The forest brightened, tree limbs lifting in a wind that wasn’t wind, as the ascension settled fully into his form. A gentle shockwave pulsed outward, rattling the lanterns. Then… silence.
A silence that felt like the world bowing.
Mingxi opened his eyes. Foxfire burned steady and brilliant, the light of a spirit aligned, not restrained.
Poppy’s voice trembled as she tried to make sense of it all. “You… you ascended.”
He was breathing hard, chest rising in slow, controlled waves. “It was you,” he said softly. “Your concern. Your vow of a place where I could rest.” His gaze softened, unbearably tender. “That truth settled something in me I did not know was unbalanced.”
The new tail curled forward—instinctive, curious—brushing lightly against her hip. Poppy touched it with trembling fingers. Warm. Alive. Holy.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered.
His expression was awe-struck. “You are the reason it exists.”
Her throat tightened. Then—softly, shyly—Poppy traced his chest, fingertips brushing the firm muscles she’d admired from the first day he walked out of the stream.
He went very still.
“You know…” she whispered, cheeks warming, “I’ve wanted to touch these again since the moment I saw them.”
A flush swept through his face and ears. “Poppy—”
She climbed into his lap and kissed him, smiling against his startled inhale. “Daylight suits you, Councilor.”
His voice came out low, almost awed. “And you…” His hand rose to cradle her jaw. “You are the reason it rises.”
Poppy’s fingers brushed his chest again—not teasing, not inviting, just marveling.
He caught her hand gently, his thumb sweeping across her knuckles. A tremor ran through him. Want, yes. But deeper than want—devotion.
“Poppy,” he whispered, voice strained with control he rarely needed around her, “I would take you again if you so much as breathed the word.”
Her cheeks reddened. “I know.”
He closed his eyes for a moment—just one heartbeat—before he brought her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss into her palm.
“But not today,” he murmured. “You’re sore. Your magic’s unsettled. And we have a long road ahead.”
He curled his fifth tail protectively behind her, brushing her hip with the gentlest possible touch—an instinct he couldn’t suppress, but softened for her sake.
“I will never hurt you,” he said. “Not by accident. Not by impatience. Not even by desire.”
“Mingxi…”
He leaned his forehead to hers, trying to keep his eyes soft in a way special for her. “What I want,” he said quietly, “can wait.” He kissed her once—slow, worshipful, a promise instead of a question. “You come first. In every way that matters.”
When he pulled back, he didn’t want to create distance. He wanted to show devotion. It was a restraint more intimate than touch. It was love in its earliest, fiercest form—the kind that ached because it was so careful.
Chapter 66
She took a long breath, steadying herself, and slowly sat up, pulling the blanket to her chest. Morning light filtered through the branches, dappling his hair in silver.
Mingxi rose smoothly, watching her intently, in what came across as quiet concern.
“Poppy?”
She inhaled sharply. “We need to get ready.” He nodded, but she raised a hand, stopping him. “I know what the elders told us,” she said, firming her voice into something steady and brave. “The Traveler tampered with the ritual. Lysandra took the impact meant for me. And tomorrow—the reversal—it might try to take me instead.”
