Page 50 of To Free a Soul
Lindiwe tipped her head to the side when she noticed the haphazard stitching that kept his tail hidden away, like someonehad purposefully sewn the slit shut.I don’t remember Snush’s pants being like that.
“I did as asked,” Orpheus explained, dropping low to the ground when Katerina walked down the stairs and placed her hands on her narrow hips. He waved in the direction of the deer. “See?”
Her pink lips pursed tightly as she regarded the creature with disdain. “Yes, I can see that. I’m surprised you were able to find a brown deer with five tines on each of its antlers.” Then quietly, and with her face to the side, she muttered, “And in only three weeks.”
Lindiwe’s gaze drifted over the deer.Why did she want something so specific?A brown deer with five tines wouldn’t have been easy to find, especially for Orpheus, who would not only have needed to find one, but then not eat it himself.
Readjusting her wings when worrisome dread cascaded across her form, she tried not to let her paranoia get the best of her.Surely it wasn’t to be rid of him for so long.
Or worse still... to find an excuse to be annoyed with him if he failed or miscounted.
She may want the antlers for decoration.They’d make a nice chandelier for their rustic log cabin. There would be more tines to place candles upon or hang things from.
Orpheus crept closer to Katerina, who didn’t shirk his approach, even when he stayed crouched and reached for the backs of her calves. Instead, the woman just raised a dark brow.
“Promise?”
Her lips twitched, and her eyes narrowed in a way that had Lindiwe’s feet shifting. Was it a thoughtful expression, a playful one, or anger? It really was hard to tell with her.
Katerina turned her blue eyes to the deer and then lifted her chin. “I guess I did say you could have a reward if you actually managed to bring me one.”
She squealed when Orpheus tackled her to the ground, hugging her to protect her from the fall. He began to lick at her neck and jawline.
“I want reward,” he demanded, the bulge of his covered tail wagging again.
“Ugh! Don’t lick me, Orpheus! I told you how much I don’t like that,” Katerina complained, pushing at his wolf skull.
He clamped his bony jaw shut and proceeded to nuzzle her instead. “Better?”
A small, albeit silent, laugh escaped Lindiwe as her heart filled with tenderness.This is nice. She’s accepting his affection.
She wasn’t shoving him away, even when her dress was accidentally pushed up her legs, baring them. When he tightened himself around her, partially blocking Lindiwe’s view of the centre of their cuddle, there was no complaint or annoyance.
This is what she wanted to see. What she’d been hoping for.
That he’d been accepted, even as he nuzzled her with woofish huffs and rubbed himself against her entire body like he couldn’t wait to embrace all of her. Even when his clothing sank beneath his body and he shifted into his more monstrous form, which Lindiwe figured was for comfort, neither his fur nor protruding bones were rejected.
Why didn’t Weldir tell me that things were going this well between them?Lindiwe only visited these two on the odd occasion, mostly to check on the garden and get a peek before moving on, as she wasn’t able to interact with them like her other children.
The whole idea of rewarding him for tasks felt like an odd thing, like giving a pet a treat, but if it made them both happy, who was Lindiwe to complain?
“N-not outside, Orpheus,” Katerina mumbled against his fur. “And you know I prefer that you don’t turn into this form.”
Suddenly confused, Lindiwe turned so she could cross to a different branch to see what was actually happening, as she could only really see Orpheus’ rump. She peeked at them when a pale leg lifted into the air, but she mostly watched her footing until she found a spot that would offer a better view.
There was a grunt and a snorting huff, but little else was said. His orbs flickered between bright yellow and...purple?Lindiwe tilted her head in thought.I’ve never seen their orbs turn that colour before.
Then Lindiwe tried to make sense of what she saw, or where the emotion could have come from. It looked innocent enough – just a hug.
That was until Orpheus backed up enough to make room between them to grab something low, while Katerina’s dress was far,fartoo high and settled around her navel.
Something long, hard, thick, and fuckingsquirmingcaught her eye, and Lindiwe gasped and stepped back... and off the branch she’d been perched on.
She fell out of the tree.
Her back hit the ground with a painful thwack as one of her wings almost made her screech when she landed on the thin bones wrong. Wiggling side to side on her back with her talons in the air, she struggled to get to her feet, finally managing it just as she heard the clash of a groan and a moan.
She lifted her head above the bush she’d fallen behind, but once more regretted looking in their direction and nearly fell back again with a screech.
