Page 50 of Faeheart
Chapter 19
Wild
Iwas too tired to think about the implications of Atlas’s words. And so was everyone else. After using up all our energy to protect the mansion and put the dead back to sleep, all I could think about was getting some rest myself. Atlas helped Elias get me back to my room before he and Caden went to their own chamber. Elias stayed with me, helping me undress as I crawled into bed.
“You can’t wear your jeans to bed,” he huffed, pulling the blankets away from me. “It’s unsanitary.”
“I haven’t been exactly rolling in the mud today,” I groaned, reaching down and undoing the button at my waist. “I think you’re just trying to get me naked.” I leaned back, throwing a hand dramatically over my forehead. “And take advantage of my weakened state.”
“I am not,” he snapped, but I could see the red rising in his cheeks.
I just stared at him, a grin curling over my lips. After such a serious and frankly disturbing afternoon, I let myself give into the jokes. Something had to lighten the mood. I wasn’t made for suchseverityall the time. I needed fun to survive.
“Oh no,” I said, coughing lightly. “I don’t think I have the strength to get thesepeskyjeans off. Whatever will I do?”
Elias rolled his eyes, but I could feel his amusement rippling through our bond despite his attempt at exasperation. “You’re impossible,” he muttered, but his hands were already moving to help me with my jeans.
The moment his fingers brushed against my skin as he worked the denim down my legs, a different kind of energy sparked between us. Not the overwhelming magical power we’d wielded earlier, but something softer, more intimate. Through our connection, I felt his breath catch as he took in the sight of me in just my tight briefs, exhausted but still very much affected by his touch.
“Better?” he asked, his voice rougher than it had been moments before.
“Much,” I replied, catching his wrist as he started to pull away. “But I’m still feeling rather... vulnerable. Might need someone to keep an eye on me. Make sure I don’t have any magical aftershocks or anything.”
Elias’s pulse jumped beneath my fingers, and through our bond I felt his desire war with his lingering nervousness. But something had shifted today. Seeing me in my true fae form, fighting alongside me, protecting each other... it had changed something fundamental between us.
“Magical aftershocks,” he repeated, his brown eyes darkening as they met mine. “Is that a real thing?”
“Absolutely,” I said solemnly, tugging him gently toward the bed. “Very serious condition. Requires close monitoring.”
He let me pull him down beside me, his academic curiosity warring with growing arousal as I guided his hand to rest against my chest, right over my heart.
“Your heart is racing,” he observed, his palm warm against my skin.
“Aftershocks,” I confirmed, unable to suppress my grin. “Definitely need a healer’s attention.”
This time, when Elias leaned down to kiss me, there was something different in his touch. Less hesitation, more certainty. As if seeing me channel that wild fae magic, watching me protect all of us with everything I had, had finally convinced him that whatever this was between us was worth the risk.
“Will you lay with me?” I asked, the taste of him still on my lips. “I don’t want to be alone after... everything.”
Through our bond, I felt his answer before he spoke it. The walls he’d been carefully maintaining around his heart had cracked during the battle, and now tenderness flooded through our connection like warm honey.
“Of course,” he whispered, already reaching for the buttons of his shirt. “I don’t want to be alone either.”
I watched through heavy-lidded eyes as he undressed, my exhaustion making everything feel dreamlike and soft around the edges. When he slipped into bed beside me, wearing only his boxers, the warmth of his skin against mine sent a shiver of contentment through our bond.
“Is this okay?” he asked, settling against me with careful consideration for my depleted state.
Instead of answering with words, I pushed back against him, getting as close as possible. I pulled his arms tight around me, breathing in his scent. Through our connection, I felt his surprise at my sudden vulnerability, followed immediately by a fierce protectiveness that made my chest tight.
“You were incredible today,” he murmured, his fingers curling gently through my hair. “The way you called the spirits, protected all of us... I’ve never seen magic like that.”
“Scared you, didn’t it?” I asked quietly, some of my old insecurities surfacing despite my exhaustion.
“Terrified me,” he admitted honestly. “Not because of what you did, but because I realized how much I had to lose. How much you mean to me.”
The words hit me like a physical blow, so much raw emotion packed into that simple admission. Through our bond, I could feel the truth of it, the depth of feeling he’d been holding back finally spilling over.
“Elias,” I breathed, pulling back just enough to meet his eyes.
