Secondhand Garagyre

Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

LAITHOG

Paisley’s home embodies every element of the word.

I know not how long she’s lived here, but a being can tell that she’s settled in and settled well. The walls are all a crisp white with a softer white trim, with the exception of what she explains to me is called an “accent” wall. These accent walls are all done in shades of what is called turquoise. The color matches many of the stones in the various pieces of jewelry she adorns herself with.

It would seem that my little female has an eye for shiny trinkets. Something I would need to keep in mind for future reference. The first thing she does after entering her home is move to her sleeping chamber, to remove her jewels (so she says), then promptly shuts the door in my face.

A soft chuckle is my only response to her nonverbal demand for privacy. It leaves me alone to wander about her house, inspecting it at my leisure. To my consternation, the two tiny, mishappen beasts follow behind me, the sound of their claws clicking on the hard wood floor makes my eye twitch in irritation. The smirk Paisley sent me as she closed the door earlier told me she did that on purpose.

Clever little female.

An evergreen tree in the corner of what appears to be the communal room of the house perplexes me. It is covered in shiny pieces of material, ornamentation, and some sort of sparkling lights. The cross at the top appears to be the crowning piece. It takes me a moment to recognize the symbol and what it represents. The religion of the one god was very young and new when Ilayahan and I were fighting the dark forces trying to sweep across the land. It seems it is more common now than then. No human then would have boasted such an item so boldly in their home, but it is interesting, nonetheless.

Winding deeper into her home, I discover a room full of books. Floor -to-ceiling shelves litter three of the four walls, and there isn’t an inch of available shelf space on any of the vertical shelves to be had. A small desk sits in the corner to the left, while a large glass front cabinet takes up the remaining wall.

A tingle runs across my skin, catching me by surprise.

But where is it coming from?

Tapping into the magick within, I methodically check each shelf, the desk, and finally the glass-faced cabinet. It’s there that I find the source of the tingling sensation from moments ago. Reaching out, I pull the door open and pick up the small wooden box on the bottom shelf. Flipping open the lid, I find a box full of depleted crystals. I see pieces of raw amethyst, black tourmaline, obsidian, labradorite, and many more.

How fortuitous!

Tonight is the first night of this lunar cycle’s full moon. These crystals will be incredibly powerful after they’ve been charged by the light of a full moon. Silently , I close the lid to the box containing the crystals, return it to its place and close the door.

I am unsure if Paisley knows what she possesses or if she would be uncomfortable with me touching her crystals. Long ago one did not meddle with another’s crystals for fear of magickal backlash, either from the owner or the crystal itself.

Further intrigued I peruse the shelves, once upon a time I greatly enjoyed the written work. Those books, however, were written in my native tongue. These …are not. The color covers are dazzling, though, and some of them even have color images within them! Looking closer, I see that many of them have human men of various coloring and build on the covers, most of them without any garments upon their upper body.

How incredibly fascinating!

Such a thing did not exist when last I walked this plane.

I wonder if Paisley would be willing to teach me the language these tombs are written in. It would be a boon to rekindle my love of reading. A love that my female obviously shares, if the contents of this room are to be believed. The sound of a door creaking open signals Paisley exiting her sleeping chamber.

“ Laithog ?”

I smile at the question in her voice. My little female is seeking me out and it brings me joy.

“ I am in your…what do you call this room of books? Ah , yes. A library. I am in your library,” I gradually respond. My attention still very much arrested by all the wondrous things about me. A series of images catch my eye, and I step closer to inspect them. They’re tucked into a corner between two shelves, as if they’re not to be seen by just anyone.

Once my eyes register what I am seeing, shock holds me immobile. There are males, males that are not human in appearance in a series of sexually explicit positions with human females!

Surely , if she has things of this nature in her home…she would not be opposed to eventually doing some of these things with me. Peering around, the spine of one of the books on the back wall, just below the explicit images, catches my attention. Squinting , I lean closer to get a better look, and jerk back in astonishment at what I find. There is an image similar to the one on the wall, just smaller!

Gently , I use the tip of one of my claws to slide the book out from its slot and turn it over in my hands. The cover shows a winged male holding a beautiful human female in an impassioned embrace.

I smirk.

My female doesn’t just enjoy looking at images of multi-specie couples, she reads about them as well! The sound of Paisley walking through the door announces her arrival. When she see’s what I am holding she emits a soft shriek and moves as fast as her sore body will allow, snatching the book from me and shoving it back into its place on the shelf.

Never one to pass up an opportunity such as this, I lean down and seductively whisper in her ear. “ You’ve no need to read about males of my ilk when I am here. I am most willing to get to know you better…in every way a male can know a female.”

Using the tip of one finger, I close her mouth that fell open in shock at my words. “ Worry not little one. I will not move with haste. You do not know me, as I know you. You have questions, and I am still quite famished for a real meal. I do, however, have a request.”

Her brows crease at that.

“ I have not had the pleasure of reading in far longer than I care to admit. Would you be willing to teach me the language of your people, so that I may read again? I have no care to seek out any of my people at this time, nor anytime soon. And , if I may be so bold, I would like to ask a second favor of you…” my words trail off slowly since she still hasn’t says a word.

A small nod of encouragement from her makes me smile before I continue.

“ Would you pick a favorite story of yours, and read it to me after our evening meal? I noticed a fire place in your communal room. I will be happy to fetch firewood and start a fire while you begin prepping our meal. Not that I expect you to do all the cooking. I am willing to assist in that as well,” I finish warmly.

The smile that comes over Paisley’s face is a thing of beauty, and makes my heart swell with warmth. “ Laithog , you have just described my ultimate stay at home dream date. I don’t think there is anything I would enjoy more right now, than what you’ve just described.”

Her pleasure at my suggestion makes me almost giddy. We both turn to leave the library when both of her tiny terrors sound the alarm, and lights make their appearance, the beams bouncing around the house through the windows.

“ Who in the world could that be this late?” she queries.

Irritation fills me.

Whoever it is needs to leave.

With .

Haste .

I have food to consume, a story to be had, and a female to seduce.

Smirking , I recall the image of a human male I saw on one of the books in Paisley’s library and allow the facade to shimmer across my body.