Chapter Twenty-Three
Twenty-Three
Zamir
I placed my hands on my hips as I stood back and eyed our creation. It was a little lopsided because Nolan had accidentally broken one of the poles and we'd had to borrow an extra from someone else that was a little shorter than the rest.
"It's beautiful," I breathed, and Nolan chuckled.
"It'll do."
The tent was small—cozy—and a sleeping bag lay on the ground, a solar lamp, and a bag of supplies sitting in a corner. I'd packed a lot more stuff, but Nolan had convinced me we didn't need all of it. A few pillows would've been nice, though.
"Hey, guys! All set up?" Sofia asked as she skipped over, a wide smile on her face, and I grinned.
"Yep. What do you think?"
"Best tent I've ever seen," she said with a solemn expression, and I laughed.
"Thank you, thank you."
"Come on, we're setting up a bonfire. The sun's gonna set soon. So we'll have dinner around the bonfire and chat, and then tomorrow bright and early, we'll go hiking."
"Sounds fun! We'll be there in a minute," I said, and she nodded quickly before racing off.
Other than the two of us, six people made up the camping party: Sofia; a human and supe couple who had the type of closeness that came from having been together for a while; two humans; and another supe. I didn't know if the two humans knew about supes, so I made a mental note to ask Sofia later.
Turning to Nolan, I stepped closer to him, and slid my arms around his waist.
Nolan smiled and leaned down, his lips warm and soft as they brushed against mine. With people waiting for us, we kept the kiss light, and I hummed at the wisps of life force that slipped from his mouth to mine.
"Come on," he murmured when he pulled away, and he slid his hand into mine before leading me to the half-constructed bonfire.
Rocks were arranged in a circle around the bonfire, and we picked a big one to share. One of the supes quickly joined us, a witch in her mid-twenties with a warm, light aura.
"Hey, there. I'm Zamir and this is Nolan," I introduced, and she smiled. She was tall, with amber eyes, and a kind smile, her dark red hair tied up in a ponytail.
"Hello. I'm Michelle," she said, a hint of French in her accent. She glanced around, then leaned closer, her voice soft, as if she didn't want anyone to overhear. "The human woman, do you know her?"
"Sofia?" I asked after a pause, then nodded quickly. "She's the bartender at my mate's bar."
I leaned into Nolan, and he tightened his arm around me.
"Does she know? About supes?" Michelle asked, her eyes flicking to Sofia, who was talking to the others.
"Oh yeah. Her stepdad is one," I said, then glanced at Nolan to double-check. Nolan nodded in agreement, and Michelle leaned back.
"Okay, thank you."
She stood up and went over to Sofia as I turned to look at Nolan. "What do you think that was about?"
Nolan smiled and nodded toward the others, and I watched as Michelle murmured something to Sofia, and the two walked away from the group into a copse of trees.
"Huh. Do you think..." I trailed off, and Nolan hummed.
"It's possible."
I grinned up at him, and he returned my smile, shaking his head.
The others pulled us into a conversation as everyone introduced themselves, and we discovered that, like Sofia, her friends were pretty damn cool.
Sofia and Michelle returned a few minutes later with smiles on their faces, and I raised a brow at Sofia. She grinned, then nodded as if she knew exactly what I was asking, and I smiled.
"Yes!" I hissed, keeping my voice low, and Nolan chuckled. "What?"
"Nothing. It's sweet how happy you are."
"Well, of course. I like Sofia. And just think—now she's no longer limited to a human lifespan!"
When a supe and a human were fated mates, the human got to share the supe's lifespan, so Sofia would now live for as long as Michelle.
Nolan blinked, as if he hadn't thought of that, then smiled. "You're right."
"So, how did you two lovebirds meet?" Jake, the man in the sole human couple, asked, and it took me a moment to realize he was talking to us.
I grinned. "At Nolan's bar," I said, smiling up at my dragon.
"Yeah. Where he spent a few hours mooning at him," Sofia teased, making my cheeks flush.
"I did not!" I protested as Nolan tugged me closer, and I could feel the satisfaction rolling off of him without needing to use my sight.
"Then he got drunk, and I took him to my place," Nolan said, a smile in his voice.
"Yup! And I curled up with his dogs and cats and had the best sleep."
The others gave us wide-eyed looks, and I snickered as Nolan shook his head.
"Don't say it like that. I made the couch for him, but when I woke up, I found him in the dog bed."
The others laughed, and I grinned as my cheeks heated up.
"Hey, they were very warm and sweet. This one didn't invite me to his bed, so it was his fault."
Nolan leaned closer and brushed his lips over my cheek. I turned to look at him, and his green eyes were warm and full of love. "You're always welcome in my bed."
I smiled, then pressed my lips to his, tuning out the wolf whistles and cheers as I sank into him. Fuck, I loved this man so damn much.
Nolan
We slid into the sleeping bag later that night and discovered it was quite a cozy fit.
We could sleep without it—neither of us was susceptible to cold—but we had to keep up the pretense in case one of the humans caught sight of us.
The tent had a zipper, but it opened from both sides, and I'd learned long ago to not take such risks.
"This is nice," Zamir murmured as he slid his leg between mine, his brown eyes soft as they gazed into mine.
I hummed as I cupped his cheeks, my thumbs rubbing over his soft, wiry beard. He gazed at me with such love... how had I lucked out into finding someone like him? Someone so bright and full of love, someone who made me smile every day, who loved my fur children as much as I did—maybe more.
"Nolan," he murmured, his voice low and needy, and I kissed him, holding his face between my palms as I brushed my lips against his.
He slid closer, and his cock hardened as it pressed against my hip. I slid my tongue into his mouth, and hummed at his sweetness. We'd eaten s'mores before we called it a night, and I could still taste the chocolate on him.
I slid my hand down his neck, to his strong, firm back, and pulled him close, leaving no space between us.
Zamir rocked against me, a soft grunt escaping into my mouth as he rubbed his erection against my hip.
I wanted to pull back, to take his pants off and take him into my mouth, but I couldn't. The supes would hear us, and this tent was far too small for what I wanted to do to him.
Zamir's sounds, his scent, his need, it all belonged to me, and I wouldn't share.
I softened the kiss, slowed it down as I rubbed my hand up and down his side. Slowly—reluctantly—I pulled back, and Zamir whined as I reached for me, his warm palm sliding over my neck.
"Nolan," he whined, and I couldn't resist giving him another soft kiss.
"We should sleep," I murmured against his lips, and he sighed, but didn't protest. I imagined he didn't want to give anyone a show either.
Slowly, he relaxed in my arms, though his leg stayed between mine. I didn't mind. I liked having him close.
We were quiet for a while, and the sounds of crickets and wind blowing through leaves made me think of the years I'd spent living in the woods, way back when I hadn't realized how delightful humans could be.
"Thank you," I murmured after a while, and Zamir blinked up at me through sleepy eyes.
"What for?"
Smiling, I caressed his cheek, and he hummed as he pressed into my touch and his eyes fluttered shut.
"For saying yes to Sofia, for coming here. I—I'd forgotten how fun it was, meeting new people, making friends. Thank you for reminding me."
Zamir was quiet as he listened to me, his eyes soft and sleepy, but attentive.
He reached up and cupped my cheek like I held his.
"You have the biggest heart, Nolan. I hate that you've lost so much that you felt like you had to board it up to keep yourself safe.
But you don't have to worry about that now.
I'm here, and I'm gonna protect that heart of yours.
I'll keep it warm and safe for you, and I won't let you lose any more pieces of it. I promise."
I blinked as he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss on my chest, right over my heart, then blinked again as I realized my eyes had filled up. A few tears slipped down my cheek, and Zamir glanced up when they brushed against his hand.
With a soft smile, he wiped the tears away, then placed a soft kiss on my forehead. "Okay?"
I hummed, not quite sure I could bring myself to speak without breaking completely.
I'd loved a lot of people, and I'd lost a lot of them too.
But in my whole life, in my long, long life, no one had offered to take care of me, of my heart.
I was always the strong one, and I didn't mind.
I liked taking care of people, liked knowing I kept them safe, made them feel loved.
But until now, I hadn't realized how much I'd yearned for someone to do that for me.
"I love you," I said, my voice little more than an exhale, but he heard me.
Zamir smiled, then wiped another tear I hadn't noticed, his own eyes sparkling with unshed tears. "I love you too, Nolan."
I swallowed, and Zamir pulled his leg from between mine, then shuffled higher before pulling me close.
I sighed as I tucked my head under his chin, and he wrapped his arms around me, holding me close.
His scent and warmth surrounded me, drowning me in his love, and I breathed in deep as I relaxed in his hold.
No more words were spoken as we held each other, and our synced heartbeats were the only sound I could hear. The only sound that mattered.
I wasn't sure when I drifted off, but my dreams were hazy and full of warmth and softness. I floated, but I wasn't afraid of getting lost, of not being able to find my way back. I knew that I had an anchor, that he held the most fragile part of me safe and secure in his palms.
In the past, dreams like this had been rare, and when they happened, I woke up feeling even more alone and heartbroken.
But this time, I woke up warm and safe, held close in the arms of the man who'd become my world in mere days.
For how long I'd lived, the time I'd shared with Zamir was nothing but a blip in my lifetime, and yet they were the most precious days of my life. I'd felt more alive since I met Zamir than I had in the hundreds of years before.
"Hmmm..." Zamir groaned as he squeezed me tighter, and I pulled back to gaze up at him so I could watch him wake up.
His eyelids fluttered, and he smacked his lips as his fingers dug into my back, as if he was afraid I would pull away.
Slowly, his eyes opened, the soft brown irises hazy with sleep, and his lips curved into a smile. "Hey."
"Hey," I murmured, just as soft, feeling warm and light and safe.