Page 15 of To Free a Soul
The female who, most of the time, was reserved, formal, and restrained with him, showed a different, softer facet. Like a cut and polished stone, each face was beautiful, each one perfect, even if the surfaces were differently shaped.
Now that he was done carving, which he’d been doing since she left his realm, Weldir looked up.
He’d created a new alcove a little while ago, and he often liked to visit it. Since he didn’t need to worry about gravity, or which way was up or down within his own realm, he floated into the opening above.
Setting his feet down on the surface of a new nook, he took in much more sentimental memories of her.
There was one where she slept under a cover of leaves from the rain, with one of their offspring curled up in her arms. Another of her smiling up at the sunshine with her fanning eyelids closed.
But there was a new one here; one she’d accidentally shared with him.
He’d decided to place it in the middle, as it was rather special.
Lindiwe was lying on her side with her knees up, her hands cupped together under her left cheek and chin as she curled into herself. The stone was naked, like she’d been, and its eyes were closed in sleep. Her curls floated around her head, loose, glossy, and slightly tangled from where Weldir had gripped them to keep her head on his cock.
It was the second time she’d fallen asleep in his realm, but this one had not been from the exhaustion of tears from losing Nathair. No, it was peaceful, and he’d found watching her lulling and tranquil.
He’d always wanted her to find comfort in his darkness, but she’d never give either of them that.
It was nice being close to her.
To hear her heartbeat and breaths. It’d been intimate in a wholesome, tender way to witness the gentle rise and fall of her busty chest. To see her lips relaxed, parted, and supple while her eyelids flickered from whatever peaceful dreams she’d been having.
It was like his non-existent heart had yearned to cherish this memory more than the much raunchier ones.
It left him with the same feelings as before: hope and fondness.
Their relationship was still shaky, and there were delicate, gap-filled bridges he didn’t yet know how to cross safely, but he hoped this was a start. That all they were doing now was the beginning ofsomethingmore, although he couldn’t quite comprehend what.
They were mated, their fate threads entangled.
Really, there was no need for them to solidify their bond when nothing they did would make a difference. She was his. Lindiwe was his mate, the mother of his offspring, and a servant.
They made a deal, a bargain, and that was being honoured.
Yet he wanted to deepen this bond as much as possible to see how far it went and what kind of end was achievable.
His tenderness came from logic, and not from a true heart. He didn’t know if his lack of physical form would mean that he would forever be lacking in other ways. A deeper emotional connection, or the ability to make their intimacy more meaningful, might just be entirely out of his grasp. A major obstacle was his inability to see her side, to feel for her, or to appreciate her beyond what he thought was logical.
She was remarkably pretty; he didn’t need a heart to see this. But their relationship was superficial at best, and non-existent at worst.
Eyeing her sleeping stone form, he sighed.
It matters little.
He dematerialised so he could enter another alcove, then brought up viewing discs of all his offspring, making sure to update their sculptures. Some remained the same, while others changed vastly.
He started with the youngest in Kanata and moved backwards from there. Each alcove belonged to a different continent they’d placed their offspring on thus far, and he made sure each one was correct up to the most minute detail.
Each alcove caused his mist to tighten against him as a sense of... longing sifted through him. He’d never greeted his living offspring as adults, and that often weighed on Weldir. That was until he arrived at the alcove closest to the exit of the cave system he’d created.
Nathair could quickly eat away at the thrum of loneliness.
I’m not truly alone.He did have one of his offspring, even if his intelligence was rather subpar compared to humans.He’s not a great conversationalist, but he is rather amusing.
His eldest offspring was quite cheeky, even though he’d kept his promise about not eating any more of Weldir’s precious souls.
Nathair was slow to learn, and the task was time consuming and gruelling. He forgot much, although simple reminders aided him. Healwayslied about forgetting, either stating he did know or that Weldir had never informed him – which was never true. He liked to be chased, and the only way to play hide-and-seek with him was to disconnect Nathair from the rest of Tenebris momentarily so he didn’t accidentally harm a deceased human.
