Chapter 18
With the cat out of the bag so to speak, Boreas scooped her up tight in his arms as he so loved to do and flew her away from the shop, straight to his cave. The freedom of it–the chilly winds encompassing her like an embrace as she rested comfortable and safe in Boreas’s strong, warm arms and watching the snowy tops of pine trees pass below them like a sparrow on the wind–coursed through her veins. Part of it could've been the freedom of those she loved knowing who and what Boreas was, of them siding with her against Ryan. The warmth of support and care from all those around her, including the god maneuvering them through his cave, caused tears to prick her eyes.
When he set her down, Boreas noticed. Reaching up to catch a stray tear before it fell, he asked, "Are you well, my flower?"
"I am now. More than ever, actually." Then, she jumped him. Quite literally. Without warning, Lily gave a little hop into the air, clamping her arms around his shoulders and her legs around his waist. He caught her easily, as she suspected he always would from here on out.
Her god gripped her ass and held her close, a growl leaving his lips as he searched for hers. The kiss seared. Cleansed. Cleared away the worry and stress and left only the twang of longing and the euphoria of love in its wake. Lily moaned into his mouth, taking the time to trace his knife-like incisor with the tip of her tongue. She'd never feared them, never feared him in a physical sense. She'd feared not having this. However, her fear stayed firmly in the past, and all she saw in her future was a life with this kind, gruff, lovely god holding her.
She tore her lips away. "Say it again," she whispered as she peppered his lust-filled face with kisses. The white light haze of his icy eyes focused on her in question a few seconds before he got what she wanted.
"I love you, my flower. You are my purpose."
She gave another quick, hot kiss at the words then pulled back to say, "The best Christmas present a girl could ask for."
His deep masculine chuckle shook them both. "We'll see if we can do a little better than that." A second later, she sailed through the air, thrown from across the room to land with a soft thump on the comfy platform bed in the far corner. Before she could right herself, Boreas hovered over her, one thick claw slicing down her sweater.
"I like this sweater!" She said in protest, but there was little heat in her words and a laugh in her voice. By the god, she'd never been so giddy and happy in the arms of a man before.
"I will find you a dozen more," he said with the flick of his wrist, exposing her torso to his cool gaze. He dipped a hand into her bra and pulled one breast free before he sent a chilly wind over the nipple to make it pebble. She shuddered with cold and anticipation as he followed behind his wind, taking the peaked tip into his mouth and sucking hard. A whimper preceded a deep groan, then the sound of lust and longing and the sound of flesh on flesh filled the space
Pine filled her nose, so sharp and lovely she couldn't think clearly around it as she reached for a handful of his white hair and gave a sharp tug. "Boreas," she moaned, wanting more but unable to articulate it.
He heard something that spurred him on, as he made quick work of both their clothes. Instead of entering her with his throbbing, swirling cock, he rolled them over to place her above him. "Ride me," he demanded before giving her control.
Lily reached between them to grip him in her fist. A pump, up and down, brought a hiss to his lips. She focused on the feel of the swirling ridges along his length, on the way they snagged the skin of her palm and how delicious she knew they felt when he moved inside her.
Without much thought other than what lay in her hands and the pleasure ahead, she lifted her hips, notched Boreas at her entrance, then slid down at a steady pace. The god threw back his head beneath her, the veins in his neck bulging as his blue-white eyes closed tight. It was the look of ecstasy, and Lily drank it down deep, just as she took him deep inside herself.
His eyes popped open, roving over her face, her body, the place where they connected. He gripped her hips tight then helped her grind down hard on him. "Damn, you feel so good," he huffed out between hard breaths.
She lost herself, pumping her hips up and down, focusing on the delicious slide of his cock and the look of pure adoration in his eyes. "I love you, Boreas," she moaned, echoing what she'd said earlier.
A tension snapped and he curled up, meeting her mouth with nips of his teeth. His hands took on more work, moving her with lightning-fast speed on top of him. His groans and growls poured into her like refreshing water, nourishing her very soul. She wrapped her arms tight around his shoulders, held on for the ride, and came with a deep moan of his name. Seconds later, he followed, pumping his seed into her as he whispered words of love, over and over again.
After long, silent minutes with only their breath mingling in the bed, Lily looked up from where she lay on his chest. His eyes were already on her. With a smirk, she said, "That might just have been a better Christmas present."
The god laughed, big and joyful, and sweet, pine-scented wind whipped around them in a happy breeze. Lily snuggled down, falling asleep to the feel of his warm body, his chilly wind, and the love they now wrapped around them like armor.
S he must've been dead to the world, because after their amazing romp, the next thing she knew, she awoke hours later in an empty bed . Not an empty cave, however. Boreas sat in his leather chair, staring at a Christmas tree he hadn't had the afternoon before.
Lily rubbed her eyes awake and in a sleep-thick voice asked, “What time is it?”
She heard the smile in his voice when he said, “Three in the morning.”
"Merry Christmas, then,” she chirped back.
Suddenly, the god scooped her up. She laughed. "I can walk, you know."
He shrugged it off. "Why should you, when I am perfectly happy to carry you?"
Still wrapped in his blanket and now wrapped in his arms, she didn't argue the point, and let him position her on his lap. On the side table, he had two steaming cups of hot chocolate and two large muffins all ready for them. "Mmm-huh. Cranberry orange. My favorite," she said around a big old bite.
"Betty may have told me. In fact, she may have forced these upon me."
Sounded an awful lot like something Betty would do.
They ate and drank in companionable silence, the occasional slurp of cocoa or clearing of a throat all the noise they made. Lily laid on his chest, warm and content, long after she finished her tasty treat, and stared at the Christmas tree.
It looked like a forest pine he'd plucked straight from the ground, and it likely was. There were a few shiny ornaments here and there, some bits of holly woven throughout, and some real snow he somehow made cling to the branches. Under it sat a small red box. A gift for her, she presumed, but she wanted to beat him to it.
Boreas tried to grip her tight as she twisted free, but she managed to get loose. The blanket trailed behind her as she wrapped it around her body like a robe and went to her purse, where she pulled out a small, oblong box wrapped in snow-white paper with a tiny silver ribbon in one corner.
"Merry Christmas," she repeated, beyond happy with herself.
"You intentionally did this," he pouted.
"What? Buy you a Christmas present? Well duh. You kind of have to be intentional when you do something like that."
Instead of taking his present in hand, he took up her body and repositioned them as he had before. He sent a wind whipping around, and the red box plopped down between them. "Merry Christmas," he said, a sly grin on his face.
She held his present out to him and shook it in his face, because by the god she'd said it first, so he had to open first. He sighed but took it, carefully slicing the wrapping open with his claw. The box looked tiny in his monstrous hand, but he used the utmost care in opening it. When he finally plucked the gift free, it glinted in the low light of the fireplace. It was a silver bookmark etched with pine trees and swirls of wind.
Boreas stared for a long moment without saying anything and Lily rushed to explain. "It's real silver, hammered down and etched by a jeweler in town. I had him do the pines and wind, because, well, that's what you smell like to me. Pines and cold wind."
"It's perfect," he said, pulling her forward into a rough hug. "Thank you my flower."
Happy with his reaction, she preened for a moment until he set his bookmark down and offered her her gift. "Open."
"So bossy." She wasn't as neat as him in peeling away the bright red paper, but she sure slowed when she saw a ring box underneath. Delicately, she turned the box over before resting it in her palm. She creaked the lid open and saw a massive diamond ring nestled in black velvet.
"What?" she asked, even though she very clearly could see what it was.
Boreas took the ring from her palm and looked deep into her eyes. "We are mates, my love. It is a bond unbroken. However, you are also human, and there are other important bonds you observe." He pulled the ring from its place and offered it to her between his clawed thumb and forefinger. "Lily, will you marry me?"
Blood pumped in her ears and she stayed speechless for long enough Boreas started to squirm under her lap. She blinked away her shock and surprise then and gushed out, "Yes. Of course I'll marry you, Boreas."
He slipped the ring on her finger. The large, princess cut diamond flanked by two large oval sapphires twinkled in the fire light. The silver band had etchings similar to his bookmark along the sides. She looked up at him in surprise. "We went to the same jeweler," he said, a wide smile on his face.
There was nothing to say, nothing to do except kiss the god she loved and hold him tight to her. She'd had lots of great Christmas mornings in her life, thanks to the love of her family, but this one topped them all. "Best Christmas ever," she whispered against his lips.
"Good, but we can make it better. Again. We have many hours before Betty expects us at her home."
"Oh, she'll love this," Lily said, admiring her ring as he carried her back to his bed. Their bed. "And she'll be ornery as all hell if we’re late and have this kind of news, so we can’t get too carried away."
He looked at her with serious eyes. "You carried me away long ago."
She sighed into the kisses he peppered on her lips before he moved over her face. Boreas scraped a sharp fang across her cheek and a smile bloomed. She wasn’t lying when she called it the best Christmas ever. Lily suspected, however, there would be loads of best Christmases in their future. Better and better Christmases, filled with love, friends, and beautiful candles lighting their way.