Chapter 10
Amaya
Sylvain’s muscles strain against his chest and neck, a growl starting deep within his core and traveling out from his mouth into a roar so loud it would make a lion run in the opposite direction.
A hush falls over the work site, as orange vested men still and machines come to a stop.
The lawyers in their shiny black cars crack the back windows and peer out fearfully.
I watch Sylvain kneel into the earth, placing both hands deep into its soil, the branches and vines curling around each arm, anchoring him in place.
Shutting his eyes tight, he murmurs a prayer, so low under his breath I can barely make out the sounds, and then louder and louder.
With each utterance, the ground begins to vibrate, softly at first, and then thunderously, until a crack forms as the tectonic plates shift beneath us.
I watch him as the grimace on his face becomes more pronounced, the vines straining, their green color draining. The pulse against his throat leaps against his skin, and I know something is wrong.
Kneeling against him, I shout against the din, “Sylvain, let me help you!” And as I place my hands on his shoulders, the connection is instantaneous, and my mind is pulled into his, tunneling into the earth.
I can feel the ground beneath me, but I no longer see the men and their faces as the earth splits open like a mawed jaw, threatening to swallow them whole.
Screams reach my ears, but Sylvain and I are like jets of rainbow light, plunging into the ground and pushing the tectonic plates so they grind against one another.
The feeling seems to last a lifetime, frozen together on the earthly plane, crouched to the ground, but our minds are locked into the deep recesses of the earth, when suddenly it stops. We open our eyes at the same time, tears streaming down both of our faces.
We collapse, arms and legs tangled. Shouts of panic fill the misty air, but neither of us has the strength to lift our heads just yet, so instead we stare at each other.
Those eyes, so intense and almost scary when we first met, are warmed to buttery softness as he gazes at me, heat rolling off his body in waves despite the chilly air.
“Hey! There’s something down there, get the foreman!” A shout echoes across the forest.
I pull myself into a sitting position, my jaw instantly drops open at the size of the hole now in the ground.
Spanning the length of two school buses and as wide as a small roadside coffee shop, but broad enough that standing at one edge makes the far side look like another world.
My eyes scan the space, and I notice the shiny black cars have disappeared, leaving tire marks as they must have sped away in a hurry, fishtailing as they went.
One of the cranes has tipped into the hole on the narrower end, barely hanging on, while workers scramble around it, attaching chains to pull it out.
I feel his body next to mine. “Come on, let's go.”
I take one last look at the workers who seem to be standing around in a daze before I follow him out of the forest.
As we head back into town and step into the parking lot of the hotel, people are out in the street chatting and gesturing wildly. A harried-looking construction worker is running into the lobby.
“Come on, let’s go see what he is saying.” I urge Sylvain to follow me, feeling his body shrink down into his human form.
The second we cross the threshold, we hear the conversation in one of the smaller conference rooms.
“Hey, Mrs. Ames, you okay? That was some earthquake.” I spot her behind the counter and notice a few of her decorative plants have fallen off a shelf, but otherwise, everything looks to be okay.
“Oh, I’m just fine, honey, thanks for asking. That sure was crazy, never experienced anything like that before, although I remember my great-grandfather telling me about a time long ago when an earthquake happened in this area, but we all thought he was going senile or someth-”
A shout cuts her off, as all three of us freeze, not even trying to hide that we’re eavesdropping. I even saunter over to the cookie table, hoping to hear a little more clearly.
“Trevor, I told you once we find an artifact like this, let alone dozens, the state and the tribes have to get involved so they can test these objects. If they determine them to be indigenous cultural artifacts, then that’s it.
Even right now, there is an immediate stop-work order that I have to put in.
My hands are tied. We’re just lucky no one got hurt in the quake, that would be another nightmare to deal with! ”
More shouting follows as the door to the conference room slams shut, effectively blocking out the temper tantrums going on in the room.
Mrs. Ames tuts and shakes her head. “Serves them right for being so sneaky out there. The town had no clue they were ripping out trees left and right to build some fancy ski resort.” She puts her glasses back on her nose and continues her word search puzzle.
Sylvain looks at me meaningfully, eyes soft, and it's in this moment that I realize I never doubted him for a second.
This strange and wonderful man, who has helped me in so many ways, albeit gruffly, but always with care bordering on reverence.
My body needs to be close to him, and I slide into his warm embrace.
“Let’s go back to my room,” I murmur into his neck.
We wave to Mrs. Ames and make quick work of heading back to my room, and once we cross the threshold, Sylvain takes over, clawing my clothes off and getting me naked as quickly as possible.
I’m fully expecting this to be quick and frantic, but he surprises me by laying feather-light kisses on my neck and working his way down over my body, turning me this way and that, his eyes never leaving my skin.
Every so often, I hear him breathe in my scent and growl approvingly in his chest, which in turn makes my heart flutter.
When he reaches my nipples, taking each one in his warm mouth and suckling until they stand at attention, I decide to just go ahead and tell him.
“So…I think I love you.” I’m holding my breath, watching his face for any signs of regret.
My nipple drops from his mouth with a soft pop, and through his heavy-lidded gaze, his eyes meet mine, a rare smile spreading across his face.
“Well, that’s a relief, because I know I love you.”
“You do?” I ask, incredulous, my heart racing. I’m not sure why I sound so surprised. Maybe it was difficult to hear his words earlier, or maybe I’ve just presented myself as this flaky person for so long, who would want me?
“I thought…apparently not." He looks me deep in the eyes, "Let me make it crystal clear, you make me feel alive and connected. You’ve shown me what’s missing in life, and I want to support you in your path to finding your thing.” He looks thoughtfully off to the side, as though making some sort of decision.
“And I’m going to take the lead on planning how the restaurant will be involved in the end-of-summer festival. I think it's time.”
I sit up, pulse thrumming happily in my chest, acceptance blossoming.
How is it that I managed to snag someone who will listen to me prattle on endlessly and give me puppy eyes in return, and practically beg for me?
I start to think about my friends back in Phoenix who can’t find love to save their lives, and wonder if I should tell them that the love of their life just might be a forgotten god or a demon hiding in plain sight.
“Sylvain! That’s amazing, I have so many ideas. This is going to be great, and I know Remy will be so happy! We should definitely partner with some of the other smaller businesses in town, you know? Really make sure everyone can shine…oh!”
He’s nuzzled his tongue deep into my pussy, effectively cutting off all blood flow to my brain and stemming the river of thoughts I had. He’s right, there’s plenty of time to plan. I let my legs fall open, thinking about how deliriously happy I feel.