Thirty-Eight
CHAPTER
Iwasn’t sure if I would ever get used to waking up in Zathrian’s warm embrace.
My hair was a tangled mess and half in my face, and dried drool stuck to the corner of my lips.
I lifted my hand to my mouth, wiping the drool from my face, and then to my eyes, rubbing the sleepiness from them. Zathrian propped himself on his elbow.
“Good morning, gorgeous.” His voice was husky from just waking up.
“Mmmm… Good morning.”
Zathrian dipped down to kiss my jaw, and I smiled at the feeling of his pillowy lips against my skin.
“C’mon, up and at ‘em! We have a big day ahead of us.” Zathrian sat up, sliding a single hand through his dark messy locks.
I groaned, rolling over onto my stomach and hugging my pillow. “Can’t we just stay in bed all day? I’m warm and cozy and have everything I could ever want right here.”
He shook his head. “No, you’re going to love it. There will be Shepherd’s pie, music, dancing, the whole lot, me. Now get up or…”
I lifted my brow, turning my head just enough to peer at him. “Or?”
“Or else I’ll have to tickle you!” Zathrian declared playfully.
Zathrian lunged forward, both his arms went to either of my sides, ferociously tickling me. I giggled, kicking and squirming beneath the blankets, attempting to grab at his hands in hopes of him to stop.
“S-s-stop!” I stuttered between giggles.
“Not until you get out of our bed!” His laughter echoed alongside mine, smiling from ear to ear, knowing that tickling was a weakness of mine.
“OKAY! OKAY, FINE! Fine, you win, you win!” I panted, and Zathrian finally stopped tickling me. He scooped me into his arms. Hugging me, he sent a ripple of emotion through the Bond.
Pure bliss and endless happiness.
I hesitated, before hugging him the slightest bit tighter than before. The ripple faded away. He still thought about it as much as I did. That day in the Mountain.
You smell good, I said through the Bond.
So do you. You smell like me, he replied.
I wonder why…
It’s almost like I’m your Mate.
And I’m yours.
He smiled, dipping his head down just enough to kiss my cheek. Zathrian pulled away, and together, we rolled out of bed. I stood up, briefly looking out the window and toward the vast mountainside just over the ridge.
I wrapped my arms around his torso, hugging him from behind.
I was scared to admit it but, I really was happy with Zathrian.
Oh, how I loved the smell of Tobacco Vanille.
Taking a whiff of his cologne, I leaned into Zathrian as we made our grand entrance into the evening’s celebration.
The starry night sky was breathtaking. Even as his people clapped and applauded for us, my eyes were up on the sky and the stars above.
The sky was a vast expanse of twinkling lights and majestic galaxies that swirled above in a dazzling display of color and light.
In the distance, the subtle sight of bioluminescence was aglow, and the water of the lake rippled.
Zathrian slid his hand to my lower back, gently guiding me through the roaring crowd and toward the long moonstone table of which he sat at the head. I went to take the seat adjacent to him, but he pulled me onto his lap in front of everyone. His hands slid around my waist, holding me tenderly.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he whispered against my ear.
“Dearest High Lord, it is most inappropriate for me to sit on your lap in front of your people,” I reminded him.
“You mean our people. You are my Mate. What’s mine is yours,” he replied.
My eyes met his with the look, and as I scrunched my nose, Zathrian reached up and gave it a gentle squeeze.
We both laughed, and it felt so good to do so.
He was right. We were Mates. Nothing would change that.
We were bound together not only by magic, but by fate and the Gods above.
There was no use in fighting against fate, for it had already been written.
What was meant to be simply would be, and that was that. Plain and simple.
I turned my attention to the table and the array of food that was laid across it, including the rich foods that the Realm of Stars served at all their events.
Rich and filling foods like steak, Shepherd’s pie, mashed potatoes, cake, ice cream, and so much more.
It was no wonder I gained the weight back that I once lost during my time in the other Realms.
It was nice, seeing everyone so happy.
Everyone for except Mateo, who was at his seat, playing with his food. His fork scraped his plate, pushing the food around.
He looked so sad from across the table. His hair was disheveled and the buttons at the top of his shirt were unbuttoned, exposing the muscles on his chest. The fabric was crooked and wrinkled.
He didn’t seem as put together as he usually did.
He had every reason to celebrate, but how could he when he was Realms apart from his own Mate.
He misses Acheron, Zathrian said through the Bond.
I exhaled slowly, turning toward Zathrian. “He does…” I bit down on my bottom lip. “Maybe you should let him go.”
“It’s not that simple, you know that,” he replied.
“I know.” I sighed.
Zathrian leaned forward and planted a kiss on my temple. “Don’t worry so much. Relax. You can breathe. Let’s enjoy today for what it is and not worry about anything else.”
I nodded.
I wanted to protest, but he was right. I needed to breathe and stop being so—
His hands drifted to my shoulders, gently massaging my flesh, trying to work out the tension. I tilted my head slightly, basking in the feeling of my muscles loosening. Zathrian’s hands kneaded the tight knots in my muscles.
I closed my eyes as his hands slid down my shoulders and to my hips. Sinking back against him, for once, I enjoyed the moment while it lasted.
I could get used to this, I really could.
Zathrian intertwined his fingers with mine and gently tugged me away from the celebration, past the sandy beach, and toward the moonstone lit pier.
“Where are we going?”
“Do you trust me?” he asked.
“Of course I do. Perhaps a little too much.”
“Ha ha, very funny.”
I snickered, playing right into his mischievous antics.
A single row boat was tied to the end of the dock, lightly rocking with the gentle waves. Bursts of blue illuminated the crystal-clear waters beneath. I smiled, taken aback by its beauty as we stood at the edge of the pier, hand-in-hand.
Zathrian smiled, nothing but love and adoration in his eyes.
“Get in,” he said with a coy smile.
“In the boat?” I asked.
“Yes. Get in the boat,” he repeated, tightening his grip on my hand.
“What if I don’t want to get in the boat?” I asked playfully.
“Aerilyn. Boat. In. Now.” He used his free hand to point into the boat that was rocking more than before.
I hesitated for only a moment before timidly climbing into the boat, sitting down backward onto the bench.
I leaned over to look down at the moonstone fish as Zathrian climbed into the boat alongside me.
He undid the ropes, reached for the oars, and slowly, paddling in long strokes, he brought us into the middle of the lake.
The stars, oh how they shined so bright.
I admired the twinkling lights above us and how truly captivating the moonlight night was.
My smile mimicked his. My heart skipped a beat, realizing that he was already looking at me. There was so much love and adoration in those eyes of his. Has he always been this handsome?
“Careful there, High Lord,” I whispered, eyes shining, “keep looking at me like that and you just might not ever get rid of me.”
“Maybe that’s my plan,” he grinned, “to give you everything you crave until you realize I’m on the list, too. I am your Mate, you know. Whether you like it or not, you are stuck with me for all of eternity and thereafter.” He smirked.
My cheeks flushed pink as I rolled my eyes playfully. “That you are.”
A comfortable quiet surrounded us. The sounds of gentle waves rippling and the distant sound of music and laughter filled our ears.
I leaned over just enough to brush my fingers against the water’s surface. A ripple of vibrant blue appeared. Smiling bigger, I was mesmerized by the color.
“You have no idea how gorgeous you really are, do you?” he asked.
Taken aback, the heat in my cheeks grew.
Since the Mate Bond finally snapped for us, he made me feel things I had never felt before.
I was always giddy, jittery even. Butterflies flocked within me.
Not only from his touch, or that look in his eyes, or the words he spoke, but…
everything. All of him. His mere existence was more than enough to make me come undone for him.
“And you don’t have any idea how much your words really mean to me,” I replied.
He smiled.
I did, too. It was different, being able to be in one another’s presence and feel perfectly content. We were Mates, even though we hadn’t officially accepted the Bond yet.
We haven’t talked much about it, the Mate Bond. I wasn’t really all sure why. Maybe it was too soon after everything that had happened lately. My eyes rested on him, watching him gaze at the stars. I tilted my head, watching his smile grow, and then I saw it.
It was breathtakingly beautiful.
Like nothing I had ever seen before.
Celestial, star-shaped lanterns filled the night sky, floating all around us as shimmering stardust fell from above. It shone so bright it almost looked like glitter, covering us from head to toe.
A giggle left my lips as I leaned forward, my hand reaching out to gently brush the stardust away from his face.
Zathrian lifted his hand to grab my wrist, carefully guiding it toward his lips.
He planted a kiss against the back of my palm, then soft and agonizingly slow kisses up my wrist and forearm.
He leaned forward, the boat slightly rocking from the sudden shift in weight.
He inched closer and closer until he fell all the way forward, taking me with him.
He rolled onto his back, pulling me on top of him.
We both stared at one other with wide eyes. The boat rocked while we both laughed.
Zathrian slid his hand up to my cheek, tenderly pushing my curls away from my face and tucking them behind my ear.
His fingers circled around my earlobe and beneath my chin.
His eyes flickered to my lips, and then my eyes.
Without saying a single word, he pressed his lips passionately against mine.
My eyes went wide at first, abruptly closing them the moment I realized he was kissing me.
I leaned into that kiss, further deepening it.
One kiss turned into another, and another, and another.
His tongue gently pushed past my lips and grazed my teeth. I opened my mouth just enough for him to shove his tongue into mine, our tongues dancing for dominance.
A battle he ultimately won. He slid his hand to my face, pulling me closer as we kissed beneath the star-covered, lantern-filled sky.