I feel Keane start walking beneath me, his lips finally pulling away from mine as he starts to trail kisses against the side of my jaw and down my neck. I let my body surrender to him again and relax in his hold, tiltingmy head onto his shoulder as his mouth finds that sensitive spot just under my ear.
Ancients, I could let him hold me forever. There’s no place I’ve been more sure of in life then in his arms.
“Alexis,” Keane groans against my neck as my hands tug at his hair harder, pulling his mouth back against me. His tongue darts out, tormenting the sensitive skin as his lips draw me to him with a bruising force. I let my fingers leave his hair and skim them gently down his neck before raking them hard against his back, feeling his muscles flex in reaction. Keane brings one of his own hands to the back of my head in response, his mouth pulling away from my neck as he slowly stops in his walk.
“No,” I whisper angrily.
“We’re here, Alexis,” Keane answers heavily, capturing my gaze.
I swiftly pull my body away from him and bring my hands to his chest, pushing into him to look behind me. Keane chuckles but doesn’t let me go, instead angling his own body sideways so that the two of us can look at the Shadow Oak together.
“Ancients,” I murmur, taking in the terribly dark tree.
There’s only a little bit of sunlight left on the horizon, only a few rays of deep red and orange that grace the black and purple of the night sky. The Shadow Oak rests proud and strong under them, moving the color between its sweeping limbs as the black leaves glitter back at us, reflecting the fading sunset. I sigh at the sight and marvel at the fact that Keane built this. His hands created this beautiful masterpiece.
I can’t stop the shudder that consumes my whole body.
I take a deep breath in Keane’s arms and let him maneuver us closer, his strong steps leading us through the large roots of wood and granite that are twisting above the ground. He lifts his hand at our side to summon a few of the roots near the massive trunk, the easy movement making the limbs cross over eachother to create a small gathering that looks like it could be the start of a campfire. I look back at him in question and watch as he chuckles, his fingers moving once more with a tiny flick. The small cluster of roots he just commanded immediately lights to fire, the glow illuminating the tree above and brightening the space around it.
“What in the…” I breathe in astonishment, watching as new, undying flames reach up to just the right amount of height. I glance back at Keane with furrowed brows, every breath I take hitting heavily against his chest…
Keane can summon fire?
“Picked that up from Barnes,” he grins proudly, nodding to my unspoken question.
“Ancients, Keane,” I shake my head in pure marvel. He brings his hand back to my ass and gives it a hard squeeze.
“I want to see all of you tonight, Alexis,” he replies.
I sag farther into his chest and look back at the Oak as Keane’s hands slowly press me into him. We’re roughly half-way to the massivetrunk now, still standing within its roots but under the canopy of the sweeping limbs above us. I watch those thick brown and black arms sway with the breeze and stare at the intricacy of the wood and granite as they move around eachother in perfect harmony. I sigh at the sight again just as Keane gently releases me from his grip, the Prince letting my boots find the ground below me before he takes a small step back.
I start walking towards the fire and to the Shadow Oak’s massive trunk, hearing Stormfall caw from somewhere far above. The Bird of Ash is perched at the very top of the oak, his black body sparkling under the night sky and looking so right there.
I reach the trunk and let my hand skim at my side, feeling the wood and granite mixture as I take a few steps around it. The small clearing where Keane and I slept before departing for Fumagalli isn’t far from the fire he built, and as I stop to eye it, my heart tugs at the memory of Keane sitting so perfectly on that ground, the two of us trading secrets into the night.
My eyes dart for the man of my memories, noticing that he’s still standing where I left him. A shy grin spreads against my lips at the sight of him, especially at the way his brown eyes are staring so purposely on me.
I feel something brush against my fingers and look down to my right hand, noticing a small limb reaching out of the trunk. The wood and granite is moving gently between my fingers and sliding over my palm, the soft limb reaching out even further as it snakes around my wrist.
I glance back at Keane in amazement, knowing that he’s doing this, and watch him grin in return when the branch holds my hand to the trunk in a soft new possession.
Ancients.
I let out a deep breath and take a step towards the flat ground, feeling the limb move with me before it gently releases my hand. The branch shrinks back into itself and becomes part of the oak again, but the absence of its touch on my skin only makes me misshim.
“Say the words, Alexis,” Keane demands from afar.
I take a deep breath and let his gaze hold mine, his brown eyes so intense and commanding that I rest my hand firmly back on the trunk, willing it to support me. Keane’s gaze flicks to my hand with a small frown, his boot taking a small step as if he wants to come console me.
“Stay there,” I demand of my own, willing him to stay in place so I can appreciate the man standing in front of me.
His presence, as always, is commanding under the oak. His shoulders rest tall and proud, the black of his shirt falling perfectly across his muscled chest and arms. He watches me take him in with his own confidence, following my gaze as it moves to his angled Discerni jaw and cheekbones before landing on the cut of his ears. His wind-swept brown hair falls gracefully over the top of his head, his brown eyes dancing in the firelight from afar. He certainly is the most beautiful man I’veever laid eyes on, masculine and tall and so sure of himself and his being.
I give Keane a smile of genuine approval and stand proudly in front of him, ready to give him all of me. Keane holds my gaze hard and nods his head just slightly, letting me know that he’s ready to hear the words.
“Do you remember the first thing I said to you when I saw you standing under this Oak?” I ask him softly.
Keane nods, “you told me I belonged here.”
