My head is still killing me when I force my eyes open. My mouth is dry as fuck, my tounge feeling swollen and painful. Looking around, I can tell the truck is stopped and Thea’s not in the cab. Pushing off the door, I try and look around the truck through the windows. My eyes don't want to focus on anything, but I can just see Thea leaning against the hood of the truck.

"Hey." My voice sounds weak to me as I push open the door. Thea is by my side instantly, catching me before I hit the ground.

"You should still be asleep." I can hear the worry in her voice. I chuckle, finally getting my feet under me and standing up.

"Should be, but I ain't" As I lean back against the truck, I scan our surroundings. Thea pulled the truck in between a boulder and a sloping hillside. It’s concealing us from the road, but it limits how far we can see.

"We are safe here for now, just try to relax." I can hear the concern in her voice, but I'm alright. I wave her off as I lean back into the truck. I open the glove compartment and pull out the bottle of ibuprofen inside.

"Can you grab me a water?" I ask as I twist the lid off and shake out a handful. Thea looks confused, but grabs a bottle from the bed twisting off the cap and handing it to me.

"What is that?" She points to the bottle in my hand.

"They are a low level pain killer from my world. My heads still killing me." I toss the pills in my mouth and chase them with a swallow of water. After I close the bottle and toss it into the glove compartment, Thea stares at me. I finish the bottle of water, crumpling it up and tossing it into the bed.

"How is your head feeling now?" Thea moves closer, her hands reaching for my head.

"It will be alright. I've had worse headaches." I grab her hand as she reaches for me, turning it to kiss her palm. "Thank you for looking out for me." Thea blushes then wraps her arms around me. I don't think I will ever get tired of her embracing me.

"I was so scared, Jim. I thought you had your mana well enough under control, but it almost got away from you." She buries her face in my chest. I stroke her hair and try to calm her down. Her body is starting to shake in my arms, and I realize she is crying.

"Hey now, it's ok. I'm alright. Your safe, I'm alright, and I have you." She continues to sob as I whisper in her ear. I'm not sure how long we stand there, but she finally begins to calm down.

"I just got so scared." She wipes her eyes and gives a final sniff before looking up at me. "You have to be more careful, do you understand me?" I nod my head at her and lean down to kiss her gently.

"I will, you don't need to worry about me." Thea stares at me for a second her eyes, blinking rapidly. Before I can react, her hand connects with my face, snapping my head to the side.

"I don't need to worry about you!? Of course, I need to worry about you! You keep doing stupid shit and almost dying!" She goes to hit me again, but I catch her hands and pull her close.

"Ok, ok. I'm sorry, I'll do better." I try to kiss her, but she bites my lip. I pull back, feeling my lip stretch in her teeth. "Are you done yet?" I arch my eyebrow as I ask her.

"No." Thea tries to bite me again. When that doesn't work, she kicks me.

"Calm down. You need to tell me what's wrong, not just swing at me." Thea stares at me, her face a mixture of worry and anger.

“You have to learn to channel your mana better. If you don't, then it could kill you next time.” She pulls her hands free of mine, grabbing my head and forcing me to stare into her eyes. “Do you understand me? You. Will. Die. If. You. Don't. Control. Yourself. Better.” I nod my head at her, trying to let her know I understand.

“I will do better, I promise.” Pulling free of her hands, I lean down to kiss her. This time, she doesn't pull away. Instead, she leans in and smashes her mouth against mine. Her tongue slips into my mouth. Her hands take my jacket off my shoulders and she tosses it into the truck.

“Pants, off now!” Her fingers are slipping under my vest, yanking at the velcro that holds it together. I start to look around and try to push down a moan as Thea bites my neck.

“Do you really think we have time?” Thea pulls my vest over my head and drags my hands to cup her ass. She pauses to look into my eyes, lust burning bright in her green eyes and boring into mine.

“Do you really fucking care? I mean, how many times has Shiva caught us now?”

“Good point.” My hands work over my belt, dropping it into the dirt at our feet. Thea kneels down, ripping my jeans open and yanking them down my legs.

"Someone is excited to see me." Her hand works up and down my shaft as she smiles up at me.

"Always." I can't help but groan as she takes my head into her mouth. I reach down and run my fingers through her hair. I try not to speed her movements up and just let her work at her own pace. As she swallows me deeper into her throat, I feel her tongue sneaking out of her mouth. Tracing over my balls as she continues to gag on my cock.

"Fuck! Don't fucking stop!" My hands tighten in her hair, and I feel her smile around my cock. I can feel myself getting closer and Thea's talented mouth causes me to race towards my orgasm. I feel my balls start to boil and Thea doubles down on her efforts as I'm getting close. Her hand coming up to massage my balls as she continues to stroke and suck my cock.

"Fuckkkkkkkk!" I grip her hair painfully tight as I feel myself shooting into her mouth. Thea whimpers once, then continues sucking on my hard cock. Nursing all the cum that she can from me, emptying my balls.

"THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU TWO!?" Shiva's yell pulls us both back to our senses. Struggling to pull my jeans up, I look over at the trail behind us. Shiva is fuming, face red with anger as she stands there. Jacob just seems shocked, like he can’t believe what he walked up on.

"Here we are running around carrying your gear, and you decide to stop for a blowjob! What the hell is wrong with you two!? Can you two not keep it in your pants for five fucking minutes!?" I try and explain as Shiva covers the distance between us. I barely get my jeans zipped and buttoned before she is standing in front of me.

"It's not what you think Shiva," Before I can continue, she drives her fist into my face. I turn with the blow, hand snaking out to grab her shirt. She tries to twist in my grip, but I drag her towards me. Her knee comes up, trying to drive it into my crotch like she did before. This time I'm ready, twisting my thighs to absorb the blow.

"Fucking cut it out!" Shiva pauses at my words, then drives her elbow into my nose. As soon as the blow connects, she drops limp in my arms, fingers scratching at her neck. I see the collar digging into her throat, making an angry red line around it.

"Thea!!!" When Shiva had gotten into my face, the elf had disappeared around the truck. At the sound of my yell, she comes running around looking everywhere for whatever is causing me to panic. She sees Shiva's collapsed form in my lap and she stops. For a second, I think she is going to laugh.

"Its fine, it won't kill her." She kneels beside me and her hands glow white as she runs them over Shiva's neck. "When you told her to cut it out, the collar took it as an order. When she hit you afterwards, it triggered the shut down." Shiva is breathing easily again as Thea explains what happened.

"Fucking shut down?" My face must show my confusion because Thea explains.

"The collar cuts off air and blood to the brain until the slave passes out. It's so we can’t run away, or fight back." As she is speaking, Shiva snaps awake in my arms, lashing out wildly.

"Fuck Shiva, calm down!" Jacob's voice surprises me and makes me jump. Shiva pushes herself off me, scrambling to her feet and cursing at me. As she starts to stomp away, Jacob waves to me too stay where I am and goes after her. The two are arguing quietly as Sarge nuzzles up to Thea and me.

"Well, that went about as well as it ever does." Thea laughs at my deadpanned words, sitting on the ground beside me.

"But hey, at least it's not boring." Her smile is infectious, and I can feel my own lips curling up.

"I think you just like getting caught and that's why Shiva keeps walking in on us." Thea gives me a mean look as I tease her. It doesn't have the effect she is hoping for. I don't have the heart to tell her, but every time she tries to look tough, she just comes off as cute.

"I think she just wants to look at your cock." Thea leans her head against me as I chuckle.

"I don't think she's interested in that, honestly. If anything, I think she is checking out you." I nudge Thea gently, causing the elf to chuckle.

"I'M NOT INTERESTED IN EITHER ONE OF YOU PERVERTED FUCKS!!!" Looking up, I see Shiva still standing a good fifteen feet from the truck.

"Fucking hell, woman! How sharp is your hearing?" Pushing Thea to her feet, I scramble to my own and put my gun belt back on.

"Remember, she is a cat." Thea's eyes twinkle as she teases Shiva. Taking a hold of my arm, she rolls it until the status plate is facing up. "So what did you get, since we have a minute to look at it now." Jacob looks confused at Thea's words, but Shiva looks more curious than anything else.

"Oh yeah, worry about that when who knows who is chasing us." Shiva's angry tone doesn't quite match the look in her eyes. With a sigh, I look down at the plate and focus until the words change.

Name: James Marsterson

Tittle: Hero

Age: 23

Skills:

1- Alltounges - Able to understand and speak in any language spoken. (condition met when summoned.)

2- Barrier - A moveable shield anchored to your body. As long as mana is supplied, physical attacks can not pass through. Barrier size can be increased by caster by using more mana (condition met through mana manipulation) * stronger attacks require more mana to block.

“It says it’s something called barrier, a movable shield anchored to my body.” I look up and see all three of them staring at me open mouthed. “What?”

“Are you sure it says a movable shield?” Thea’s voice is measured, but I can hear the excitement in her tone.

“Yeah.” I look back down and double check what I had read. “A moveable shield anchored to me. Why is that such a big deal?” Shiva looks like she is about to say something sarcastic, luckily Thea cuts her off.

“It's a big deal because most Shields have to be stationary cast. Once they are casted, they don't move and you have to hide behind them. Most people end up dropping them when they have to move. The fact that yours is movable, its unheard of.” I can see Jacob’s eyes running over me again, this time in suspicion.

“I can't remember, did we ever tell him the truth?” I point at Jacob, causing him to jump slightly.

“No, we haven't.” Shiva’s voice is almost cold, she is eyeing Jacob as she speaks. I look over to Thea, seeing her biting her lower lip in worry. The worried look reminds me of the way she was freaking out in the truck. This makes me think about what she said was messing with my mind.

“Shiva you take Jacob, explain what's going on.”

“What if he decides he doesn't want to stick around after he hears everything?” Shiva stares at me, her eyes cautious.

“Then send him on his way after he gives us our gear. I’m not forcing anyone to follow us, and from what I gathered, he won't say anything.” Turning back towards Thea, I wrap my arm around her waist as I guide her away from the truck. “We need to talk.”

“What about?” She narrows her eyes back at Jacob and I get the feeling she doesn't quite trust him fully. Stopping underneath one of the evergreen trees by the boulder, I slide to the ground. After a second since Thea continues to stand, I pull her into my lap.

“You said something while we were in the truck. Then you got mad about it when I first woke up. What is mana burn?” Thea goes quiet for a moment, leaning against me as she starts to talk.

“When you cycle your mana normally, your body only uses so much. In stressful situations, not sex usually, your body can actually draw mana from the air as well. When that happens, it can strengthen your body and make you be able to do things unheard of.” She pauses, looking off into the distance. I know that look. It's the look of someone remembering an event they can never forget.

“Some mage’s have gotten to the point of causing castle walls to collapse with their bare hands. Others get so strong, they literally plow through enemy lines, unable to be stopped. The stress of channeling that much power through them eventually catches up to them. They end up exploding because their bodies cannot hold the power inside them any longer.” I notice a tear forming in the corner of her eye. I wipe it away and wrap my arms around her tightly.

“That sounds horrific. Why would anyone do that?” She stiffens against me, then seems to relax in my arms.

“It's a school of thought for weaker mages. If your mana pool is small, you can still channel huge amounts of mana. So weaker mages will learn to channel their mana into a burn.” She turns, rubbing her face on my shirt, then laying her head on my shoulder. “It works for a while, then it doesn't. Channeling more mana than your body can handle weakens your whole body. It puts stress on your limbs, lungs, mind and heart. When one of your essential organs fails, that's when you explode.”

“Shit.” I don't know what to say. The idea of purposefully shortening your life for power stuns me. Thea nods in my chest, her hands tracing random patterns over my chest.

“The school of thought is called a brute mage. There's actually an academy that teaches it. When they explode, it's not just like they die. The force of all the mana escaping at once, it’s like what you did at the cave. A giant wave of unchecked mana spreads out. It doesn't know friend or foe, it just destroys.” Thea looks up at me, her green eyes locking on with mine.

“That's why I got so mad at you. If you let your mana run free, it can easily happen to you. You have to learn to channel it correctly. Till then, you can't use it. Do you understand me?”

“I understand and I’ll be more careful.” I try and reassure the elf on my lap, but she shakes her head and pushes back from me.

“No, you have to promise me that you are actually going to practice. I will help when I can, but you have to practice. Do you not realize how bad your mana burn was?” At my confused face, she shakes her head and covers her face with her hands. “No, of fucking course you don’t.” I wrap my arms around her again and pull her close to me.

“It's alright, I promise I will practice. I’ll practice until I puke if it makes you feel better, ok?” Her eyes peek out at me from behind her hands. Giving her a smile, I continue. “Just so I know, how bad was it?”

“Bad.” She drops her hands and leans against my chest. I’m distracted for a moment by her scent as it fills the space between us. “When you couldn't remember Shiva trying to kiss you, that's a sign of an advanced burn. Falling asleep was your bodies way of trying to heal, to overcompensate for the strain it was under. Even with the healing spells I used on you, I’m surprised you are awake now.” I have to stifle a yawn as she is talking. Even though I’m awake, I am still dead tired.

“Honestly, I don't know how I’m awake right now, either.” Thea stands up, holding a hand out to help me to my feet.

“Come on, I think Shiva is done explaining to Jacob now.” I take her hand, feeling a surprising amount of muscle behind her when she pulls me to my feet.

“You sure? I haven't heard any yelling or cursing from him.” Thea giggles and points to her ears.

“Elf hearing, it’s stronger than cats ears. He already had his meltdown. He was just quiet about it.” I chuckle as we start to walk back towards the truck, then a thought hits me.

“Wait, does that mean you heard Shiva before she walked in on us?” With a giggle, Thea looks up at me with a smirk on her lips.

“Maybe. You have to admit, she is cute when she’s flustered.” At her words, I burst out in laughter. Right as we walk around the hood of the truck, Shiva and Jacob are sitting on the ground a short distance away. As we walk up they stand and head our way, Shiva is her normal angry self, but Jacob seems to be eyeing me warily.

“So, are you staying or going?” I feel his eyes on me. Hell, I would feel it if I was facing the other direction. He seems to be sizing me up again, like he doesn't know what to make of me.

“I’m staying. Unless you want to transfer Shiva to me now.”

“Not happening, I’m his guide.” Shiva cuts me off before I can reply. The cat girl punches Jacob in the arm hard, then turns to me to do the same. I step out of the way and catch her hand as it comes close. For a second, her eyes lock with mine and I see her tail swishing like a cats playing with a mouse. I’m not sure if she is going to attack me or not, and I’m not ready to go through another round with her.

“I get it, no getting rid of you.” At my words, she seems to calm down and turns back to Jacob as she rips her hand free.

“Let's get the rest of our gear loaded up in the truck, then get out of here. If we are lucky, we can get close to the dungeon today, and walk in tomorrow.” Jacob nods and begins pulling the various bags from his void bag.

“Here, I did manage to get this done before the mess happened in town.” He hands me the flash suppressor for my rifle. I turn it over in my hands, noting the new engraving on it lined with some silverish metal.

“Thanks, now we just have to test it and see if it works.” Jacob pulls my rifle and wrench from his bag, handing them to me. I pull the plug from the bottom of the pistol grip. The standard ones don't have this feature, but mine is an upgraded moe grip with a plug. Inside is a small bottle of lubricant for the rifle and a baggie of small parts, mostly springs and roll pins. Inside it, there is a new crush washer, one of the few spares I have for my weapons. Weighing the washer in my hand after stowing the rest, I stop to think. I have very few spare parts for my weapons, and it will eventually be a problem.

“Everything ok?” Jacob asks after a moment of me not moving. I shake my head to clear it before I answer.

“Yeah, just thinking.” At everyone’s curious expression, I continue explaining. “I don't have a lot of spare parts for my weapons. I have enough to rebuild this one a couple times as long as nothing major happens. Like a barrel rupturing or the upper splitting, but I have next to none for the rest. So when they break, and it's when not if, I don't have a good option for repairing them.” I can see them all thinking about what I said, so I start to work on the rifle.

Sliding the crush washer on, I start to twist the flash suppressor on the end. When it gets snug, I work the wrench on the end of it. I brace the gun against my leg and the truck, tighten it down. Thea walks up, takes the rifle from my hands, and holds it steady. I give her a smile and work to finish tightening it down. When I feel it is snug enough, I check that the vents are pointed up. Satisfied that everything is in order, I take the rifle back from Thea and toss the sling over my head.

“So what next?” Thea is smiling as she asks me and she hands me a magazine for the rifle.

“Now, we test it out and see if it works. If it does, then we can head towards the dungeon. If not, then I don't know.” My mind drifts to what Shiva had said about the price of the flask for my gas. If we don't go to the dungeon, then we will have to get the money from someplace.

“What do you need to test it?” Jacob is stepping closer, his eyes running over the rifle in my hand. I shrug and look at the nearby trees.

“I need you all to clear a fire lane.” At their confused looks, I start to explain, but Thea beats me to it.

“You need to get behind him. That’s the dangerous end.” She points to the barrel of my rifle. Shiva and Jacob move behind me and I glance down to confirm Sarge is laying under the truck.

"Well, here goes nothing." Slamming the magazine home and pulling the charging handle, I lift the rifle to my shoulder. Taking aim at a nearby tree, I take a calm breath. My finger curls around the trigger and after exhaling slightly, I take up the rest of the slack. There is a slight push against my shoulder, followed my a click and ping as the brass ejects. Other than that, there is only the flat crack as the bullet breaks the sound barrier.

I can't help but grin as I fire off three more rounds in quick succession. There is still the crack from the bullet traveling so fast, but that's it. It's even quieter than any suppressor I have ever even heard of back home. Turning, I see Thea, Shiva, and Jacob looking surprised.

"What?" They all looked at each other before Shiva finally speaks.

"It didn't work. Your weapon is still loud. Yes it's quieter, but it still makes noise." She starts to get flustered, turning to Jacob. "Your friend fucked up!" I cut her off before she gets too far into her rant.

"No, he didn't!" When she turns to look at me, I explain. "The enchantment is working. The cracking sound is from the round itself. When it exits the barrel, it breaks the sound barrier and that's the sound you are hearing. Trust me, this is quieter than any suppressor in my world." I can't help but smile as I explain. I wanted a suppressor for a long time and in this world, I could have one for every gun. Thinking about it, I realize I could even have the enchantment done on the barrels of the rest of my guns, essentially making all of them suppressed without any attachments.

"This is good right? I mean, even with the crack, it's so much quieter. It shouldn't be a problem even in a cave." Thea is smiling as she explains, and I can tell she is excited.

"Yes, it should be ok." Shiva seems to be thinking about it. "Its still loud to me, but it should be manageable."

"Then I think we are good. So let's load up and head out. Shiva, it looks like you are riding in the back with Sarge this time." I laugh as I began to load the bags in the back.

"Actually, I think I should drive." I turn, surprised at her words. She quickly starts to explain. "Right now, only you and Thea know how to drive. It's fine for now, but if we run into trouble, you two are also the only ones who know how to use your weapons. It makes sense for me to learn to drive so you would both me free to shoot." I think about what she said, mulling over her words.

"I'm not riding in the back alone!" Thea is obviously angry at Shiva's words. "Jacob has to ride up front for directions, and if you want to learn to drive, you have to be up front. I'm not going to be in the back with Sarge while you are upfront with Jim. Besides, what makes you think you can handle his truck anyway?"

"I was watching you the whole time you were learning. If you can do it, I know I can too!" It looks like the two are about to come to blows, so I step in between them.

"Easy!" Holding a hand up to both of them, I try and diffuse the situation. "How about this. Thea you ride up front with Jacob and Shiva. If she has any trouble, you help her drive. When she has it under control, then you all can stop and you can get in the back with me. If you run into any problems I can get in the front and help. That way, I can catch some more sleep, and everyone is happy." I raise my eyebrow at Thea, who gives a huff before responding.

"Fine, but we are stopping as soon as she gets it." She jumps into the truck and crosses her arms in obvious anger. Shiva smiles before walking around to get in the drivers side. Sarge hearing that we are about to go, jumps into the bed.

"You handled that well." Jacob smiles at me as I grab the lever action from inside the cab.

"It's just one headache after another with them." I stow the rifle in the bed before jumping in myself. I move the bags around to make me a semi comfortable spot to lay down. As much as I love having the jobsite box for storage, I'm going to have to get rid of it if we keep traveling like this. Jacob laughs as he gets in the truck, muttering something to low for me to hear.

Surprisingly, Shiva figures out how to handle the truck quickly, only stalling the truck twice before we get back on the road. Soon, we are driving smoothly, slower than I would like down the road. I'm nearly asleep when the truck stops, and Thea climbs in beside me.

"Hey sexy." My voice is mostly a quiet mumble as she lays beside me.

"Mmm call me that again. I like when you say it." Her low groan causes me to harden as she runs her body against mine.

"Sexy naughty elf." I whisper in her ear, my words nearly being covered up by the sound of the truck. Her hand roams down, cupping my crotch as she kisses me.

"You know this isn't a bad idea. Now, we can have some fun while Shiva drives." Her sharp teeth nip at my neck, causing me to groan.

"YOU TWO HAD BETTER NOT FUCK WHILE I'M DRIVING!" Shiva's yell causes both of us to laugh.

"And what are you going to do about it!?" I laugh as Thea yells back at the now cursing cat girl.

"You shouldn't tease her, you know." I bite back a yawn as I run my hands over the elf beside me. "Besides, I'm starting to fall asleep and I don't want to start something I can't finish." Giving her a kiss, I lean back and rest my head on the bag below me.

"Oh, I think I can keep you awake." She gives me a sultry grin, making me even harder.

"I'm sure you can." I laugh and it turns into a groan as she continues to tease me. "You are the one who said I needed to sleep." She starts to pout at my words, then rolls her eyes with an exaggerated sigh.

"I guess you are right." She leans in close, her mouth close to my ear to whisper. "When we make camp, you are mine. I don't care if Shiva watches, but I am going to make you sorry for making me wait." I groan at her words, picturing what the elf is hinting at.

"We will have to find someplace to be alone. I know you like to embarrass Shiva, but we don't want to run Jacob off." Thea laughs at my words and wraps her arms around me.

"I don't think anything we can do would scare him off. Unless I'm wrong, I think he's here for the long run."

"Maybe." My mind is getting fuzzy from needing sleep, but I try and focus on Jacob for a moment. "Him and Shiva seem close, maybe they will end up together by the end of this. It's obvious how much he cares for her." Thea laughs against my chest, causing me to shoot her a curious look.

"I don't think he sees her that way. It's more of a big brother kind of feeling he has for her."

"You never know, I had a friend back home it worked for. They were best friends forever, till he finally asked her out. They have been together for almost five years now." I feel myself drifting off as Thea laughs again. Even with the wind whipping around in the bed of the truck, her scent still envelops me. The smell of vanilla and cinnamon helps me fall asleep.

Jacob's point of view

"Silas… no Jim's vehicle is amazing." I can’t believe something like this exist anywhere. Shiva has been driving a little over an hour and we are almost halfway to the site of the dungeon. She explained to me that it didn't use mana stones to move. Saying something about a liquid fuel, but honestly it was beyond my understanding.

"Yes, it's very impressive." Her voice is distracted and I see her looking in the mirror on the front glass. The mirror impressed me. It's so clear that it's like actually turning your head to look. The fact that there are three on the vehicle surprises me almost as much as the vehicle itself. Shiva had explained in Jim's world they were much more common. Still, it's amazing to see, even one of them would be worth a lot of gold to the right person. I'll have to remember to bring that up to Jim if we run short of coins in Shevel.

"They are still there, you don't have to keep looking." My tone is soft, and my words cause Shiva to blush. She shakes her head before gritting her teeth and staring ahead.

"So! Why would I care!" Her words cause me to laugh.

"I still think you should tell him. It's only going to get harder the longer you wait." She punches me for my concern and I rub my arm. If this pattern keeps up, I'm going to end up with a bruise from hell.

"I don't know what you are talking about." She huffs as she steers the vehicle.

"Come on Shiva, we already went over this, remember? The night I had to help you to your room." She starts to blush again at my words, cursing quietly as she slaps the wheel.

"I was hoping I imagined that." Her voice is soft, almost childlike.

"Nope, it really happened." I brush away a strand of her red hair and tuck it behind her ear. "You know you need to tell them."

"No I don't! After we get out of Dolus, I can just leave. I never have to see either of them again." She shakes her head, knocking my hand away and unlocking the stray lock of hair.

"Can you really? Tell me if you honestly think you can just leave him." She remains silent as I stare at her. "I've known you for a long time, Shiva. Hell, I'd be dead a dozen times over if it wasn't for you. I don't think you can just walk away. If you do, then you are fooling yourself." She starts to hit me again, but I catch her hand.

"What do you know? I'm not the same scared little kitten I was when we joined the guild." I can see she's about to cry, but she’s fighting hard against it.

" I know, Shiva. You are a strong woman, one of the strongest I know. This isn't something you can just run away from. You need to deal with it before it tears you apart inside." Her tears are flowing now. She is still driving, but thankfully the road is clear.

"I can't do it again, Jacob. I just can't." She wipes her eyes, focusing on the road ahead of us.

"Why not?" I know what she is scared of, but she can't let it hold her back. She is my closest friend and I want her to be happy. She gives me an angry look, punching my arm again.

"You know why."

"Jim isn't Nathaniel. You can't blame Jim for what he did. The only one responsible for how he treated you is Nathaniel.” Shiva slams the brakes on the vehicle and I hit myself on the dash. The truck stalls out as the engine sounds like it’s choking out and dying as it stops. I hear Jim cursing from the bed, but my focus is on Shiva in the cab with me. Before I can move, she is on top of me, the blade of one of her daggers at my throat. Jim is cursing as he jumps out of the bed of the truck, but Shiva holds my complete attention.

“Never! Never! Say his name again.” Her jaw is clenched as she growls out the words. The blade presses into my throat, drawing blood as I gulp. “If you ever say his name again, I will kill you.” I nod to her as the door behind her is ripped open.

“What the fuck was that!” Jim grabs the back of her shirt, yanking her out of the cab of the vehicle. As she hits the ground she spins, lashing out with her dagger. Jim catches her hand, headbutting her hard and making her head to snap backwards. He spins her around and twists her wrist until she drops the dagger. He slams her into the truck. She lashes out with her leg, trying to kick Jim between his legs.

“Fuck, Shiva!” Jim knees her in the legs and pins her to the ground as she falls. I scramble over the seat and peer down at the ground. Shiva is still struggling, but Jim has her pinned beneath him. Sarge is barking and running around the two as they continue to struggle. Jim is cursing loudly as Shiva continues to fight, lashing out wildly at him. I see an arc of blood as her left hand connects with his face.

“Enough!” Jim slams Shiva's head into the ground which causes it to bounce off the hard packed earth. She continues to struggle weakly so he slams her face down again and she finally lays still. Standing, he is huffing loudly and his hand comes up to wipe the blood from his face. He turns to look at me with eyes full of anger.

“What the fuck was that!?” I stare at him, unsure how to answer his question. Thea comes up behind him and starts to heal Shiva before he stops her. “Not until I know what's going on.”

“I did something I shouldn't have.” It’s a stupid excuse, but it’s all I can say.

“Something stupid? What the hell did you do?” For a second, I’m afraid he is going to come at me. Luckily, he just huffs and relaxes his shoulders.

“What do we do?” Thea is looking down at Shiva as she asks. Jim turns towards her and takes a shaky breath before answering her.

“Get the rope of my rifle. Till I say so and she’s calmed down enough for me to relax, she is staying tied.” He turns back to me, his eyes were still full of anger, but visibly calming down.

“Now what exactly did you do? Don't lie to me, or I will leave you here.” I gulp, mind racing on how to explain without betraying Shiva.

“I mentioned someone from our past I shouldn't have. It won't happen again, and it's my fault.” He stares at me, as if he is deciding if he should push it or not. As he is about to open his mouth, Thea returns and hands him the rope that was on his rifle.

“Here you go, Jim.” He nods to her, kneeling down to tie Shiva’s arms. I step out of the truck and walk around to see what he is doing. When I get there, Shiva is bound tightly with the rope not quite cutting off circulation, but looks close. Her arms are bound all the way up to her wrist in a strange criss crossing pattern.

“Go get me another three feet or so of this cord, Thea.” At his word, Thea jumps back into the bed, rummaging around. Jim sits on the ground and wipes his face again. “She really likes cutting my face.” His words causes me to laugh, making him shoot me an angry look.

“What's so funny!?”

“It's just her go to thing. Ever since she was a kid, if anyone came at her, she uses those claws to go for the eyes.” Jim stares at me for a moment, then starts to chuckle.

“Going for the eyes is a solid strategy.” Thea walks back up and hands the length of coiled rope to him. Jim bends Shiva’s legs at the knees and works the same criss cross pattern on her ankles as her wrist. When he finishes, he loops the ends down to tie them to her wrists bindings.

“What now?” Thea is looking at Jim and glancing down at the bound Shiva. Without saying anything, Jim picks Shiva up and eases her into the bed. He bends down, collecting Shiva’s fallen dagger and tossing it into the bed.

“Heal her, then you ride with her and I’m driving.” Jim starts to get in the truck when Thea stops him.

“First, let me.” She heals Jim's face, causing him to smile down at her. He leans down and gives her a quick kiss.

“Thanks babe.” He gives her a firm smack on her ass, causing her to jump and then blush. Sarge jumps into the cab, followed by Jim. I walk back around and climb in the other side. I see Thea jump into the bed, and go to work healing Shiva while Jim takes off.

“Are you ok?” I’m hesitant to ask for fear of souring Jim’s already bad mood, but he surprises me by laughing.

“Never better. I’m starting to get used to her attacking me at random moments.” In the bed of the vehicle, I hear Shiva wake up. She immediately starts cursing and yelling for Thea to let her go.

“Not a chance, sweetheart. You get to be untied when I say so, not before. Maybe use this time to think about what you keep doing to end up like this.” At Jim’s words, she begins to curse again. She goes on and on about him being a spineless coward, adding in insults about his dick for good measure. Jim just laughs it off and waves to her through the rear window when she looks at him.

“How long are you going to keep her tied up like that?” I’m almost afraid to ask, but I want to know.

“Depends, how long till we get to the dungeon?” I blink, stunned by his question for a moment.

“At this rate, we will be close in about an hour. We should still make camp away from it and walk in first thing in the morning.” Jim nods, his hand reaching down to pet Sarge’s head.

“I’ll probably untie her then. No use letting her off too easily.” He chuckles to himself, then lowers some kind of flap on the roof of the truck. “You like music?”

“Yesss.” I answer hesitantly.

“Then you will love this.” He takes one of the circular disks from a sleeve on the flap and slides it into a slot on the front of the vehicle. From somewhere in the cab, a loud thumping noise starts to blast out. I jump and look around for the source of the noise which causes Jim to laugh again.

“Relax, it's just music from my world.” Soon, we are driving down the road and Jim sings along to the music. The music playing is in a language I don't recognize, but I understand Jim clearly as he sings. The song is about another one biting the dust, whatever that means. As he sings, he roughly pets his dog who seems to be singing along.

What the fuck did I get myself into? I wonder as we eat up the miles ahead of us.