Page 75 of The Wolf and Her Shadows

“Alright, now off with you,” I mutter, wiping my own tears. “We really do need to sleep now.” Hoping to alleviate a bit of the heaviness still lingering in the air, I twist my lips up into a mischievous smirk and nod towards Vannaria. “This one still needs to give me my nightly massage. But don’t worry, we’ll refrain from ending it the way we normally do. At least for tonight.”

As I’d hoped, my mother laughs, lightly smacking me on the shoulder as she exclaims, “Mariane! Need I remind you I’m your mother. I don’t need to know about your sex life.”

I give her a look of total innocence. “Whatever do you mean? I simply told you we wouldn’t be having sex.”

Rolling her eyes, she leans down and kisses me on my forehead. “Never change, Little Wolf. I love you and I’ll see you both tomorrow.”

With that, she turns, giving Vannaria a pat on the shoulder as she slowly makes her way back across the small room. With one last glance over her shoulder, she pulls the door shut behind her.

When I look over at Vannaria, her brows are furrowed while her gaze bounces between me and the door. “Are you truly alright, Mariane? If you’d rather sleep with your mother tonight, I–”

Her foolish suggestion is cut off by my shirt smacking her in the face. “Vannaria, get your ass over here and hold me.”

“As you wish, Your Majesty.”

Chapter Thirty-One

Vannaria

I wake to the sound of soft humming and the feeling of familiar fingers gently trailing up and down my chest, the combination soothing enough it nearly lulls me back to sleep. It seems as though I wasn’t the one to wake first for once. A smile makes its way onto my face, unbidden.

The humming trails off as Mariane places a soft kiss on my forehead and whispers, “Good morning, Love.”

Letting out a sleep-filled groan, I blink one eye open. “Good morning indeed. How did you know it was me?”

A bright smile slips onto her face and she shrugs. “Well, honestly I didn’t, but I’d figured since you hadn’t reacted violently to me touching you in your sleep it was probably a safe assumption.” She traces a fingertip across my cheek, underneath my eye. “And now I know for sure.”

“Hmm. Well, I certainly enjoyed waking to the feeling of your touch.” Closing my eye again, I turn my head to press a quick kiss against her palm. “Although I will apologize again on the other’s behalf.”

She cups my cheek, brushing her lips against mine as she whispers, “Oh hush, you and your damned apologies.” And then she’s kissing me. Soft, slow, and filled with everything still left unsaid after the night before’s confessions.

Filled with love.

After a moment, I cup her face as well, not attempting to deepen the kiss, but simply wanting to feel her skin beneath my fingers. The action does however cause our bare breasts to brush together. Perhaps it hadn’t been the wisest idea to sleep shirtless with Mariane’s mother in the room next door, but…

Despite the arousal now pooling low in my belly, neither of our hands wander, the two of us content letting our mouths continue their dance. And as all dances do, it slowly comes to an end, with matching sighs of contentment slipping past our lips.

“I love you, Mariane,” I whisper, violet eyes locked onto golden.

The words are met with a soft smile. “I love you too, Vannaria.”

I offer her a smile in return, then glance towards the window, curious to know what time it may be. Considering how late we’d fallen asleep last night, it doesn’t surprise me at all that it appears to no longer be morning at all. Based on my steadily increasing hunger, it’s safe to assume it’s likely already past lunch time as well.

A feeling of guilt knotting my chest at the realization Mariane has probably been waiting for me to wake up when she could’ve been spending time with her mother. With the hand still on my cheek, the woman I love gently turns my head back towards herself, drawing my gaze away from the window. She gives me another kiss before adjusting her position so she can lay her head on my chest.

“A few more moments, then we can go raid the kitchen,” Mariane mutters, wrapping an arm around my waist. “Knowing my mother, there’s probably already lunch ready and waiting for us. She’s likely already stocked the pantry with enough to feed a small army as well.”

“Ah, so it seems she’s well aware of your voracious appetite then.” My fingers begin running through her long dark hair of their own accord. “I’m content to stay in bed as long as you wish, but please don’t feel as if you have to sacrifice spending time with your mother for my sake. You can–”

“I’m aware you can’t see it, but I just rolled my eyes.” Her grip on my waist tightens. “Vannaria, trust me when I say my reasons for refusing to get out of bed right now are entirely selfish. I’ve been living in constant fear for seven years, and thanks to you, I’m home, in my own bed and using the woman I love as a pillow.”

Grabbing my free hand, she entwines our fingers. “I’ve missed my mother dearly. Hells, everyone in this village really. And yes, I intend to spend a good amount of time with her while we’re here. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to sacrifice spending time with you either. Regardless of how long you and I have known each other, you’ve come to mean a great deal to me, and I intend to make the most of the time we have together. Here, where we’re safe to just be.”

“Well, when you put it like that…” Blinking back tears, I wrap my arms around her, hugging her tightly to my chest. “Allow me to serve as your personal pillow whenever you see fit, Your Majesty.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I intend to.” A loud grumble echoes throughout the small room, courtesy of Mariane’s stomach. With a huff of annoyance, she mumbles, “Although it seems my stomach has other ideas.”

Focusing on the rooms around us, I can hear the tell-tale signs of someone moving about in the kitchen. Her mother, Sera, no doubt preparing lunch, anxiously waiting for us to come join her.