100. Levi
LEVI
Dusk falls shortly after the cervahnith disappears between the trees, and the forest seems to come alive again.
Evening birdsong lightens the air as the three of us forage for berries.
There are a variety of mushrooms growing from the aersyan trees and are somehow able to survive the freezing temperature but I’m hardly inclined to risk trying them.
There are also what look like nuts dangling from a smaller, nearby tree, but with shells as hard as stone.
Every time I see a scurrying, hopping, crawling, or flying woodland creature, the knife in my belt becomes heavy, but I dare not risk whatever wrath might be wreaked upon us should I go against the kill nothing rule.
Azrael’s mood has become increasingly somber—a cause for true concern considering I cut this male’s head off and he took it in stride.
What inconceivable horror has he discovered that is so capable of darkening his mood?
Shoving away my anxiety, I pop one of the fat, firm peach-colored berries I’m collecting from a bush.
An explosion of flavor–sweet and tangy–hits my tongue.
It’s like citrus in a berry. My eyes flick to the rapidly setting sun as I mutter a small prayer that I don’t die in the next thirty minutes, and that I’ve just found our dinner.
And thanks to my flint, the blade at my belt I can use as a striker, along with the char cloth in my pocket, we just might be able to cuddle in front of a fire tonight.
The sound of Azrael’s soft murmur draws my attention. He’s holding up a sparkly rock to the waning light. “How lovely are you, you wee treasure. Would you like to go on an adventure with us? Yes? I thought so. You won’t regret it.”
He then slides it into his pocket, and gives it a pat before he resumes scanning the flora and forest floor for signs of food.
The seams of my heart threaten to burst.
Only moments ago, his despair permeated the air around him, and yet all it took was a pebble to brighten his mood.
How is it, that despite his eons of life and heartbreak, this male is so resilient that his appreciation and wonder for even the simplest, most innocent of things has not diminished?
True strength and power lies in one’s willingness to find joy despite all that threatens to break you.
Violette’s voice is soft beside me.
“Why darling, you look like you’ve been struck by Eros’s arrow.”
A tendril of fear pokes and prods at the fluttering organ in my chest.
Dear god. She’s right.
I’m falling in love with Azrael.
My gaze falls to hers. A pile of apple-like fruits rest in the snow beside her.
Jesus. I’d been so enchanted by Azrael, I hadn’t even heard her approach.
A small panic seizes my insides. My heart lies in the hands of not one, but two people that have the power to destroy me. If anything happened to either one of them, if either one of them left... My throat closes at the thought.
“I fear I’m ruined.”
Violette steps closer to me and tugs me by my coat to lower my mouth to hers. She murmurs against me, in the scant space of shared, blessed breath.
“Not ruined, my love. Renewed.”
She seals the statement with a kiss that gives me the strength to release my fear.
“Should we set up camp here? I can get a fire going for us.”
Violette gives me an incredulous look. “You mean you don’t want to sleep in the chamber of corpses?”
A soft bark of laughter escapes me, easing the tension in my muscles, and the sound of Violette’s giggle warms something deep in my soul.
Still chuckling, she calls out to Azrael. “I found our dinner, angel. You can stop pretending to forage.”
Azrael’s head snaps in her direction, eyes dipping briefly to her pile of fruit before flashing with faux-menace. Her lips twitch as she gives him a haughty look. “Don’t think I didn’t see you stealing from the forest, god of death.”
Azrael’s eyes narrow further.
“Such hubris deserves a reward, female. Shall I bend you over my knee?”
Violette cackles as she squats, and begins balling up a handful of snow. “How about I bend you over my knee, male? I promise I won’t be gentle.”
A feral grin splits Azrael’s lips as she tosses it at him. It hits him in the shoulder, and his responding laughter is contagious. He offers Violette an impish grin, wiggling his butt. “You missed.”
Violette giggles, hurriedly packing another snowball and flinging it at him. He arches his back as if to catch it with his ass. It connects with a soft smack, and he jumps up, arms raised as we all cheer in unison.
Violette beams at me, already packing another snowball. “Your turn.”
I huff an incredulous laugh. “Absolutely not.”
She rolls her eyes. “Don’t be a spoil-sport.”
“What do I get in return, if I let you hit me with a snowball?”
She hums as if deliberating. “I’ll lick your asshole.”
Laughter rumbles from my chest as Azrael’s feigns offense. “What about my asshole?”
My cock thickens at the thought. “I’m pretty sure I could get you to lick my asshole without bargaining, princess.”
Violette scoffs around a laugh.. “If you don’t let me hit you with a snowball, I’ll never lick your asshole. How about that?”
She tosses another snowball and misses again when I easily dodge it.
Adjusting my cock, my grin is so wide it causes my cheeks to ache.
“So long as I can continue licking your asshole..."
Violette giggles, tossing another snowball anyway, and I weave as another bout of laughter roars from my chest. She swiftly kneels to pack another, but I’m already running away as Azrael erupts with laughter while watching Violette sprint across the snow to launch it at me—only to miss again.
“So help me Akash there will be no licking of anyone’s asshole if you don’t give me the satisfaction of tagging you with a snowball! ”
She throws yet another–—in futility. I quickly scoop two fistfuls of snow. Her gaze meets mine—my grin nothing short of maniacal as I gently sculpt the snow so it doesn’t sting when it hits.
“Better run, princess.”
She lets out a squeal of screaming laughter as she turns and begins to run as fast as her feet will carry her in the thick blanket of snow. Which is to say, slow as shit.
My snowball sails and hits her gently on the back of her head. More screaming laughter escapes her, surely scaring away any and all nearby predators, if there are any.
I’ve already closed the distance between us by the time her screech comes to an end.
My arms wrap around her, and I tuck her against my body, rolling us onto the snow.
Her unrestrained laughter makes my chest squeeze tight.
I bury my face in her neck, growling as I gingerly scrape my fangs against her delicate flesh.
She squirms and flails as the sensation intensifies her laughter.
A sudden wave of emotion comes over me that has me pulling her more firmly against my chest—the recognition of just how precious this fleeting moment is, and the reality of where we are and the uncertainty that we’ll survive it.
My determination to do so. As if she can sense it, Violette’s laughter wanes.
Her legs tighten around my waist as she nuzzles against me.
My words are a thick growl. “I fucking love you.”
I’m gonna get us out of here. We’re gonna finish these rituals, and then Az and I—no matter what diabolical thoughts of death he has—are gonna spend the rest of our lives worshipping you.