Page 105 of Tainted Gifts
He sighs, mocking frustration while unsuccessfully stifling an excited grin. He's like an excited teen right now, and I can't seem to stop giggling like a schoolgirl.
"Fine," he murmurs, releasing me so I can walk on my own.
We head outside to where one of the larger tents is set up, and he tilts his head.
"What's this one? No one told me about this one," he says while inspecting it.
"That's because I had it specially placed, and I even went through the channels and got it authorized by a general. I imagine you know which general I used," I joke, pulling back the side panel for him to enter.
"My sister was your coconspirator? She's been blocking me out too?"
"She can't," I murmur while following him inside. "But she knows how to make you tune out. All she has to do is think about my brother and her, and she feels you running out of her head."
"That's disgustingly crafty," he grumbles in distaste, shivering after.
He takes in the small tent's surroundings. Everything is covered by a sheet except for a lone chair in the middle. He studies it and starts to peel back a sheet when I pop his hand like a he's child reaching for a cookie before dinner.
"Sit down," I say while pushing him backwards to the chair.
He laugh as he obliges, and once he's seated, I go to straddle him.
"This is my surprise? Outdoor sex? Perfect."
"Stop," I chuckle out when he jerks my ass to force my center against him. "That's not what this is. This is something you've secretly wanted for years, possibly centuries, but you've probably never told anyone. I don't have to have to be a mind reader to read your mind."
He tilts his head, leaning back while keeping me pulled to him. "I can't seem to think of anything I've wanted for that long. Are you sure you know what you're doing, Ms. Banner?"
"Positive. You see, you're a hybrid, and like me, you're exceptionally gifted, more so than what you give yourself credit for. But you've had to hide it for far too many centuries. You've felt like you were in limbo, never belonging to a group. After your sister's gifted secret came out, you felt even more alone because she joined the hybrids. Yet you somehow managed to become this amazing man despite all the isolation you must have felt."
He swallows hard on the unexpected emotion I've provoked. His mismatched eyes shift to pale so he can shut me out. I kiss him softly, running my fingers through his hair as a show of affection.
"Don't shut me out," I murmur softly, kissing his cheek. "I want to feel you like you want to read my mind."
"I didn't realize your abilities were that extensive," he murmurs while clearing his throat from the surprise. "I only assumed you could read me here and now, not in the past."
I smile as I kiss him, feeling so connected to him right now even though I can't feel him through his pale blue eyes.
"They're not that extensive. I didn't feel that, I just know you. I feel like I've always known you. That's how I know this is the best birthday present I can give you."
"I forgot it was even my birthday," he mutters with a huff of a laugh.
"I didn't. I also haven't forgotten all the times you traced the lines of my sparrow, staring at it with a secretive gaze I didn't understand until recently. Now, you'll have one of your own, and I'm going to be the one to give it to you."
Tears try to form in his eyes, but he quickly blinks them back, refusing to be this emotional in front of me. I was very right about this, and I love the fact that I get to be a part of it.
I start to stand, but he pulls me close, pressing his lips to mine with a crushing force as he breathes me in, thanking me for giving me the one thing he's always wanted but could never have as a false full blood.
"I'm sorry I doubted you," he murmurs against my lips, making me smile more.
"Now, where do you want it?" I ask while standing up and staring down at him.
He smirks while pulling his shirt off, and then he points to his shoulder, the one I bled just earlier before we crashed all day.
"Here. The place you bled before agreeing to marry me."
I smile victoriously, feeling very vindicated in my choice of gift, as I walk over to the machine hidden by the sheet. Then I walk over to the table and pull back the sheet to reveal the uranium-laser tips.
When I turn back around, I catch him quickly wiping his face while hiding the tear he just cleared from his cheek.
