Session 31 | Chapter 1
Images of platinum hair and piercing aquamarine eyes flash behind my eyes. The feeling of solid arms wrapped securely around my body overwhelms my senses. Juniper, soot and the scent of pine plays on the air enveloping us.
Home.
There’s a feeling during a hunt, where in one moment, you are surrounded by trees, foliage, and the sounds of nature and then all at once, you sense a presence. You are no longer alone in the wilderness and that sense engulfs and extinguishes every other. The momentary weighing of are you predator or prey–playing the ultimate game of chance.
That is how I wake–blissfully drifting in the endless sea of aquamarine and smoke. Then reality snuffs out the dream and pulls me into the unwelcoming assault of day. I nestle deeper into the linens surrounding me, savoring their softness and the warmth. I can’t think of a single moment where I have felt more comfortable and yet equally unfamiliar with my surroundings.
Opening my eyes a crack, I capture a sliver of the room–tall windows with light spilling through the glass into my room, golden hued wallpaper, fluffy white linens floating around me like clouds.
There’s no way it’s time to wake up yet. Mere moments ago I was in those arms, and if I concentrate hard enough the smell of incense still tickles the inside of my nose. Maybe if I go back to sleep I can just slip back to that place…
Closing my eyes, I prod out with my foot, searching for the familiar solid form of a drake. “Lendyssssss? Can you close the curtains? It’s too bright,” I groan.
The weight at the foot of my bed rolls to the edge and sounds of feet padding across to the windows echo through the still room. A whooshing sound like the torrent of wind is followed by him pouncing back onto the foot of my bed before curling up at my feet. “There. Happy?” he mumbles.
I hum at the dimness of the space, feeling less pressure behind my eyes and relieving the dull headache from last night’s party. Flashes of the evening before replace the reverie of cobalt and platinum: the monk from the south forest, arguing with Perona’s brother, the vision of Bahamut–Lendys–arguing with Lendys, breaking up with Perona…getting drunk with Layna. My hand drifts instinctually to the handprint shaped burn scar on my torso, tenderly touching the exposed raised flesh.
My eyes flick open, the memories racing back in full force, the gravity of last night’s events repeating behind my eyes. I groan, “Gods that was some night…”
From the foot of the bed, I hear a sleep ladened reply, “Yeah, you and Layna were a handful.”
I chuckle slightly at the memory of dancing under the stars with her, taking shot after shot, spinning faster and faster. “We were having fun. And you didn’t seem to have too hard of a job lounging in a tree.”
The weight at my feet shifts and I can picture him looking at me now, head raised and giving me a disapproving stare. “You didn’t have to carry your sloppy ass inside and navigate this massive mansion to your new room since you broke it off with Perona,” he mutters.
“Hey you slept in here too, so it’s also your room,” I retort. A split second later recognition hits me and I sit up, looking at him squarely. His head is raised and angled towards me, just as I pictured. My head pounds from the rapid elevation change. Groaning, I ask, “What do you mean carry me inside?”
Platinum hair. Strong jaw. Cutting blue eyes.
Lendys sits up to mirror my posture as best he can in his miniature dragon form. “I carried you inside,” he states, “and had to ask the head butler where your new room was.”
I blink, struck by his statement, and squint at him conspiratorially. My eyes roam his face, looking for any hint as to what this means, how this was physically possible.
Forget it happened okay? Old man, child, and dragon. That’s all I’ve got in my brain okay? The promise echoes in my head and I bite my tongue. I can’t ask him this. I can’t betray his trust in this way.
So instead, I shrug my shoulders and say nonchalantly, “We could’ve just slept outside. We’ve done that enough on the road–it wouldn’t have been a big deal.”
The gods must be on my side a little this morning, because he brushes past the silent question screaming out from my brain, and replies, “No, that wouldn’t work. Too many weird nobles and aristocrats were partying it up on the terrace. I didn’t want to leave a chance for them to bother us if we stayed outside.” His face is completely neutral despite the parallel to my joke last night.
I hold his gaze, waiting, baiting him into cracking a smile, laughing, anything to show he understood the connection with his words. A moment or two passes and it begins to border on awkward, so I roll my eyes and flop back onto the pillow behind me. “Ugh, do I have to get up though? I don’t want to go out there.”
I wallow deeper into the linens, wiggling back and forth until the wrinkles are out from beneath my body, and thus if I tried hard enough, I could almost taste the edges of sleep on my mind. Lendys crawls up to lay beside me in the bed and reasons, “Well, you can either eat the provisions in your pack, or have a decent breakfast and suffer a decent amount of awkwardness.” He pauses before quipping, “Your choice really.”
My eyes pop open at the mention of good food. His face is level with mine and for a whisper of a moment, his eyes stop every other thought in my head. There’s no way…
My stomach grumbles, reminding me of my train of thought, and I roll onto my side facing him, clutching the comforter tight to my chest. “What do you think they have in the dining hall? You know–other than awkwardness?”
Lendys raises his scaled platinum head and sniffs the air briefly. Turning back to me, he replies, “Yeah, I’m getting nothing. We’re probably too far for me to smell anything.” Confusion plays on his features and he nudges my arm with a light push. “Why are you wanting to stay in bed because of last night?”
I level him with a glare. There’s no way he truly expects an answer to that question.
In response, his mouth cracks open into a wide toothy grin. His eyes are bright and his entire demeanor is lighter at this moment. “Listen–you made your choice. Now we move on and live with the decision, okay?” he instructs.
Shaking my head at the starkness of his words juxtaposing the goofy grin on his draconic face, the anxiety of going out there lifts a little. My edges hum, comfort enveloping every sense, and making me want to burrow deeper into the covers. “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” I mutter, “But what’s the harm in staying here a little longer?”
My eyes close and feel the nip of sleep at the edges of my consciousness. All of that is abruptly brought to a halt by the feeling of a sticky, wet tongue lapping the side of my face.
I shriek, snapping my eyes open to catch a glimpse of platinum scales diving beneath the covers. Lendys starts pushing against my torso, and I grab at the blanket trying to hold my ground. He grunts and continues pushing me closer and closer to the edge of the bed. “It doesn’t hurt,” he groans, punctuating each word with a soft push, “But you can’t become lazy, Ranger!”
He starts to make progress as my back nears the edge and my hand shoots out one last time looking for any sort of hold. He rears back as my hand grasps the linens and gives me one last shove, throwing all of his weight into the action and we tumble off the bed.
My back lands on the wooden floor and I groan, squeezing my eyes shut from the impact on my sore muscles. Lendys lands above me, bracing himself on either side of my head so his full weight doesn’t impact me. His hot breath fills my senses as he pants, “There we go. Finally you’re out of bed.” Soot and juniper surrounds me and a momentary flash dances behind my eyes. Platinum hair tousled and finger combed back, sky-blue eyes looking down at me briefly, a strand falling in his face at the movement.
My eyes shoot open and I’m met with the familiar, human face from my visions with Bahamut. Not the face from earlier last night, but the older form. His eyes are still striking, laugh lines lightly creasing their edges, his platinum hair shorter, and his smile is bright with glee from knocking me out of bed.
I can’t help but blink, taking in the form above me when a mere breath ago he was a small dragon. Scales and clawed paws pushing against me and his toothy grin sending waves of joy through me. My gaze drifts past his five o’clock shadow to see broad shoulders filling my view, muscles sculpted from millennia of existence, skin blending into shimmering scales.
His shoulders are bare…
In a breath, the realization of him straddling me consumes me. His weight pressing lightly on me, welcomed, and not too much.
But not enough either.
The ghost of arms wrapped around me–these arms, or rather a version of them–sucks me in and I swear I could dive head first into their comfort like I have so many times before. His breath still comes in pants, his solid stomach expanding into mine with each deep breath. The steady rhythm pulls my gaze further–
Godsdammit all this is in no way fair.
My breath hitches at the sight of him. His thick legs are straddling my hips and his cock rests against my inner thigh – far too long and far too heavy to be anything but a dream. That’s it–I have to be dreaming again. Lendys closed the curtains, I snuggled back into bed and now I’m having dreams about him straddling me naked.
Naked? My eyes slip to my own body and it hits me–I'm in nothing but thin, lace bralette and matching panties. The only thing separating our hot skin right now is this damn comforter that I just had to grab onto.
Huntress…You’re supposed to be focusing today…the Priest taunts in the recesses of my mind and for once, his sudden invasion into my life isn’t the assault it usually is. Every fiber of me is focused on the man in front of me–above me–on me.
Bahamut will be most disappointed…
I blink at the mention of the god, Lendys’ father, and I’m pulled just enough from the trance to realize the situation we’re in. There’s no way Lendys would want this–I’m someone he accidentally got stuck with. He told me as much last night. I’m in this position purely by accident…not by fate or want.
Somehow, I manage to speak, my voice hoarse, “Fine, you win.” Hesitantly, I add, “You can get off me now.”
His face is puzzled, his eyes darting to either side of my head. His eyes turn into saucers as he realizes his draconic paws are now human hands. He shoots up, straightening and inadvertently pressing against my hips.
The pressure latches around my senses and nearly has my eyes rolling back at the thought of that damn comforter not being there. He throws himself back off of me, yanking the linens with him and stands above me. Blush rises to his cheeks and he looks down at the floor, refusing to meet my gaze. “I–” he takes a deep breath, “I’m sorry, Maire. I–uh–I didn’t mean to switch into this form.” He exclaims, running a hand through his hair. “Gods I’m sorry. I can’t imagine what’s going through your head right now.”
No I bet you can’t…
I prop myself up on my elbows and glance down at myself briefly, no longer covered by the comforter. Uncontrollably, a laugh bubbles out of me, and I shake my head at the absurdity of this situation. Just over a week ago, this man was simply a draconic spirit in my eyes–my best friend, but a spirit all the same. Then I was foolish enough to think diving headfirst into something with Perona was a good plan. Fast forward a week, I’ve broken up with Perona and in that same amount of time, I’ve already forgiven him…for everything.
Getting to my feet, I angle my head to catch his gaze. His eyes are still wide when I manage to snag his attention momentarily. With a light smile to reassure him, I reply nonchalantly, “Don’t worry–nothing I haven’t seen before.” I give his shoulder a light pat and the feeling of his skin on mine sends electricity through my core. Lendys stands there momentarily, brow furrowed and blinking. I smile lightly, and make my way over to the dresser where my clothes are neatly folded and organized
Savoring this moment facing away from him, I suck in a breath to steady myself. Maire, get it together. I pull out a shirt and glance over my shoulder to see the tension in his shoulders has relaxed a little. He’s no longer gripping the comforter like it’s his safety net. I turn back to the drawer and breathe once again. See? It’s fine. No need to get yourself worked up over nothing.
I yank out a pair of pants and grab my boots before turning to catch a glimpse of him once again. His expression feels like he’s in another dimension, lost in his own mind and fighting something behind his eyes.
At the chaise, I start to get dressed but pause before looking over at Lendys once again out of the corner of my eyes. My heart is pounding, working up the courage to throw him a line, give him a way out of this situation. “I can use the screen if you’d like? But then again, you’ve been around plenty when I’ve changed before…” My voice trails off, the statement lingering between us as I silently wait for him to respond.
Lendys’ eyes blink, pulling him back to reality as he looks over to me. His form deflates again at my words and I instantly want to take them back.
He averts his gaze again and replies, “Yeah, well just because you’ve seen others doesn’t make me feel better.” He turns his head and mumbles. Just barely, I catch his statement–“Especially with you seeing me that way.”
I pushed him too far. We just started dancing around what this new version of ‘us’ even is. I pushed him. I didn’t read this right. He didn’t mean for this to happen… My chest pinches, catching my breath and causing my heart to ache. The thought of causing him any more pain, any more discomfort, for my misjudgement stops me in my tracks. The clothes slip from my fingertips and I slowly cross the room to stand directly behind him.
My lips part and I study his posture–the way his shoulders seem a little straighter, but there’s hesitancy in his movements as he’s still playing with the comforter wrapped around him. He’s merely inches away from me, and I lift my hand to touch his shoulder.
Is this really a good idea, Huntress?
Without so much as giving a whisper of attention to the Priest, I place my hand on his bare shoulder, the feeling of his skin causing me to swallow the knot forming in my throat. “Lendys?” I ask, “What’s going on? You know you can talk to me…”
He turns his head slightly, staring intently at where my hand rests against his shoulder. Lendys licks his lips, trying to overcome whatever war is ranging behind his eyes. He takes a deep breath, calming himself. In this moment, my mind spins, weighing if the second he cools will result in asking me to leave him alone, telling me I radically misjudged this situation, causing my soul to escape my body once again.
He reaches across his body, eyes flutter closed briefly as he takes my hand in his. He turns to face me and swallows hard as he holds my gaze. My eyes flick between his eyes, his mouth, his jaw, past the worry of appearing foolish. Whatever he says next, I can live through this right?
He holds my eyes as a soft blue light glows from his form, slowly the years slip away from his older features to reveal his younger adult form. My eyes widen at the sight of him sharing this version of himself with me and I fight to keep my breathing steady.
He rests my hand against his cheek and leans into the touch, closing his eyes completely and savoring the warmth. This form–just last night he told me he wouldn’t show me this until he was ready. My chest tightens at the thought of what this means, the trust he’s placing in me and if I didn’t know better, nothing existed in this world outside of this moment.
Breathe, Maire.
Lendys’ eyes flash open–those pools so blue I could drown myself in them–slitted pupils fixated on me directly. “Do you trust me?” he asks, voice hoarse and a hint of hope lacing each word.
Far quicker than I expect to reply, I hold his gaze and nod silently, fearing that if I speak, my voice will betray the anxiety humming in my veins. Yes, the image of him disappearing before my eyes still haunts my nightmares, but it’s because the absence of him in that aftermath was worse than dying. I felt my soul cleave in two and I couldn’t see a way forward without him–in whatever form.
Yes, yes, I do.
A gentle smile plays at the corners of his full lips, quirking his features into a dangerously handsome expression. Before I can remember to breathe, he pulls me into his body, enveloping me in a hug. Dropping the linens from his grip, he surrounds me in the overwhelming scent of juniper berries, a burning fire, and the forest itself. I’m transported back to the images that danced along my dreams last night–platinum hair falling in his face, the night sky above him and a smile playing on his lips.
My eyes drift close as I breathe him in, pressing into his warmth and thinking the only thing that ever comes to mind when he’s near: home. My arms wrap around his torso and I pull him closer. He nuzzles his head into my hair and breathes, “I do want you. Even if this is an accident, I still want you.”
I pull back just enough to meet his eyes and I force my face to hide every fear ripping through my body at this moment in case I didn’t hear him right. “You…you what?”
“I want you,” Lendys declares, holding my gaze, and putting more conviction behind the statement.
My breathing hitches as he repeats those words. “Me?” I whisper. My heart is pounding so loud I might’ve yelled the question for all I know.
His smile widens, crinkling the corners of his eyes and brightening their blue depths with amusement. “Who else would I be talking about?” he replies, “Of course you!” Lendys lifts me with an ease that sets my heart racing again and holds me eye to eye with him.
My legs wrap around his torso and hook behind his back. Looping my arms around his neck, I fidget with the hair at the back of his head, the scales along his shoulders biting into my forearms. Face to face with him now, my eyes dart back and forth, frantically searching his eyes for any hint of deception before asking, “But why?”
His laugh is like fire crackling in the middle of camp-warm and steady–setting my soul ablaze. The vibrancy in his eyes causes my breath to hitch, and he replies, “Because you’re the reason I can smile. You’re the reason I look forward to each morning. And if I could do anything, I would give you the ability to see yourself through my eyes.” He pauses, holding my heart so firmly I fear it’s going to crack if it beats too strongly, “Only then would you realize just how special you are to me.”
I blink rapidly, my breath shuddering as I fight back the tears of relief that are threatening to fall. His arms wrapped around me are the only thing holding me together as I grasp for the shred of hope that this is real. I whisper, “Please tell me this isn’t a dream…”
His breath is hot and the energy between us is charged. Before he can respond, I throw myself into him, kissing him with every ounce of hope and longing I’ve repressed. The feeling of his lips against mine sending shockwaves through my chest and into my core.
Lost in the sensation of him surrounding me, I don’t notice that he moves us to the bed until we fall onto the cloudlike mattress, linens billowing out at the force of our bodies. He pulls away and my lips trail behind his, not wanting the kiss to end. As I inhale his hot panting breaths, my eyes flick open and hold his gaze. His face is hopeful and longing as he whispers against my skin, “Are you sure?”
My lips part slightly in an easy smile as I pull him back in for a kiss. Just before our lips touch, I reply, “Always.”