Chapter 26
After spending Friday night with Gramlithyn talking and working on his kissing technique, Pyxlevir had expected the rest of his weekend to be more of the same.
Which was why he’d been shocked when Gramlithyn had asked him to pack an overnight bag.
That’d been an hour ago, and now they were in Gramlithyn’s car heading out of the city.
“I’m worried,” Pyxlevir remarked, lowering the volume of the radio so he could speak comfortably with his other half.
“Afraid I’m going to take you out into the middle of nowhere and murder you?”
“Like, where does your mind go?” Pyxlevir asked. “Your sense of humor is completely fucked. No, murder didn’t cross my mind, but now I’m thinking that homicide might be an option if you piss me off.”
“I have no intention of pissing you off.”
“Tell me why you had me pack sneakers and told me not to wear silk,” Pyxlevir demanded. “If you’ve decided to trick me into going camping, you can think again. I’ll find a hotel or call Dra’Kaedan to teleport me home.”
The fiend driving the car chuckled. “No, silly, I wouldn’t take you camping.
The only place you’ve ever slept in a tent is in the backyard of a freaking mansion.
And as long as we’re being honest, I’ve spent more than my fair share of nights either in a tent or some shitty motel.
The comfort of our apartment is spoiling me. ”
Mollified, Pyxlevir wiggled his shoulders to relax. “Okay, where are we going, and why did I need to pack?”
“We’re heading to Mount Charleston. I rented a cabin for the night,” Gramlithyn said. “It’s a cozy one, but there are two beds, so your virtue is safe. I thought we could go for an easy hike up to the shifting area, and you can hang out with me and my zebra.”
Pyxlevir was so excited he slapped Gramlithyn’s thigh. “Can I ride your zebra? Or is he not ready for that yet?”
“We’d both love that, and I was hoping you’d ask.”
“If I didn’t?”
“Then I would’ve suggested it.”
“One more question.”
“What’s that, Pyx?”
Sliding his palm upward, Pyxlevir rested it inches from Gramlithyn’s crotch. “What if I don’t want to keep my virtue safe from you?”
“If you touch my dick while I’m driving, you’re probably going to kill us both,” Gramlithyn responded. “As for respecting your chastity, you need to think about the future and the traditions of our people.”
“You know exactly how this works. Fate gives us one earring when elven souls are bound, and a second one gets added if the couple are good little elves who don’t have sex.
But the reality is, it takes intercourse to miss out on that second hoop.
So, as long as you don’t slide your zebra-elf carrot into me, it’s no one’s business how much grinding or sucking we do together. ”
“Why does your complete lack of respecting elven propriety turn me on so much?”
Pyxlevir cackled. “Because you were born first, so Fate made this little Valzadari elf your perfect specimen. Why couldn’t you like tall dudes?
Being this short has some real disadvantages.
No one turned on the dishwasher on Thursday night.
To get a glass for my juice yesterday morning, I had to climb up on the counter to get to one of the higher shelves. All the other cups were dirty.”
“Might’ve been easier to wash one from the dishwasher.”
“Thought of that after I hit the button, and I was standing on the countertop. The coffee hadn’t hit my bloodstream yet, so my brain activity was minimal at best.”
“I’m not going to apologize for your height. There isn’t anything I’d change about you.”
Pyxlevir flexed his fingers to give Gramlithyn’s thigh a gentle squeeze. “You may find this hard to believe, given how hard you are on yourself sometimes, but I wouldn’t change you either.”
“My communication skills could use work.”
“You’re twenty-four, of course they can. Mine too. We’re too young to have figured everything out. This is our journey. Our past will forever be woven into our story, but we get to control where it goes from here. We’re committed to doing our best to honor Fate.”
“Fate is important, but I’m more concerned with your feelings than paying tribute to the goddess that initially tied our souls together.”
“Good, that’s how I feel too.”
“Are we moving too fast?”
Pyxlevir took his gaze off the road and glanced at Gramlithyn’s profile.
There was nothing in his voice to suggest Gramlithyn had asked anything but an academic question, so he opted to answer it at face value.
“I guess it depends on how you look at it. As an elf, we’ve moved glacially slow.
Even if you negate the six years we were apart, we still should’ve combined our souls several times over by now.
Perhaps that should be important to me, but it’s irrelevant.
What concerns me is whether this is working for me and my partner.
I’m happy. I’m comfortable and eager for the future.
I’ll hazard a guess that you feel the same. ”
Gramlithyn rested his hand on Pyxlevir’s. “I do. When we finally spoke again, I imagined a horrible uphill battle to convince you any of this was possible—”
“Because you foolishly thought I wasn’t into you. Silly man.”
“Sometimes it’s wonderful to be really fucking wrong. Now, turn up the radio, I love this song.”
Laughing, Pyxlevir did as he was told. It was a tune he fondly remembered from their teenage years, and they sang along loudly and off-key.
As far as Pyxlevir was concerned, it had never sounded better.
The miles sailed by, and soon they were scouring signs to find the place Gramlithyn had rented.
Gramlithyn checked them in at the main lodge, then they drove a short distance to a private cabin with its own balcony.
After grabbing his suitcase, Pyxlevir followed Gramlithyn to the log cabin.
It was nestled in a forest thick with trees, and the mountains loomed above them.
Pyxlevir thought it was beautiful. Gramlithyn unlocked the door and shooed Pyxlevir inside what was essentially a single room with an attached bathroom.
As Gramlithyn had advertised, there were two beds. There was also a fireplace and a kitchenette. The furnishings were homey and charming.
“This is lovely,” Pyxlevir said, resting his bag on a nearby chair.
“Yeah, nicer than it was online. I’m impressed. What do you want to do first?”
Pyxlevir crossed the space so he was standing in front of his other half. “Kiss.”
With a smile, Gramlithyn pressed his lips to Pyxlevir’s forehead. “Are you hungry?”
“If that little peck wasn’t so sweet, I’d bitch about you missing my lips.”
“We’ll make out later, I promise. But we both know if we start necking now, we’ll spend the rest of our stay in this cabin.”
“I can’t argue with that.”
“So, answer my question, Pyx. Are you hungry?”
“Just for your sexy carrot. But since that has to wait until later, let’s go find that shifting area.”
“I both love and hate that you’ve started calling my dick a carrot. Change into your sneakers so you don’t ruin your shoes. Did you bring a jacket? I have a hoodie you can borrow if you didn’t. I should’ve mentioned it before we left, but I forgot.”
Pyxlevir unzipped his bag and pulled out his sneakers along with a pair of socks.
The bed was high enough that he didn’t bother trying to balance himself on the mattress to switch shoes.
Instead, he picked one of the two chairs in the cabin to sit in.
He slid off his sandals and tugged on his socks.
“I didn’t think about it being cooler up here, so I didn’t grab a coat. In my defense, though, you didn’t tell me where I was going,” Pyxlevir said.
“My hoodie it is. Thankfully, it’s black, so it doesn’t clash with your outfit.”
Pyxlevir’s cotton options were fewer than his silk ones, but nearly everything he owned was in his favored colors of blue, purple, and black.
He’d selected a dark outfit that reminded him of his father’s centaur with subtle embroidery in the same azure as Pyxlevir’s eyes.
The lone pair of sneakers he owned were black, and he kept them around for the occasional long walk or family sporting events.
Once Pyxlevir had tied his laces, Gramlithyn grabbed a refillable bottle of water, took his hand, and they walked out of the cabin.
“I can carry the hoodie,” Pyxlevir offered. Gramlithyn had tossed the garment over his shoulder.
“I’ve got it, don’t worry. You’ll get custody of it when we get to the changing station at the shifting area unless you get cold before then.”
“It’s nice out, I’m good. What’s the plan for dinner tonight?”
“Up to you,” Gramlithyn said as they found the path that would lead to the shifting area.
“The lodge has a restaurant. We can dine in there or call ahead to grab an order to go. I believe we can get to the lodge easily on our way back to the cabin. There’s also a small grocery store down the road we could drive to; they have elven options.
I don’t know how many, but neither of us is that picky. ”
“Lodge sounds good. Not sure yet if I want to eat in or grab something to go.”
“Either works for me.”
Pyxlevir lifted his chin to appreciate the cloudless sky and the lovely breeze rustling the leaves above their heads. “This trip was a wonderful surprise. Thanks for bringing me here.”
“I figured it’d be a nice change of scenery for us.”
“It is.”
“Plus, this is the only way our roommates can get a Saturday night not locked in their bedrooms,” Gramlithyn mused.
“We should send them to socialize with the centaurs if they refuse to hang out with us.”
“Your family would love that.”
“Yep.”
“How badly do you miss them?”
With a heavy sigh, Pyxlevir squeezed Gramlithyn’s hand affectionately.
“We promised honesty, so the truth is I never imagined living anywhere but with them. It hurts. At the same time, I’m happy to be with you.
I’m a lucky elf to have so many fantastic people in my life.
And I get to see my parents nearly every day.
But I haven’t seen my uncles since the last D’Vaire weekend.
I’m having a little centaur withdrawal.”
“Your bond with your family is why I was so shocked you kept our matebond to yourself.”
“I love them, but they’re overprotective.
The last thing I wanted was for either of us to be forced into a matebond.
” Pyxlevir blew out a breath, and his heart clenched.
“And while I’ve enjoyed the past twenty-four years with family, I can’t think of myself alone.
If you and I are going to make things work, we have to decide together where we end up.
Living at Uncle Timotheus’s house may not be the ideal situation for us. ”
Gramlithyn stopped them in the middle of the path, and Pyxlevir swung his head so their gazes locked.
“I imagined being with you countless times, and in each scenario, our happily-ever-after was with your family.”
“What about your parents? Or a place of our own?”
“I can’t explain it, Pyx. My gut is telling me you belong there. All I ask is that you consider letting me be at your side.”
“Your happiness is as important as mine.”
“I haven’t lived with my parents for six years, and our relationship…well, I take the blame for my mistakes. A problem for another day. But even before I left Vegas, I was in that house with you.”
Touched, Pyxlevir offered Gramlithyn a wobbly grin. “With Leydira and Erironarra finally sharing a bedroom.”
Gramlithyn laughed as Pyxlevir had intended.
“Erironarra is at my parents’ house; we’ll have to rescue her, I suppose.
While we’re talking about our childhood…
Pyx, I’m sorry about Kalliope and Pandora.
Those dogs were an important part of your family, and it must’ve been awful to lose them.
But as much as you love animals, I’m shocked you don’t have a pet. ”
Tears threatened, but that was to be expected.
Pyxlevir had fiercely loved his dear Kalliope and Tyndarios’s Pandora.
“Thank you, I miss them. My heart isn’t ready to love another pet yet.
Someday. But I have to be emotionally able to handle losing them.
I’m not right now. They have a beautiful tree planted for them at D’Vaire.
Sometimes I sit next to it and update them on life at the house.
Uncle Timotheus put two stone Newfoundland statues in the backyard for them too.
I like to think they’re still with us in a way. ”
“That makes sense, and of course they are,” Gramlithyn replied. “I know it was tough on you, but I’m happy you have a spot to visit them.”
“The entire memorial garden at D’Vaire is gorgeous.
Do you think Dasan would be offended if we asked him if he wanted to live at Uncle Timotheus’s?
There are a couple of extra rooms; I’m sure they’d love to help him make one of them his own.
The twins will go back to their house, and I don’t want Dasan to be alone. ”
“He better not be offended,” Gramlithyn muttered as he led them toward the shifting area again.
“Thanks for offering; if we get to the point where we’re ready to live together, I love the idea of sharing a home with him.
As far as I know, he doesn’t have anyone else, and he’s a terrific friend. Family really.”
“Is it still an if for you?”
“I’m trying not to scare you off by saying when.”
“Be honest with me, Gramlithyn. Don’t worry about anything else but telling me exactly what’s on your mind.”
“It’s always been a when for me.”
“Good, we’ll get our living arrangements squared away as soon as we’re ready to take that step.” Pyxlevir caught sight of the large changing area. “Now, go get your fine ass into that changing room and let’s see your pretty zebra.”
Gramlithyn handed Pyxlevir his hoodie, then cupped the elf’s face in his hands.
Their lips met in a quick but thorough kiss.
Pyxlevir watched smugly as Gramlithyn sauntered away.
The hybrid Fate had paired him with was wearing soft denim that hugged his firm ass.
He didn’t care what anyone thought; Gramlithyn was beautiful, caring, and needed someone to protect his heart. Pyxlevir was just the elf for the job.