(Snowe's POV)
I'm not sure when it happened, but just envisioning Zai's face in my mind is enough to put me in the mood.
Seeing him up close, hearing his voice, kissing him, and being engulfed in his scent was driving me wild.
Being turned on is easy; turning back off is what's difficult.
He was cuddling me, covering me with kisses while I forced myself to be productive.
I checked my social media, reviewed my emails, and looked at my schedule online.
"All these emails suggest I try going on tour to promote the album," I muttered.
Mostly opportunities to be the opening act for more established musicians.
One of them is Dite...
I remember being compared to her a lot online.
I wonder if I'm talented enough to handle a live comparison.
Zai grazed my neck with his teeth.
Then pulled away before responding with,
"Tour schedules can be intense... you'll mainly be traveling, sleeping, and singing. No time for much else."
I felt twitchy just thinking about how I would need to be away from Zai for hours on end.
"The only solution I can think of is rejecting a tour bus and us flying or traveling on foot. We'll reach each location ahead of time and have extra time for sleep... and quality time ... We should look up places to visit in each city ahead of time. That way, this could double as a fun trip for us," he suggested.
I felt my tear ducts welling up.
I willed my tears to stop and took a few deep inhales.
"Thank you... If you hadn't said that, I would have just rejected the offer."
Zai tilted his head, then moved his face inches from mine to ask,
"Why?"
I turned away from him before answering,
"Because only having time for sleep and singing wouldn't be enough for me."
He chuckled, then gently grabbed my chin and guided my head back so our eyes could meet again.
"You'd have time for showers, eating, and going to the bathroom," Zai clarified.
I huffed and yelled,
"That's not what I was worried about!"
He smirked.
"I would be with you the whole time regardless."
I looked down and played with my fingers.
"You're teasing me," I commented.
Which made Zai laugh.
"I am... I'm always the one clinging to you and initiating sex. It's refreshing knowing you care about that too..."
I gasped.
"It's not just that!" I retorted, and he scoffed, saying,
"We'd have a driver so I could have held hands with you and cuddled as much as you liked. We'd also have time to talk. What else could you mean?"
Okay, my logic has been obliterated.
I'm not smart enough to come up with a valid counterargument either.
"Fine... I've just gotten so used to how things are now, and it's... hard imagining things changing so abruptly," I admitted.
"I like that you're telling me how you feel... You don't have to be ashamed of wanting me."
"Zai!"
My reply made him laugh and kiss me.
"Specifically wanting to f*ck me. Tell me as soon as the urge hits you. It's natural," he teased.
I felt my face heat up, and at that moment, Zai's phone rang.
The last time I heard his ringtone, it was a call from a shady business.
He groaned and picked up the phone in full aggressive mode,
"WHAT?!... Oh... yeah... Sorry, I'll be there in an hour. Bye... love you."
I felt a shiver of dread when I heard how he ended the call, but then Zai said,
"Tana is back... Rai asked me to come over."
I sighed with relief, only to be overcome with a different sense of anxiety moments later.
"What do you think will happen when you see her?" I asked, but instead of answering me, he rustled up his hair aggressively and groaned.
Zai then pinned me to the bed by my shoulders.
"I was going to let you be on top today, but we're short on time."
"That's not what I asked!" I argued.
Zai hesitated briefly.
"I'm trying not to think about it right now," he muttered as his face came closer to mine.
My breathing hitched.
After that, my mouth was too preoccupied with his to speak.
His hands moved down to my hips as he impatiently had his way with me.
It was only thirty minutes later that he forced himself to stop and began getting dressed.
I was feeling a bit breathless, and my mind was void of anything outside of what we were just doing for several minutes.
Then I sat up and said,
"D-don't forget to call me!"
"... You're getting pretty bossy lately... I will."
I relaxed.
Zai walked back to the bed to plant a kiss on my lips.
"I'll be back... I love you," he assured.
"I adore you..." He frowned. "And I love you too..." I added.
That's when he kissed me again and whispered,
"Bye,"
Then he left the room. I knew he was in a rush because he hadn't taken the car.
Days Earlier:
(Tana's POV)
It's going to be difficult to get back to Afaria without alerting V's supporters.
I thought this while standing near the fifth gate I came across; all were more heavily guarded than expected.
Usually, no one cares about Afarions returning to Afaria; the locations are kept secret from Infaniyans and humans, so this side of the teleportation gateways is unprotected.
I knew they were assigned to watch out for me in case I was on Earth and trying to return home.
If I let them catch me and immediately run into V, it'll be hard to bring Aluma back to Raijian.
"I need help," I whispered to myself.
That's when my necklace began glowing, and Insinz manifested in front of me.
"How can I help?" I almost screamed for joy and shock, so I had to cover my mouth. Then, to test and see if he was just a hallucination, I tugged on his cheeks.
"That hurts."
When he complained, I squealed and stepped back, but after the surprise left, I jumped onto him, squeezing him with both my legs and arms.
We hugged tightly as I exclaimed,
"You're here! I'm so glad you're okay."
I felt his hands trembling as he held me, and he squeezed so tightly it hurt a bit.
"Yeah... I am okay." That's when I kissed him and was surprised to find his mouth was hot, dry, and full of smoke.
Exhaling even a small dose of it overworked my lungs, and I was wheezing after mere seconds.
I had to pull away and kneel while I caught my breath. "Oh yeah, the inside of my body is full of poisonous gases because... I'm a clone," he announced.
"Why didn't you tell me that earlier?!"
When I screamed at him, he blushed and scratched his cheek.
"Well... you were hugging me...and it felt kind of nice." I wish I had something to throw at him...
"Wait... you're here to assist me?"
He nodded and spread his arms.
"Yes... and I'm hoping what you need is more kisses."
I put my palm to his face and said,
"Absolutely not."
He frowned.
Even though he has Insinz's face and temperament, it feels like cheating knowing he's just a clone, so I'll refrain.
Also, that kiss was anti-fun. Insinz worked hard on this gift; he even got a clone to accompany me when he couldn't.
"Do you know how to create a portal to Afaria?... RJ said he'll only help me if I bring his girlfriend to Earth for him."
The clone scowled and then clicked its tongue, looking ticked off.
"Who the hell does he think he is, ordering you around like that?! I should kick his ass," it remarked.
I laughed lightly and said,
"It's fine, he probably just needs proof he can trust me... we don't have a great history."
"Huh?... I wasn't listening. I'm busy thinking up ways to torture him... I'm thinking acid..." He muttered,
"Just help me get to Afaria, please!" I argued.
Insinz grumbled and then asked me to follow him into a wooded area.
We walked for several minutes when he stopped suddenly and raised his palms, then drew the teleportation symbols in the air.
The letters appeared and began to glow, and the hundreds of characters he wrote floated around, forming a circle about five hundred feet in diameter.
The circle fell onto the ground with smoke swirling in its center, more letters filled the inside of it, and an instant later, a swirling vortex replaced those letters.
The gateway is open.
"There... this will take you into the center of The Red Spot. There are still no buildings near there, so no one will notice..."
He really made me a gate; his understanding of runes is much more advanced than I ever imagined.
It usually takes at least five people to build one, and even then it takes a few hours to write out all the symbols.
"I deserve a reward... don't you think?" he asked, with his gaze fixed on my lips.
"I'll reward your main body when I see him."
He folded his arms, pouted, and furrowed his brow.
"We share memories and experiences anyway... when we return to Afaria, he'll be able to feel and see whatever I do."
I pondered what he was saying.
As soon as we get back, the real Insinz will be updated on the situation.
I wonder if I get to see him.
I'm also curious to know if I can do this too one day because he's shared his power with me.
I tried using his element during my time here, but it was hard to control. One wrong movement dispelled any ability I tried to activate.
I know all the concepts, so it's shameful that I'm struggling so much. I need a lot of practice.
I doubt I'll be able to create a clone as remarkable as this anytime soon.
"I'm not kissing you, just get over it." I retorted. He sighed and slouched, saying,
"I'd settle for a hug and some words of affection..." It was hard to reject such a simple request, so I hugged him and said,
"Thank you, Insinz... you're so amazing... I'm glad you're on my side, and I love you... I'm going to give you a lot of kisses once I see you again." I could tell he was blushing, and he replied,
"Kiss me now, I promise to pass it on." So I let him go and jumped into the portal home without replying.
The Red Spot was still a barren wasteland; not much was growing, and the remains of the crushed buildings were still wedged deeply into the ground.
This is the place where Valin's powers were first activated.
It killed almost everyone here, except Insinz and Netalai, whose powers activated in self-defense, allowing them to become intangible until it was safe...
This is a graveyard for thousands of people and is considered cursed.
Not many people visit. The restoration has also been put off indefinitely.
I bowed my head and thought a prayer, wishing peace on the souls who were lost that day, then turned to Insinz and said,
"Do you have a plan for sneaking into the palace?"
The clone smiled and said,
"Yeah, that'll be easy... take my hand."
He reached out to me, and once our fingers were intertwined, I felt weightless, like I was floating through water.
We didn't move much faster than a walking pace, but when we did encounter people, it was evident that no one could see us; even getting past the palace security was easy.
We came inside through a crack in the wall of Insinz's room.
It was a disaster area; his desk was destroyed, books torn to shreds, and even his bed was bent like a balled-up piece of paper.
He didn't flinch when he saw it; he just raised his finger to remind me to stay quiet before moving ahead and investigating the hallway alone.
Once he made sure that the coast was clear, he ushered me to follow him.
Pictures were thrown off the walls in the hallway, and there were also new cracks and craters everywhere I looked...
"You're sure the real you is safe, right?" I asked while stepping over the rubble and frowning at the desolate hallways that used to be lined with servants.
"Yes... if he died, I'd disappear, and if he was in pain, I would feel it," the clone whispered to assure me.
I smiled, squeezing his hand a little tighter.
"I'm so glad..." He's holding out on his own... even though I've had so many setbacks. We made our way into the dungeon.
It had two guards watching the entrance, but when Insinz passed them, they both dropped to the floor, forced into a deep sleep.
It made it easy to take the key pass from them. That's when he let go of my hand, and my body returned to normal.
"Go find her, I'll watch the exit." Insinz brought me straight here.
He must know who Raijian's girlfriend is. What else does he know?
I kept the question to myself for now and then found the cell Aluma was kept in.
She was wearing rags similar to the ones I had to wear, and she looked hungry... but alive, so someone was feeding her while I was asleep.
Thank you, benevolent mystery person!
They probably couldn't bring her food because of the current insanity going on.
"Aluma..." I whispered.
She looked up and smiled at me, but didn't respond verbally.
When I unlocked her cell, she got up and ran to hug me.
"I thought you forgot about me!" she wailed.
"Shush... I was asleep and... never mind, it's a long story. We have to get out of here," I whispered.
She pretended to zip her lips and nodded.
Insinz couldn't make her invisible as he had with us, so we had to use stealth to sneak outside.
He hacked into the runes on the exit door and changed the coding, so I, he, and Aluma became exceptions to the security system.
We were free to enter and leave at will.
Once we reached the nearest town, Insinz went ahead to purchase clothes for Aluma and me. Also, because it was late, we got a room at an inn.
That way, we could rest and buy Aluma a meal. Thankfully, she had no reservations about gorging herself in front of us and abruptly passing out after.
I was sitting and smiling at her when Insinz tapped my shoulder. The second that I turned to see what he needed, he locked lips with me. This time the kiss was warm and wet. My heart began doing backflips in my chest as he kissed me over and over, gently resting his hand against my cheek.
"I missed you," he whispered while pulling away,
"What.... how..."
I could barely think. I don't even remember my name right now.
"I can switch places with any of my clones... as long as they're within my range..."
I hugged him and started crying.
"It's really you?!"
Insinz chuckled slightly, stroking my back and laying his cheek against the top of my head.
"It is really me..."
I lifted my head to kiss him again, closing my eyes and savoring the moment.