, I was hard.

Fully, painfully, achingly hard.

My c**k strained against my pants, pressing up against her as she ground down on me.

And she felt it.

I knew she did because she pressed closer, grinding harder, a soft, breathy sound escaping her throat that went straight to my d**k.

Fuck.

This is wrong. Something's wrong with her. I can't—

But god, I wanted to.

I'd wanted this for years.

Since I was eleven and realized what those feelings meant. Since I'd caught myself staring at her body, at the curve of her hips, the swell of her breasts, the way her tail swished when she walked.

I'd dreamed about this. Fantasized about it. Jerked off to the thought of her more times than I could count.

Her body against mine. Her warmth. Her scent. Her hands on me. Her lips on mine.

I've wanted her so f*****g badly.

And now she was here, pressed against me, grinding on my c**k, and every perverted thought I'd ever had about her was flooding back.

What would she feel like? What would she taste like? What sounds would she make if I—

No.

Stop.

She's not in control. Something's wrong. This isn't her.

"Rue," I gasped, my hands hovering uselessly at my sides, shaking with the effort of not touching her. "Rue, stop. You need to—"

She leaned in, her nose brushing against my chest.

And she sniffed.

Slowly. Deliberately.

She dragged her nose up from my chest to my collarbone, inhaling deeply, that purring sound growing louder.

Then higher. To my neck.

Her lips—soft and warm—brushed against my skin as she breathed me in.

Her breath was hot against my throat, sending shivers down my spine.

That purring sound vibrated through her chest, through mine, resonating in my bones.

Fuck.

Fuck, I can't—

My jaw clenched so hard I thought my teeth might crack.

Every fiber of my being was screaming at me to touch her. To grab her hips and pull her harder against me. To tangle my fingers in her hair and kiss her until neither of us could breathe.

I wanted to flip her onto her back. To feel her body beneath mine. To hear her make those sounds while I—

Stop.

Stop thinking like that.

She needs help, not—

My c**k throbbed painfully, trapped between us, and I had to bite back a groan.

I kept my hands at my sides, my fists clenched so tight my nails dug into my palms hard enough to draw blood.

"Rue," I said, my voice strained and rough. "Please. Tell me what's happening. Tell me what's wrong."

She pulled back slightly, just enough for our eyes to meet.

And what I saw there made my chest ache even as my c**k pulsed with need.

Lust.

Raw, desperate, overwhelming lust.

Her pupils were still blown wide, her lips parted, her breathing fast and shallow.

But underneath it—

Pain.

Pure, agonizing pain.

Her pupils flickered again. Contracted. Dilated.

Like she was fighting. Struggling against something that had taken control.

She's trying to fight it.

Whatever this is, she's trying to stop it.

"Wyatt," she whispered.

Her voice was barely audible. Airy. Breathless. Desperate.

And it nearly broke me.

My resolve cracked. Splintered.

Just touch her. Just give her what she needs. What you both need. You've wanted this for so long—

No.

No, something's wrong. She needs help, not—

Her brow furrowed. Her ears pinned back.

Her hands slid higher, her fingers curling into my shirt, gripping it tightly.

Her hips rolled against mine again, grinding down harder, and I felt every inch of her body pressed against me.

The soft weight of her breasts. The heat between her thighs. The way her body fit perfectly against mine.

Fuck, she feels so good.

So perfect.

I want—

"Please," she whispered, her voice trembling with pain and need. "Please make it stop."

I blinked, my heart pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears.

"Make what stop?" I asked, my voice hoarse. "Rue, I don't understand. What's—"

She leaned forward.

Slowly.

Her face moving closer to mine.

Her lips parted slightly, her breath mingling with mine.

Our noses almost touching.

I could feel the heat radiating off her in waves.

Her lips were millimeters from mine. So close I could almost taste her.

So close I could see the way they trembled.

Just a little closer—

Just—

Her hand slid up to cup my face, her palm hot against my cheek.

Her thumb brushed over my lips.

My c**k throbbed so hard it was almost painful.

Kiss her.

Just kiss her.

You've wanted this for so f*****g long—

But her eyes—

Her eyes were pleading.

Begging for help.

Fighting against whatever was controlling her.

She doesn't want this.

Not like this.

Not when she's not in control.

"Rue," I whispered, my voice breaking. "I—"

Her lips moved closer.

A breath away.

Half a breath.

I could feel them almost touching mine.

Just—

SCREEEEEEEEEEE—

The sound tore through the night like a blade.

High-pitched. Inhuman. Echoing from the chasm.

Rue jerked back, her eyes wide.

I scrambled to my feet.

"EVERYONE UP!" I shouted. "NOW!"

The camp erupted into chaos.

Aldric bolted upright, his staff already glowing. Lyra grabbed her bow. Her bear roared. The mercenaries drew their weapons.

And from the chasm—

They came.

Imps.

Dozens of them.

They poured out of the void like a swarm of locusts, their wings beating frantically, their claws gleaming in the firelight.

They were small—maybe three feet tall—but fast.

Their skin was dark red, almost black, with jagged horns protruding from their skulls. Their eyes glowed yellow. Their mouths were filled with needle-sharp teeth.

And they were screaming.

That horrible, high-pitched shriek that made my ears ring.

"DEFENSIVE POSITIONS!" Aldric roared.

The first wave hit us like a tidal wave.

An imp dove at me, claws outstretched.

I lifted one hand, blasted it mid-air and sending it crashing into a tree.

Another lunged from the side.

I raised my other hand and unleashed a blast of fire.

The imp shrieked as flames engulfed it, its body disintegrating into ash.

But more kept coming.

So many more.

"LYRA!" I shouted. "COVER THE LEFT FLANK!"

"ON IT!"

Her bow sang as she loosed arrow after arrow, each one finding its mark. Imps fell from the sky, their bodies pierced through.

Her bear roared and swiped at a cluster of imps, its massive paw crushing them like insects.

Aldric stood at the center of the camp, his staff blazing with purple light.

"Tenebris Vincula!" he shouted.

Shadowy chains erupted from the ground, wrapping around a dozen imps and slamming them into the earth.

He followed up with a blast of dark energy that obliterated them.

The mercenaries fought with brutal efficiency, their swords and axes cutting through the swarm.

Torren decapitated an imp mid-flight. Another mercenary drove his spear through two at once.

And Rue—

Rue was a blur.

Whatever had been affecting her was gone.

She moved like a shadow, her daggers flashing in the firelight.

She leapt onto an imp's back and drove both blades into its skull. Kicked off and spun mid-air, slashing another's throat. Landed in a crouch and threw a dagger, pinning an imp to a tree.

She was magnificent.

But there were too many.

For every imp we killed, two more took its place.

They swarmed us from all sides, their claws raking across armor, their teeth snapping at exposed flesh.

One of the mercenaries screamed as an imp latched onto his arm, its teeth sinking deep.

"HOLD THE LINE!" I roared.

I raised both hands and channeled my mana.

"Ignis Tempestas!"

A storm of fire erupted around me, swirling outward in a massive wave.

The flames consumed dozens of imps, their bodies turning to ash before they hit the ground.

But more kept coming.

Where the f**k are they all coming from?

An imp dove at my face.

I caught it by the throat and crushed it with raw mana, its body crumpling like paper.

Another lunged from behind.

Rue appeared out of nowhere, her dagger slicing clean through its neck.

Our eyes met for a brief moment.

She nodded.

I nodded back.

And we kept fighting.

The battle felt like it lasted hours.

In reality, it was probably twenty minutes.

But every second was chaos.

Blood. Fire. Screaming.

Aldric's magic tore through the swarm, his spells devastating and precise.

Lyra's arrows never missed, each one dropping an imp from the sky.

Her bear was a force of nature, crushing imps beneath its massive paws.

The mercenaries fought with grim determination, their weapons slick with blood.

And Rue...

Rue was everywhere.

A shadow. A blade. Death incarnate.

She moved through the swarm like a dancer, her daggers finding throats, hearts, eyes.

She was covered in blood—most of it not hers—but she didn't slow down.

And finally—

Finally—

The last imp fell.

Lyra's arrow pierced its skull, and it dropped from the sky, landing in a heap at my feet.

Silence.

Heavy, oppressive silence.

I stood in the center of the camp, my chest heaving, my staff still glowing faintly.

Around me, the ground was littered with bodies.

Dozens of them. Maybe more.

Ash. Blood. Scorched earth.

"Is everyone alright?" Aldric called out, his voice hoarse.

"Aye," Torren said, clutching a bleeding gash on his shoulder. "Still breathing."

"Same," Lyra said, lowering her bow. Her bear was panting heavily, blood dripping from its claws.

Rue stood a few feet away, her daggers still drawn, her body tense.

She was breathing hard, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

But she was alive.

Thank f**k.

"Aldric," I said, my voice hoarse. "We need healing."

Aldric nodded, raising his staff. Around us, I followed his lead, my hands glowing with pale blue light.

"Curatio," we intoned together.

Warm light washed over the group, knitting wounds, soothing burns, easing pain. I felt the magic flow through me, healing the cuts and bruises I hadn't even noticed, though my reserves were dangerously depleted.

As the adrenaline faded, exhaustion set in.

The group began settling down again, tending to their gear, checking their weapons.

I sat by the fire, my hands shaking slightly.

That was too close.

Way too f*****g close.

I looked around for Rue.

She was standing near the edge of the camp, her back to me, her shoulders tense.

And then I saw Aldric approach her.

He said something quietly, too low for me to hear.

Rue's ears pinned back against her head.

She looked... embarrassed.

Aldric gestured for her to follow him, and they moved a few feet away, just out of earshot.

I watched as they spoke.

Rue's body language was defensive. Her arms crossed. Her tail lashing.

She whispered something, her voice so quiet I couldn't make it out.

And then—

Aldric laughed.

Not a chuckle. A full, loud laugh that echoed through the camp.

Rue's face turned bright red. Her ears flattened completely.

She looked like she wanted to disappear.

Aldric said something else, still smiling.

I strained to hear, catching only the end of it.

"...I can fashion up something to help. Give you both a few moments."

Rue's eyes widened.

She opened her mouth to respond—

But Aldric just patted her shoulder and walked away, still chuckling to himself.

Rue stood there, frozen, her face burning with embarrassment.

And I sat by the fire, my mind racing.

What the hell did she tell him?

And what did he mean by "give you both a few moments"?

I had no idea.

But something told me I was about to find out.