Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
*Him*
Her every delicate touch set him aflame; her heat to counter his ice. Halo left a trail of fire searing across his flesh, drawing him inexorably into her.
Goddess.
When she said his name, he just about lost all semblance of control.
As it stood, a small snowstorm happily piled a mound of white fluff in the corner of the room.
She hadn't noticed yet, and he surreptitiously tried to clear it away from behind her back.
He hadn't lost control like that since he went through puberty.
If he wasn't careful, he'd freeze her himself.
She traced along the lines of power etched into his chest and accepted him as her own. He knew he'd need to explain the importance of it to her, but in the moment, it would have been practically impossible to string together a coherent sentence.
She shifted in his lap, licking at his lips. She wasn't as shy as he’d thought. Frost responded in kind, diving into her mouth with his tongue and giving her a taste of what they could be together. Every small stroke building into the next, he worked at bringing her closer and closer to ecstasy.
Without ever removing a scrap of clothing, they both panted as though working together in the most intimate of ways.
At first, she let him lead. He showed her the kind of excitement possible from a simple kiss.
Showed himself as well. Their breathing balanced, her exhale becoming his breath, and he lost himself in her magnificence.
"Frost?" she murmured into him. Opening his eyes, he met her rich hazel gaze. Her lips quirked up. Amusement tingled through her, across the space between them, and into his heart. His magic was already intertwining them. "Why is there a snow drift in the corner?"
Finally breaking their epic embrace, he followed her gaze and found not one, but two tiny storms raging.
Slightly embarrassed, but heart full of love, he collapsed backward, roaring with laughter.
Keeping a hold on her, he pulled Halo down with him, wrapping himself in the warm cloak of her giggles.
"Sorry, love." He placed a quick kiss on her nose. "An elemental's magic can go a little haywire in times of great emotion."
Her smile lit up the cavern, causing another little flurry to burst out above them. "And what emotion is that?"
Her teasing did to his body what her smile had done to his heart. He shifted somewhat uncomfortably beneath her, and she giggled. "Love, my love. It's love."
When she didn't rebuff him or try to shove him away, he pressed on. "I haven't felt this way before, and finally being here with you, it is destiny realized."
As he said the words, another piece clicked into place. She's what he had been waiting for. His magic swelled with the admission, and her mouth dropped open as it swirled around them. With great effort, he held it back from completing their bond. He had to explain. It had to be her choice.
"When an elemental finds his True Name and his magic finds his heart's home, a bond begins.
I think you felt it too, right?" She nodded, causing a tendril of her dark curly hair to tumble over her shoulder. He wrapped it around his finger, stalling. He wasn’t ready for the chance of her walking away.
"That bond is the fabric and true weave of our magic.
Everything that comes before is adolescent power, strong, but incomplete and always just a little bit lonely.
“I think I subconsciously knew all along that the water sprite wasn’t the one.
Her betrayal hurt me, but now, I understand.
She and I thought the bond would come with time.
For many it does, but you, my love, you're my mate. I know now how futile that life would have been. We would have never bonded because the goddess had other ideas for me. It’s you, Halo. It’s always been you."
He paused, letting it sink in. Her fingers danced across his chest while she thought, and she fumbled when she caught a closer look at the small toy hanging from the cord around his neck.
Frost watched, transfixed, as an array of emotions crossed her expressive face.
Surprise. Understanding. Confusion. Worry.
Awe. Fear. When she struggled there, he couldn't wait for her to process it any longer.
Holding her face solidly between his hands, he brought her close and forced her to shift her focus out of her head back to him. "What has you so scared, love? Why are you afraid?"
A small tremor of her bottom lip was his only warning before she burst out into tears. "This.” She held up the bauble. “Where did you find it?”
He smiled, remembering the day she left it in the woods. Without allowing him to answer, she yanked it from his neck and cradled it to her chest.
“My papa gave this to me for my birthday right before the accident.” Her voice was raspy with emotion, and a stream of tears trekked slowly down her cheek.
He couldn’t stand seeing her in pain, and as he moved to wipe her face, his magic stirred and froze her tears into tiny crystals of ice. She paid no attention to his mistake, and he gathered the glittering drops into his palm, stashing them away before she had the chance to take notice.
“It was all I had of him, this compass, and I lost it in the forest.” He nodded, still not understanding. “This is all real." She tapped a fingernail against the glass face to demonstrate her point. “I’m not dead.”
Swiping her tears away as quickly as they fell, he folded her into his arms and stroked her back lightly as his mother had done all those years ago.
"Of course not, love. This is real." Bringing her face back to his, he wanted her to read the conviction in his eyes.
"All of this, Halo, is real. I am real. I love you and won't let any storm ever bring you harm. "
Her lip trembled again, but she bit it and held back a second round of tears. His Halo was a fighter. She mulled over his words, nodding slightly every so often. She mumbled to herself, but more important than the words was the look of belief blooming in her eyes.
"I'm not dead. The storm…" She glanced down at her wrist, at the small adornment she wore there. "How long have I been here?" She seemed frantic, and he struggled to find a human grasp of time.
"I believe the night has not yet passed."
It was as close of an approximation to her time he could find. She yelped and jumped off the bed, grazing him in more delicate places in her escape. She missed his wince as she began to pace. He was beginning to realize this was how she worked through things. She had to be moving.
"Gran and Grandpa are probably worried sick! And Ranger Redbird will be gathering a search party as we speak!" She halted and pivoted to him. "Can you take me back? I have to go back!"
Her words sliced through him more accurately than a warrior’s arrow ever could. She wanted to go. He should have known better. He slowly rose, numb from the betrayal.
"Of course. Gather your things, and I will take you home."