PATH OF THE STAR HUNTER

Like a second stretched out to infinity due to the strange fluctuations in the laws of reality that Desmond went through, the feeling that this process lasted minutes and at the same time an instant was always disconcerting.

The magical matrix that drives the process was extremely complicated and a work of art in itself that could inspire any painter or mathematician with its ever-changing complex geometric patterns...not that Desmond cared, all he cared about was the place he was in as soon as the array vanished.

A familiar and unfamiliar room, Desmond wanted to describe it as his home but found it somewhat difficult given how little time he had spent in this room. After only a couple of months of living in this house, the actual time Desmond spent here was far from comparable to the time Desmond had spent handling his various responsibilities; not to mention the time he had spent on other worlds.

Perhaps that nagging feeling of nostalgia he had for leaving certain connections in the past led Desmond to ask himself a question: “what is home?”

But Desmond didn’t need an answer from anyone, he never did in the past and he certainly didn’t need one now, all he needed was a name and the person associated with it: Claire...perhaps now Sasha was part of that answer.

The memory of both girls immediately came to Desmond’s mind, bringing with it longing, desire, and much more, feelings that Desmond no longer needed to repress; not when all he had to do was walk out the door in front of him.

What was Desmond if not a person of impulse? His steps became faster almost impatient, the mere thought of being with the people he loved was enough to snatch any calm from Desmond.

Soon a humming reached his ears, tender, happy, and entertaining, expressing the colorful emotions that motivated the person to express herself in this childish and melodious way.

.....

Desmond’s heart skipped a beat as the sight of Claire sitting on the living room couch entered his eyes, like a dam unable to withstand the fury of the ocean, Desmond’s willpower was nothing compared to his desire to have Claire in his arms.

Sometimes he even wondered how he had managed to live so long without laying his hands on such a beautiful woman for whom he had such intense feelings, maybe it was that promise... maybe it was the fear of hurting her if he couldn’t control his desire for her; he didn’t know for sure but he didn’t care either.

Desmond loved her and she loved him, the details didn’t matter, just as the distance that separated them at this moment couldn’t stop their contact for more than a fraction of a second.

Hearing the footsteps behind her, Claire thought for a second that it was Sasha who had come out of her lab and prepared to greet this girl with whom she got along so well.

Words cannot describe the surprise and joy that Claire felt when she saw that the owner of these steps was none other than Desmond. Her words barely threatened to escape her fragrant lips before these were sealed by Desmond who lunged at her with passion and care.

That tender softness, that irresistible taste, that warmth that sustained his existence and his sanity, Desmond could never get enough of her. Like a drug that he becomes more and more addicted to, the scent of her hair, the tingle he felt touching her skin, that mist of love that filled Claire’s eyes every time she saw him; Desmond felt that he would never get enough of this.

Claire was no different, the dominant way Desmond kissed her, tasting her lips hungrily, drinking in the sweet nectar of possessive love Desmond felt for her, the warmth those hands that would hold the world for her conveyed to her as these roamed over her skin; Claire herself would rather die than give up these feelings.

And those eyes, blue as a beautifully polished sapphire, deep as the ocean and bright as the starry sky. Those eyes that always looked at her with intense, obsessive, dominant, and possessive love, just looking into his eyes was enough to make Claire’s body shudder as if an electric current ran through every inch of her; the psychological pleasure that she received from that look will not lose in any way against the physical pleasure that his kisses caused her.

One kiss turned into a dozen, their lips like hungry beasts seeking to consume each other with abandon, soon the battlefield was staged by their slippery tongues squirming like snakes thirsty for affection.

Each one finding pleasure in the touch of the other, in their aroma, in their taste, the lack of breath did little to separate them, where only small pauses arose for both to breathe while a thread of shiny saliva still connected their tongues almost numb from the energetic kiss.

Two months, although on earth it had only been about a week, Desmond had been gone for two months due to the time flow difference, that amount of time was easily the longest period Desmond had ever spent apart from Claire in his whole life.

Two months during which the fights had not been few, the lives Desmond had taken exceeded dozens, the pain Desmond had been through was enough to make ghosts cry, the amount of blood he had seen could fill with ease a swimming pool.

And all for what? Wasn’t it precisely for this moment? To be able to hold Claire in his arms without fearing for their future together, to become stronger so he could protect her; strong enough to kill whoever wants or dare to threaten their way of life together.

The lives he had taken did not matter, the means he used did not matter, to poison and deceive, conspire and betray was permitted; nothing was more important than this moment.

The loving gaze that Claire was giving Desmond at this moment only served to reinforce the dangerous and dark thoughts that filled his mind, the light that Claire gave to his life only served to exacerbate the dangerous shadows that Desmond’s figure projected.

Sensing that something was wrong with the look that Desmond had at that moment, Claire thought that he must be thinking about some bad things that happened to him on his trip, so in an attempt to distract him and maybe give him some relief, Claire conjured up the whole sensuality that her tender, youthful body was able to muster before whispering in Desmond’s ear, “Don’t think about anything else... just love me right now.”

Those almost psychopathic dark shadows that formed in a deep corner of Desmond’s mind didn’t even get a chance to cling to his psyche when Desmond’s mind was short-circuited by those words.

Completely unaware of the fundamental change her voice caused and the enormous hidden danger she had just saved Desmond from, Claire brought her face close to Desmond’s before kissing him with boundless tenderness.

That overflowing passion from earlier had turned into a heady fondness that slowly washed away the pain, blood, and darkness lurking in Desmond’s heart, something as simple as having Claire rub her chubby cheek against Desmond’s face; gave Desmond a bliss that no power or wealth could give him and for a second Desmond felt genuine happiness free of restrictions or responsibilities, worries or plans... nothing but pure happiness.

“Desmond?” A young female voice of a passionate nature suddenly interrupted the intimate moment Desmond and Claire were sharing.

An uncomfortable look flashed across both of their faces as they looked at Sasha standing at the entrance of the room looking back at them with a surprised expression.

Although happy to see Sasha, Desmond would have wanted this to happen under other circumstances and not with him lying on top of Claire’s body while they both shared an inappropriately passionate moment on the couch; although more than passionate about their current interaction could be described more as just loving.

The truth was that after some time of living together, an unspoken understanding had formed between the trio where neither Sasha nor Claire tried to interfere in their time together with Desmond independently but for the sake of keeping things civil and harmonious; both will try not to be too passionate in their intimacy with Desmond in the public spaces of the home.

This is to avoid awkward moments like this and also avoid the feelings of envy as well as the conflicts that could arise from having one of them interrupt the intimacy of the other.

All this because it was inevitable that certain conflicts or discontents would arise between the three due to the relationship they all shared, after all, who would want to see the man they loved enjoying the body and the caresses of another woman.

It didn’t matter if Claire and Sasha’s relationship was one of the close friends or how determined they were to maintain their relationship with Desmond by accepting the other’s existence, emotions weren’t meant to follow the logic and uncomfortable feelings were bound to arise.

This moment was the perfect example, the glint of discomfort that crossed Sasha’s eyes was not lost on Desmond, but he was barely trying to do something about it when he saw Sasha walking towards him.

Watching this, Claire felt guilty not only for hoarding Desmond so greedily but also for having lost track of time while letting herself be carried away by her emotions in the room despite the silent agreement that existed between her and Sasha.

One can imagine their surprise when they saw Sasha walk over and give Desmond a simple kiss before uttering a phrase of intense, warm love: “Welcome back.”

“I’m back.” That was all Desmond could say in response as he felt blessed for what he had at the moment.