Chapter 31 #2
“She is okay. Izule called me shortly after we arrived at the hospital last week.” His tongue moved to my left cheek.
“The prince carried her to safety once the majority of the fighting was done. She took hours to settle, he said, but she did settle and she’s fine.
She isn’t hurt. She’s asked me to come and visit once you’re feeling better. ”
“That is good, but you don’t have to wait for me to recover.” I felt the warmth of his words on my cheek and turned my face to feel his breath on my lips.
“Billie is safe and sound. Izule is taking care of her. I am taking care of you.”
“But your sister-”
“I need to be here with you.” I open my brown eyes and look into his deep gaze.
He blinks slowly and strokes my cheek so gently, it’s hard to imagine a big powerful guy like Tumva can be so careful.
But he is. He’s always been careful with me.
Tender and present when I’m upset. Fierce and deadly when I’m in danger.
In my mind I think about fighting for my life as one of the Eryan invaders tried to throttle me and seeing Tumva wrap his mighty jaws around their neck.
He is so powerful. I remember standing and looking around the upper platform as writhing bodies that foamed from the mouth contorted gruesomely.
I was truly scared when I saw his wide jaws pouring with blood and venom.
I saw him spit out chunks he’d bitten from his enemies. Tumva was a deadly force of nature.
But you know what? He’s also deeply compassionate.
He cares deeply for his duty to protect and serve.
He lives a lonely life, on the outside always looking in, and could very easily be a jaded prick about it.
But he isn’t. No matter the abuse hurled at him he doesn’t react and just moves forward.
Tumva is bloody terrifying in a fight, but he’s so caring the rest of the time.
No one else sees past his black eyes and scales to see that. But I do.
I can’t remember making the decision to take hold of his cheeks to reel him in for a kiss again, but I’m happy about it.
His lips may be scaly, but they are smooth and warm.
I taste my tears on his tongue and the deep ululation rumbling through him resonates with me on a primal level.
The kiss is passionate and I feel his tail caressing me as much as his hands.
Tumva cards one hand back through my hair and the other fists at my work shirt by my waist. I pull back with a gasp and we’re both panting.
“Hannah.” He says so much in every syllable of my name. Need, tenderness and fear all wrapped together as I became wrapped in his powerful arms.
“You are one scary bastard in the field, Tumva.” I shock him, but I don’t leave him hanging for long.
“But more importantly, you are my scary bastard. I’ve got a long way to go in my training, but I hope I’m as badass as you one day so you never end up in here again.
” My voice wobbles as I try to hide my own worries over his injuries.
“If you hadn’t been protecting me so damn much, you wouldn’t have been-” He kisses me again and I don’t resist as he cradles me to his torso.
He coils his tail beneath him and steadies me on my feet.
“Don’t worry about me.” He rubs his mouth back and forth against my forehead and his ululation is baritone and gentle all at once. “You are wrong if you think I would have done anything differently. You are…mine to protect.”
“And you’re mine.” I insist. “Please dont’ scare me like that again.
” I thrust a hand down at the mattress at our feet.
“I’ve only just found you Tumva. I can’t lose you.
” I swallow thickly. “My future has you in it, so be more careful.” I know there was nothing Tumva could have done to be more careful in the fight, but I say it anyway.
Any officer takes their life in their hands every day they report for duty.
It’s no different here on Thelia as it is on Earth.
“You’re the biggest and strongest officer on the force, so the bad guys made a beeline for you to put you down, and it-well-pisses me off. ”
I realise I’m ranting and he’s just listening and smiling at me as he gathers the paper bag Charlie left for us.
“Oh, oh?!” Another thing snaps into my head that makes me want to wring someone’s neck.
“And if I ever find out who that asshole was who muzzled you after the fight, i’m going to kick him in the fucking pouch. ”
“You are going to get a reputation if you keep that up.” I hurry after him and make him put his right hand on my right shoulder to steady him. His left hand holds the bag and I use my best bitch face to make everyone get out of our way as I lead him out of the hospital.
“Good. Maybe they’ll think twice about hurting my partner if they know I’m going full honey badger on them.” He asks me what a honey badger is, and I snort with laughter. “I’ll show you a video from the intranet later. You’ll realise why it’s funny then.”
We walk together and it’s awkward. One, because I’m having to try and stay close to him as his tail winds back and forth, without standing on him or falling on my face.
Two, I would normally hop onto his back to travel around Orna.
That’s not an option at the moment for obvious reasons, so we’re having to travel slowly and carefully.
Man, Orna is high up in the jungle and my stomach does somersaults as I walk along a thick pole with a railing for humans to navigate between one raised platform and another.
Tumva gingerly coils around a spiralling bridge with ease and I pout when I catch him smirking at me.
We quickly come back together, neither wanting to take our hands of the other, and head the long journey home.
Tumva seems just as relieved as I am when we walk through the front door to his nest and lock it behind us.
“Finally. Home. Safe and sound.” I roll my shoulders and shrug off all the tension I’ve been carrying.
I turn to look up at Tumva as he carefully places the paper bag on the kitchen counter.
“Okay, so you heard the doc. You need to rest.” It’s so natural for me to go into carer mode.
I come towards him with the intention of checking the medical grade gauze and bandages pressed to his back to see if he needs the wounds cleaning.
Tumva catches my hands in both of his, and my feet scuffle on the floor as he launches forward and pins me to the nearest wall. Hands above my head and his deep black eyes fixed on me with a hunger I’ve never seen on his face before. “Tumva?”
“I have been waiting a long time for the debrief I was promised.” He swallows thickly and I grin, seeing where this is going.
It’s that kind of hunger I see glowering down at me.
“Please Hannah. I can’t wait any longer.
” He transfers my hands into his left hand and his right holds my neck.
His thumb lifts my chin and he kisses me with such wanton need, my toes curl and I completely surrender.
He’s right. Enough’s enough. It’s time to debrief the hell out of him.