Interlude
The next afternoon, Killian and Elyse snuck away to the bedroom.
Giggling like a madwoman, Elyse told him of the pet rock she’d had as a child.
His name was Spunky, and he was very good at sitting but couldn’t do any other tricks.
Killian said that he’d had an imaginary friend named Nigel, who had a mustache and a silly accent.
Neither of them could stop from smiling as Killian laid her on the bed. Eyes pinned to one another, they moved together in slow, languid motions, happy to take their time.
The following night, Killian said that he hated when people used the word “supposably.” Elyse admitted that she often overcharged her customers who were well dressed.
After that, Killian threw her against the wall, biting her neck as his hands roved over her body.
Elyse dug her nails into his back until she drew blood, and begged for him to make her scream.
So Killian did.
The night after that, exhaustion had worn them both thin.
They lay in bed together, listening to the crickets, when Elyse confessed that she sometimes resented her mother.
Not because of Lazarus or the full moon ritual, but because she’d always been distant.
Even though it was only the two of them for all those years, they’d never been very close, rarely laughing or sharing their feelings.
And when she saw Killian and his mother together, it made her chest seize, realizing what she’d never had, and never would.
As a single tear slid down her cheek, Killian kissed her.
He told her that he understood her resentment, and that it didn’t make her a bad person.
He told her that emotions were complex and unexpected, and that her feelings were valid.
He stroked her hair and told her that when his siblings died, he was so angry.
His father acted like everything was normal.
He seemed so quick to let go of them, to continue life as it was.
He’d held onto that frustration for a long time, only letting it out during training.
It wasn’t until he was much older that he realized his father was doing it all for him.
He was protecting Killian, trying to give him some semblance of an ordinary life, one without grief and loss.
Elyse had never felt lighter as she rolled Killian onto his back and slid on top of him. Killian held her gaze the whole time, his expression conveying one thing.
I see you.
He saw her, and he loved all of her. Every smile, every flaw, every nice thing she’d done that she thought no one noticed.
As she moved her body against his, he pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it on the floor. His hand grazed her exposed skin. She was beautiful. She was beautiful, and she was his.
Elyse ground her hips slowly, savoring the feel of Killian inside her.
He grasped her hips, and she inhaled deeply, invigorated by his touch.
He guided her motions, slow and steady, their breaths growing sharper.
When he couldn’t take any more, he pulled her face down to meet his.
He pressed their lips together, pouring all of his love into that kiss.
He lifted his hips, driving himself into her, adoring the way she gasped.
He held her tight, his hand wrapped around the nape of her neck, their brows pressed together.
And when they both met their end, they did it together, with panting breaths and hope in their hearts.