Chapter 27
I woke to complete stillness. The bed beside me was empty and I wished I could bury myself in Arrazyl’s arms again.
I let my gaze drift around the room, really seeing it this time as morning light streamed through the window.
Everything in Arrazyl’s room was lavish looking but cold, from the dark, heavy silk-like curtains to the large furniture made from wood that was black with a reddish tinge.
When I stretched, my muscles pulled, aching. It was the best ache I’d ever felt in my life. Better than the feeling after a strenuous exercise when I knew my muscles were getting stronger.
Jaron and Tatiana. The sudden thought of them made me bolt upright, wincing. I needed to get back to the house.
With my torn dress clutched around me, I got through the rest of the vorazka without encountering anyone and made my way back to the house.
Thankfully they were both still asleep, and I had a cup of coffee and wrote in my journal about some cultural things I’d noticed but hadn’t recorded.
Jaron and Tatiana came out around the same time.
“Oh Jacqueline, I’m glad to see you. I can’t believe you two had to endure something like what happened yesterday. I still hurt occasionally from being attacked by the jungle animal when we ran away, I can’t imagine you two getting beat up and threatened again.” Tatiana shook her head.
I didn’t comment. I had no nice things to say about the whole event.
“Where were you?” Jaron asked.
“I was just taking a walk. It’s nice not to be barred in here.” I said it as casually as possible and I hid my wince as I shifted in my seat, but Jaron’s keen gaze was on me. His eyes flicked to Tatiana. She seemed to read the room and stood. “Does anyone want coffee?”
I smiled, “another cup would be great.”
“I’d love some.” Jaron waited until she was in the kitchen, then looked at me, face tight with discomfort. “I don’t want to pry or know anything except if he…” he swallowed, “if he did something to you that you didn’t want.”
I knew my face must have shown my shock. I lifted my hands, palms toward him. “I’m ok, I promise.”
He didn’t look convinced. “If you’ve made some type of deal with him for our safety—”
“No! Jaron, it’s not like that at all. I—” how was I supposed to talk to my brother about this? Still, I couldn’t leave him thinking that Arrazyl had assaulted me. “Anything that might have happened between us was consensual.”
He rubbed a hand down his face. “Thank God, because this has been the most uncomfortable conversation I’ve ever had with you.”
I laughed. “Worse than when you demanded to know why I had blood in my bed?”
He shuddered. “We were young when you got your period, I thought you’d injured yourself. That conversation is now a solid second place in terms of horror.”
I was still chuckling when Tatiana brought us coffee. I was curious about her and Kyvar, especially after what I’d seen at the festival, but I wouldn’t ever ask. It wasn’t my place. It was possible nothing had happened, I hadn’t seen her wincing and limping around like I seemed unable to hide.
“Do either of you have plans for today?” I asked. It was strange having our freedom again. We needed a purpose, something to do with it.
“I spoke with Thyra yesterday after the incident. She arranged for me to teach a class to some of their own scholars. It’s a great opportunity to collaborate.” Jaron said.
Tatiana was quiet for a long moment, fiddling with the handle of her cup. “Kyvar invited me to go with him on a flight.”
“Do you want to?” She seemed hesitant, and I again worried he might be pressuring her, even if I believed he wouldn’t physically force her. If she told me he was making her uncomfortable, I would immediately go to Arrazyl, regardless of how close he and his second in command were.
“Is he being nice to you?” Jaron asked.
A blush stained her cheeks, and she glanced at me and Jaron from under her lashes. “He’s very nice…I find him attractive and I think he thinks the same of me.”
Yeah, no kidding, given where I’d seen his hands when they’d been kissing the other night.
“But you seem hesitant to go with him.” I said before taking a sip of the delightfully bitter vorpyr coffee.
“I’m afraid.” She admitted. “What if he wants…more? He’s so big. What if humans and vorpyr aren’t compatible?”
“We’re compatible.” I said.
“Vorpyr and humans can be together.” Jaron chimed at the same time.
We all looked at each other. Shock showed on Tatiana’s face as her gaze bounced between us and Jaron looked like he wished he’d kept quiet. “How do you two know? Am I in the dark about something?”
Jaron made a strangled sound while I became occupied with taking sips—ok, fine, they were gulps—of my drink.
“Oh. You two are brave.” She seemed lost in thought, gazing down into the dark liquid.
“Yes, well—” Jaron quickly got to his feet, “I should get ready.”
“That’s a great thing you’re doing, the collaboration.” I said.
“I hope they—”
The sliding of the door had us all swiveling our heads in that direction. Arrazyl stepped inside.
“I guess taking the bar off didn’t mean we get the courtesy of a knock.
” Jaron grumbled. I shot him a quelling look.
I didn’t understand why he disliked Arrazyl so much, but it worried me.
We may be treated better, given more freedom, but we were still strangers in this place and many still considered us enemies.
Clearly. It was confusing when I thought about our precarious position here and looked at the massive male that had been buried inside of me last night before holding me to him and giving me his warmth as I fell asleep.
Arrazyl didn’t even bother to look at him. His eyes were on me. I felt a flush crawling up my chest and desperately tried to contain it. I didn’t want anyone to see my reaction to him.
“I have some things to speak with you about.” His gaze flicked to my companions and back. “Have you eaten breakfast?”
“Not yet.” I’d been too busy trying not to do an obvious walk of shame. Food was the last thing on my mind.
“Come then, I hear Lyhyle is better and cooking again.”
I hesitated. I wanted to say yes, those savory breakfast pies we’d had at that tiny restaurant tucked away on the other side of the city were amazing, but I feared if I walked all that way it would be obvious to everyone who saw me how stiff I was. Still, I didn’t want to say no, either.
After a quick goodbye to the other two, I walked straight out the door, keeping the twinge between my thighs to myself.
Or so I hoped. Arrazyl was watching me with an unreadable expression, and my belly flipped as he slid the door closed behind me.
We stared at one another. Was he going to say it was a mistake?
That he was the Vorazyr and I was a human and that it had been just a flurry of temporary passion and wouldn’t happen again?
That he regretted what happened between us?
I turned away, my chest aching at the thought. I didn’t want to hear that.
He grunted, and his delicious scent swirled around me when he came close. “I’m going to take you up to the clifftop first, so we have privacy.” He captured me in his arms before I could respond and then we were flying, hurtling upward quicker than he’d flown with me before.
He left me in an alcove in the tree before vanishing without a word.
I slid all the way back, away from the opening.
Worry ate at me. Had it been a mistake? Maybe I’d been a fool, but it was an experience I would never forget and I couldn’t regret it.
The pleasure had been unsurpassable and being with him…
it had made me feel cared for and more alive than ever before.
I’d never experienced a man who worshiped my body like that.
I didn’t know if men even knew how to do that.
And besides that intimate night between us, I liked him.
The more time I spent with him, the more I enjoyed his company. The more I respected him.
Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t register his presence until he’d slipped into the alcove, putting his back to one side and stretching his long legs across the entrance. Blocking any escape. My heart kicked into gear, but not in fear, in excitement.
He set a package between us. It smelled good but I didn’t reach for it, didn’t take my eyes off him. He settled back and turned his head to look out into the forest. The air between us was thick.
“Why did you leave?” He finally broke the silence.
That wasn’t what I’d been expecting. “You were gone and I…I didn’t know if you wanted me to leave or…” I lifted a shoulder. “Plus I didn’t want Jaron and Tatiana to wake with me gone.”
“You’re sore. You shouldn’t have gotten out of bed. I was coming back as soon as I dealt with an issue.”
“Being sore won’t kill me.” I said gently.
He studied me, eyes cold and hard. I hated that expression, it didn’t belong in his eyes when he was looking at me. “Do you regret mating?”
“Of course not.” I scooted closer and took his hand. “Arrazyl, I worried that you might. That you’d…be hurtful, if you came back and I was still there.”
He growled, low and deep, displeasure written across his face. “Never. Even if I didn’t want to continue with you, I would never shame you or hurt you for opening to me.”
I swallowed. “And you don’t? Don’t want to continue this?”
His eyes flashed and his nostrils flared.
“I want more of you, Jacqueline. You’re beautiful, and watching your mind work is a delight.
I want more of your body, of your cries as pleasure consumes you, and of your thoughts, your intense expressions as you learn about something that you’re interested in. ”
Tears pricked the back of my eyes. I was relieved. I also hadn’t ever heard a man say anything like that to me. And after this time with him, I knew Arrazyl wasn’t lying or laying it on thick like some men did. He was telling it as he saw it.