by Siren Allen
In about an hour, daynight would be upon them. Most creatures didn’t go outside after dark unless they had to. She really needed to go see Winter. But she needed to wait until tomorrow.
Maybe even later then that since TD was probably sending someone else after her and now after her mate also. Sin wanted to come up with a strategy on how to protect themselves. But first, she wanted to discuss the elephant in the room.
Their relationship. He, however, looked like he wanted to sleep for a few days. Maybe the thing with Nachik had drained him. Not her. Fire always rejuvenated her. It always gave her extra energy. She felt like she was bouncing off the walls.
“I’m going to take a shower,” Kaede said and then lowered his head and removed his hands from his face. “You can take one after me. It’ll be dark soon, if you want to hang out with the others, I’ll escort you to Santiago’s when I dress. Or you can hang out here. Fuck,” He yelled, startling her. “We need food. Stay here.” He turned and left the cabin, shutting the door behind him.
What the hell was that? Sin stood there for a good three minutes, replaying what had just happened. That was not how this night was supposed to go. He didn’t sound interested at all in talking about the elephant in the room.
He didn’t sound interested in doing anything with her period. If she was his treasure, he sure wasn’t acting like it right now. What happened to the dragon from before? She wanted him back.
The one who growled in that sexy way she liked. The one who stared at her with those intense dark eyes. The one who licked his lips as he watched her, as if he was imagining himself licking her until she screamed his name.
Where was that dragon? That was the dragon she wanted. Not the, I need to shower dragon. Or you can stay here or go out dragon. Or the, let me get you some food dragon. Ugh. Sin rolled her eyes.
Yes, she was pouting. And no, she had no rational reason to be. That didn’t mean she was going to stop pouting. Earlier, when he’d been all growly and sexy as sin, she hadn’t wanted it. Now, she did.
Logically, she knew she was acting hot and cold. She knew she was being wishy-washy. She hated girls who acted like this. Yet, here she was, doing just that. Sighing, Sin turned away from the front door and headed to the bedroom.
Before she had the talk with him, she first needed to have a talk with herself. She closed the bedroom door behind her but didn’t lock it. Pacing was a habit. She did it when she was nervous or when she needed to think and consult with herself.
Self, Sin thought, I know we’ve already decided that we’re going to forgive our dragon for trying to drug and kidnap us. Damn. Drug and kidnap. That was some pretty harsh and offensive shit.
His ass should be happy she was willing to forgive him. He should be happy she wasn’t still trying to figure out ways to torture him. Ugh... Sin took a deep breath. She was going off the deep end again.
Though she was willing to forgive him, forgetting was something else entirely. She’d never forget. Ever. Witches didn’t forget those who’d wronged them and they rarely forgave. She was letting it slide this time, because their predicament was an unusual one.
That didn’t mean she’d forgive any and everything he did. This issue was something she’d just have to learn not to linger on. And he’d just have to learn to deal with the fact that she’d never forget what he’d done.
If they both could agree to that, then they could move past this and focus on the future. The sound of the front door opening pulled her out of her discussion with herself. Meeting adjourned, Sin told herself then rushed to the bedroom door.
Kaede opened it before she could. Dang, he moved fast. Sin stepped back, allowing him space to enter the room. To her dismay, he had no intention of entering. He handed her a covered plate.
“I hope you like it. Today’s special is chili.” He handed her a cup with a lid on it. “This is herbal tea. Careful, it’s hot.”
She took the cup. “I can handle hot,” she told him, hoping it would bring a spark to his gaze. Anything other than the emotionless expression he was wearing now.
With a nod, he took a step back. His expression hadn’t changed. “I’ll take a bath. I grabbed extra blankets and pillows. I’ll sleep on the chair. The room is yours.” Done talking, he turned and headed toward the bathroom.
Frustrated, Sin wanted to follow behind him and ask him what the fuck was wrong with him. Her pride prevented her from moving forward. She did have the courage to call out, “Are you hungry? We can share...”
“I’m not hungry,” he answered from around the corner.
With a sigh, Sin stepped back and used her foot to slam the door shut. Call her childish, oh well, she’d be that. He was starting to piss her off. Sin walked over to the bed and placed the cup of hot tea on the bedside table.
The chili was thick. She didn’t really know what kind of meat was in it. But it smelled heavenly. Or, she was just hungry. Either way, she quickly picked up the wooden spoon and began eating.
She ate slowly, hoping she’d be done by the time he finished showering so they could talk. She finished the chili and herbal tea before he finished his shower. She took the empty containers to the kitchen and dumped them in the trash.
She couldn’t resist putting her ear to the bathroom door to see if she could hear what was going on inside. Silence. She heard nothing. What the hell was he doing? She raised her hand to knock, then paused.
She was being needy, clingy, nosey. She wasn’t that type of chick. And she wouldn’t start this relationship off with her having to ask him what was wrong? If something was wrong, he should be dragon enough to tell her on his own.
Screw him. Sin rolled her eyes at the bathroom door then returned to her room. This time when she closed the bedroom door, she locked it. Childish, yeah, oh well. She’d be that. She wanted a bath.
She’d wait until he finished his and then she’d take one and go to sleep. Maybe tomorrow the Grinch would wake up in a better mood and they could have their talk. Sin ended up falling asleep before he exited the bathroom.
When she awoke, it was still dark outside. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up in bed and stared around the room. It took a second for her brain to remember where she was at. Once it did, she immediately became irritated.
He hadn’t even awakened her so she could take a bath. Rude ass. Sin tossed the covers off of her and got out of bed. Fuck it. Fuck pride. Fuck waiting until he approached the subject.
She wanted to talk about the elephant in the room and his attitude, right now. And if he was sleeping, he’d just have to wake his ass up. One of the rules she’d learned from watching her parents was that couples shouldn’t go to bed angry.
They would not spend their first night in their new cabin angry with each other. Sin stormed across the room and tried to jerk the door open. It wouldn’t budge. Oh right. She’d locked it.
That only irritated her more. It didn’t take much to piss her off once she was already riled up. She unlocked the door and jerked it open. Her eyes widened as she took in the scenery before her.
Miniature gold lights now lit up the previously dim and drab living room. They were hanging everywhere. They were draped from the ceiling. They’d been positioned across the window.
A huge grin spread across her face when she stared at the miniature tree in the room. A small pine tree that was pink. It felt like an illusion but it looked real. She could feel the magical energy exuding from it.
Either way, it was the cutest thing she’d seen in a long time. It too had mini gold lights strung around it. And they too exuded magical energy. Movement in the far corner of the room drew her attention there.
That’s when she saw her mate, kneeling in the corner of the room, with a tangled mess of miniature lights wrapped around his neck and draped over his shoulder.
“Fucking lights,” he growled as he untangled the batch he was working on. “If my mate didn’t like this type of stuff, I would’ve burned you up hours ago.”
Hours? How lon
g had she been asleep? Perhaps she’d been more tired than she realized. Kaede strung the untangled lights from the ceiling. Then he went to work, untangling another batch.
He was hanging them from the ceiling, making them look like icicles. There were far too many lights in one room. Poor guy. He didn’t know that. He was simply doing this because he knew it would make her happy.
“Thank you,” Sin whispered.
He heard her. She could tell from the way he tensed up. He glanced over his shoulder. “Damn, I didn’t even hear you come in.” He faced her fully.
“I move like a ninja,” she joked.
He gave her a small smile then glanced around the well lit up room. “You caught me,” he told her. “I wanted to be done by the time you woke up.”
“Where did you get this stuff from? That pink tree is adorable.”
“The witches in the village helped me. I told them about the decorations you had in your home.”
“The flaming Christmas tree.”
He nodded. “I told them I wanted to decorate our home for you.”
Our home. He said our home. Sin felt her heart swell.
“It’s not much. The witches spelled the lights. And they took a pine tree, shrunk it and made it pink. They said women like pink.”
“We do.” Most girls did.
“The tree will return to it’s regular size in a month. I need to have it out of the house and replanted by then.”
“That should be no problem.”
“It’s not much. I just...” He was staring everywhere but at her. “I’ve fucked up so much when it comes to you. I just wanted to do something to make you happy. I hope this little bit helps. It doesn’t erase the fact that I tried to kidnap you and turn you over to The Deciders. And for what? They’ve been lying this entire time. That whole task thing is just a scam to get idiots like me to do their dirty work. Because of me, danger is coming here. Because of me, your home was burned down and now you have to live here. It’s not much. Give me a few months, I’ll build us something nicer. I’ll...”
Anger from moments ago forgotten, Sin wanted to rush over to him, wrap her arms around him and kiss him until he shut up and realized she didn’t need much. Since coming here, she’d learned that all the things she’d thought were so important back on the Mortal Plane, didn’t really matter at all.
Most people just wanted it so they could impress other people. Some people would go into debt trying to impress people who didn’t matter. Worldly possessions were nice. But nothing, no fancy car, no mansion, no private jet, none of it was better than moments like this.
She should tell him that. She couldn’t. Her emotions were overpowering her. She wasn’t used to speaking her feelings. Not these kinds of feelings. She could talk a lot when she was angry.
She could say a lot of hurtful shit when she was pissed off. But when she was happy like this, she didn’t know how to voice those emotions. Which was sad. Anger and pain shouldn’t pour from her easier than kindness and love.
That was something she’d have to work on. It seemed they both had things they needed to work on. He was still talking, telling her all of the things he wanted to build for her. None of which would make her as happy as this pink Christmas tree and gold lights made her.
None of the things he was talking about would make her as happy as she was right now, staring at him with wood glue stuck to his socks and tangled up Christmas lights wrapped around his neck.
“All I need is you,” Sin whispered.
He continued talking for a second then stopped, as if he’d finally heard her. “What did you say?”
“All I need is you, Kaede. Nothing else matters. Just you and me. And our pink Christmas tree and our golden lights. That’s all that matters to me.”
He swallowed. “Are you saying,” he paused, seeming to gather himself. “Mate, are you telling me you forgive me?”
Sin nodded. “I do.”
He wasn’t done talking yet. “Are you saying that you accept me as your mate?”
“I do.”
“Are you saying...”
If they kept this up, they’d be standing here talking all night. They could save the words for tomorrow. Tonight, she wanted to show him how she felt, not tell him.
“Kaede, right now, I just need a bath. Do you think you can help me with that?”
He lifted the tangled lights from around his neck and tossed them onto the chair. That intense look she’d been craving was back in his eyes. He growled two words that made a shiver race down her spine.
“I do.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
“I’LL GO GET THE WATER started,” he told her.
Why did his voice sound so sexy? All he’d said was that he was going to go draw the bath. Her pussy perked up like he’d said, I’m going to fuck you in the water. Maybe her vagina had the ability to see the future.
Perhaps that was why she was excited. She watched him walk into the bathroom. Once he was no longer in sight, she did a little happy dance. She would call it the, There’s Dick In My Future, dance.
Two years. Two long years. There was probably cobwebs growing out of her twat right now. No worries. That dick was going to tear right through those cobwebs in a few minutes. She worked her hips left and right, still doing the dick in the future dance.
“Mate, do you prefer the water a certain temperature?”
Sin paused, mid-dance. Busted. Fuck. How much had he seen?
“Were you dancing?”
She straightened up then faced him. “No, I thought a bug was crawling on me.” She slapped her arm. “Got it. Stupid bug.”
Kaede chuckled. “I like the way you dance.”
Embarrassed, all she could say was, “I wasn’t dancing. And, I like the water hot. The hotter the better.”
Still smiling, he disappeared back into the bathroom. Ugh, she whirled around and headed to the bedroom to find a change of clothes. He just had to come out and catch her doing the dick dance.
It wasn’t even a sexy dance either. She probably looked like she’d been having a seizure. Now, she would have to dance for him for real one day just to prove she could dance. No way she’d have him thinking she didn’t have any rhythm.
Then again, if the night went the way she hoped, she would be showing him that she had rhythm real soon. During their first sensual encounter, he’d pretty much informed her that he was a virgin.
Well, she was about to rock his virgin world. Sin sifted through the clothes in the drawer. There was nothing even remotely sexy in there. She settled on a T-shirt and... no panties. She didn’t need them. Plus, she didn’t have any.
She’d have to get some fabric and make some for herself. T-shirt in her hand, she turned around and came up short. Her dragon was standing in the doorway, staring at her. His shirt and socks were gone. He was still wearing his jogging pants.
“No more wearing those pants outside,” she hurried to say.
He looked down. “Why not?”
“Because you look too sexy in them.”
He grinned. Damn, he was sinfully adorable.
“You think so?”
“I know so. I don’t like other women seeing how sexy you are in them. That’s for me only.”
“Yes, ma’am.” That grin was still in place. He was pleased with her words. That pleased her. They both stood there smiling at each other like some idiots. He was the first to snap out of it. “The water is ready.”
Sin lifted her shirt. “I got my clothes.”
“You won’t need those.”
Be still my beating pussy. It was supposed to be, be still my beating heart. It wasn’t her heart that was throbbing right now. Her body was begging for the D. And the imprint she could see in those jogging pants of his, let her know the D was begging for her too.
Sin tossed the T-shirt onto the bed. If he said she didn’t need it, she didn’t need it. He stepped back and motioned for her to leave the room and lead the way. She was definitely willing to
take the lead tonight.
The walk to the bathroom was a short one, yet it felt like she was walking across the Serengeti. Walking regular was impossible. Even if she could, she wouldn’t have. She was pretty sure his eyes were on her ass.
Because of that, she added a sway to her hips. She didn’t rush to reach her destination. No, she wanted him to watch her ass for a while. She wanted him just as riled up as she was. By the time they made it to the bathroom, he was standing so close to her, she could feel his breath on her neck.
The makeshift tub wasn’t big enough for both of them. It was a good thing he’d already bathed. To her surprise and pleasure, the bathroom had icicle mini gold Christmas lights hanging from the ceiling.
“You need help undressing?” he whispered in her ear.
Standing in the center of the room, she nodded. His lips pressed against her neck as he lifted the bottom of her shirt and slowly inched it up. His tongue teased her neck while he took his time raising her shirt.
By the time he had it over her breasts, she was already weak in the knees. She lifted her arms, so he could pull it over her head. He kissed her neck and then leaned back to pull her shirt completely off of her.
The borrowed bra she was wearing was the next to go. He tried unhooking it. When he couldn’t figure it out, he ripped the offensive fabric from her body and let it drop to the floor. Good riddance.
“I’ll buy you another one,” he growled.
Fuck that bra, Sin thought as his arms came around her to cup her breasts. His thumbs grazed over her nipples. She arched into his touch.
“My beast likes the way you feel,” he whispered against her shoulder.
“What about you?” Sin asked.
“I love it.” Releasing her breasts, his hands trailed downward, over her stomach, the part of her that she was most self-conscious about.
“I’m not a small woman,” she found herself saying and immediately regretted it. Why was she allowing her past body image issues to pop up at a time like this?
“I’m not a small man,” he told her.
