My breath caught when he caught one of my hands and pressed a kiss against my palm. “No, erska. You will get sick in the sun for so long. But thank you.”
I frowned. “You stayed up with me to wash the laundry and eat. You can’t have gotten much sleep. You should sleep more.”
He shook his head, the motion rubbing his face against my palms in a way that stole a smile from me before I could stop myself. “I do not wish for you to get hurt.”
“Then I’ll play in your tent,” I insisted. “You should rest.”
I wasn’t sure if that was allowed, or if perhaps it was a little forward of me to demand entry into his space, but I wasn’t willing to give this up. Garrun was a sweet man. He needed rest. If I could help, I wanted to.
I felt his mouth quirk, the hint of a smile peeking out before he kissed my palm again. “Okay. We will rest in my tent, but if your fingers hurt, you stop. I do not need much sleep. I have had less in the past.”
I made a face at him, allowing him to take my violin from where it was resting in my lap and put it back in the case so we could move to his tent. “That doesn’t make me feel better, Garrun. Just because you had less doesn’t mean you deserve less.”
Removing my hands from his face, he laced our fingers instead, helping me stand and guiding me around the log I’d been sitting on and a short distance away. He led me carefully into his tent, ushering me to a spot he must’ve deemed goodenough and sitting me down. The surface was a lot like my bed, so I assumed that’s where I was sitting. Garrun crawled in behind me a lot like Ekkar did, turning on his side so I could lean against his chest if I wanted. I smiled to myself, pulling out my violin and readjusting to make myself a little more comfortable.
“You will move away if I dream,” he insisted. “I do not wish to hurt you.”
I nodded once in agreement. “If you dream, I’ll move. But I’ll try my best to ensure you won’t. Now get some rest. I’m okay here.”
I played for a little while, sometimes pausing to listen to Garrun’s deep breathing just to make sure he was asleep and not just appeasing me. He slept on as long as I was playing, one arm slung lightly around me and resting on my hip. I’d intended to play until he woke up again, or at least until the next meal, but as the day grew hotter, my own eyes started to feel heavy, and I found myself leaning more and more against Garrun’s chest. If I wasn’t careful, I was going to put myself to sleep just as effectively as I had for Garrun.
GARRUN
When I woke again, hours had passed, and the sun was no longer at its peak. The air was quiet, so I first thought that Henry had left or at least put his instrument away, but when I opened my eyes, I found him curled on his side, his back pressed against my chest, his instrument held lightly in his hands like he’d fallen asleep in the middle of playing. Shifting to my elbow, I looked down at him, taking in the softness of his appearance, the way his lips parted in his sleep, and he curled ever so slightly aroundhis instrument like even in his sleep, he was protective of it. I could understand this. His instrument helped him work through his thoughts. Losing it would be tragic.
With that in mind, I carefully took it out of his hands and moved it back to its case. There was a spot inside for both parts, along with a few spare things that looked like replacements for parts of the instrument tucked inside. I eyed the contents curiously. If need be, could we find those parts in a nearby town or Al Nuzem’s capital, or would we need to request the items from the traders when they made their journey north?
My movement must have woken Henry because he started to shift and stretch, arms pulled over his head as his body pulled taut. I couldn’t decide if the move was more cute or made me want to climb on top of him and take his mouth more thoroughly than we had in the forest the day before. Perhaps it wasn’t the smartest idea to bring him to my tent. It was harder to resist the idea when we were alone with a bed nearby.
“Garrun?”
I hummed, putting a hand on his knee to let him know I was still there. “I am here, erska. Did you rest well?”
Sitting up, he scrubbed his hands over his face and let them drop heavily, his brows drawn together in a frown. “Yes, but I didn’t intend to sleep. It got too warm in here.”
This I understood. The warmth of my tent during the day encouraged sleep, which only made the nightmares more frustrating for me. “Next time, we will go to our spot. It is better.”
Letting out a wide yawn that he hid behind his hand, he nodded. “Sounds good. Did you sleep okay? Did the music help?”
I paused before answering, considering his words. While yes, the music did help me to fall back asleep, I was curious to know how long after he’d fallen asleep himself. Not even Ekkarwould sleep next to me because of how erratic my movements were in my sleep. That Henry slept beside me and was not only uninjured, but got rest himself, was a little shocking. Was it only the music that made me sleep so deeply, or did Henry’s presence have something to do with it?
“Garrun?”
Since it seemed to ease his mind when he could touch my face to see me, I took his hand, kissing the palm before placing it on my cheek. “Yes, erska. The music helped. Thank you.”
His fingers immediately started moving, tracing along my nose and over my brow. I relished in the touch, leaning into it as his other hand joined the first, following the curve of my mouth as I smiled at him. He smiled back, looking pleased with the response.
“Alice said whenever she saw you, you were always frowning. That doesn’t seem to be the case with me.”
That’s because you truly see me.I did not say the words aloud. I promised myself I would not rush him. He said he was never close to anyone before now, outside of his kin. He seemed overwhelmed after our kiss. I would go slow for him. I would do anything for Henry.
Henry’s lips quirked up a little more. “So soft,” he murmured. “Maybe people haven’t seen you smile because they aren’t looking close enough.”
His sweet words drew me closer, and I gave in to the urge to claim his lips. He didn’t jump like the first time, smiling against my mouth as he pressed his lips to mine. There was no hesitation in his touch, nothing like what I’d heard from other clan brothers with male bondmates. Those men, raised in towns that would persecute them for their interests, were often shy or anxious when first spending time with a male partner. Not Henry. His kisses were filled with joy and pleasure, like the thought of being with a man was of no issue to him. It mademe feel better knowing my touches didn’t frighten him or make him feel unsure. He practically purred when I pulled him closer, letting out a soft moan when my tongue slid against his.
I was unsure who moved first. I’d thought to hold back, to wait for a sign from Henry, but he tugged on my clothes to draw me closer, and I crawled on top of him almost at the same time. It happened so fast, it felt as though one moment we were sitting near each other, trading kisses and soft touches, the next, I was on top of him, hands gripping him a little tighter as I tried to somehow pull him closer to me while Henry tangled our legs together, his fingers digging into my hair.
Gasping against my mouth, Henry lifted his hips to grind against mine. “G-Garrun…”
