“Do you feel it?” she asked, watching my movements with caution.
The smile I gave her was soft. “Every heartbeat.”
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, but her fingers trembled. “I don’t ever want you to feel trapped by this. By me. If it makes you uncomfortable, if it?—”
“Stop.” I took her hand, pulling her closer so she couldn’t retreat. “Nothing about you makes me uncomfortable.” I tipped her chin up. “Not one single thing about you makes me want to retreat.” I pulled her closer, until our chests nearly touched, until the heat from her body threaded through my pulse. “I like it. I like feeling you inside me. I already told you, I’m yours to claim, and that’s what this feels like. Like you’ve wrapped yourself beneath my skin and staked your claim. And it makes me want to return the favor”—my voice dropped lower, rougher—“and mark every inch of you as mine. So every realm remembers where you belong.”
Even in the dim light, I saw the way her cheeks flushed. “Brenton . . .”
“Finley.” I cupped her cheek. “I’ve always been yours. This just carved that claim deeper.”
She looped her hands behind my neck, pulling me in closer. My hand slid to her lower back, holding her there, and then she kissed me. Fierce and unyielding. A mirror of the vow thrumming between us. Not a whisper of a kiss but a claim.
A guttural sound rumbled against her mouth, half groan, half growl, as my grip tightened against her back. Her magic flared beneath my skin, coiling with mine, clutching and claiming as we did each other.
She pulled back, her lips swollen as she smiled at me. “Okay.”
I pressed a kiss to the top of her head, then nudged her gently toward the nearest log bench by a dwindling fire. I added more wood.
“So about your list,” I teased.
She blinked up at me, confused until I pulled out the folded piece of paper from my pocket, the one I still had from the previous morning.
“Shall I read it aloud?” I waved it in the air.
Her eyes narrowed as she drew her shoulders back, as if she were bracing for me to laugh. I sat beside her, my thigh brushing hers, and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. The tension bled out of her, softening as she tucked herself against me.
“You know I’d never make fun of anything important to you, right?” I asked.
She pressed her nose into the curve of my throat, her warm breath ghosting across my skin. Then she flicked her tongue across my skin, and a groan escaped me before I could stop it.
“I know,” she said, her tone quiet and uncertain. “It’s just that some of the things on my list are foolish. Things everyone else already does, but I’m too afraid to try.”
“I haven’t read it yet, but I already know none of them are foolish,” I said, skirting a finger across her arm. “I hope some ofthem are fun. Silly, even. And I hope you let me do them with you.”
“There’s one in particular I want you to do with me.” A smile wrapped itself around her words.
“Anything you want, Lolli.” I teased the words against her ear. “I’m yours to command.”
The sound she made in response wasn’t just a laugh, but a soft, startled giggle. It was only the second time I’d heard it, and just as unforgettable.
“There’s this thing I learned about from humans in the region I was stationed.” She reached for the list and pointed at it. “It’s called a manicure and pedicure. A female I befriended spoke about it at length, and it sounded delightful.”
I tilted my head, trying and failing not to grin. “What exactly does one do for a manicure and pedicure?”
She stretched out her palm to wiggle her fingers. “Someone would paint my fingernails and toenails.”
“Paint them?” I echoed, mock confusion coloring my voice enough to make her eyes sparkle, but Ryenne painted her nails often enough that I was at least familiar with the idea. “You mean to tell me that humans decorate their claws?”
She shook her head.
I took her hand and pressed a kiss to the tips of her fingers. “If this manicure and pedicure involve anyone else touching you, they should know I’ll be right there supervising. Closely.”
Her laughter lit up the night.
“So you’ll do it with me?” she asked.
“As soon as we get back to Niev, I’ll find someone to do it for us.” I tilted my head, pretending to look thoughtful. “You’re not going to make me paint mine some soft pastel color. I feel like I should wear something striking and bold.”
