Page 54 of Dryad, Try Again
As if sensing the recognition on my face, he bends down, craning his wooden body. His eyes glow behind the wooden holes, but I recognize his facial structure. I used to be so afraid of a being like this, but now…
“Kovi,” I whisper.
“This is…me…” His voice is deeper, slower. He’s tentative and gentle, like I might break down at any moment.
But not this time. “Kovi…you’re beautiful,” I say, softly. I gently place my hand on his cheek. Oh, he’s a tree spirit, alright. My fingers caress the tough bark of his face, and he shivers. A soft inhuman moan escapes his lips, and the branches jutting from this scalp quiver.
My Kovi likes when I touch him, even as a dryad.
“Tanner,” he says with a rumble. He opens his eyes, and his look can only be described as a begging, pleading face.
I know what he’s asking. Kovi hasn’t turned me down, but the opposite. He’s imploring me to take that final step. Me, a man, and him, a monster…we fit together. My heart swells knowing he wants to take this second chance again, for the two of us. We’re the only two people on the planet.
I need to show him I’m in this, for real.
Time slows down. In the most surreal moment of my life, I lean in and kiss him. His lips are somehow hard, like wood, but also soft, like the lips I’ve memorized. I breathe in his earthy, pine scent and stroke his cheek as his mouth kisses me back. My tongue presses forward, wanting to explore Kovi in this form, so foreign to me. When he parts his lips, I’m pleasantly surprised to find a tongue but no teeth; his mouth is all soft, pliable wood. Still, he tastes as sweet as he does as a human.
I’m kissing a dryad. I’m kissing a tree monster. Most of all, I’m truly enjoying it.This is wild.
Instinctively, I drop the bouquet so I can use both hands to touch him. My pulse pounds faster —yes, I’m getting harder down there, too —as we get into the kiss. He not as coarse as regular wood, but he’s still prickly against my mouth. His vine hands touch my shoulders, but I ignore all instincts to pull away. I’m not afraid, not when I have so much affection for this tree spirit.
As I kiss Kovi, I know that I’ve officially fallen in love with him, regardless of his form. He’s a dryad shifter, half tree spirit,half man. But I want him to be all mine. So I kiss him in the glow of the blood moon, hoping he knows exactly how I feel.
After pulling off for air,Tanner reaches up and places the bouquet in one of the campus trees, stating it’s his favorite tree. His knowledge of forestry has always been impressive, but his height as a dryad is kind of…sexy? I’ve never been physically interested in monsters per se, but there’s so much more to attraction than looks. Now that I have a clear mind and we’ve kissed, a lot of sweet ideas are dawning on me. He finishes placing the flowers in the tree, and he takes my hand in his wooden one. His tiny pliable branch fingers intertwine with mine, and sparks of affection jolt straight into my heart.
As well, feelings of lust land in my groin. I’m…actually genuinely turned on by this tree monster.
My boyfriend. The dryad.
We walk in the moonlight, leisurely making our way to the dance. As I look at him, he smiles down at me. “What?” he asks, in that deep voice.
“Nothing, just…grateful to be with you.” I squeeze his wooden hand. “Also…you’re very attractive,” I mutter with a grin.
This makes him stop. I spin around, concerned at Kovi’s frozen demeanor. Even as a tree monster, I can tell he’s nervous. “What’s wrong?”
“Tanner…” He sinks down into a cross-legged position to get eye-level with me. The sounds of music blaring from the student union yards away is the only soundtrack. “There’s…something important I need to tell you.” No one else is around, and I brace myself for whatever he might say.Did I already fuck up this second or third chance of our relationship? What did I say wrong?
“What is it? Was that wrong to say you’re attractive?” I move closer and caress his wooden face. “I meant it.”
He shakes his head. “Just…let me finish.” His drawl in this form is slower, but I like it. Still, I can’t help the new anxiety crawling up my spine. “I…am so into you.” He takes my chin and rubs it with his soft branch fingers.
“Well, good,” I reply with a grin.
“But I can’t…I can’t satisfy you…sexually…” he mutters.
Huh? “Um, were we in the same bed? Because I thoroughly enjoyed it when we fucked.”
We both laugh, but after a moment, his smile drops. “No, I…I need to tell you about this form. Something I’ve never confessed to anyone. Not even Seth or Blake.”
I gulp. “Um…what?”
He sighs and looks around, discomfort radiating off of his tree bark. “I’ve only had sex with one other person.”
“Oh?” I frown, not understanding the controversy.So I’m not his first everything, so what?
“He was…a golem shifter, a being made of dirt and rocks. We barely dated. He graduated last year. Nice guy, but the fire between us died out quickly, so we parted ways on friendly terms.”
“Uh huh…” A possessive instinct flares in my chest.Is he about to tell me that he still likes his ex?Because Iwillfist fight a monster.
