He was quiet for a long time. Long enough for her mind to drift, escaping the tumult that had tortured it since they left that perfect spot in the woods.
“I see.” His wet tail slid around her thigh and gave it a proprietary squeeze. His whisper-soft murmur was nearly drowned out by the water when he said, “Another thing to look forward to, then.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
She woke up with a start.
Alashiya sat up in bed, her skin clammy and her mind off-kilter. She hardly recalled falling asleep, only that at some point Taevas had shushed her as he dried her skin with a towel.
But he was nowhere to be found now.
Alashiya’s head swiveled as she strained to see him in the darkness. An acute sense of disorientation made it even harder to get her bearings. How long had she been asleep? It’d been mid-afternoon when they came back to the house after?—
She had to suck in a deep breath. Even half-awake and anxious, the thought of what they’d done made her forget what it was like to breathe normally.
“Taevas?” Her voice was scratchy with sleep when she called out to him. She received no reply. Urgency whispered along the hyphae, sending a flurry of whispers through her mind.
Alashiya shook off the heaviness of her nap and crawled out of bed. Her muscles were sore and other parts of her protested loudly as she clambered to her feet, but she ignored it all. Her heart pounded in her ears as she hobbled over to her dresser and the mess she’d made of it.
Her hands shook.He didn’t leave,she sternly told herself.Hewouldn’t just— he wouldn’t just leave me. He’d at least say goodbye. Something must’ve happened.
But a small, disproportionately loud part of her couldn’t help but run through all the reasons that might not be the case. Perhaps he’d done the smart thing and run as soon as it got dark. He’d stayed for her, but maybe he realized how foolish that was and took the first opportunity to slip out.
Her stomach swooped dangerously low, leaving her feeling sick in the aftermath.
Maybe having sex was a nice goodbye or— No. No, Shiya. Don’t try to ruin something good just because you’re scared.
Blindly throwing on her overalls and boots, she opened her mouth to call out again when a sound from the kitchen made her freeze. It was the soft squeak of hinges.
The urge to run was so strong, she nearly bolted for the open hallway door, but was stopped before she could make little more than a step in its direction. A pair of familiar violet eyes peered at her from the darkness of the hallway.
“Shiya?” It was an unspeakable relief to hear that familiar rumble.
Alashiya’s knees went watery, but that didn’t stop her from hurtling across the room. He caught her in his arms and squeezed her tightly to him, a concerned series of clicks and chirps emanating from his chest.
In that sharp,I’m the Isandvoice, he demanded, “What’s wrong? I was only gone a moment?—”
“Nothing,” she answered, cutting him off. She sniffled hard. “I just woke up and you weren’t there and I freaked out a little.”
Taevas hummed and bent to press a series of soft, apologetic kisses to her cheeks and forehead. “I see. I would be afraid too, if I woke and found you’d left our nest. I’m sorry,metsalill.I didn’t mean to scare you.”
The urge to grab him by the horns and justhold on,like she had to get a good grip on him or he’d disappear forever, seared her. Alashiya had to clench her fingers by her sides to stopherself.
Trying to not sound as out of her mind as she felt, she asked, “Where did you go?”
With his night time coloring, Taevas’s expression was mostly lost in the darkness, save for his eyes and the occasional flash of his pearly white teeth. He sounded worryingly serious when he answered, “I had to prepare things. I packed your bag for you and fetched something from the barn.”
Alashiya’s brow crinkled. “You packed… But all my clothes are still here.” She couldn’t see much with the lights off, but she’d felt it when she waded through the mess of nearly all of her clothes spilled out across the floor.
“I packed yourimportantthings,” he smoothly corrected. “Everything else we’ll come back for, but I didn’t want to risk anything happening to your keepsakes or your work while we’re gone. I put your chest and embroidery kit in a bag on the porch.”
“Oh. Okay.” She blinked a few times, once more attempting to get her bearings. Another wave of clamminess washed over her. “Are we goingnow?”
Taevas stroked her hair with both hands, his huge palms swallowing the sides of her head with every pass. The violet disks of his eyes gleamed in the darkness when he looked at her for what felt like a very long time.
“No,” he answered, slow and controlled.“Youare leaving.”
“What?”
