Page 47 of Elemental Affections

“I’d … prefer if we were discreet about this.” She worried at her lower lip with her teeth. “Not as an optics thing, I don’t want it to affect our work.”

“Of course.”

“And—” A faint blush tinged her cheeks. “I’d like for this to be exclusive. Us.”

“I insist on it. No one else touches you while you’re with me.” He winced at the possessiveness in his words, his tone, and gave her a weak smile. “So to speak.”

Anadae didn’t appear taken aback or alarmed by his declaration. She looked relieved, smiling as she leaned in to kiss him. Her lips were deliciously swollen from his earlier attention. The thought made his cock give a half-hearted bob against his leg. Tired, but not dead.

Ezzyn drifted off to sleep, wondering how many hours was reasonable to wait before taking her again. Probably at least a few.

He woke with the sun, his body remembering the routine even if his mind resisted. Anadae was sound asleep, curled up against him. Keeping his touch gentle, he ran a hand over her head, smoothing her thick, dark hair. She murmured incoherently, pressing into him.

Ezzyn’s heart squeezed deep in his chest. He wasn’t one much for cuddling. The partners he’d had in the past had been quick to realize it. Such encounters hadn’t encouraged that kind of intimacy anyway, were simply means to an end. Enjoyable but for a specific purpose.

Anadae engendered something else in him. Something that was diametrically opposed to their declared boundary of no expectations, if he thought about it too much.

So, he didn’t. He’d live in the present and worry about all else later. She wanted discretion and exclusivity, both of which he desired, too. That was enough.

He spied the discarded vial of contraceptive potion on the floor, a stark reminder that he needed to replenish. As soon as possible. Though it was the weekend and they were free of the time commitments of classes and work, he knew better than to hope she would give him all of her leisure time.

Careful not to jostle her, Ezzyn slipped out of bed, murmuring that he would return soon. She mumbled nonsense in reply, burying her head in his pillow.

Smiling to himself, he vowed that next time, he would wake her with his mouth. He wanted her sweetness to be the first thing he tasted in the morning.

He went to the student mercantile, taking advantage of the quiet an early weekend morning brought. He decided to stick with his previous selection of contraceptive potion, since Anadae hadn’t seemed averse to the taste. Then he swung by the university’s commons on the way back and secured a few baked goods, enough variety to suit whether she preferred sweet or savory.

When he finally walked back through his door, Anadae was awake and seated at his kitchen table, clad only in one of his shirts. She had her notebook open in front of her, along with a glass of water and a bottle of cooking oil. A frown creased her brow as she concentrated on the glass, light sparking in her fingers.

Ezzyn didn’t speak as he joined her at the table. Dots of oil floated in the glass, evading her tendrils of magic. She persisted, calling up more magic until she could snare a drop with a miniature net of light. A faint snap sounded as the oil froze, bobbing on the surface.

Anadae jotted down a note. “You’d think having the theory would make it easier.”

He laughed, setting his parcel of foodstuffs on the table. “It’s been a day. It’ll come with more practice.”

She made an appreciative noise when he took out a pastry and put it in front of her. He kissed the side of her head, then went to make tea. As he boiled water—quick work for him—he said, “You should submit this for the field opportunity in the spring.”

“It’s not very concrete,” she replied. “You don’t think it’s better to focus on extreme frost techniques?”

“Isn’t that what you’re exploring here?”

“I suppose, though not in the way I’ve been using them.” Anadae sighed. “But I can’t reliably execute either technique. It’s meant to work in conjunction with other methods. What if I hold people back?”

“Use my work as your base. You’re as familiar with the setup as I am at this point.”

Her head jerked up. “What? Are you serious? I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“It’s your work. I can’t take—”

“The ward structure I’m using isn’t new, so you wouldn’t be holding anything back. Collaboration, remember?” he teased in a gentle tone. “The layering spells and targeted approach is going to be plenty enough work on your own.”

“You really mean— You’re not just saying this because, because we just…” She blushed, but her gaze didn’t waver.

He laughed. “No, Anadae, I’m not buying your body with my research. Though, if I’d known that was all it took—”

“Careful, you,” she said, a mock glare on her face.

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