Private Tales On swift wings..

[Sidereal Penumbra]

"Hm," deep voice rumbled in his throat. Eyes cracked open as his gaze down to the blonde tucked securely against his skin and muscle. Skin, muscle, ink, and scars.

"Now? I take you back to the townhouse so we can try this out on every surface." A wicked grin on his face as he pressed a kiss on the top of her head.

 

[Lorelei]

Lori huffed out a laugh and rolled over onto his chest, her chin resting atop her folded arms as she smirked at him. "I mean, tomorrow..." her brow furrowed and the smirk she wore faltered. "I need to go back, and you're the General.." her head tilted.

"I don't know how this works.." she admitted with a faint blush. The thought of going back there without him was now something far more painful than it had been before, as though there was something physical binding them together.

 

[Sidereal Penumbra]

His wings twitched beneath him as they rose and folded protectively over them both, cocooning them in semi-darkness. His fingers smoothed along her sides, thumbs rubbing along her skin in little circles. There was still enough light to see the expression on her face. And those eyes.

Damn, he didn't deserve her.

"You need to go back?" His voice rumbled deep within his chest. "You left on a special mission with me. As far as everyone knows you're following orders." He hesitated at that. Hopefully Lori knew he would never use his position to...would never pressure her to...

"But I meant what I said before," his rough, calloused hand rose to gently smooth blonde ribbons of her hair away from her face. "You don't ever have to go back if you don't want to.'

 

[Lorelei]

Lori let out a quiet laugh and shook her head. "I have never disobeyed an order in my life.." she murmured. That was just suicide. "But we both know this has nothing to do with the mission that I was assigned to accompany you on." her lips twisted.

She looked up at him, her brow furrowing gently at the option he gave her. She couldn't deny that the thought of staying here forever was a tempting one, but she had as many reasons to go back as she had to stay..

"Sid.. I. I worked so hard to prove them wrong. If I leave, everything I've worked for will mean nothing. I committed my life to it a long time ago.." she winced.

 

[Sidereal Penumbra]

His wings slowly unfurled from around them, settling back gently on the floor before tucking in closer to his sides. "But you'll be safer here," he rumbled, finding himself lost in her eyes. His fingers trying to smooth that wince from her face. His own twisting in worry. Fears about what he wouldn't be able to protect her from.

"Do you realize if another male so much as looks at you strange. Whispers a slur against you, I will rip their arms from their body?"

His head slumped back against the ground, deep gaze flickering to the ceiling above them.

"Gods, Lori."

He had half a mind to lock her up in his townhouse forever.

 

[Lorelei]

"Of course I'll be safer here.. But, what do you expect me to do? Learn to read and write and bake?" her brow quirked. "That's not me.. I didn't spend all this time working this hard to be safe.. I'll never be more than a soldier, but at least I proved that I can be as good or better than they are even after what was taken from me... I can't just walk away."

She reached for his face as his head fell back, trying to pull his gaze back to hers. "I'm not saying that I don't want this.. I didn't think I did but, I do. But I need to go back." she frowned gently. "You can't just stop being the General because of me, either...You have a life already."

 

[Sidereal Penumbra]

You cant just stop being the General because of me, either...You have a life already.

A disquieted grumble rumbled across his chest. "I'm submitting my resignation today." He cracked his usual lopsided smirk as it didn't take much for her to pull his gaze back to her face. It was something he couldn't do. He doubted the Erlking would take kindly to his sudden retirement.

And there was no way he'd ever leave Lorcan or Raphael to deal with Autumn court by themselves.

If only...

"C'mon," with a shift of his wings and muscles, he scooped her up as he got to his feet, holding her closely to his chest for a long moment before releasing her so she could be back on her feet. "If tonight is all we have, we're going back to the townhouse and taking advantage of the bed. And couch, kitchen, carpet..." his smirk widened as he didn't hide his gaze as he looked at her.

Gods, she was so beautiful.

He looked away just long enough to tug up his pants.

 

[Lorelei]

He knew she was right. He was a General, a soldier, he got it. She would never be more than what she was, but it had taken everything to get there and her skills had at least earned her some thin notion of tolerance in the camps.

She stopped thinking about any of that when he stood with such ease with her cradled against his chest, her lips twitching into a smirk as she reached to draw a fingertip across the top of his wing. Her legs felt surprisingly weak when he set her down and she stretched, dragging her fingers through her hair as she laughed at him.

"You forgot the tub...Do you know how long it's been since I've bathed in warm water?" she laughed under her brow. She'd certainly never done that in warm water.

"You're right, though... Lets just, enjoy what time we have." she said as she pulled her clothes on. "No more talk of serious things.." she frowned. Talk of her leaving bothered him, and talk of what lay ahead terrified her to her core. She didn't understand any of this, but she didn't need to try, not today. She was back against his chest the second she was clothed, drawing his mouth to hers. It was going to be a long night..

 

[Sidereal Penumbra]

"You brilliant, beautiful female," his smirk widened at her very helpful and valuable suggestion of the tub. He didn't even bother with his shirt as he pulled her close to his chest again. His mouth on hers in a second.

The walk back went by in a blur.

But he vowed to remember every second he had with her even as he worshipped every inch of her. And they managed to accomplish every spot on his list, even with the yowling protest of Misty who slinked quickly away to disappear further in the townhouse. Still, they managed to end things in his giant bed, massive enough to accomodate two with wings very comfortably. Sid only wished that the bright light shining into one of the corner windows wasn't there yet.

Because that meant that today was the day they had to return to the camp. Leave Endora behind. Let Lori back into a camp of fuk-heads and shits.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay longer," he rumbled, his arm instinctually reaching out for her.

 

[Lorelei]

Lori let him pull her to him and sighed, her body intertwined with his as she rested her head against his chest. She traced circles on his skin with her fingertips, trying to savor every moment they had left together. The weight of the impending separation hung heavy in the air, and she could feel the knot of fear tightening in her stomach.

"I wish I could..." she whispered, her voice tinged with sadness. "But you know I can't. We can't abandon our responsibilities.. But, I do want to do this again..."

Her gaze met his, filled with a mix of longing and determination. She pressed a gentle kiss against his lips, trying to convey what she felt without actually saying it. "Perhaps another bath... Then you can take me back to camp.." she murmured against his lips.

 

[Sidereal Penumbra]

He took the opportunity to kiss her with her lips so close and all. Couldn't waste that. There was a deepness and longing behind his embrace. A protectiveness. Muscles flexed and shifted on his arms. He had half a mind to lock her up here and forbid her going back. He could report her missing or killed in action. Then she'd be free to remain here.

But he knew to keep her here, it would only make him lose her.

Breaking the kiss finally, his hand lifted to cup her cheek, smoothing back those blonde tendrils of hair. "Alright," he relented. "Bath, breakfast and then we leave. But don't expect me to maintain any sort of control when we get back to camp. If any of those shitheads so much as looks at your wrong I will fuking tear their head from their necks." Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he easily stood with her in his arms, cradled against his chest as he carried her toward the bath they'd already become intimately familiar with the night before.

 

[Lorelei]

Lori huffed with a shake of her head, but there was little she could do to stop a small smirk from curling at the corner of her lips as he lifted her. She'd allow him to, not only because her limbs still ached but because she found she actually enjoyed the feeling of being cradled against his chest like that.. Being vulnerable with him felt.. safe.

"I can handle myself, and those shitheads.. If I get special treatment from the General... I don't want special treatment, Sid." she told him as her fingers combed into his hair with a mischievous glint in her eyes..

"Not out there, anyway...." she grinned.

~~~
​

The bath water was cold by the time she finally stepped out and into a plush towel. As promised, they shared breakfast, and she stole glances at him over sips of her coffee, the little bubble of intoxication surrounding her growing with every passing moment. The way he'd held her, the way he breathed her name, and the way he looked at her made her weak in the best possible way. It was desire, adoration, and an inexplicable connection that she had never experienced before.

Losing herself in moments with him was like finding something she hadn't realised she had been missing. She thought these things, but only her gaze and her smile could relay the things she felt. She'd never been good with emotional stuff.

She cleared her throat, forcing her gaze from his face with a sheepish blush, and tried to track her mind back to anything but the thought of going back to bed..

"That female at the market.. The one who told me to go see her.." she frowned softly. "Could she really sense pain?"

 

[Sidereal Penumbra]

Gods, if she kept looking at him like that he was about to interrupt their breakfast. The way she made his blood heat. It was like he'd never really known was it was like to truly breath until meeting her. The oxygen he thought he was getting now seemed like a thin bit of nothing air.

Sid could understand more and more why Lorcan acted like such a shithead when it came to Maeve's safety.

GODS

His hazel eyes managed to tear themselves away from her lips to her eyes when she spoke. "Marygold," he cleared his throat and nodded. "Aye. Her gift is rare. She's a healer like none I've seen before and Endora is lucky to have her, though, a bit odd."

He took a careful bite of toast before putting it down.

"Did you want to stop in to see her before we go back to camp?"