Next time.
Eventually, he disengaged and rolled onto his back. I moved with him, tucking my head into his shoulder and laying my hand over his heart.
His breathing was still ragged, and he wasn’t talking, but his hand came up to stroke my hair and I sighed as he touched me.
“Was it a good lesson?” he asked quietly.
I laughed against him and turned my lips to press them against his sweaty skin.
“Best teacher ever.”
I looked up. “I hope this isn’t the only lesson you’re going to teach me. I can think of so many ways in which I could improve.”
He stared at me, as though assessing my honesty.
I didn’t understand the depths of Fae magic or intuition, so I opened up my mind and my heart to his exploration. I had nothing to hide.
No hidden agenda.
Nothing but love and trust for him.
When he looked his fill, he pressed his lips to mine in a lingering, sweet kiss. Then he pulled me into his body even tighter and let out a sigh that echoed in my head for long moments afterwards.
“Are you okay?” I asked after a while. He didn’t sound like he was.
I sat up and reached for the covers, pulling the blankets over us for warmth as the nighttime stillness crept over me.
“I’m... concerned about what is to come.”
The way he said it made me feel like he knew what was going to come.
My heart began to pound. “Do you have some sort of intuition I should know about? Or did some mage tell you something?”
He shook his head. “No, I simply... don’t want anything to happen to you and this is going to get dangerous.”
I relaxed against his shoulder and put my arm over his belly, hugging him tight.
“I appreciate you saying that... So, tell me, who do you think will be my biggest threat? The Council as a whole, or who? My dear stepmother?”
I giggled at the joke, though I practically snarled as her name went through my head. Charity... What a misnomer.
He sighed again, heavily. “It was only them. However, now with the bounty on your head, it’s everyone.”
I loved the fact that he cared so much about me that he was scared of the future, but we needed to be in this together.
I propped myself up on my elbow and stared down at him. “Listen, I understand that you’re worried about me, but this is important. This is my life. Our life... if that’s something you want to talk about now. Or later.”
He rolled onto his side and propped his head up with his hand, giving me his full attention.
“We have time now.”
I sucked in a breath, happy butterflies fluttering in my belly. “Well, firstly, I suppose I need to ask, if we get through this, would you want to be with me?”
He nodded. “Of course, I would, but would you want to be with me? A half breed mongrel?”
I frowned at him. “Stop speaking about yourself like that. I’ve spent time with the Fae people, and they are beautiful and powerful and wise. Why wouldn’t I be happy that you have those traits in you?”
“But the Witches...”