Chapter Five
M y vision is so blurry that I can only see brightness and faint shapes.
However, when I flex my fingers, and I feel the blades of grass tickling my skin, I know.
She did it.
My miraculous mate brought me back from certain death.
I think?
My mind continues to whip through my past and for some reason, it latches on to a distant memory. A memory that has my hands moving quickly to my chest. I move them along my muscles and relief fills me.
“Uhmm, hey big guy? Why are you playing with your tits?”
Forsythia bursts into a fit of laughter, and I can hear Orobas quietly chuckling. I am so grateful to be back that I cannot seem to find any irritation with my brother’s words. There is no harm in admitting my strange fear.
“When I first came to the earth realm, I managed to sneak into a human theater. There was a large screen playing a movie, and the plot amused me. The two primary characters woke one morning to find their souls inhabiting one anothers bodies. For a very tiny moment, I feared that might have happened to me. Well, us.”
“So you thought you got Freaky Friday’d, and you were checking yourself for what? Boobs?” I can clearly hear the hysteria trying to bubble up inside of Blake, and I cannot really say that I blame him.It was an irrational fear, but it was still there.
“I really do love Forsythia’s breasts, but I think I would much rather that she kept them.”
And just like a dam bursting under the pressure, our boisterous laughter explodes in the silence and quickly fills the space. The sound is glorious and a much needed piece of enjoyment in amongst all of the tragedy we have been dealing with.
I quietly promise myself to hold on to these moments as tightly as I can. With that small amount of serious thought, the air around me quickly begins to feel frigid and my body erupts into shivers. The sudden onslaught stops my laughter as fast as it began.
My mind feels muddled as I try to sort out the cause. I was– preserved, for a lack of a better term– in the ice while Forsythia retrieved my soul from the between. When I returned I was still encased in the ice, until they were able to free me. While a harsh cold would not normally affect me so, my body was already working hard to push the blackness of the death curse from my veins.
I can still feel some remenants of the curse being forced from my body. That means that my magickal healing cannot protect me as much from more generalized ailments like hypothermia.
Fantastic.
I come back from the dead, from a death curse nonetheless, only to die from a mundane condition.
“Lucian, what’s wrong?”
Forsythia closes the space between us, reaching down to brush her hand across my face, before she jumps back slightly.
“Oh Gods! Blake, help me, he’s freezing!”
Blake thinks for a moment before answering her. “I don’t have any magick I trust to safely warm him. And before you even think about trying, you are far too spent, Sythia.”
Forsythia bites her lip in contemplation, but Blake sighs before hanging his head.
“Alright. I guess we’re going to do this the old fashioned way. Help me get him naked.” Blake sounds much less than excited about the idea. Even if it is his suggestion.
A low growl escapes my lips and Forsythia’s face reddens, but she moves forward and begins to unzip my jeans. Unable to assist, or really move at all, I simply lie there. I have never wished so intently to remain erection-free than I do at this moment.
I am not a bashful person, but this is very exposing and very outside of my control. To my confusion, once my shirt is removed, Blake and Forsythia stop to remove the outer layer of their clothes as well. Forsythia takes a bit longer getting my pants off and then hesitates at the sight of my boxers.
When he clears his throat and her attention snaps to him and his now mostly naked form. For once, Blake’s mouth saves the day. “I think that we should be good with our underwear on.”
When she nods, Blake grabs a few blankets, while Forsythia sinks down on one side of me, followed by Blake on the other. They cover us with the blankets and both press their exposed skin against mine.
The sensation is remarkable. I feel cared for and I swear I can actually feel my skin slowly heating a little. More than that though. I feel… aroused .
I hear the crackle of a fire close by and realize that Orobas must be tending to it. Helping where he can.
Blake leans in closely and whispers in my ear. The sensation is almost intimate. “I know I’m handsome, but I must remind you that I’m a taken man. I also sincerely hope that the wood you’re packing is for our mate.”
Even though his voice was low, Forsythia still hears him clearly thanks to our close proximity. She chuckles and I feel the tension in my chest settle.
I hadn’t even realized it was there at first. Fear.
I love my brother, but only as that. It’s not the same love I have for my mate. And while I am incredibly curious and excited about the idea of group activities, I have no sexual desires for Blake.
It is incredibly reassuring to know that he feels the same.
Just another way my new family gives me the one thing I never thought I would ever have.
Choices.
My choices.
I relax more and let my eyes drift closed, soaking up the warmth my loved ones share freely with me.
I can never thank the Gods enough for this life.