And then he pushed in hard and let out everything he had, his body taking over. . . even as his heart stayed far, far away.
The cabin, as Xhex called it, was a very modest accommodation.
As Autumn walked around its interior, there was not much to get in the way of her path. The galley kitchen was nothing but cabinets and countertops. The living space offered little more than a view of the river, with only two chairs and a little table for furnishings. There were only two bedrooms, one with a pair of mattresses, another with a larger, singular sleeping platform. And the bathroom was cramped but clean, with a single towel hanging from the shower rod.
"Like I told you," Xhex said from the main room, "it's not much. There's also an underground facility for you during the daytime, but we have to access it from the garage. "
Autumn came back out from the loo. "I think it's beautiful. "
"Tha's okay, you can be honest. "
"I mean what I say. You are a highly functional female. You like things to work well, and you don't like to waste time. This is a beautiful space for you. " She cast her eyes around once more. "All the fixtures that carry water in and out are new. So are the radiators for the heat. The kitchen has plenty of space to cook on, with a stove that has six burners, not four - and is gas powered, so you don't have to worry about electricity. The roof is slate and thus enduring, and the floors don't squeak - so I assume the undercarriage is as cared for as everything else. " She pivoted from one corner to the next. "From every angle there is a window to look out of, so you will never be caught unaware, and I see that there are copper locks everywhere. Perfect. "
Xhex took her jacket off. "That's, ah. . . very perceptive of you. "
"Not really. It's obvious to anyone who knows you. "
"I'm. . . I'm really glad you do. "
"Myself as well. "
Autumn went over to the windows that faced the water. Outside, the moon cast a bright light down upon the snowy landscape, the refracte
d illumination reading blue to her eyes.
You're in love with me. Don't bother denying it - you tell me in your sleep every day. . . . And you know damn well the only reason I'm with you is to get Wellsie out of the In Between. So don't I just fit your pattern to a T.
"Mahmen?"
Autumn focused on her daughter's reflection in the glass. "I'm sorry, what?"
"Do you want to tell me what happened between you and Tohr?"
Xhex had yet to take off her weapons, and as she stood there, she was so powerful, secure, strong. . . She would bow before no male and no one, and wasn't that wonderful. Wasn't that a blessing beyond measure.
"I am so proud of you," Autumn said, turning around to face the female. "I want you to know that I am so very, very proud of you. "
Xhex's eyes dropped to the floor, and she brushed a hand through her hair as if she didn't know how to handle the praise.
"Thank you for taking me in," Autumn continued. "I shall endeavor to earn my keep for the duration I am here, and contribute in some small way. "
Xhex shook her head. "I keep telling you, you're not a guest. "
"Be that as it may, I shan't be a burden. "
"Are you going to tell me about Tohr. "
Autumn regarded the weapons that as yet hung from those leather holsters, and thought the gleam of the gunmetal was very much like the light in her daughter's eyes: a promise of violence.
"You are not to be angry with him," she heard herself say. "What transpired between us was consensual, and it ended for. . . a proper reason. He did nothing wrong. "
As she spoke, she wasn't sure what she really thought about it all, but she was clear on one thing: She was not going to create a situation where Xhex went after the male with all guns blazing - literally.
"Do you hear me, daughter mine. " Not a question, a command - the first she had ever made that sounded as a parent to a young. "You are not to find cause with him, or speak of this to him. "
"Give me a reason why. "
"You know the emotions of others, correct?"