Page 73 of Changeling
“Open your eyes,” I say gently.
He shakes his head.
It’s my fault he’s being stubborn. I’ve convinced him to fear this. “Hey. It’s all right. You’re stunning.” I scoot in to eliminate the space between us and pull him against my chest.
Finally, his lids flutter open, and the sparkling amber eyes I so adore look back at me.
“Hey there.” I offer a smile.
He blinks, slow to respond. “You don’t hate it? My true form?”
My heart sinks. “Of course not. I don’t see a faerie, or well I do, but not only that. I see my Sebastian. And you’re gorgeous. Wings and all.”
“Really?”
“Really.” I trail a finger over the shell of his pointed ear to the pierced lobe and give the jewel a gentle tug. “And these look lovely on you, just as I’d imagined.”
“Thank you.” His grin is back, setting my soul alight.
I give him a slow kiss.
He opens for me sweetly; a relieved sigh passes from his mouth to mine. “I adore you,” I say against his lips. “I’m sorry I made you feel like I didn’t.”
Sebastian glows in my arms, skin sparkling, smile beaming. “I worried I was just another client to you. That it would be easy to forget me when you have your choice of so many.”
His words hit like a knife to my chest. “No, no, you were never just another anything to me. You were special from the moment we met. I haven’t taken clients in years, but when you walked through my door, it was like your soul spoke to mine. And I needed you right away.”
“I felt like that too. I was going to let you bed me that first night before you found out I was a faerie and changed your mind. That’s not like me. But I wanted you.”
“I want you now. Always.”
“And you may have me, but, Dominus…years since you’ve taken a client? I had no idea. I’d thought…well, never mind what I thought. How did you feed?”
“There are plenty of scraps floating around when one lives in a brothel. I didn’t starve. But it’s nothing compared to what you give me so joyfully. With you, I feel alive in a way I’d forgotten was possible.”
Sebastian cups my cheek in his soft hand. “You must never starve yourself again. Ivaz told me what you were like when he visited. I could hardly believe him. I wish you’d asked me to stay.”
I shake my head. “No, darling, as hard as it was to be separated from you, it’s better this way. I’m glad you were able to learn from others. I would never take that away from you. Just look at you. Your time at Bran Vigny has worked miracles.”
“You really don’t mind it?”
“I love it. As I love you.” It feels good to say it out loud, finally.
His eyes water. “I love you too. So much.”
We’re kissing again, and it’s glorious. The warm wet slide of mouths and tongues. The perfect feeling of being alone with the one you love, no more secrets between you.
“There’s more,” he whispers.
Oh, well, perhaps there are more secrets after all. But whatever he tells me, I’m certain we’ll be fine. Nothing he could say would scare me away, not now that I know what it’s like to live without him.
“It’s good news, though I can make no promises. You must be careful not to get your hopes up in case it doesn’t work.”
My curiosity is piqued. “What news?”
“I’ve been studying curses.”
My shoulders tense. As a being who’s spent his entire life under a curse, just the mention of the word is enough to put me on edge. What would Sebastian want to know about curses?
