“Again, Ember,” he said.
As their winged partner flew away, he reached for Daya’s hand and moved out, scoping for new shadows to hide in.
“You’re ridiculous,” she said, but he could hear the spark of laughter in her voice.
Anything for you, love.
Turning in a circle, he assessed their surroundings for hiding places that didn’t require too much physical effort to get to.Aches and pains were already beginning to feather across his senses for his faster than normal gait.
“Over there, see the overhang?”Daya asked, pointing.
Squeezing between two trees, they ducked into the tiny alcove.Facing the entrance, Daya held her hand out, fingers grazing the living green.The willowy branches of the tree began to move, shifting and growing until they became a thick wall, completely blocking their hideaway.
Pure admiration flooded him.She wasn’t just using a second ability; she had immense control.Fire heated his blood at the show of well-honed power.When she finally dropped her hand, he wrapped an arm around her waist from behind and pressed his mouth to her ear.
“You are incredible, woman.”
The shadows heightened his vision rather than limiting it, so he was able to see the expression that moved across her face when she tipped her head back to look at him.
Staring into her eyes, he realized she didn’t just need a stress-free afternoon.She had complete confidence as a huntress, as a falconer.Even, he suspected, as a mage.This was about the woman inside, the one she hid from the world.
If she kept looking at him like his words were the core holding her universe together, he was going to have to do something drastic.He tucked a finger under her chin and drew her closer.
He kissed her cheekbone with reverence and continued down her neck.Her breathing quickened, the gorgeous sound ringing in his ears as her lips parted in desire.Dancing on the line she’d set, he brushed his lips over hers in a soft caress.
Come on, anaiah.Believe in me, in us.It had to be her choice.
A loud squawk wailed through the quiet, making Daya jump in surprise.With a groan, he turned his head and found two squinty eyes peering at him through the green curtain.The rest of Ember’s body remained outside the protected space.
“You have terrible timing,” he told the bird.“Truly terrible.”
Daya laughed loud and hard as Ember ducked out of sight.It had a cleansing sound to it, her whole body shaking with the effort.A heartfelt smile grew on his face as he watched some of the tension drain from her body.
Sittingbythefireafter a day spent playing in the woods, Raiden felt exhausted in the best way.Dull pain radiated in constant waves not only from his side but from his arm and shoulder as well.He could tell without looking that all three major injuries were inflamed from too much activity.Even so, his heart hummed with contentedness as the flames flickered and sparked around them.
Using magic all day had completely zapped the reserves of energy he’d been building during his recovery, making him shaky and unstable.It was worth it though.He’d been graced with a number of Daya’s rare smiles and had strengthened his magic.
The shadows cast by the fire glittered under his magic sight in a way that finally felt normal and didn’t make him twitchy with nerves.Once he’d gotten used to the constant glimmer in his peripheral vision, he realized it was actually easier to treat it as an extra sense instead of a tool to be used.
Daya sat to his side, struggling to tame her waist-length hair.It had become a tangled mess during the day, and she’d taken it out to try to re-braid it.
“Why don’t you let me help you?”he asked.
Sighing, she gave in and moved to sit between his legs.“Thank you.”
“It’s only fair.You got to play with my hair when we first arrived.”
She chuckled.“That’s true.Do you miss it?”
“Not really, no.Though I did enjoy the feel of your fingers running through it.”His voice deepened as he did the same to her.The memory of her touch warmed him as he delved through the silky strands.
He pressed into her scalp and down her neck, massaging her with firm strokes.An abruptly cut off moan sent heat curling to the base of his spine.Trying to behave himself, he imagined rubbing the stress and tension out of her with each pass until he felt her muscles melt beneath his fingers.
“Raiden, you’re supposed to be braiding my hair.”Her voice held a half-hearted protest as she rocked with the movement of his hands.
“I’m getting there.Just breathe, anaiah.”
Changing the rhythm of the massage, he began to play with strands of hair, letting them flow through his fingers like a waterfall.His mind flashed with images of a different kind.Not of distant memories but of new desires.Daya’s hair falling around him as she leaned over him, caressing his bare skin with whispers of promise.Fighting his own groan, he pushed the tantalizing images back, deciding he’d better actually braid her hair before he started something she wasn’t ready for.Kavesh, how he wanted to, though.
