“Fuck, Alexis,” he shakes his head with a laugh, “you’re pure trouble.”
I nod in agreement. “Only for you.”
I stand naked in front of the mirror in the bathing chamber and assess the damage. My knees and elbows really did take the brunt of my falls, that much evident by the dark purple swelling all around them. The full right side of my face, from my cheek to jaw and then down below my chin, is streaked in red with the hint of purple hiding just under the skin. My right arm, from my wrist to my forearm and elbow, is sprinkled purple all over, as is the full right side of my hip.
All in all, it’s nottoobad, but I know my body will be sore for the next few days.
I sigh and narrow my eyes to the side of my neck, searching for those piercing yellow orbs that made an appearance in my dreams. I hadn’t forgotten about the black bird earlier, or maybe I did just a little when I was consumed by my desire for Keane. I remember the bird holding on to my shoulder the whole time I was moving for the Prince, the tiny beast, for once, not making a sound.
I greet him now in the mirror with a smile, his yellow eyes peering back at me from under my disheveled hair as his talons sink into my skin.
“Hello,” I say softly, moving my hair away from my face.
He dips his head below my ear and caresses the side of my neck in greeting.
“Will you come out from there?” I lift a hand to him and extend my pointer finger, “I need to take a bath.”
The bird grips my shoulder even harder.
“Well I’m going to get into that hot water right now and I’ll need to submerge myself. If you stay where you are then you’re going to get wet.”
Keane moves into view from behind as I spy him through the mirror. He’s leaning against the archway of the chamber and wearing a fresh set of clothes, his arms folded over his chest as he looks at me with another smirk on his lips.
“Nothing is going to happen to you,” I flush and look back at the bird, “it’s okay to come down now. I just want to meet you properly.”
The bird’s yellow eyes quickly dart to Keane through the mirror. The two of them silently stare at eachother in a quiet assessment, both of them remaining still.
“Hey,” I shrug my shoulder and pull the bird’s attention back to me, “come say hello.”
He looks in my direction and reluctantly takes a step onto my finger, his small talons piercing my skin before he places his second foot down with a sturdy grip. I slowly lower him in front of my chest in awe, our eyes catching each other’s as we stare without shame.
Bird is too small of a word to describe this creature.
What looks back at me is indeed a formidable beast.
A baby one, without a doubt, but a beast, nonetheless. He has the same similarities of the firehawks in Pyre, except the majority of him is consumed by black feathers, not red. Streaks of grey and hints of silver cut through his torso and down to his legs, ending in the black talons that still grip my finger. Six long tail feathers drop far below his feet, and his wings, which he now stretches for me to see, are shiny and pure black. Overall, the size of his body is now the size of my palm, and where his wings once opened to just barely reach the width of my shoulders, are now extending past them in a small but dominating embrace.
“You’re already growing, aren’t you?” I ask in astonishment.
He chirps in reply.
“Ancients,” I shake my head.
I glance to Keane through the mirror and see him watching the two of us, his gaze pensive and quiet.
“I’m going to set you on the edge of the tub, okay?”
I look at the baby beast once more and then turn around to the water behind me. I set my finger against the tub and watch as he steps off and settles onto the rim, the bird furling his wings into his body as he sets in and gets comfortable. Once he’s settled, I reach for the stool next to the tub and bring it close with a glance at Keane.
“Will you sit with me?” I send him a shy smile, “I’d like to know what’s been going on during my time in the library.”
Keane doesn’t move from the archway, nor does he answer me in return. His full presence remains eerily quiet as he continues to watch me, his brown eyes so intense that I immediately walk towards him with a frown.
“What’s wrong?”
The Prince quickly unfolds his hands from his chest and holds one out to stop me from coming closer. I look back at him, confused and a little hurt, unsure if I’ve done something wrong...
Keane slowly stands up straight, still remaining quiet, his features taut and coldly beautiful in their Discerni angles. I bring my own hands up to my chest to hide my naked body, shielding myself from whatever mood this is.
