FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Cooper retraced his steps, passing beneath the clotheslines, making the turn towards the offshoot. The sound of flowing water bounced off the stone walls, the way forward illuminated by the occasional lightbulb dangling over his head.

With the helmet no longer there to filter the smells, he could breathe in the scent of the mine for the first time. The air was damp, but not quite as musty as he would have expected it to be, neither warm nor cold, which was a pleasant change from the icy temperatures outside. The creators of the mine must have bored out vents to circulate outside air through the shafts, regulating the temperature for the workers.

The passage widened Into Ir chamber, the gravel In the passage giving way to a wide room of stone. As the noise of water suggested, most of the floor was occupied by a small pool, the rocky ground sloping into a sort of bowl-like shape. To one side was the smallest waterfall Cooper had ever seen, streams of water dribbling over a cliff near the ceiling. There must be a natural spring up there. The rest of the room was occupied by mineral outcrops, shining like glass as they reflected the glow of the lightbulb set up by the entrance.

He glanced around the chamber, peeking behind a cluster of stalagmites protruding from the floor to make sure he was alone. He'd tranquilized every deathclaw that had escaped from the lodge, baring the one that had rimsong near the lake, but he didn't want to be lured into a false sense of security again.

Checking the passageway to make sure Omega wasn't sneaking up behind him, Cooper pressed a small mechanism in the collar of the power armour, the latch snapping back with a click. The frame moved his arms to his sides of their own accord, the suit blooming open with a groan of mechanics, Cooper ducking beneath the collar as he freed his legs from the suit.

Once he had pulled himself out of the frame, he stood clear, the armour clamping back into place with an electric whine. Although the valve and the rear plating were still intact, the suit was almost naked compared to what it had looked like before he'd entered the den. It had been a walking tank before, but now it was just a headless frame, integral wires and cogs exposed to the air. It wasn't completely useless, however, the exosuit could still assist the limbs with extra power, but its fighting days were over.

He walked over to the waterfall, his boots Ig wet as he stood to one side of the stream. Closing his eyes, he pulled his hair back, leaning his face into the water, the explosion of frigid liquid eliciting a gasp. His face was plastered in sweat, and the stuffy helmet had boiled the grime into his skin, and it felt good to wash it away.

After dunking his face a couple times, he set about removing his chest piece. Omega had been right, he felt wide awake now, but he wanted to take it a step further. It had been weeks since he'd gone without a bath or shower, a tentative sniff under his armpit confirming he was in dire need of one.

Setting his armour and fatigues by the frame, he stepped out of his underwear, his feet almost slipping as he stepped into the stream. Calling the water cold would be an understatement, it felt like liquid ice was cascading over his shoulders, slipping down every crevice like fingers. Cooper was no stranger to taking cold showers, he even enjoyed it to a degree, but even he found himself stepping out of the waterfall after a few cold minutes of washing.

He looked around, suppressing a shiver, soon noticing a small box off to one side of the pool. At first it looked like a tall battery, with the front face composed of a grill that protected a fan located just behind it. A cable trailed from it towards the passageway, where the nearest lightbulb provided a soft amount of illumination to the chamber. It must be connected up to the power grid.

He reached down and flicked the on switch once he found it, and a strong blast of warm air hit him in the face. The fan had whirred to life, the little box beginning to pivot slowly to the left and right. It was a heater, he realised, he'd seen plenty of these back in NCR, but one wouldn't be enough to bring the whole chamber to a comfortable temperature.

He angled the little box so that It faced the waterfall, then he returned to the 'shower', Cooper kneading out the knots in his shoulders as the hot air and the cold water evened out, bringing the temperature into a just bearable equilibrium. He exhaled as the adrenaline from his fight with the pack washed away, leaving him exhausted and sleepy, Cooper closing his eyes as he let the water drip from his hair to his feet.

"You know, when I said I wanted to see you out of that armour, I didn't think I'd be getting a show when it happened."

Cooper spun around, cupping his junk with his hands as he saw Omega standing next to his power armour. She was leaning on the frame's shoulder, looking as casual as a beast of her stature could manage, one clawed foot crossed over the other.

She shamelessly played her glowing eyes up and down his naked body, and Cooper felt his cheeks start to redden. He shouldn't feel embarrassed having his body being examined by an animal, but he knew firsthand that she was no simple beast. In fact, he'd been convinced she was an actual person up until ten minutes ago.

"Do you mind?" he complained, hunching over awkwardly as he stepped a little further away from the light.

"Nope. This is _my _cave, so I get to go wherever I want. You're the intruder here, Cooper, coming in and shooting your little pea shooter at me and my friends."

He felt a pang of regret at that, and he turned his back on her, slowly releasing his hands from between his legs when he was sure she couldn't see his privates. He felt her gaze on his back, but he had no choice but to endure it if he wanted to get cleaned up.

"I was thinking about what I said," she began, still standing by the frame when he checked where she was. "It's kinda my fault that you're in this situation in the first place. I let you wander into my den under false pretences, and me ruining your little toys has set you back. If you need a place to hang out, the den's got plenty of room."

"You're... you want me to stay here? I just knocked out your pack, and you were chasing me through the dark trying to kill me a few minutes ago. Why would you want me anywhere near you?"

She smiled, the way her reptilian chops pulled back making her seem a little less monstrous.

"Again, wasn't trying to kill you. You have to understand, me getting the chance to have a conversation with someone is pretty much a novelty to me, and I'm desperate enough to befriend my hunter if it means getting some... relief."

"Don't your packmates talk?" he asked.

"Not exactly," she replied. "They can speak deathclaw, but they can't do _human _like I can. I'm somewhat of an enigma among our kind."

"I'll say," he muttered, slathering the water down his legs. He turned towards the pool, sparing her a self-conscious glance as he waded into the water, shielding his groin again until he was safely waist-deep, the gloom giving him enough darkness to give him some privacy. He let himself bob on the water's surface, aware of every moment that her gaze lingered on his body, which was pretty much every second.

"When we were travelling before," Cooper began after a bit of silence. "Was all that stuff you said made up?"

"Everything I told you was the truth! ... Except the parts that weren't," she added, her gaze falling to the floor. "I did say I was a Mutant, and that's true, I just let you... come to your own conclusion, and played along after that. My name really is Pearl, but I wasn't part of the Master's army, obviously. Do you need some body wash, by the way? I have a spare bottle around here somewhere..."

She leaned off the frame, the suit creaking, moving off to one side of the pool and stooping down to collect something. When she stood back up, she waded into the pool rather than walk around it, Cooper covering himself up and inching away from her.

"Calm down," she said, handing him a plastic bottle, the purple liquid inside sloshing as she gestured with it. "I just wanted to test the water. I'm surprised you haven't turned into a human popsicle, Cooper."

She chuckled, Cooper silently taking the bottle from her hand, keeping as far away from her fingers as possible. She noticed his hesitation, shooting him a frown as she waded to the edge of the pool.

"Am I really that repugnant, Cooper?" she asked. "Should I go get my robe so I can get you to look me in the eye again? I thought humans hated offending their hosts?"

He didn't want to come off as rude, but she was an unsettling sight. Pearl and her counterparts were perfectly capable of impaling him on their claws, and the memories of her striking him from the darkness made him wary of her.

"I'm just... still in shock from all this," he said, trying to put it as politely as possible. "I went from being chased down by you anim... things, to talking with one. It's a little jarring."

"You're afraid of me," she muttered, her shoulders sagging.

"No, it's not that," he insisted, Pearl smirking at him mischievously. She suddenly pretended to leap at him, Cooper flinching away in alarm, frowning as she filled the chamber with her laughter.

"Oh, isn't it?" she teased. "We've already spent two cold nights in each other's arms, Cooper, is my appearance putting you off that much?"

"That was different," he defended. "I thought you were... something else."

"So? Past Pearl is still _present _Pearl. It was nothing personal, I had to gauge you, just like how I have to gauge everyone else I meet out there. A lot of dangerous people are out for my blood, and not just little hunters and survivalists, mind. Bad people, _super _bad. Thought you might be one of them with that tin suit of yours..."

She met his eyes again. "But I was wrong! You were a lovely young man who started off by talking rather than shooting me, and you don't know how long it's been since that's happened. The second people are even _slightly _suspicious of me, they tend to shoot first rather than understand me. It makes striking up conversations... hard to manage."

So seeking companionship was her motivator for tricking him? He wondered =who these _bad people _she was referring to were, but she went on before he had the chance to ask.

"I'd like to spend just a second in the company of someone who just sees me as a normal person," she continued, shaking her head. "As normal as I can be, of course. Is that so much to ask?"

He could see where her frustration was coming from. If she thought as much as she talked like a human, then he couldn't blame her for following him around these past few days, he knew for a fact living so far out from the cities would be a lonely experience.

"I suppose since you gave me a chance, I should give you one back," Cooper relented, upending the bottle and slathering the lotion over his chest. "I'll try, but it's just... Aside from the whole, deathclaw thing, I don't usually have an... audience, when I'm cleaning myself."

"No need to be so self-conscious," Pearl said, satisfied with his answer. She sat down on a rock behind and to his left. "You're tall, well developed, especially around the legs and butt, probably from all that walking you do. Your long hair suits your beard, makes you look... softer. If anything, those New Reno women you love so much should be paying _you _for a chance to cop a feel."

She was being downright salacious, Cooper thankful that the gloom was obscuring his burning face. In his few fleeting encounters with women during his younger years, it had been Cooper that had done all the pursuing, and it made him feel oddly embarrassed to be on the receiving end, and by a deathclaw no less. Did she actually think he was easy on the eyes, or was she just fooling around? It wouldn't be the first time she'd tricked him into believing something that wasn't true.

"You lived in this mine for long?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Ever since I was free," she replied. "Don't worry, place was abandoned when I found it, nobody died. It was only the first couple of passageways that weren't blocked when I moved in, but after I picked up my pack, we started clearing the rubble and expanding our den."

"I think one of your friends was doing that when I came through just before," Cooper said. "there were crates full of rocks, and a half-blocked passage."

"We usually only haul the rocks when there's not enough room to walk by, otherwise we just leave them. They're not heavy or anything to us, it just takes a long time. We used to use the minecarts, but one of the girls accidently severed the tracks with one of her toes. Clearing got a lot slower after that."

"Doesn't seem all that slow to me," he muttered. "You escaped the lodge, what... just over a week ago? That's hardly any time to clear out a collapsed mineshaft."

"Oh, I wasn't talking about our breakout from Hendrix's lodge," she said. "That wasn't the first time I've been locked in a cage, and may not be the last, either."

"So what was the first? You've been in Hendrix's possession before?"

"Not... exactly," she replied cryptically. "Tell you what, I'll give you my whole life's story over a meal, the _real _one this time, no more lies."

"I guess I'm pretty hungry after our... fight," he said, wetting his arms with the water. "Do you have a towel for me?"

"Yep. I'll get it, no need to stand up." She lifted herself off the rock, her talons clicking against the stone as she circled the pool. "Oh, are you all done with the body wash? Pass it over. You smell nice by the way - a new experience for you, I'd wager."

He chucked it over, Pearl snatching it out of the air and placing it on the ground. "We could eat in here if you want," she added. "You don't even have to get out of the pool."

"I'll prune if I stay in here for much longer," he replied. "Besides, it's hard to focus while one of us is naked."

"Cooper," she cooed. "Haven't you noticed I've been naked too this entire time?"

He didn't respond, fighting the momentary urge to look between her legs.

"The towel, right," Pearl said, breaking the silence. She flashed him a wink, then turned around, her tail flicking behind her as she stalked into the passage. After a few minutes, she returned, two bundles of cloth under her arms. She tossed a towel towards him, Cooper wrapping it around himself as he stepped out of the icy bath.

"I've also got some spare clothes if you want," she said, placing a pair of long pants and a jacket by the foot of the pool. "Shouldn't be as smelly as your other outfit."

"You just keep clothes on hand for visitors?" he asked.

"They're spares, in case I need fresh material for my robe."

He shuffled over to the pile of clothes, but before he dried off, he gave Pearl a frown, making a turn around gesture with his finger. "You're no fun," she pouted, but eventually she complied, facing the wall as he dressed himself. He kept an eye on her all the same, his eyes drawn to her chubby tail as it waved back and forth like a cat's.

"Alright," he said, pulling up the zipper on his new jacket as he slipped on his boots. "I have some leftover mirelurk, a few mutfruits, might be able to make a meal out of it."

"I'm not going to make you share out of your own supply in my own den!" Pearl replied. "We have plenty of meat here. Come on, we'll dine by the entrance, get some fresh air in us."

As he hurried to catch up, he stooped to collect his pack, watching as Pearl unrolled the other bundle of clothing she'd brought with her. It was her robe, and she pulled it taught over her shoulders, slipping her arms into the baggy sleeves as she covered up.

"Why are you wearing that?" he asked, Pearl cocking her head. "I've already seen you without it, disguising yourself would be pointless."

"It's for the cold, silly," Pearl chuckled, her tail whipping around to slap him on the rump. She didn't hit him nearly as hard as she had during their fight, but the appendage still sent him stumbling forward. "Scales don't help as much against freezing temperatures as they do bullets... or darts, to pick a random example."

He followed after her as they made a right turn, her talons and his boots crunching against the gravel. After moving through the first intersection, for the first time in what felt like hours, Cooper saw natural light, spilling in from the turn at the far end of the tunnel. His relief was quickly replaced with alarm, however, the man holding out an arm to stop his giant companion.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I set up a couple mines here," he explained, lowering his hand. "Watch your step."

"Oh those! Yeah I set one of them off before, nearly busted my arm in the blast. The heck did you put in those things anyway?"

"Rubber spikes. Made them so I could... well, you already know why. Sorry about that," he added.

As they rounded the bend, the mouth of the tunnel splayed out before them, fresh snow sweeping across the plain outside. Cooper told Pearl to stay put as he got onto his hands and knees, crawling his way towards his own mines and carefully disarming them. After disabling three of the traps, he scratched his head in confusion.

"Pretty sure I had four here," he mumbled.

"I just said I tripped it. On purpose of course," she added hurriedly. "Wanted to see how big the blasts were, so I threw a rock at one before I followed you inside. Told you Omega was smart enough that your traps wouldn't work on her, didn't I?"

"You said you had meat, right?" he asked, setting his pack down as he looked out beyond the entrance. The wind had picked up while he'd been occupied, the white powder flowing through the air as the gust swept from left to right.

"Gamey fresh beef," she explained. "How hungry are you?"

"Starving," he said, the topic of fresh food overcoming his inhibitions for the moment.

"Wait here then" she said, making for the exit. "Back in a pinch."

She faded into the frozen haze, Cooper getting a fire going as he waited. He set up the circle of stones close enough to the exit so the tunnel didn't get filled with smoke, but far enough away that the wind didn't smother it.

After a minute longer, Pearl returned, dragging something along in the snow behind her. She deposited it next to the fire, Cooper blinking as a carcass slapped heavily onto the stone. Its pink, crinkly hide looked like someone had taken a machete to it, its neck splitting off into two identical heads, beads of blood dripping down its lips.

"Where'd you get a brahmin?" Cooper asked, craning his neck up at her.

"Where'd you think? Hendrix has plenty to go around on his little farm."

"Don't think that's dangerous? Hunting around a lodge owned by the guy who wants you captured?"

"I know that place inside and out, Cooper, you should know that. Haven't been caught yet, except for that one time, but that was different."

"Looks fresh," he added, noting there was no rancid smell coming from the animal.

"There's a little nook just out and to the left here," Pearl explained. "We keep all our carcasses stored there, the snow helps preserve them."

"You just keep your meals outside? What if something steals them?"

"Now what kind of idiot would willingly come so close to a deathclaw den? No offence to you personally," she added with a laugh.

Ignoring her comment, he fished inside his pack for his collapsible stove, folding the little legs out as Pearl flexed her hand. There was a string of snicking _sounds as her claws unsheathed from her digits, Pearl plunging her hand into the brahmin and starting to butcher it. Cooper grimaced as the blood began to pool on the stones, her claws flowing through the skin of the bovine with almost no resistance, blood and meat slipping through the parting skin. That would have been _him if Pearl had been the feral animal he'd thought she was.

"Catch," she chimed, Cooper raising his hands to grab the biggest slice of meat in the world. The steak was thicker than his wrist, and longer than Pearl's claws, Cooper handling it like it was a bag of sand.

"You can have this one," he said, hauling it onto the grill, the metal legs buckling under its weight. "How'd you like it done?"

"Blue," Pearl replied.

"What's that?"

"It's lower than rare. Literally just sizzle each side for ten, twenty seconds, then it's done."

"Sounds a little raw for me, but suit yourself."

He followed her instructions while Pearl built up a pile of cuts, Cooper picking up the smallest steak and cooking it until the skin was nice and crispy. "I don't have much for you to sit on," Pearl began. "I have a desk and chair in my room, but I didn't really want to go dragging a cow through those tunnels."

"It's fine," he said. "I'll sit on my pack."

He produced a hunting knife from his pocket, slicing the meat up into pieces and spearing one on the point. Pearl had been right, being as far away from the confines of the den was relaxing him, and the scent of cooked beef added a nice touch to the experience. She grinned at him as he devoured the sirloin, eagerly digging into the rest. After rationing to and from the lodge these past few weeks, it felt nice to be able to stuff himself to fullness, and there was no lack of meat to go around.

"Nothing like gamey beef, right?" Pearl asked, bringing her portion to her mouth. He couldn't see her devour it, as she brought up her sleeve to shield her face. It was probably on purpose, she knew the sight of her exposed maw would unsettle him.

He nodded, setting another steak on the stove as he chewed. "So where are you really from?" he began after he swallowed. "Hendrix told me you were his property, is that not the case?"

"Technically I am property, but not to that prick," Pearl replied. "Have you ever heard of a group called the Enclave before?"

Cooper scratched his brow in thought, then shook his head.

"Thought not, they only have a few outposts on the mainland, and the people who _do _know of them usually wind up going missing. Not the most pleasant bunch, but I was a part of their organization, even made a few friends during our... collaboration."

"Why'd you work with people like that?"

"Didn't have much of a choice. They created me after all. See, the Enclave was doing experiments on gene splicing, trying to figure out a way to make deathclaws more docile, easier to influence. The Enclave had groups of deathclaw auxiliaries in their army, but they were just as likely to attack their own soldiers as their enemies. That's when I came into the picture. This scientist, can't remember his name, he came up with the idea of adding bits of the human genome into a deathclaw template to create a new breed that would see humans as fellow beings, rather than just food."

"... How the hell does that work?" Cooper asked incredulously.

"That's exactly what I said!" Pearl replied. "Someone explained it to me a long time ago, can't remember the specifics, but what I can recall was, they sort of... grew an organism in a tank of water, an embryo of a deathclaw, then injected human DNA into the mix during the artificial growth stage. I'm no biologist in case you couldn't tell, but they found a way to make our DNA's compatible, or else I wouldn't be here."

"So you popped out of these tank... organ... things?" he asked, Pearl nodding.

"Yep, mom was a glass tube through and through, but I wasn't the only one. There were ten of us altogether, I was lucky number two. They ran us through some tests after our birth, making sure we wouldn't start chomping on the first person we saw once we were let out of our containment cells, then they put us to work. My tasks usually revolved around smartening up the other 'claws on the base, but sometimes they let me into the lab and engineering wings to help the workers out. Learned how to use my opposable thumbs to tinker up machines and other stuff."

"So you're a... what, hybrid?" he asked. "Guess that explains why you look so different compared to your pack."

"They're feral deathclaws, their genome is completely different to mine," she replied. "Well, maybe not so _different, I do look more like _them than a human, so the ratio is a little off-balance, but yeah, Pearl the Hybrid. Has a nice ring to it."

"Is your human DNA the reason you can talk, and the ferals can't?"

"It's not that they _can't, _it just takes them a really long time to pick up the skill. I did manage to get one of them to say _pur _the other day, though I'm not sure if she was trying to say _pearl, _or was literally purring."

"So what changed?" he asked. "Being part of this Enclave doesn't sound like it was all that bad."

"For my _kind, that was true, but over time I started to see the cracks. I heard rumours from the feral 'claws that entire packs were being culled because they couldn't be tamed, and that some of the more... _invasive procedures to 'fix' these problems involved drilling headsets into our skulls. And it wasn't just us who were being tested on," she added. "The soldiers would bring in people, sometimes tribals, sometimes people who looked like they'd just walked right out of Vault City. We didn't need human DNA to know they'd been taken against their own will. I never found out what exactly the Enclave wanted with them, but I _do _know that if someone didn't cooperate, they got fed to the ferals."

"Me and the other hybrids agreed we couldn't support the Enclave for a second longer after learning that, as every day passed meant another 'claw or human would be a victim to their experiments. We planned this big escape, splitting into groups and rushing to the surface. A lot of us... didn't make it," she muttered, her mood becoming dour. "They had chain guns hidden in recesses on the perimeter, and they cut us down by the dozens. Everyone in my group was falling around me, but I didn't stop, I just kept going and going, even after the gunfire stopped and I had reached the ocean. Legs gave out shortly after."

She placed her slice of meat on the ground, her appetite apparently gone.

"I was the only one in my group that made it, and that was the last time I saw my hybrid sisters, or any of the 'claws from the base. I like to think some of the other groups managed to escape, but a part of me is convinced that... I'm the only one that made it. I searched for the next few years, but all I found was ferals. Gave up looking for them after I found this place." She pointed a claw down the tunnel. "Lost hope, I suppose."

"Must have been a lonely time for you," he said, Pearl nodding as she rubbed one of her horns.

"For a while, yeah. It got a little better once I found the pack," she continued. "Found them wandering out there one day, half-starved. They weren't from the base and were more feral than what I was used to, but I eventually earned their trust, and now they sort of chill out here. They saw me as their alpha once they figured out that, although I smelled funny, I was bigger and tougher than all of them. We held up here in the den for the next... I don't know how long, I've stopped counting the days. It was quiet for a while after that, until..."

"Until Hendrix?" he tried, and she nodded again.

"I watched him search that old lodge from top to bottom, thinking he was just a scavver or something and that he'd move on. I check back after a while, and what do I see? He's got dozens of people building up those walls, setting up pens for his little trade caravans. If only I'd known he'd become such a thorn in my side, I'd have..."

She noticed she was snarling those words out and stopped herself, shooting him an apologetic look. "His goons started prowling the valley after he was established, but they didn't come so far north for me to worry. That was, until he cornered me and my pack one day when we were out hunting," she continued. "He slugged us with those tranquilizer darts one by one, took us to his lodge. You know the rest."

"But my darts didn't work on you," he noted. "How'd you get captured?"

"I think my human DNA dilutes most of the drug," she replied. "Doesn't make me immune to it, though. I must have been plugged by like... eight or ten darts before I started to become drowsy, I think?"

"Hendrix said you only needed half that."

"I faked it," she grinned, her usual boisterousness returning. "if I stayed on my feet any longer, they'd have shot me with actual bullets. So I played the part, then made my _next _grand escape. And by the way," she said, her eyes meeting his. "did Hendrix ever mention how exactly he tracked me down?"

"Not really," he replied. "just said there was a lot of money on the line if I couldn't bring you back."

"Interesting... Well, there you go, Cooper," Pearl said, splaying her hands out to him. "That's Pearl the Hybrid's story. Feels weird saying it all out loud, never had the pleasure of telling it to anyone before. Kind of glad it's _you _who's the lucky first."

"Why's that?"

She blinked innocently at him. "Well, you're my friend, dummy. The first human ever to treat me right outside the Enclave."

"Treat you right?" he echoed. "I hunt animals, I tried to kill you, hell I even knocked out your pack. How can you see me as anything close to a friend?"

"You did all that for the reward, out of necessity," she explained. "You were forced to come out here, intent on saving your wellbeing, you didn't do it out of hate, or for the thrill of killing an animal, not like Hendrix or his people do. You're different from them."

"I'm not so sure about that," Cooper muttered.

"Well I am. The Cooper I met by that river was generous enough to share his food with a stranger, and was kind enough to teach me how to hunt properly so I wouldn't starve. You were even thoughtful enough to give me your most prized handbook, after I told you how much I loved reading."

"I didn't know what you were at the time."

"So? That doesn't erase what you did."

"You're looking too much into it," he said. "Anyone would have done the same in my shoes."

"You're wrong, Cooper. The few people I've come into contact with either try to rob me, or give me a wide berth. You're better than them, a decent man who's kind enough to indulge me in conversation, even after seeing me for what I am."

He glanced down at the fire, mulling over her words for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry for calling you an animal all those times before, Pearl. You got more reasoning than most people I know."

"Would you say you're starting to see me as... more, than that?"

"I guess so. Why?"

"Good," she replied, ignoring his question. She asked him to cook her another slice, and he did so, the two going quiet as they ate their fill. By the time they were done, the sky had dimmed from white to orange, Cooper stifling a yawn with a hand as he put his knife away.

"Tired?" Pearl asked. "thought you might be, walking and fighting deathclaws all day would do that to anyone."

"I think you ruining that power armour was a blessing in disguise," Cooper said, giving his arm a stretch. "should be able to fit in my bedroll this time."

"I have room in the den, if you'd like," Pearl suggested. "There're blankets, quilts, pillows, should be loads better than that little sleeping bag. If you're comfortable resting inside, that is."

It was flattering to see her considering his state of mind, she was likely thinking he wouldn't want anything to do with the den after their whole ordeal. He was a little hesitant to spend a night in a deathclaw nest, but he was eventually won over as a cold gust of wind hit him in the side.

"Appreciate it," he said, Pearl smirking at him as she began to lead the way back. "What about your pack?" he added. "are they... they won't wake up in the middle of the night and eat me, will they?"

"Don't worry, I'll protect you if they start poking around," she replied. "From memory those darts can knock them out for two, three days, so it shouldn't be a problem for now. But... maybe you should sleep close to me, just in case one of them is a light sleeper."

Cooper gulped, hoping he'd hit them with enough darts, as he didn't fancy waking up to find a pissed-off deathclaw looming over him.

-xXx-

Cooper struggled to keep up with Pearl's long strides as she led him back to her lair, _which was the same room where she'd revealed her true form to him. With the lightbulbs now on to provide light, Cooper saw that he'd missed a lot of details compared to when he'd first walked in, one of which was the bed. It wasn't a traditional mattress with a few sheets, but about _six mattresses bundled up into one corner, with what appeared to be curtains plucked from a household draped over the top. There were pillows on top of that, arranged in a rough crescent shape to form the outline of a headboard in the otherwise nest-like sleeping pit.

"Don't tell me you had your pack drag mattresses all the way out here," Cooper muttered, watching as Pearl picked up a pillow and fluffed it out.

"There was a sleeping quarters deeper in the mine, full of bunk beds," she explained, throwing the pillow back onto the nest. "So what do you think? Better than sleeping in that stupid suit, wouldn't you say?"

Placing his pack aside, he knelt down, testing the firmness of the nest with his rump. She was right, his legs sank wonderfully into the soft sheets, or _curtains _rather, Cooper resisting the urge to flop down straight away.

"I'm just going to go check on the girls," Pearl said, standing back from the bedding. "fingers crossed you haven't OD'd them, or I'll make you pay reparations. Make yourself comfortable, I'll be right back."

He watched as she disappeared back down the passage, Cooper feeling a twinge of apprehension as she left him alone. What if the pack was awake, and Pearl couldn't stop them from getting some payback? He had to chuckle bitterly at the realisation he was counting on Omega of all things to protect him.

He looked around, spying his disca"ded 'eapons lying randomly on the ground around him. He was fairly confident by now that Pearl wasn't out to hurt him, but would she take offence if she returned to see him stashing away his weapons? He always slept better knowing a weapon was in arms reach.

He decided to collect them and place them next to his pack, out In the open so she wouldn't miss them, close enough to the sheets that he could grab one without getting up. He turned his gaze to the ruined bits of metal that used to be his sidearm, the memory of Pearl crushing the handgun through pure strength flashing through his mind. He swept them into a pile, thinking maybe some spare parts had survived and he could salvage them later.

Slipping beneath the fabrics and placing his head on a pillow, he stared up at the ceiling, his thoughts turning to what his plans for the future were. What was he going to do in the morning? Return to the lodge, head back to NCR? His original plan was out the window, what was he going to do now? His fatigue willed these questions away, he'd just have to address them when he wasn't tired and sore after everything that had happened.

His lidding eyes parted as he heard footsteps, Cooper sitting up and watching Pearl stride back into the room. "They're sleeping like babies," she informed him. "Which is what we should be doing, it's been a long day for both of us. You want the light on? I have a dim setting if you'd like."

"Dim setting?" he asked. Pearl plucked a drape hanging by the exit, the sheet suspended by a rubber cable, and pulled it over the bulb, the light going from a harsh white to a muted grey.

"Voila," she chuckled, her body just visible in the new gloom. She seemed to absorb herself into the shadows, despite having a more pale complexion compared to the ferals, Cooper tracking her as she slinked across the room.

"Where will you sleep?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

His eyes went wide as she pulled her robe off, casting it aside, her scaley body and thorny backside revealing themselves. Somehow, his body had momentarily forgotten about her true form, a flash of concern coming over him as she stalked towards the nest.

"What do _I _mean?" he asked, but before he could protest, she shuffled into the bed by his legs, a giant hump in the sheets betraying her location as she slid up beside him.

"Cooper, we slept together before, don't be so naïve." Her horned head poked out of the top of the sheets next to his face, Cooper staring accusingly into her amber eyes. "What?" she asked.

"We did that to share our body heat. Don't have to worry about freezing anymore in here."

"Maybe you don't," she replied. "But deathclaws are cold-blooded, and besides, this is _my _nest you're sleeping in, so what I say goes."

He wanted to bring up the fact she'd invited him to her bed in the first place, but he supposed as a reptile she was worse off. "Whatever," he muttered. "just don't turn your back on me, I don't want your thorns poking my eye out."

"Didn't plan on it," she replied, obviously smiling even though Cooper couldn't see her expression.

She settled in on his right, pulling the curtains over them, the sheets on her side of the bed rising like a mountain as she laid down on her shoulder. He couldn't believe he hadn't suspected she was a giant, scaly beast earlier. She was covered in thorns and spikes, and that tail was huge. Perhaps she'd looped it around herself to keep it from his sight.

He closed his eyes, sinking his head Into the pillow as he willed himself to sleep. It was easier said than done, however, a primal concern he couldn't suppress insisting he was way too close to this predator.

His eyes went wide as plates as he felt something coil around his leg. It was long, thick with muscle, covered over in a pudgy layer of scale. He would have thought a snake had weaved itself into the bed if he didn't know any better.

"Could you move your tail over?" he asked, feeling his limb become encased in fine scales. It wasn't quite as rough as he'd expected, the texture of her hide was as smooth as glass, and cool to the touch.

"Cold~" Pearl chimed. "Your body's putting out so much warmth, I can't help it. Tails are involuntary anyway."

He grumbled under his breath, turning onto his side and scooting towards the edge of the nest, her tail reluctantly releasing him. There was roughly a minute's peace, and then he felt Pearl drape an arm over his waist, tugging him back. She pulled him snug against her bosom, stroking his stomach through his shirt, the points of her claws tickling him through the fabric.

"Pearl..."

"What?" she replied, as if his annoyance wasn't obvious enough. "You try being cold-blooded, the blankets just don't cut it sometimes."

"Somehow, I don't really believe you. I know the difference between sharing body heat and getting touchy."

"Then you should know why I'm doing it," she cooed, Cooper holding in his breath as her claws trailed higher, her fingers tracing the outline of his pectorals, her touch making him shiver. Had he always been so sensitive, or was it the fact that he'd seen her claws cut through steel, making him hyperaware of how sharp her fingers were?

"You were eyeing me up during our travels," she muttered into his ear. "why shouldn't I get to return the favour? People say look but don't touch, but I can't help it when I'm snuggled up against a soft, warm thing like you..."

He felt her other hand plunge into his hair, his scalp buzzing with tingles as she began to stroke his skull. Part of him wanted to recoil away, she was a giant nine-foot beast, but if he closed his eyes, he could almost convince himself he was in bed with a woman. A really big woman, of course.

"I checked you out from time to time as well," she continued. "Especially when I saw you bathing just before. You're lean, young, with a rugged, dashing face..."

"Dashing?" he asked. "I don't have scales, horns, a tail... wouldn't you be attracted to another deathclaw?"

"I guess it's the human side of me that's craving you," she replied. "Didn't you feel something during our travels, too? Or am I fumbling through the dark here?"

"W-What about your pack?" he asked. "wouldn't they be more your... type?"

"We've had a few encounters from time to time," she admitted, stopping her stroking to ponder. "but it feels... wrong. They're feral, they can hardly talk, and can't see me as anything but their alpha, someone to obey. But you, you're different, you give me the kind of company I haven't felt since my time with the Enclave, and you're _male _to boot..."

Cooper felt his loins begin to shift, his body responding to her hands despite his conflicted thoughts. He'd gone over a month now since his last encounter with a woman, and he was starting to feel pent up. And yet, Pearl was a deathclaw, a beast he'd been hunting just this morning, could he really see her in that kind of way?

He had admired her body through the robe, that was true, she possessed a slim waist, flared hips, some fine legs... but could he even lay with her? She was so hard and spikey, an armoured killing machine that had been grown from a tank, designed to help deathclaws and humans coexist, which seemed oddly apt given their current situation...

"Say something, Cooper. Is my body putting you off? I could put the robe back on if you'd like. I could stay under the covers, or... or give you a blindfold! Do a bit of roleplay? Eh? I may have lied to you about my appearance, but I'm not lying when I say I covet your touch..."

He felt something warm trail across his ear, Cooper's heart racing as she left his earlobe draped in her saliva. A part of him urged him to push her away, and she would probably get the message if he did, but the way she traced his muscles, the way her pronounced chest pressed against his back, the hard scales reminding him of the bosom of a well-endowed woman, it was all starting to crack his resolve. He had needs, just like she did, and nobody would know if they fooled around a little...

"You'd... You'd stay under the sheets?" he mumbled. "You wouldn't... mind?"

"Not at all," she whispered, pausing her movements to wait for him to answer her. "I work better in the dark anyway," she giggled. When he didn't move, she took that as a sign he wasn't going to refuse, chuckling quietly as she pressed her snout into his neck, taking in his scent.

"Good boy. You just relax, and let me do all the work..."

He felt her face leave his neck, Cooper turning his head to watch as Pearl delved into the sheets, the light so dim he could only see her glowing eyes. She blinked one in a suggestive wink, and then she pulled the covers over herself, the fabrics tenting over her spiky back.

He felt one of her long legs swing over him, his shins trapped from both sides by scaley flesh as she sat on his knees, the hump she created in the nest positioning over his waist. He felt her raise the hem of his shirt, bundling it up by his shoulders as Cooper watched the blankets curiously, his body tensing up as she exposed him.

He gasped In surprise as he felt her tongue slide across his chest, the smooth organ tickling him as it traced the underside of his pectoral. It felt like it was tapered into two points, like a serpent's, each one moving independently of the other. It was dripping wet, her sticky saliva clinging to his skin in ropes, Cooper lurching when she brushed it over one of his nipples, lapping at it for a moment before moving onto the other.

With Pearl hidden beneath the nest covers, his world was now one of touch and sound, the squelching noise of her lapping tongue filling the room as she roamed lower, coating his abs in a slippery sheen as she continued to sample him.

He froze up as he felt her sharp claws on his chest, afraid that even the slightest move might impale him on her vicious weapons. She ran them down his skin, not hard enough to pierce the skin, but enough to leave stinging red welts in their wake, shivers of pleasure dancing up his spine as she repeated the gesture, drawling lines from his belly to his chest. The fear that she might slice him up if she applied just a little more pressure was driving him crazy, but he couldn't bring himself to ask her to stop, it felt so strange, but so good, he'd just have to trust she would keep his limits in mind.

He gripped fistfuls of the sheets as she left a lingering kiss on his stomach, slipping her tongue into his belly button as she moved down to his waist. Why was he so sensitive? He'd shared beds with women in the past, and he couldn't remember ever feeling so hypersensitive with them. Her being a clawed monster probably had something to do with it, or was there something else he was missing?

"You're so soft," Pearl moaned into his stomach, speaking between her doting kisses. "and warm, too, especially down here..."

Her sharp claws contrasted wonderfully with her soft, pliant tongue working around his hips, Cooper flinching as she dragged her fingers over his sensitive ribs. She slipped a nail below his belt and pulled down his pants, shuffling them down his legs. His underwear soon followed, her claws sealing around his waist as he felt his member bounce free. Her attentions had really got his blood pumping, a mix of fear and insecurity permeating his body as he felt her gaze wander across his genitals.

He bit his knuckle to stifle a groan as her snout buried Into his pubic hair, her warm breath blowing across his skin as she scented him. Cooper couldn't see what she was doing or where she would go next, and that only made him more reactive to her touch.

She kissed his thigh, sliding her cheek against the inside of his leg as she poised there between his legs. He lurched again as she dragged her tongue over his balls, the tapered tips snaking their way across the base of his erection. It was so long, Pearl maneuvering it with all the finesse of a finger as she coiled it beneath his sack, enclosing his most sensitive parts in a cocoon of slippery warmth.

"You're shaking, Cooper," she cooed, sucking her tongue back into her mouth after teasing him for a few more moments. "I might look all terrifying to you, but your body's just rearing to go, it's adorable. What's the word for being scared and aroused at the same time? Cause that's _you _right now."

He felt her snout position itself above his erection, Pearl glancing his tip with her tongue, Cooper shivering as her bubbling saliva streamed down his length. He remembered how her chops had looked, bristling with ivory teeth that were just as sharp as her claws, apprehension swirling with the fear that she might cut his privates to ribbons.

"W-Watch the teeth," he muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" she asked. He had the feeling she was only pretending not to hear him, but he repeated himself anyway.

"Watch the teeth," he said, trying to get himself under control. "I don't want you biting down on me like you did to that brahmin before."

"If you're that worried, I could stop. You just need to ask."

She gave him a small window to reply, but he didn't speak, Pearl's muffled giggling slipping from the sheets as her lips neared his member.

"Thought not. Don't worry, I'll be as gentle as a cat with a mouse..."

"That's the opposite of being-"

His sentence petered out as she grazed his length with her forked tongue, soaking it in her warm slaver, his spine arching as she lapped at a bead of pre welling at his tip. She enclosed his glans in its soft flesh, her curling tongue lapping at his sensitive underside, the tips of her teeth gliding along the sides of his shaft. Cooper felt like he was melting as her hand cupped his manhood from below, cradling his balls in her palm, applying just enough of a squeeze for him to feel it.

He hips rose reflexively, his body seeking out more stimulation, his legs writhing beneath her heavy frame. He felt her thick tail coil around his shins, tying his knees together like a pair of cuffs, the appendage so packed with muscle that moving became impossible, and for good reason. Any more gyrating on his part and he might catch himself on a claw or tooth.

She steadied his hips with her free hand, Cooper's breath going short as she drew his cock between her rows of teeth. She pursed her lips over his length, his organ resting against her soft tongue, Pearl beginning to slurp on his tender flesh, the sucking sounds reaching his ears as she maneuvered him around her mouth. The inside of her cheeks pressed against the sides of his throbbing cock as her lips kissed his belly, Pearl taking him all the way into her warm throat in one smooth motion.

Using her teeth to peel back the foreskin, she exposed his sensitive glans, slathering her silky tongue across his head, her lapping and licking sending his thoughts into a frenzy. He didn't know how big he was compared to a male deathclaw, but Pearl didn't seem to be disappointed, nibbling at the base of his length eagerly as her throat tightened around him. She began to purr, the deep rumbling filling the air as she started to suck at his tip, Cooper feeling like he was being vacuum-packed inside her hot maw as her throat and tongue clamped down on him from all angles.

His eyes rolled back as she gently rose off his shaft, until her lips were poised over the rib of his head. Her tongue leeched out and swirled over his length, the _slurping _sound making his cheeks flush, and then she crawled back down his shaft until her teeth touched his belly, plunging him back into the wonderful tightness of her throat. She repeated that slow, placating movement, the circle of resistance her lips provided reminding him of a lover's loins as they rose and fell on his shaft.

Unable to suppress the urge, Cooper reached below the covers, placing his hands over the top of Pearl's head. The illusion he'd mentally created of being given head by a human were shattered the moment he felt the tough scales and spikes on his fingers, the reality of the situation flooding back. This thing wasn't human, it was a beast, a hybrid caused by some advanced experiment he couldn't even begin to comprehend the meaning of. This was wrong, but why did it feel so damned good at the same time?

He placed his hands over her horns, their texture reminding him of bone or carapace. They jutted up from the sides of her forehead, Cooper tracing the little curves with his digits, a twinge of intrigue fighting its way up his thoughts as she continued bobbing her head in his lap.

She chuckled around his length, giving his head an appreciative lick as she pulled back. "Checking me out, Coops? You can pull my horns if you want. Go on..."

Clutching her swept horns like they were bike handles, he encouraged her to slide back down his cock, Pearl allowing him to set the pace, her moans of encouragement igniting a primal fire inside him. Together they found a slow, heavy rhythm, Cooper's length squashing against the roof of her mouth, her flesh smooth and flawless, bursts of pleasure coursing through his body each time he filled her tight gullet.

He groaned in frustration as he felt his member slide out of her mouth on the next pump, Cooper peeking through the gap in the sheets questioningly. Her orange eyes gleamed back at him from the darkness of the nest, his arms engulfed in shadow as they reached towards her. Seeing much was difficult, but he could feel her strings of saliva pool over his lap, her hot breath washing over his bouncing erection as she poised over him.

"Looks like someone's disappointed," she giggled, Cooper able to hear the smirk in her voice. "Want me to keep going, finish you off maybe?"

He reluctantly nodded, those orange eyes disappearing for a second as she blinked.

"Am I that good that you can't even speak? Use your words, Coops, I want to hear you say it."

"I... want you to keep going."

She laughed at that, Cooper feeling one of her hands trail down his leg, the other slipping beneath him to cup one of his cheeks.

"As if I could bring myself to stop anyway," she chuckled. "But, it's nice to hear you ask so nicely. Your face looks like a tato, by the way, all red and shit, it's pretty cute."

Before he could formulate a reply, he felt the hand that had trailed down his leg return, his member bouncing in the air as he felt something warm and thick splash against its tip. It wasn't quite like her saliva, it had a different consistency, almost like honey, sticky and warm, and her palm was covered in it. Pearl made a fist around his base, Cooper feeling more of the substance spread over his waist, his partner beginning to pump her hand up and down, spreading the mysterious liquid over his loins.

"A little pick-me-up to help us along," Pearl explained before he could ask. "Or, maybe it should be called pick-you-up, because I'm doing all the work here. I don't mind, though, watching you squirm is more than enough for me."

Her hand left again for a moment, returning with a fresh new coat of the unexplained honey, Pearl shifting between his legs as she straddled one of his knees, careful not to put too much weight on him. He felt something wet begin to pool on his shin, and then it hit him. She'd been dipping her hand between her legs, using her fem-nectar to oil him up, his groin now a mess of her saliva and her juices. She was practically soaking his leg down there, maybe she really did like watching...

His eyes went wide as she suddenly gripped his length with a new vigour, increasing the pace of her massaging fingers, keeping her claws clear as she ran them up and down his shaft. She paused at his glans to wet the pad of her thumb with his liquid excitement, then resumed her rhythmic stroking, Cooper's arms faltering as he rested them by his sides.

"Don't you dare pull the covers up," Pearl muttered from the sheets. "I want to see your face when you come. You're close, right? I can feel you swelling. Fuck, if it gets any bigger it might not..."

She didn't finish whatever she was saying, trailing off as her amber eyes flicked from his face to his crotch. She increased her pace, the pressure in Cooper's core surging as she never relented, working his shaft as though she was trying to milk his emission out of him like he was a damned brahmin.

She ran her free hand up and down his chest, her sharp claws tickling his ribs, Cooper unable to stop his spine from rising off the nest. Her eyes locked onto his all the while, the sight reminding Cooper of, well, a hungry predator stalking prey through the darkness, not unlike what she had done to him in this very room a few hours ago.

But now her hunger was of a different variety, Pearl's incessant pumps making him writhe against the sheets. Without warning, she pulled her hand away, the cool air picking his skin for only a moment before she slammed her head back down into his lap, her horns digging into his abs as she twisted her head, the soft lining of her tight throat spiralling around him.

His squirming reached a whole new octave as she began to swallow around him, her throat contracting in waves as she took him to the hilt. She had a tight hold on him, however, cupping his butt in her giant hands, her strong tail tied around his legs. Cooper could scarcely move, but the frustration of being unable to thrust into her mouth only added to the stimulation assaulting his senses.

He was getting close, his will to stave off his coming release crumbling down as his orgasm threatened to break. Every swallow caused her throat to squeeze wonderfully down on him, her tongue lashing at his glans every now and then to keep him guessing, the organ slipping beneath his foreskin to coat his glans with her drool. Any human woman would be gasping for air by now, but Pearl showed no signs of stopping, the lewd noises of her gulping making his heart flutter in his chest.

He gritted his teeth, his rising need reaching an absolute limit. Pearl seemed to sense this, pausing at his tip and flicking her eyes up to meet his. Her tongue snaked out, corkscrewing around his cock to wet his balls, her movements slow but forceful. That was all it took to send him crashing over the edge.

Pearl sank her lips to his belly as she felt his emission begin to release, a rope of his seed splashing against the back of her throat. She chewed on his base, stroking the underside of his cock with her tongue to draw out the next wad of his semen, Pearl swallowing it down greedily. The sound of her gulps was very loud in that moment, the darkness that obscured his partner adding an air of mystery as she drew him as deep into her maw as he could go. He could imagine her throat bulging as she drank down his come, his eyes glazing over as she never missed a beat, sealing her lips to block his emission from escaping through her chops.

She raised his butt off the floor to get better access, Cooper too enamoured by her ruthless sucking to be alarmed by the sudden movement. She stayed locked to his crotch like that until the last rope left him in a final, shivering spurt, Cooper feeling like he was melting into a puddle as he sank into the pillows, the tension of the orgasm bleeding away to leave him spent. As the euphoria draped over him, it was momentarily delayed as he felt her long tongue wipe his cock down, his erection bouncing against her snout as she cleaned him of their combined fluids. When she was finished, she deposited him back to the nest, his length leaving her mouth with a pop, his crotch sticky with her spit.

Like waking from a dream, Cooper slowly regained his senses, his breathing deep and irregular as he felt Pearl shift beneath the sheets. She crawled up until their faces were level, running a hand over his chest as she bumped his shoulder lightly with her horns.

"You're more pent up then I thought," she laughed. "almost couldn't force it all down for a second there. Tastes great by the way, salty, but there's a nice bit of spice to it."

Her crassness made him blush, Pearl chuckling as he averted his eyes. She seemed to consider for a moment, then plucked the edge of the covers with her claws, beginning to pull them up. "Sorry," she began. "just realised I'm not covered up anymore."

She went to conceal herself behind the sheet, but Cooper reached out a hand to stop her, the deathclaw blinking in surprise. In his past encounters, the women Cooper had been with had hardly ever wanted to indulge him in a kiss, and those who did entertain the thought, did so reluctantly, and only after charging him extra. He'd always been a sucker for a good kiss, and monster or not, his lingering euphoria demanded he seek out some sort of intimacy.

He pinched her chin between his thu"b an' Index finger, Pearl's eyes going wide as he drew her closer. There was a gap between her front teeth where her lips were exposed, and he gave her a peck there, his mouth brushing against scales that were so soft they might as well be skin to his senses. Her teeth weren't as yellow or crude as her packmate's maws had been, did she groom herself in her free time?

Pearl's surprise quickly melted into curiosity, the beast leaning into him and parting her chops, her tongue darting out to return the gesture. He didn't intend to take things much further than that, but after prying at his lips with her forked tongue, Cooper eventually parted his mouth, wrestling her organ with his own. If he closed his eyes, he could almost imagine he was making out with a woman. A big, toothy woman of course...

Her breath didn't smell of carrion like he'd Imagined, Cooper leaning into her as his apprehension melted away. Her saliva mingled with his own as she brought her face flush with his, his body flooding with warmth as she clutched him by the shoulders, rolling him onto his back so she could deepen their embrace. Her tongue coiled around his own, his cheeks bulging as she explored his palate, the kiss bordering on invasive as she piled her long tongue into his mouth.

What little strength he possessed after her blowjob faded as the kiss dragged on, her deft tongue shamelessly painting every inch of his mouth and plunging down his throat, Pearl pulling back when she felt him flinch. He could feel their combined drool leak down their chins to pool on his chest, the gesture blurring the lines between a kiss and a sex act. What little breath he could take was full of Pearl's scent, which was musky, but not in a foul way.

She eventually broke away, sensing he was growing short of air, their lips separating with a wet smack. Pearl gave him a covetous look as she connected her forehead to his, her eyes flicking to the strands of saliva still linking their mouths together.

"C-Cooper, that was..." she trailed off, shivering as she closed her eyes. "Didn't think you had that in you."

"Who's trembling now?" he chuckled.

She brushed a horn against his head again, the gesture oddly affectionate, Pearl rolling off him as he suppressed a yawn. She draped an arm over him, bringing her lips to his ear as she pulled him against her bosom.

"Go to sleep, little hunter. I'd continue this little encounter of ours, but you've had a long day, and I'm satisfied... for now," she added with a mischievous giggle.

As his lingering euphoria gave way to a powerful sense of relaxation he hadn't felt in years, and he found himself dozing off to her words, the soft materials of the nest swiftly carrying him into exhaustion.

He closed his eyes, Pearl pulling the covers over themselves as he relaxed in her arms, too exhausted to care about what kind of implications this taboo act would have on him.