Page 24 of Finding Her
My eyes batted blankly—she was full of so many references that meant nothing to me. She rotated the crescent shell with two curved edges branching from its center, and her mouth stretched into a pleasant smile. Of all the majesty around us, she found the most joy in this damaged piece of rock.Precious.When she set it back into the sand, I waited for her to turn around before I picked it up and tucked it into our bag. Maybe one day she would want a souvenir from this visit.
“So where to?” She spun back to face me, the layers of her dress picking up the wind and flowing around her ankles.
“Take your shoes off,” I suggested, noting she hadn’t followed my lead. I wanted her to experience a deep connection with the planet, even if she didn’t yet have an appreciation for it. She handed her boots to me and I hooked them to the bag. We wouldn’t need them for most of the day.
“We couldn’t have chosen a more beautiful time to visit.” I turned my face to the sky and closed my eyes, allowing the daytime starlight to kiss my skin. “The last day of spring is always the most dazzling.”
“The last day of spring?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am.” I allowed myself a grin. Back in town, her questions caused me constant anxiety. It would be so easy to ask me something I couldn’t answer. Here, we could direct that curiosity to many innocent wonders. “Tomorrow, when we wake, it'll be autumn here and winter back home. Everything will change in a mere moment overnight.”
Her hair danced around her eyes with another gust of salty ocean breeze. I missed the blonde, but this mousy gray suited her soft features quite well. Besides, knowing she was adorned by the ash of my flames pleased me.
“What if we stay awake and watch the seasons change?” Still digesting the scenery, she was distracted from my increasingly affectionate stare. It was one thing to hide frustration and confusion from showing on my face, it was entirely another to hide my adoration for her. She was utterly captivating.
Stay awake together to watch the leaves fall? Faeryn was already planning activities for us to share. An ill-advised joy bloomed inside of me.Thank you, Mykie, for this idea. “I’d love to, but that’s impossible. Nobody has ever stayed awake for the change. We all succumb to sleep whether we plan to or not.”
Her brows furrowed in disbelief.
“Consider it magic, my dear.” It was what native Trebites did with our lack of education and answers. Besides, I’d prefer that explanation to her labeling it as “coma” evidence. Or even worse, inquiring about the science of it all. I couldn’t suppress my disdain for the topic, especially as it was broached by her lips. She had no clue how bad the situation was.
“Everything here is.”
I untied my Silvates to let them wander. They had been here with me many times and knew the terrain well. “Just waituntil we get further from the shore. I have quite the tour to take you on.”
“Where will we be sleeping?”
“Wherever we want.” I had some suggestions, but if she were to be particularly enamored with a specific region, I wouldn’t deny her the choice. If she wanted to sleep on the rocky cliffs, I would find a way to make them comfortable for her.
“Did you bring a tent?”
“No tent needed. Trust me, you won’t want to miss a moment.”
I picked up the leather sack and slung it over each arm, adjusting to the weight. I quickly scanned the area and set our path toward the silky grass, soft enough for her uncalloused feet.
The inland air smelled of honeysuckle—I loved it. It smelled like her. Having her in the house provided delightful hints of this island whenever she was near enough to scent. She had beendangerouslynear in the carriage, her head so close to my lap that my heart raced. I knew she wasn’t aware of her actions, and I wouldn’t twist her innocence into my own fantasies. But then… those sweet notes of honeysuckle turned into somethingmore. Her delicious pheromones and breath tickling my stomach had made my cock pulse, and I’d fled.
“It smells lovely,” she remarked, picking up a flower that had just fallen from a tree branch above us. She tucked it behind her ear.
“I love the smell, too.”It smells like you.
“So where are we going, Graysen?” The shadows of the branches danced around her head, playing a game of hide and seek with her luscious fern eyes. Their color always reminded me of the springtime here. Between that and her scent, no wonderI’d been a slave since the moment I met her. She was my heart’s home incarnate. I was royally fucked.
A rustle and breathy snort sounded behind us. I came to a halt, gently grasping her tiny wrist. Time to test how adventurous her curiosity was. I trusted that she would take this introduction in stride, as she had so many other discoveries, but I needed to keep her safe. A healthy dose of caution would do her some good on my planet.
“Turn slowly and be brave, my dear,” I instructed calmly.
I could feel her pulse quicken under my fingers; the poor female’s nerves had been fried since I found her. Her survival instincts constantly sounded the alarm, yet she continued exploring. I liked to think that my presence was part of that confidence, but I was painfully aware that some of my behaviors had been… less than comforting. It would take time to convince her of my intentions, and even then, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop a dark history from coming between us. I would need to find contentment in whatever connection we could manage. It was better if I didn’t think about it too much, but it was hard not to.
When she didn’t pivot on her own after a moment, my other hand pressed into her lower back and turned us both around. I was eager to introduce her to this part of the world, show her there was no reason for her to stand in fear of the unknown. I would take care of her.
“A dragon,” she breathed in awe, staring up at the face of the beast, a full head taller than me.
The dragon stood on four sturdy legs with large, dark talons on its three-toed paws. It was an off white with curved blue horns rising from the armored crown of its head. Its nostrils flared at the end of its pointed snout as it stared down at her. Its wings were folded against its scaled sides; I knew theyappeared deceptively small when resting flat. Its tail was double the length of its body and swept back and forth, leaving an impression in the thick grass. I knew that although their eyes seemed perpetually aggressive—a consequence of their slanted brow bones—the tail would represent their true feelings. This one was as fascinated by her as she was by it. I was pleased that her introduction to dragons was with not only a beautiful and strong subspecies, but also an approachable one. The smaller forest dragons were typically mild-mannered but skittish. Blue Horn dragons were social creatures.
“Would you like to pet it?” I deemed it safe after taking a moment to assess its posture and tail thoroughly.
“No,” she spat out before she could register my words. “I mean… could I? Would it let me?” I liked seeing her overcoming her reservations in real time.So brave.
