Mathlin froze too.
Inwardly, Titan wished he could propose. He badly wanted to. Just not right now.
Mathlin squeaked and hid his face in his hands. “I didn’t say that! Pretend I said something else! Like you’re a good guy about to be knighted by my sword. I... I don’t mean the one in my pants. Oh gods. I’m sure there’s porn of people being ‘knighted’ with ‘swords’ and splashed with ‘holy water’.”
Titan coughed. “I’m just kneeling because you can’t climb onto my shoulders otherwise.”
“Actually, I can climb you like a tree,” Mathlin said. “I’m a cat, remember?”
“Oh,” Titan said sheepishly.
Mathlin grasped Titan’s shoulder. In a single graceful movement, he had scaled Titan, sitting on Titan’s shoulders with his thighs pressed on either side of Titan’s neck.
“At least I’m not sitting with my crotch in your face,” Mathlin said. “That would be awkward.”
“I’m not opposed, really,” Titan said. “In fact, I might prefer it that way.”
Mathlin made a quiet, choking sound.
“Quit flirting where everyone can hear you!” someone yelled. “It’s going to rot our fangs!”
“Sink your fangs into someone and they’ll stay intact,” Titan yelled back.
Mathlin giggled. “Is it bad that I find that funny?”
Titan grinned, his wolf rumbling with pride.We made him laugh.“It’s not so bad if they bite someone who wants to be bitten.”
Mathlin made a soft, considering noise. “I like being bitten.”
Titan’s thoughts splashed into the gutter. He coughed. “I’ll remember that.”
Mathlin purred. Then he froze. “Crap, I was supposed to write a spell. Forward, great steed!”
“I’m a steed now, huh?” Titan brought Mathlin close to the doorway so he could scribble something above the doorframe.
“You’re kind of hung like one,” Mathlin said, and coughed. “Fuck.”
“You’re saying ‘Fuck’ in front of Jannie?” Titan teased.
“I’m trying not to! The words just fall out of me,” Mathlin said miserably.
“I’m sure you’ll be fine,” Titan said, trying to reassure him. “Words don’t matter so much as the intent behind them. If she’s not using them to hurt others, I think you’d be doing alright.”
Mathlin perked up, his thighs squeezing around Titan’s neck. “Okay.”
With his piece of chalk, Mathlin wrote a spell carefully above the doorway. Then he pressed his hands to the wall and closed his eyes. Magic prickled in the air. The runes glowed faintly, before sinking into the wood.
“That’s a spell to keep out people with bad intentions,” Mathlin said.
“That’s amazing,” Titan said sincerely.
Mathlin grinned. “You think so?”
“You’reamazing.”
Impossibly, Mathlin’s smile grew even brighter. Titan’s heart could’ve burst.
“Next spot,” Mathlin said, pointing at the window.
