47. Seir
Chapter 47
Seir
“ O h, no,” Hailon complained, eyes scrunched shut as she wobbled on her feet. “That’s awful. You can’t possibly enjoy doing that.”
I chuckled. “It’s not so bad when you get used to it.” I pulled her into my body, resting her cheek against my shoulder while she slowly breathed through her nose.
“Does the sick feeling go away?”
“Was it really that bad?” Concern seeped in, and I lifted her chin with my fingers to look in her eyes.
She smirked. “That was terrible, Seir. I felt like my skin was turning inside out. But if you say it gets better, I believe you.”
“Do I need to carry you? I absolutely can. In fact, that’s a good idea—” I reached to grab her up, and she jumped away.
“No, thank you,” she chuckled. “I can walk just fine.”
“You said I’d get to carry you, Moonflower. When you agreed to be my mate, you said that. Asked for it even. When does that start? When do I get to carry you around without you fighting me about it?”
She turned her eyes toward the sky and sighed, then put her arms out.
“Really?”
“Don’t make me change my mind.”
Without hesitation I scooped her up and walked us away from the ruins, watching her slowly take in where we were, awe on her face.
The stone kin had made tremendous progress in the little time they’d been working. They’d gone for the day, but there were some supplies still scattered not far from the bank of portals.
“I don’t… Are we in the glade?” Her voice went raspy as she looked around. She patted my hand, telling me she wanted to be put down.
“It was the perfect solution, Moonflower,” I said, setting her on her feet. “I can help Coltor keep watch on the portals here, so he can take a break from this post, and I can help my brother Tap by moving over some of the active doorways he’s in charge of at the crossroads to these ones, maybe even spend some time helping him organize his library of deals. I can visit Hell as often as I need to, then come right back. Most importantly, it’s safe here for you. There are heavy wards, no people. You’ll be protected. You can skim whatever magic you need without harming anything.” I was all but exploding out of my skin with excitement and she was stunned silent, her mouth hanging open. “You can go back to see Ophelia whenever you like. We can visit d’Arcan often. They can come here just as easily.”
I took her by the hand and led her beyond the hot springs. There was a perfect spot, just past where the grouping of trees fanned out there across from the pools.
The structure half blended into the greenery, and Hailon stopped walking, eyes shimmery in the afternoon light.
“You did all this… when? How? It’s only been days.”
“I had lots of help. So much. I’ll owe Magnus and the rest of the stone kin into the next century at least. Though I think you helping expose councilman Brookes may have bought us a little bit of favor.”
It was my favorite time of day to look at her, with the glow of early sunset caressing all her features.
“A cabin?” Her voice caught.
My chest squeezed, worry that I’d gotten it all wrong buzzing under my skin. “Please don’t be sad, Moonflower.”
“I’m not sad.” She walked along the path the feet of the stone kin had made by flattening the tall grass, stopping when she got to the little steps that led to the door. She looked at me over her shoulder, tears brimming. “You made me a porch?”
I gestured to the beam along the roofline. “You needed somewhere to hang your wind chimes.”
She laughed, the sound a mix between humor and sobbing. I still wasn’t sure about her reaction, and my excitement had morphed into anxiety. Her hand reached out to jingle the glass, and her smile reassured me some.
“Open the door, Moonflower.”
Hailon did as I asked and stepped into the freshly finished cabin. The smell of new lumber and paint was heavy, but it would fade soon enough.
I’d asked for something slightly bigger than what we’d had in the way-house cabin, and the stone kin had delivered exactly what I wanted. It was their specialty, honestly, as most of the dwellings at the conclave were along the same lines.
The main space was a wide living room with a fireplace in the corner, a cozy sofa, and a plush rug I’d picked out myself. The living room narrowed into the small kitchen and dining area, and the single bedroom and bath were to the right of that.
I stood in the entry, watching her as she took it all in.
“There’s no running water yet, but there will be soon enough. And there’s always the springs until then. I didn’t pick anything that couldn’t be changed easily. I wanted you to be able to go into town somewhere and pick out the linens and dishes you like. Soap. Knives.” I fidgeted, her stare making me unreasonably nervous. I couldn’t tell if what I was seeing in her face was accusation or excitement. “You were happy in that cabin, I thought. We were both happy, here, that day. I love seeing you dangerous, Moonflower. But I need you to live happy.”
“Seir.” She said my name with conviction, her head shaking. My heart pounded, the fear of being rejected riding hard on my nerves. My tail wound and unwound around my own leg anxiously. “It’s perfect.” She barely breathed the words before the tears finally won. “Thank you.” She threw herself into my arms and squeezed. “I’m not sure what I did to deserve any of this. To deserve you.”
“Same goes for me, honestly. But I promised to be a good mate to you. I keep my promises.”
“I know you do.” She nodded, laughter bubbling up.
Hailon took my face between her hands and kissed me, every doubt I had disappearing as she slowly turned the sweet embrace into something incendiary.
I stepped her around the house, never letting her out of my arms.
“Shall I show you the bed you need to buy new linens for then?” She giggled. I melted. “Actually… not yet. Let’s start over here. This is our kitchen. I’ll make you hot grain cereal for breakfast, and stew for dinner?—”
“Maybe something else. Anything else.” Her lighthearted laugh tripped down my spine, sending a bolt of lust straight to my cock.
“Fine, I’ll bake you chocolate cakes and fresh bread with honey in that oven. Roast you as many birds as you like. Though I might actually do better with those over the fire.” I pushed her up against the counter, lifting her so she was sitting on top of the slab of butcher block. I kissed her thoroughly, tangling my tongue with hers as my hands slid under her tunic and pulled it off. Her legs locked around me, the counter a perfect height for me to nestle my body against hers, my hands on her bare back. I groaned and pulled away.
“Wait,” she protested.
I carried her into the living room, kissing her face and neck, one arm locked under her ass. My tail wound around her leg, the tip teasing along the seam of her trousers. “This is our living room. The sofa is secondhand from d’Arcan but guaranteed to be far more comfortable than anything I could have found new.” I dropped her onto the cushions, leaning close so I could keep kissing her while my hands worked her trouser ties open, then I tugged the offending garment off her body. I used my hand to tease her through her underthings, finding her hot and wet beneath my fingers.
“Seir.”
“We’re not done with the tour.” I gritted my jaw against the painful throbbing in my own pants and dragged her to her feet, squatting down so she could ride on my back. “This is our bathroom. The stone kin insisted on both the big tub and this strange little rain room, but honestly, I think they’re onto something.” I slid her off my back and spun, pressing her against the smooth wall under the strange faucet in the ceiling, hiking her leg up over my thigh. Her center pressed against me as I kissed her again, hot even through my pants.
“I’m going to get angry soon,” she warned.
“I like you with teeth, beloved.”
Still, I took the opportunity to grab her up against me and carried her to the bedroom before setting her on her feet again. Her hands were frantic as they removed my tunic, then my trousers. I allowed her control until I had none remaining. Then I turned her around, her back to my front with her wrists tied up over her ass by my tail. I pressed a hand between her shoulder blades, pushing her down to the mattress.
“ Seir .” Her exhale was long as she bent over in front of me. I slid my hand along one strong thigh, kicking with one of my feet to make her legs fall wider apart. Her center was fully exposed to me, glistening in the fading afternoon light. “I need you.”
“Yes, I can see that.” I ground my teeth together as I tried to maintain some calm before guiding myself to her entrance.
She moaned as I pushed inside her, and my body throbbed, her tight, wet heat almost too much in this position. Hailon tilted her hips back against me, and I groaned, grabbing them so I could keep control before I shamed myself. Again.
I started with shallow rocking, and the noises she made and the feel of her around me drove all coherency from my thoughts.
My pace sped in harmony with her, guiding the rhythm, her panting and my shallow breath a perfect match. As the sun slipped below the horizon, her body began to flutter around me, and I dove headfirst into my own release, pounding into her as she moaned into the mattress.
“Mine,” I breathed, collapsing against her back, kissing her shoulder, nipping at the sensitive skin by her neck.
“Yours,” she replied, turning her head so I could capture her mouth. “Perfect.”
Once I could finally bring myself to pull away, I carried my mate out to the springs and bathed us both under the light of the stars.
We floated, dreaming while awake. I pulled my fingers through her hair, which was now almost completely white. My moonflower was in full bloom.
“Are you happy, Hailon?”
“Yes. Are you?”
“I could live here with you and nothing else forever and be perfectly satisfied. Our journey taught me that very early on.”
“Should we get you a ring, then?” she asked, making my heart stutter in my chest.
“A ring?”
“To match mine. So I don’t have to get murderous when the shop ladies try to impress you. To make an honest man out of you and your untoward intentions.”
Her jokes and little smile put a grin on my face. “Definitely, Moonflower. Will you take the elixir Greta gave you?”
“I already did.”
She spun and kissed me, the night sky throwing sparkles on the water. I wanted for nothing except to stay in that moment with her, forever. And now I could.