35. Chapter Thirty-Five
~Kalo~
My sleep that night remained mercifully dreamless. With the reaper trapped, my subconscious seemed unable to summon her. Instead of chasing the shadowy figures stalking me, I slept soundly and securely, and when I slowly woke, warmth was the first thing I became aware of.
Not the distant warmth of blankets or fire, but something more deliberate. Something… moving? Yes, a soft, rhythmic sensation that sent a slow, languid heat curling through my body, pulling me fully into wakefulness one breath at a time.
My eyes opened gradually, adjusting to the muted morning light filtering through the curtains, and the first thing I saw was Leo, kneeling between my legs.
For a moment, I could only stare at him, trying to reconcile the composed, controlled man I’d come to know with what he was doing now. His focus entirely on me, his tongue dragged slowly up my cock, his expression so intent and earnest, my chest tightened with affection at the sight.
“Leo.”
My voice came out rough, edged with sleep and desire, and he glanced up briefly, just enough for our eyes to meet. Uncertainty flickered across his face, but when I made no move to stop him, he returned to his task with renewed determination.
His movements became bolder, and impossible to ignore, especially once he took me into his mouth. One big hand continued to stroke me while his head bobbed on my cock, and the other hand drifted down to my hole, circling the rim as I spread my knees wider, baring myself to him completely.
The warmth built, coiling tighter and tighter until I exhaled his name again. As if he could read my mind, Leo pushed one wet finger inside me at the same time that he took me in as deep as he could. My cock hit the back of his throat as my orgasm hit, and warmth flooded me from head to toe.
When the room took shape around me again, Leo had moved beside me, stretching back against the pillows, his breathing just a touch uneven.
I turned onto my side to face him, studying the flush still lingering along his cheekbones. “That was unexpected.”
His lips twitched, though he didn’t quite meet my eyes at first. “Was it… alright? I mean, to do that without asking you first?”
The earnest question sent another wave of warmth through me.
“It was more than alright,” I assured him, reaching out to brush my fingers lightly along his arm. “It surprised me, yes, but in a good way.”
That earned me a small shrug, the vulnerability of the act not entirely gone. “We might not have many mornings like this. It seemed like a waste not to use the time.”
There it was again, the quiet, practical way he approached even the most emotional things, grounding something fragile in logic so he could hold onto it without being overwhelmed. It made me want to wrap him in my arms and protect him, though I couldn’t even say what he needed to be protected from.
“Well, in that case, we should make the most of the rest of it too.” I slipped out of the bed, stretching as I stood. “Care to join me for a shower?”
His feet hit the ground in less than half a second. “Yes.”
My chuckle seemed to startle him, but after a couple of seconds, he joined in, and our laughter followed us into the bathroom. I turned the shower on while Leo stripped off his clothes, and steam had already begun to fog the mirror as we stepped beneath the spray.
Leo’s hands were careful, almost reverent as he washed the lingering traces of sleep and sweat from my skin, his touch lingering just long enough to be felt without pushing further.
With soapy fingers, he kneaded the muscles of my back, eliciting a groan that came from pure satisfaction rather than need.
When those same fingers brushed across the mark on my neck, my knees nearly buckled. Damn, that was sensitive.
When I’d been thoroughly cleaned, we reversed positions, and Leo’s eyes slipped closed as my hands travelled across his strong chest. I washed him just as thoroughly as he’d done for me, leaving his cock for last, and when I reached it, I pulled his head down into a deep kiss as I stroked him.
It didn’t take long for him to climax, as if my touch truly rendered him helpless to its pleasure.
I’d never felt so desired, or needed, or treasured.
For those blissful minutes, nothing else existed beyond his warm, quiet, steady presence beside me. But reality, as it always did, eventually found its way back in.
We had barely finished dressing when Leo’s posture shifted, his head tilting to the left as a mind-link came through. I could see the moment the message landed in the subtle tightening of his expression.
“Vaughan wants us in the boardroom,” he announced.
“Of course he does,” I murmured, though there was no real irritation behind it. We’d never had the luxury of forgetting the situation we were in for long.
We were the last to arrive. Plates and cups were scattered across the table, breakfast half-eaten as discussion continued.
Evalina looked up as we entered, her face brightening immediately. “Good morning. I saved you both some yogurt with the berries I picked yesterday.”
“Thank you.”
There was something about her presence that always seemed to soften the edges of everything else, a quiet kindness that made it easier to breathe.
As I took the bowl she offered, I found myself watching her for a moment longer than necessary, a thought forming as fragments of the previous night’s events fell into place.
Specifically the part about the reaper who had been an elf, and the way Evalina had immediately recognized her species.
I set my bowl down. “Evalina, can I ask you something?”
The conversation between Felix and Vaughan about who would be best placed to interrogate the reaper fizzled off as everyone’s attention shifted to me and the fairy.
“How are fairies and elves related?”
“We’re from the same realm. Different regions and different cultures, but the same world.
Kind of like werewolves and vampires in this world, from what Felix has told me.
I didn’t have much interaction with elves before I left, but I grew up hearing all about them. We’re not strangers to each other.”
I glanced around the room at the others. “Then Evalina might be able to find common ground with her better than any of us.”
Felix’s expression immediately lit with pride. “Of course she would,” he said, as though this should have been obvious all along.
No one else disagreed.
“I think you and I should speak to her together,” I continued.
“Not question her, exactly, but simply have a conversation. We want to know if she has any choice over what she’s doing, right?
Well, I know what it’s like to be bound to something you can’t refuse, and you understand where she came from.
That feels like the best place to start. ”
Darius leaned forward. “I’m coming too.”
Vaughan shot him down immediately. “Not yet. The mate bond could complicate things.”
Darius looked ready to argue, but Leo jumped in before he could. “I’m going as well, mate bond or not.”
Vaughan’s gaze flicked to him and over to me, weighing the risks, and after a moment, he gave a short nod. “Fine. But let Evalina and Kalo take the lead, and let me know immediately if you need any backup.”
That seemed to settle it, and as soon as we finished our breakfast, the three of us headed back towards my old room and the answers that might decide which of us lived or died.