When Rihou awoke, he awoke with a start and sat upright in bed as his heart pounded hard. He saw instantly that he was in his room at the Fortress and light spilled in the window. It was bright enough to be morning, but the exact time was impossible to determine. He felt rested and healthy though the faintest of throbbing lingered in his soul.
He slowly lifted his right hand and looked at it. It had been one thing to know what was happening. It was another entirely to finally be confronted with the reality of it. No one had ever said it out loud. They had danced around the subject. But, now, there was no denying it. Oddly, he felt no resentment though he knew he was in for hell in the coming months. In a way, he felt grateful. His life finally made sense.
Someone knocked lightly on the door and then it opened enough that Elissa could peek in. When she saw he was awake, she entered entirely and shut the door behind her. She leaned against it for several moments, studying him, and then walked over and simply wrapped her arms around him.
The tension he had been unconsciously carrying in his shoulders melted away. He pressed his face against her stomach and drew on her ready strength. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "For getting you tangled into this."
"I'm not." She tenderly smoothed his hair back. When he frowned up at her, she smiled. "I'm not sorry, Rihou. My life finally makes sense too." She laughed as he caught her hands and tugged her down onto his lap. She tucked her legs up, and her skirts spilled over them high enough to reveal their shapely length. "I won't let anything happen to you," she vowed. She framed his face with her hands and memorized his features. How had she been blessed to be the Kentei to this man? "You'll always be safe with me."
"I know." He cupped her cheek with his relic hand and slowly smiled when she shivered. "I think I may like this relic a great deal." He skimmed his fingers down her neck and then teased along the top curves of her breasts. Her green eyes darkened as her breath caught, and his entire body heated with hunger. It seemed more . . . powerful than before. More consuming. "Elissa."
She slid her hands up his strong arms and then linked her fingers behind his neck. He was naked to the waist, and his body looked strong and powerful. She had known he was beautiful, but she hadn't realized just how beautiful. His lips slowly curved, and she dragged him down for a hungry kiss. She couldn't resist that smile, not when she knew it was only hers.
His hands curled around her waist and he dragged her ever closer until her curves molded to his body. They were perfectly made to be together, and she could only manage a soft whimper as the heat of his skin branded her. She clung desperately to him, unable to get enough of his taste. His tongue teasingly tangled with hers, and need coiled deep and hard inside. It seemed stronger than ever, nearly impossible to resist.
"Should I stop?" he asked huskily as he buried his lips against her neck. He tasted her pulse and then shifted lower to feather kisses across her fragrant skin. Perfume clung to the shadow between her breasts and dug into his lungs with velvet claws. His pants were far too tight on his aching flesh, and he wanted to tear the offending clothes from her body. "Stop me, Elissa."
"Don't stop." It was little more than a sigh of surrender. He lifted his head and the brown color had darkened to melted pools of chocolate. She caught his face in her hands and kissed him again wildly. Hers. This incredible creature was hers.
Neither noticed the door opening until they heard Nick say dryly, "Yeah, he's awake."
"Go away," Rihou muttered against Elissa's lips. "I'm busy."
"Rihou!" Raine came rushing into the room. "You scared us!"
Elissa and Rihou hastily broke apart just in time. Raine landed on the bed with a bounce and threw her arms around Rihou's neck. Tears welled in her eyes as she clung onto him. He could only sigh and hug her back. "I'm sorry, Raine," he said. "Hey, none of that." He wiped at the tears in her eyes. "I'm fine, really. You know you can count on Elissa to protect me."
"I want to protect you too," she said firmly. "We all do! Whatever you need us to do, we'll do. You're not alone, okay?" She hugged him again and then sighed as she heard Tyce calling. "Come have lunch with us, please?" She released him and hurried out of the room past Nick.
Rihou found he couldn't be resentful of the interruption because of Raine's fierce vow of loyalty. "It's such an odd feeling," he said ruefully as he rubbed the back of his neck. "It was such an odd thing to begin with, finding these instant friends that I just knew I needed. But that there are more? One hundred and eight of them total? I can't entirely wrap my brain around it. I probably should write to Tyrian."
"Too late," Elissa admitted. "Kyle already did. He isn't sure where Tyrian is right now, but he's sure he's on his way. Kyle and Ewan wrote to him pretty shortly after meeting you, I guess. They're worried you'll be mad at them for not saying anything from the beginning."
"I know why they didn't," he said simply. "And how can I hold it against them when I know it's because they love me?" He held up his relic hand, still entirely unsurprised to be a Healer. The few times he had tried to fuse a relic, it had always been a Medicine Relic or Resurrection Relic. He abruptly remembered the events and looked at Nick sharply. "Kalliope."
Nick's green eyes darkened and he sat down heavily on the edge of the chair in the room. "Physically, she's all but recovered entirely except for the scarring. It's been four days since the attack, and your magic is vastly superior to any Medicine Relic in existence. Possibly only the Pure Relic of Healing might rival you."
"But . . ."
"Emotionally, she's traumatized. She hasn't spoken a word since she woke. She barely smiles, and she doesn't run and play like she did. She spends her time in her room, or with me." Agony lined his face. "I'd give anything to see her smile or hear her laugh. She lives, but Malady broke her anyway. How is any of this fair?"
"I don't know," Rihou said quietly. "I just don't." He sighed. "I need to talk to everyone and let them know I'm fine." When Elissa stood, he threw back the covers and got out of bed. He was aware that both his brother and his lover watched him intently, but he really did feel just fine. He remained steady on his feet, and he felt perfectly fit. "I'm good," he told them. "What time is it? Raine mentioned lunch."
"It would be roughly about that, yes," Elissa said.
"Good. Grab all of those who are Destined Stars and have them gather in the central area. I'll be down shortly to talk to everyone. Once we eat lunch, we can decide what to do next. We can't stay at the Fortress. There's no way we'll have enough room. Just adding the soldiers from Lore's unit stressed our limits. Now we've got the survivors from Riverbaynk, and we all know that won't be the end."
"No problem." Nick lightly punched him in the shoulder and then said softly, "Never forget, Rihou. Never forget that I love you as much as your Destined Stars do. I don't know why I'm not one, but it doesn't matter. You're my brother. That's what's important."
Rihou hugged him for a moment. "Thanks," he said just as softly. "I needed to know. And you know you're just as important to me, right?" He grinned suddenly. "Papa Nick. Man, you made me an uncle and Uncle Daniel a grandpa without any warning."
The idea made Nick grin as well. He would always regret and hate what happened to Kalliope, but a very tiny part of him was glad he could adopt her as his own, and having talked to her about it, he knew she wanted it as well. Perhaps that was the gift for the suffering she had endured. "Unca Rihou." He snorted. "And Auntie Naomi."
Elissa snorted, too. "Good thing temperament can't be rubbed off on others by osmosis." She skimmed her fingers across Rihou's cheek. "I'll see you downstairs," she added, and an unconsciously sultry note in her voice made it an intimate invitation.
Nick watched her go and then looked at Rihou. "Damn."
Rihou blew out a hard breath. "It was volatile enough without us understanding that we were born to be together. She's literally mine for the taking, and that just makes it harder not to!"
His brother grinned. "And the fact that she's made a career of being sexy after having learned from the best just how to do it doesn't help."
"No, but it does make me the luckiest man on Oriku."
Nick let him be, his mood a little lighter than it had been, and Rihou swiftly got dressed. His mind rushed at ninety miles an hour, covering dozens of plans and possibilities. Going to Grace was still a high priority, perhaps higher now than it ever had been. The whole world knew the story of the Kaiten Star from Taron; adding to the legend wouldn't be hard for Rihou, and he was very willing to take full advantage of it.
"Rihou!" Orpheus caught him as he was coming downstairs and smiled in relief. "You had us all worried."
"I know, and I'm sorry. The good news in all this is that I can be put into either a Magician or a combat unit and I'll do just fine. I should've been a doctor instead of aiming for the Army, seriously."
Kyle and Ewan contemplated the idea of a Kaiten Star incapable of self-defense and felt a chill down their backs. "No," both said swiftly.
Rihou laughed at them, and the sound made all the Destined Stars relax a little. He was still shaken by the events—they all knew it inside—but he was at the least acting like his old self. Truthfully, no one had been at all surprised to discover what he was and what they were. It was humbling and terrifying all at once, but not a single person would have changed their destiny. Rihou needed them.
Naomi jumped up and hugged Rihou fiercely when he got to her table. He simply held on in return and buried his face in her hair. He couldn't apologize, not when apologizing meant he regretted his path. "I'll be fine," he promised. "I have Elissa. I have you, and Nick. I have all of you. That's why you're here."
She nodded but didn't turn loose of him immediately. "I'd be here anyway," she vowed. "You know that. My desire to protect you has nothing to do with Destiny. Not much anyway. It's 'cause you're my baby brother."
"I'm not even a year younger than you," he reminded her dryly. "I'm also bigger than you!"
"Never stopped me before." She grinned briefly and let him go.
"Well," he said as he turned to look at everyone else, "guess this is where we meet again. I can't apologize for you all being dragged into this because I'm not sorry. I need you here to help me. I knew that all along, though I didn't know why. Knowing why doesn't change anything for me."
"Or us," Xander said firmly. He leaned on the counter of the bar. "Just do me a favor and find a cook or bartender or something so I can go back to guarding the valuables like I'm supposed to be doing."
"I'll do my best," Rihou said dryly. "I'm sure there'll be someone. It takes all kinds, right?" He blew out a breath. "And on that note, what the hell are we going to do about our space issues? I'm surprised the walls are still standing."
"We've got people camping all over the place." Ewan shook his head wryly. "You're definitely right about this place not being big enough." He glanced at Thalia. "You said you might have some information we could use, right?"
"I have rumor," she said instantly. "I'll start fact checking. For now, rumor states that the abandoned castle that was the seat of the former monarchy is, indeed, abandoned. It housed a city around it, like most capitols do, and it was pretty decent sized. I'll see what I can find out. It would probably be perfect for us if it's fair game."
"Thanks, Thalia," Rihou told her. He looked at Skyla. "Can you go with Thalia? I don't want her to be out wandering around without protection."
"Absolutely," Skyla said. "You can transport us both, right?" she asked the informant.
"Sure. My Transport Relic can take up to two people with me." Transport Relics were descendants of the Pure Echo Relic, and they allowed the user to travel between towns that they had been to before. Most informants had incurable wandering feet, so there were few places they had not eventually reached.
The two women hurried out, and Rihou sat down at his table. "I still want to go to Grace," he said. "That's still my next priority other than getting a bigger base of operations. My being the Kaiten Star will be a big help for that. People who were less likely to trust me or believe in me will be more likely to now. I'm sure I'll still meet resistance and flat out idiocy, but I'm going to use my clout as much as I can. This isn't a game. Lives are at stake."
Xander brought over lunch and handed it to him pointedly. "Eat."
"Yes sir." He wasn't very hungry, but he managed to eat enough to make the others stop watching him like a hawk. Or griffin. Xero was sitting beside him with a look in her eyes not dissimilar from the way a mother watched her chicks.
"What happened when you came face to face with Malady?" Kyle asked. "I trust your instincts more than I trust any amount of information, even from Thalia."
Rihou's smile faded. Something cold and hard shimmered across the glitter in his eyes, almost as if the iron at his core was now visible. "There is nothing inside him that is good." His voice sounded as cool as his eyes, forceful, and powerful. In that moment, he looked and sounded every bit like the general he was meant to be. "Madness has destroyed him. Do I know if he was good before he was mad? No. Do I care? No. Whatever his intent is, it is not to conquer land. He wants death. Why? Who knows. When Thalia returns, I want to have her put out feelers into Foresalia. I want to see where Utheron and Princess Calandra stand in this. Perhaps they can stop Malady. I am sure that neither wants to rule over a dead land filled with bloody bodies."
"Wow." It was little more than a breath from Tyce.
Even Naomi and Nick felt a little nonplussed, and they had known Rihou longest. Elissa took it in stride. She had already known that there was a very serious side to Rihou. Just because he chose to face the world with a smile didn't mean there was no depth. She gently put a hand on his leg under the table, and he gripped her hand tightly with his for support. "Then for today," she said, "we will have to simply wait."
Waiting was not a strong suit for several people, Naomi and Ewan included, but there was no choice. When lunch ended, everyone went about what had become their normal routine. Rihou wanted to go see Kalliope, and he had started toward her room when Ewan and Kyle caught up with him. Before either could speak, he said, "It's okay. Really."
"We still feel bad," Ewan sighed. He raked a hand through his hair. "I doubt telling you would have changed anything, but maybe it would have. We just didn't feel as if we had the right to tell you. And, well . . ."
"We didn't want to be right," Kyle said simply.
Rihou didn't have to ask why. They wouldn't have really loved him if they had wanted him to be given the burden of being Destiny's hero. "Like I said, it's okay." He smiled at them. "No regrets. Not mine, or yours. Just know that I'm going to be relying on you both a lot because you have the experience in this that I don't." His smile turned teasing. "And at least you don't need to worry that I'll knight you in the end."
"Some consolation!" Ewan muttered. "I could still kick Tyrian's ass for that."
Rihou eased Kalliope's door open and looked inside. The little girl was sitting on her window seat with her knees drawn up and her chin resting on them. The face that had been so lively and animated now looked still and calm, her eyes far too old in her face. A pink ribbon tied around her neck covered the scar, but it could not bring cheer to her suddenly somber demeanor.
"Hey," Rihou said softly as he walked over to her. He knelt beside her perch. "Are you sorry that I healed you?"
She looked at him and then shook her head no. When he held out his arms, she crawled into them without a word and clung on tightly. She looked impossibly fragile as he cuddled her, and it made both Ewan and Kyle sick to their stomachs. They had seen some truly horrifying things, but they were adults. Why did children have to suffer?
"I know you lost your family," Rihou murmured. "But you have more family now. You have Nick. And you have me, and Naomi. You have Elissa and Raine. You even have those two scary guys over there." He pointed at Ewan and Kyle who obligingly pulled faces at him.
Kalliope didn't smile, but she did nod in acceptance as something a little less haunted filled her eyes. She needed security. Rihou was sure of it. She needed as much normalcy as they could give her. When they got their new base, she would have her own room, and it would be as close to Nick as possible.
He gently put her down and then lightly poked her in the nose. "If you get scared, you find me or Nick, and we'll make it better." She nodded again and he got to his feet. He ran his hand down her hair and left the room. As he shut the door behind him, his smile faded and he closed his eyes. "Malady may have done something unforgiveable."
"We already noticed," Kyle said.
"No, more than you think." Agony filled Rihou's eyes as he looked at his two friends. It was an agony all the more ripe because he was a Healer and could not mend what had been broken. "I ran my magic through her when I was holding her, just to check for anything left I may have missed. I saved her life, yes. But . . . where she was wounded . . ."
It dawned. Ewan said something vicious under his breath. Whether Kalliope had even thought of being a mother someday or even knew if she wanted to be one, to be robbed of even the choice was one of the cruelest things that could be done to anyone with that capacity. "Is she beyond hope?"
"I honestly don't know," Rihou said frankly. "My gut says 'no' but I'm not a doctor." He smiled ruefully. "Guess I better start studying up on that too. The most adept Healers are doctors too. And all doctors are Healers, whether they are capable of entering combat or not." His hands curled into fists. "I wish I could say this didn't need to happen, but it did."
"She's not a Destined Star though," muttered Kyle.
"Not mine, at least."
The news, while shocking, was not entirely a surprise. What was most alarming was that Kyle and Ewan knew that theirs were fixed stars. If the third Kaiten Star was to happen in Kalliope's lifetime, it would be in theirs as well. "I'm not sure I'd be able to handle this a third time," Ewan admitted roughly. "We joked about it, but I don't think we could actually do it."
"But it would be the last time. Lady Tanelia told me that the third will be the last, the one who will end war." Rihou blew out a rough breath. "I don't much like it either. But we can't think about it right now. Right now is our fight. I can barely stand thinking about what has happened and has yet to happen, let alone stomach thinking about what my 'little brother' might someday endure."
"Damn, you even sound like Tyrian," Kyle said ruefully.
"Thanks."
Ulrich suddenly came around the corner and hurried over to them. "Lord Rihou," he said swiftly, "there are two visitors here to see you. They're more survivors! They managed to get away from Riverbaynk and have only just gotten here. You need to meet them! When I and Tyce were talking to them, we both felt as if they were kindred spirits! They might be fellow Stars!"
"Why's that alarming?" Ewan asked.
"One's just a kid!"
Rihou slowly shook his head. "There will be more, I'm sure, Ulrich. I don't just need someone to fight beside me; I need someone to fight for. It's the youngest children whose futures I'm trying to secure. Each Destined Star, no matter their age, has something only they can do."
Ulrich could understand that, but he didn't like the idea of children being forced to take on adult emotions and thoughts. Curiously, he laid no blame with Destiny. He laid it with Sarcon Malady, and anyone else who would cause a war terrible enough that a hero like a Kaiten Star was needed.
The layout of the Fortress allowed Rihou to see the two newcomers even before he was down the stairs. One look told him that Ulrich was right. Both the adult Elf and the young Flier were Destined Stars. Both looked to be civilians, and the Elf wore the familiar robes worn by most Relic or Scroll Masters.
She stood with her arms lightly around the boy in front of her, and his wings stayed folded against his back. Fliers were the avian race of the world, joined in the animalistic category by the canine and feline races of Mongra and Grimalkin. All three could be more or less Human in appearance depending on their personal genetics, even among full-bloods. Many, many millennia of cross-breeding had produced an amazing array of diversity. Even with that range, a few key traits hallmarked each race and the absence of them implied less than full blood. For Fliers, it was their wings.
This boy in particular likely had full blood, or nearly full. He had a more Human face, but his feet were talons and feathers covered his lower arms and legs. He even had feathers for hair, all of which looked a soft downy gray that matched his wings.
"Hi," Rihou said as he reached them. "I'm Rihou Royaltine."
"I'm Laura," the Elf said. "I'm a Scroll Master. This is Quill. He's my apprentice." Her sky blue eyes looked haunted with the memory of the things she had seen in her hometown. "When the attack occurred, Quill flew me to safety. We've been making our way here as carefully as we could considering neither of us are combatants."
"I'm glad you did," he said simply. "Our army is growing and our supplies are as yet limited. Having a Scroll Master will alleviate some of the pressure on the soldiers." He held out his relic hand with a smile. "Lend me your strength so that no one else has to flee their home in fear."
Laura took his hand, and Quill covered them with his. Rihou's relic glowed softly and two glowing stars appeared on the shoulders of the Destined Stars present. Some weren't visible under clothes except for the glow they produced. They were all marked as ones meant to share the skies.
"Two!" Kyle stared at his shoulder in surprise. There had been only one when Tyrian had marked them. But then, Rihou was the second Kaiten, so naturally there ought to be two stars.
"You can count on us!" Quill said firmly. "And I'm thirteen," he added, "so I can fly scrolls to battlefields if you run out!"
"We won't let you down," Laura promised.
"Of course not." Rihou smiled as he said it. "Try to carve out a space for yourself somewhere in the area. We're a bit stuffed right now. Hopefully soon, we'll have a bigger base of operations to work from."
Gertie was happy to share her space, and she escorted Laura through the base. Quill tagged along with Barro for a tour. Rihou found himself in the small library again, but this time he read through all the medical books on hand. There were just enough to get him started. Sure, he had eternity to learn to be a doctor, but he needed the skills now. He knew he would find a doctor for the Rebel Army; he just wanted to be able to do more by himself.
He had dinner with everyone who could fit into the dining area and then retreated to his room with the medical book he was currently reading. Brows came together over the fact that he intended to read instead of sleep, but no one pressed, not even Elissa. In a way, the fact that she didn't push him for answers was why he felt no surprise when she showed up at his door a few hours later.
He was sitting at the window and watching the stars in the sky when she slipped into the room. He had already pinpointed which was the Kaiten, and from there he had been able to recognize the stars belonging to his friends. Elissa's star was the most obvious. The Kentei was positioned in such a way that its glow sheltered the Kaiten. It was by far the closest, followed by Naomi's star and then the stars belonging to Ewan and Kyle. More still slowly gathered and began to shine.
Elissa slid her arms around his shoulders and placed her hands over his heart as she rested her chin on the top of his head. "Talk to me," she murmured.
He closed his eyes. "You see right through me."
"Because I love you." Her arms tightened protectively. "You put up a good show, Rihou. You had everyone fooled that you were fine." She closed her eyes. "I can't understand how no one noticed it was a farce. I wanted to just yell at everyone to leave you alone." When he tugged on her hands, she released him enough to move around and sit on his lap. She curled close and held onto him fiercely.
He buried his face against her neck for long moments and then said roughly, "It just confuses me, Elissa. Why? Why isn't Nick a Destined Star? I know Tanelia said his role was important and precluded his being a Star, but why? And on the other hand, I don't want him to be a Star. Or Naomi. Or you. Especially you! I don't want you anywhere near this nightmare. But I need you to be here."
She framed his face with her hands and lifted his head. His brown eyes churned with conflicting emotions and flickering memories of the hells he had seen. Despite the days he had slept off the relic exhaustion, there were still dark circles under his eyes. "I'm not leaving you. I can't leave you, Rihou. How far could I possibly get before I needed to see your smile and hear your voice?" Because it needed to be said, whether he liked it or not, she continued quietly, "You do understand that I would give my life to protect you, without hesitation, correct?"
"Understand? Yes. Like it? Never." He caught her chin in his hand and kissed her hard, something both aggressive and desperate in the embrace.
She could feel that he hovered not far from that dangerous precipice he had been on after the massacre at Erube. She was instantly calm. She deliberately softened her lips and let her body relax against his. She slid her hand down to softly brush her fingers over the relic mark on his hand. She knew it was sensitive, but her intent was not seduction.
The tension left his body and he slowly lifted his head. Something warm filled his eyes again as he softly traced her swollen lips with a finger. "I'll be okay," he promised. He kissed her again, tenderly this time. "Stay with me," he asked huskily. "Hold me. If I'm in your arms, I can sleep."
"Sleep is all we can do," she apologized. "Nature has other ideas for me."
"Because of course it does." He gently rested his relic hand over the small of her back to seek signs of pain or discomfort and remove them. "Is it bad?"
"It's not, actually. I'm rather not bothered by it other than it being a bother for simply happening." She suddenly smiled wryly. "If anything, I suppose I can look on the bright side. With you wearing a Pure Relic, I have no need to stop by a doctor for herbs to prevent pregnancy. I had intended to do so as soon as this flow was done, but now I have no need."
The price to be paid for eternity. Though Pure Relic users bore incredible power and would never age, in return, they were sterile. Once having worn a Pure Relic, the user would never have children, even if they ever took the relic off. Rihou had known about it because of Tyrian and Cassie, and he had always agreed with his brother that that was why they had found Raven.
He also suspected it was why Nick had found Kalliope. The thought of someday finding the perfect child for him and Elissa was a wonderful one. "You can look on a different bright side," he said gravely. When she arched a brow, he grinned. "The doctor you saw might have been me."
She found herself laughing. "Talk about a conflict of interest! I could never trust what you gave me, unless I was sure you didn't want children yet!" She kissed him quickly. "And thank you," she added, "for being you. I'm not sure how many others would be so understanding in this sort of situation."
"Thank you," he retorted dryly, "for not being like my sister and apt to take my head off if I say good morning." He let go so she could stand and then got to his feet as well. "What do you sleep in?" he asked curiously.
"Depends on where I am," she answered promptly. "On the road, I just lose my skirts so I don't kill myself trying to turn over in my blankets but am still covered in case of trouble. When I'm safe inside four walls," her lashes lowered and she slowly smiled, "I prefer nothing at all."
"For the sake of my sanity and self-control," he said, his voice slightly strained, "let's compromise." He walked over to the trunk that held his spare clothes and pulled out a tunic. "You can wear this," he started to say as he turned around, only to break off partway. She had removed her skirts, and her shorts rode high on her legs, revealing they were just as shapely and gorgeous as he had imagined.
She hid a smile as he handed her the tunic and then cocked her head as he walked over to the window. "Rihou?"
He peered up at the sky and said very seriously, "Thank you." At the sound of her laughter, he turned with a grin. "I felt obliged to thank Destiny for being generous with me. I will very happily spend eternity staring at you, Elissa."
"Eternity is not mine yet," she noted softly.
"Yet," he agreed easily. "I can wait. We'll have it, Elissa. I know we will. Tanelia even said it, that there was an eternity for you to claim. Is it something you can tell me about? Is there anything that I can do to help? Maybe Thalia?"
She slowly shook her head. "Nothing you can do, not yet. I plan to talk to Thalia when she returns from reconnaissance. It's going to be the first real test of her skills. She has to find something that no longer exists in memory, record, or physical location."
"She'll do it." He was sure of it. He didn't bother to ask what Thalia would be looking for. Elissa would tell him when she was ready; he was happy enough for now to know that she even had eternity to claim. There was no life he wanted to live without her in it.
Rather than throw fuel on the fire, he turned around so he couldn't see her when she stripped off her top to put on the tunic. He pulled off the tunic he wore but left his pants on. Temptation was a two-way street, and frustrating Elissa at a time like this would be, in his book, a cruel and unusual punishment.
When he turned around, though, his already aching body just hurt all the more. The tunic was too big and slipped down over her shoulder. The red and gold color made her skin glow softly and reflected across her bright hair. Arguably, the tunic was longer on her than her shorts, but it actually seemed to make her legs look even more ridiculously tempting.
It wasn't much better for Elissa whose body might have wanted to consummate the relationship, yet wasn't actually ready to do so. Of all the lousy timing! If Nick hadn't walked in that morning, then it wouldn't have even mattered. But, no, Nature had to have as twisted a sense of humor as Destiny did. And now she found herself staring at what was her gift from Destiny, faced with a night of cuddling up against the most gorgeous man she had ever known, and unable to do anything about it.
Rather than lament what couldn't be changed, she just sighed and slipped into bed. Rihou joined her and she immediately snuggled up against his side. She had never slept with anyone before, but she felt no awkwardness or shyness. Her head seemed to have a spot designated just for her on his shoulder. She curled her arms around him and held on tight, loving how warm and solid he felt. "I think I'm going to like this."
He turned onto his side and tugged her close. "Me too." Though most of his normal nights since Erube had been either sleepless or plagued with nightmares, he felt no fear for either problem as long as she was there. The secure feeling of her arms holding him was a sense of safety he hadn't felt before.
"Sleep, Rihou," she urged softly, smoothing her hand over his back. "I won't let you break. No nightmares will get past my watch."
Just hearing her say that made it easy for him to relax and let go. And for the first night since his birthday, he slept deeply and easily, without a single nightmare to be had. If Elissa was there, he would always be safe. He was sure of it.
©Stacy J. Garrett. Do not reprint or redistribute without permission.
Chapter 9->
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