Page 30 of The Nixie and the Frost Elf

"Fair enough. I have an early lecture too."

"Maybe we should have done this on a night where neither of us had anywhere to be the morning after," I muse.

"Next time." He trails his hand down my arm, the gesture full of affection. "And we should go out for a proper meal. I know we've been trying to recapture our twelve-year-old joy, but it would be nice to take you out properly."

"We could go down into the village," I respond. "I've heard good things about one of the pubs."

"Then we should go there."

"But I do still want to go on fun dates," I say quickly. "Someone in my art history lecture said that they went on a date to the magi-tag place, and it was really fun."

"We never did that when we were twelve."

"All the more reason to try it now," I respond. "We've already done several things we didn't do when we were twelve."

He lets out an amused laugh and picks up my hand, bringing it to his lips and kissing the back of it.

I melt inside. I worried for so long that this was going to be awkward, and that I wouldn't be comfortable in bed with him like this, but that's not the case at all. Being here is easy. I know we're going to have to keep talking about things to make sure that we don't accidentally lose sight of what we have, but it feels a lot more possible this morning than it did when I came here last night.

I know that's partly because I decided what I was going to do, and taking charge of my emotions, and my body, is a powerful thing. But it's also because Edur was thoughtful and caring, checking in and not taking anything for granted. His whole attitude towards all of this has made me feel safer than I ever thought possible, and if that's not a good reason to embrace the mate bond between us, then I don't really know what is.

Unable to put any of what I'm thinking into words, I lean forward and press my lips against his, kissing him deeply and hoping that it conveys everything I'm thinking, and more. Because I want him to know how much his patience and kindness have meant to me, and how open I am to more.

Chapter 14

Edur

I knock on the front door of Lexi's flat and wait for her to open it. I messaged her mirror to say that I was on my way to pick her up for our date, but she hasn't responded yet. I pull my handheld mirror out of my pocket to see if there are any updates, but there's nothing.

The sound of footsteps heading towards the other side of the door catches my attention, and I look up from my mirror in time for it to swing open. I'm greeted by a siren with pale blue hair and dark blue skin. I recognise her from Healing, but I don't know her name.

"You're here for Lexi?" she asks.

I nod. "Yes."

"Just so you know, I've promised to lure you to the depths of the Rosewood Moat if you hurt her," the siren warns me.

"Message received. But I don't intend to."

"See that you don't." She opens the door properly just as Lexi appears in the hallway in a cute cream dress and her bag slung over her shoulder. Her arms and legs are bare, revealing the fins that I now know to be sensitive on her forearms and calves.

Her face lights up into a smile when she sees me. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear the doorbell."

"I looked after him," the siren responds with a grin.

Lexi laughs. "Dare I ask?"

"She was very welcoming," I say.

"I like him already. Have a fun date." The siren waves and disappears into what I assume is her room.

"Hi," Lexi says as she reaches me, going up on her toes and kissing my cheek. "I hope Marnie behaved."

"She threatened to drown me if I hurt you."

"She did promise to do that, yes." She closes the flat door behind her and slips her arm through mine.

The walk from the academy to the nearby town doesn't take long. We could drive it, but the weather is dry, even with winter approaching, so it's not an issue, especially when it means I can spend more time one-on-one with Lexi. There are other students making the trip down there too, but they don't pay us any attention.