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I was certain he’d heard me before, but this time he turned to greet me. I was pleased to note that he looked significantly better this morning—more akin to the confident, mischievous male I’d admired in the market.
His eyes looked bright though they were no longer swirling with color. His skin was luminous—an Allavari trait I’d always envied—and his straight, dark hair was gleaming. The fresh bandage on his wound was clean, no signs of bleeding after I’d stitched it the morning before when he’d slept.
Maybe all he needed was another feeding,I couldn’t help but think. Could I have prevented his suffering yesterday?
“Good morning,” I greeted, a little shy. I held up the blanket, and Lorik frowned at it before understanding crossed his face.
“Worried about me, little witch?”
Had his cheeks darkened slightly? Despite his teasing words, he turned and folded his wings against his back. I stared at the suede-like flesh covering the thick bones of them. Though Aysia had been part Kylorr, she’d taken more of the Allavari blood of her mother. She hadn’t had wings, nor had any of the children at Correl’s orphanage.
With the exception of a Kylorr female I’d stitched up six years ago, this was the closest I’d ever been to wings.
“You can touch them if you’d like,” came Lorik’s voice. His tone gruff and husky, dipped down like a lover’s in bed. I hadn’t been with a male in years—hadn’t touched or stroked or kissed or laughed with one in bed in years—and I’d never felt the stretch of time more than right then.
Without agonizing over whether this was appropriate or not, I reached out my fingertips before I could second guess myself. He’d given me permission…and I was endlessly curious.
Lorik shivered when the heat of my fingers stroked down the membrane of one wing. The skin was surprisingly soft until it met the hard bone of the skeletal structure. I could feel the tiny veins running beneath it, just as I could see them in the sun.
“Are you sensitive here?” I asked. Lorik huffed out a deep breath. I realized belatedly that my voice was as low as his had been. This moment felt entirely too intimate, and I swallowed as I let my hand lower.
“Yes,” he replied. That was all he would say, and I hurriedly draped the coverlet over his shoulders, standing on my tiptoes to reach them. Wrapped around his wings, the coverlet made a ridiculous shape, but when he faced me again, I wrapped the front together, tucking it tight.
I could feel him watching me as I fussed over him. Did helikeit when I fussed over him?
“I’ll have your clothes washed today,” I told him, grasping for something to say, chancing a peek up at him. His blue eyes were swirling again.
“If you wanted me naked, Marion, you only had to ask,” he said. “We can burn my clothes instead if you wish. I won’t complain.”
“Be serious,” I chided though I felt my lips quirking at the edges. When the coverlet was secure and I was satisfied he wouldn’t freeze in the chilly morning air, I stepped back. Only hesnatched my wrist, quicker than I could blink—frighteningly fast—and kept me against him. Pulled me even closer. “Lorik.”
“You’ve given me your blanket—what’s going to keep you warm besides me?” he wondered, tucking me into his side like I belonged there. His skin was so hot against me I was worried he was feverish again. “I’m fine. I run hotter than most,” he told me, as if reading my mind.
“What…what are you doing out here this early?” I asked, letting him warm me. He’d tucked the coverlet around me so I didn’t have anywhere to turn…but it felt wonderful. The heat of him contrasted with the icy air across my cheeks. I wondered if he’d bathed already because he smelled clean and fresh, no lingerings of poison or infection.
He would leave soon, I knew. There would be no reason for him to stay.
“Tell me about the glowflies,” he murmured, nudging his chin toward the five nearly hidden hives on the outskirts of the garden. Each hive was situated close to their favored plant. “A peculiar hobby. An incredibly dangerous one.”
“You saw them,” I pointed out. “You were out here a couple nights ago with me.”
“Yes,” he said, “but I knew better than to get too close.”
“Afraid of glowflies?” I asked, my tone teasing. I felt relaxed against him. This newness, this unpredictability when it came to him was exciting. Exhilarating. I wondered if he’d steal a kiss while he had me close.
I was so used to being alone…and I was used to Allavari men. Most were too proper that it bordered on being cold. Most didn’t show their feelings and very rarely acted on them. Allavari, like the Kylorr, were raised to show little emotion. To never let anyone see you struggle because that was not the Allavari way.
“Terrified,” Lorik responded, and I heard the smile in his voice without looking up at him.
Most Allavari men would certainly never admit to being scared of anything after plastering a woman against them. That was what I’d always liked about Lorik. He was unpredictable. Even in the market, when others looked at him with half-hidden wariness. Confident in himself, he didn’t seem to care what others thought of him or how a certain action would be perceived.
“You have abraydusas a companion and glowflies as your garden keepers,” Lorik said, his tone wistful. He shook his head, his good arm sliding down my spine, before he hooked a hand around my waist.
My cheeks warmed, and I grinned, trying to hide it beneath the curtain of my hair when I ducked my head.
“Are you sure you aren’t from the Below after all?” he wondered.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
