Page 64 of Bound

She sat up, staring around the bedroom. The only thing remaining of her bed was several pillows tucked around her. The rest was all nest, complete with leaves and dark spiderwebs.

“Gods,” she whispered, overwhelmed.

“I cannot sleep without it,” Slate said quickly. “I can remove it if you wish.”

He started to rise. She grabbed him, pulling him back down into the nest with her.

“No! This is good. This is…” She looked around, letting out a disbelieving giggle. “This isincredible. Is this going to stay here?”

“For as long as you wish.”

She stared at him, amazed. She had a fuzzy memory of asking for his nest last night, but she hadn’t thought he would actuallydoanything about it. The idea that he’d done it on some mumbled, sleepy request made her heart turn over in her chest.

She rubbed the edge of his skull mask fondly. “What about your forest? You’ve been sleeping in it since before my town was founded.”

“Long before,” Slate agreed. He wrapped an arm around her cautiously, as if he was waiting to be rebuffed. “The forest is still there. But…youare here.”

Ruby’s eyes burned. She ducked her head, breathing in the heady scent of fur. “I would have come to your nest in the forest.”

“I wanted to make a new one.” Slate twisted his tail, sweeping it over the massive nest they were curled up in. “Do you like it?”

Ruby looked around again at the soft furs and chocolates tucked into the lining.

“I do,” she said. “Thank you. For staying.”

She pressed her face into his neck, trying to hide her burning eyes. Slate rubbed her back, but there was something hesitant in his touch.

Ruby pulled back. Slate’s black eyes were wide behind his bone mask, his tail swishing anxiously.

Ruby frowned. “Slate? What is it?”

“I have something for you,” he admitted.

Ruby tensed at his serious tone. She sat up, clutching a layer of fur over her bare chest. “What is it?”

Slate hesitated. “You cannot naturally fit me. Your mortal body is too small.”

Ruby shrank into herself. She could feel his come dripping out of her swollen hole onto the fur below them. He hadn’t cleaned it up with his tongue like he often did.

“I can do it,” she insisted. “If we just?—”

He cut her off. “There are limits. We have both felt them.”

Ruby flushed, averting her eyes. “I had limits the first time, and we worked on them! IknowI can do it.”

Slate shushed her, pulling her into his lap.

Ruby steadied herself against his chest, her eyes stinging. “Are you… telling me it’s useless? Are you telling me toleave?”

It didn’t make sense. Hejustmade her a nest. Maybe this was his way of saying goodbye?

“No,” Slate assured her. His tongue slid over her red cheek, nudging the corners of her eyes where tears were starting to well.

He was beingverytouchy, Ruby considered as he ran his hands up her bare back. If he hoped that would make it easier to let her down like this, he had something else coming.

But before she could insist they keep trying, Slate spoke again.

“I have sought out a spell,” he said. “It has diminished me. But it will allow me to fit inside of you.”

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