XXIX

Miss Felicity glared balefully at Lillian as she wound her aging feline body around Aëghan's bare feet and ankles.

A few sconces illuminated the hallway outside their respective chambers and a chill had begun to seep into both their bodies, hastening their return to the ruins where they encountered a subdued ribaldry that had spilled over from the solstice.

If Aëghan seemed piqued that all manner of fae and human alike were crowding his personal spaces, he let none of this show and continued to guide her through the castle towards their chambers, after donning a heavy coat which, Lillian suspected, had been placed strategically in the entrance way for just such occasions that the male returned from his jaunt as a dragon.

Presently, they had come to a halt outside either of their chambers and though she had spent much of the evening locked in an intimate embrace with him, Lillian wasn't quite so sure how to proceed right then.

She knew her own mind, and she was sure that she wanted to spend the remainder of the evening with him in either one of their chambers, but perhaps it simply wasn't concluded in that sense- perhaps they ought to at least sleep separately considering the physical closeness and pleasure they would be sharing-

"Lillian?"

Realising she was returning Miss Felicity's hateful glower, she jerked her gaze away from the aged cat and met Aëghan's rapt stare as a blush crept up her neck. He leaned against the frame of his doorway and folded his arms over his chest, waiting.

"There is no storm tonight," she blurted, and inwardly cursed her inability to at least act the coolly poised lady that she was bred to be. A few bouts of lovemaking with the Dravolese male before her had turned her into a right fool, it seemed, for now he would certainly be aware that she had been contemplating sharing a bed with him further that evening.

"No, there isn't." His face was an unreadable mask, devoid of his usual smirk, and the light from the sconces cast heavy shadows over his eyes.

Lillian didn't know what to make of it, or herself, even as a dull ache between her legs reminded her of all the ways he had filled her but a couple of hours prior and brought her to dazzling heights of pleasure.

And the dratted male wasn't helping. Straightening, she attempted to rectify some of her abolished composure and turned slightly, resting her fingers on the polished metal of her doorknob. With a regal nod in his direction, and an added glare at Miss Felicity for effect, Lillian told him, "I suppose then goodnight is in order. To both you and your... cat."

His lips twitched but she didn't wait to see any more of what he may reveal, feeling too raw and vulnerable for anything more. "Goodnight then, Lillian," she heard him murmur as she stepped into her chambers and promptly closed the door behind her.

She walked forward into the dark recesses of her chamber, clutching at the flimsy fabric of the ruined gown that trailed over the stones behind her while she allowed a modicum of misery and self-pity to afflict her, but she hadn't taken more than a dozen steps before the door burst open.

Arms were around her instantly, banding across her shoulders and waist, and pulling her back against an immoveable chest. Aëghan dipped his chin, stirring the fine hairs of her temple, as he swayed her slightly with the forward momentum of both their bodies.

"Tsk tsk, Lady Adams," he murmured against her ear, "I thought you were smarter than that."

"Am I?" She couldn't help the smile that crept up her lips as he nuzzled the sensitive spot there. "And what have I not been smart about?"

"Mmm hmm." The fingers at her shoulders worked deftly at the ties of her sleeves, first one and then the other, until the fabric of the gown draped freely over his forearm about her waist. "The type of male I am. Now choose- your bed or mine."

Relief and giddiness flooded her while her nipples pricked at the coldness of her chambers and the beginnings of arousal quickly to surface at the gravelly command in his voice.

The choice was a simple one for her, knowing already where she would be most comfortable while surrounded by everything that epitomised the male holding her possessively against him. "Yours," she breathed, and then with little preamble Aëghan disrobed her so suddenly the delicate fabric ripped and she staggered from his embrace. Then he swept her up in his arms, carrying her out her chamber, across the hall, and over the threshold of his own before shoving his door closed with a foot.

Miss Felicity yowled indignantly from the other side.

There was a devilish look she could discern clearly now, a positively wicked glint to his eyes, which was exemplified when he dropped her atop the plush coverings of his bed and Lillian was laid before him, naked. He stood over her for a long moment, his gaze raking over her body, and her breath stuttered with every chaotic reaction he invoked within her.

You're terrifyingly beautiful and catastrophic to everything that I am.

She swallowed at the ache that almost split her heart in two and when he made no move towards her, Lillian held out her arms as a shiver began to crawl up her limbs. Noticing it, he shucked his coat, immediately joined her and pulled her body against his, simultaneously hefting a heavy fur over the both of them.

Nestled against his shoulder, surrounded by his comforting presence and scent, Lillian was surprised- and slightly disappointed- when he made no further move of seduction. Instead, the male seemed content to cuddle, of all things, as he held her close, tucking one of her legs between his own.

Her confusion must have been visible, or palpable, but Aëghan simply tipped her chin so that their faces were brought closer together.

"Your body needs rest for the remainder of the night," he told her.

"Mine, or yours?" she quipped, arching a brow at him.

The few sconces that still remained lit in the chamber, as well as the dying fire, cast his features in an ambient, golden hue. A brilliant grin split his lips at her words. "Truly, the gods have given me an insatiable woman fit for the appetite of a dragon."

"The gods have given you nothing," she pointed out. "I am not a treasure to hoard."

He was thoughtful for a moment as he tenderly brushed tendrils of hair behind her ear, allowing his fingers to skim against her skin there lingeringly. "No," he agreed. "You are much more coveted than that. There is nothing to compare the adoration I have for you. We do not breathe for treasure, yet I find myself breathing just for the sound of your voice. We do not yearn for treasure the way in which I yearn for just one of your rare smiles-"

"Aëghan," she interrupted, her voice cracking. Lillian reached between them, her fingers spanning over the contours of his lips to stave off any more words that were set to destroy her. "Stop this."

A pause of silence followed, heavy and poignant, as he regarded the agonised expression she could feel pulling at her face. She would not say it- neither of them would- yet it blanketed them with unspoken truths they had both readily acknowledged before.

Theirs was a relationship doomed to expire. It was not a matter of if it would end, it was a matter of when. There was no room for the involvement of her heart, even if it had a proclivity for stubbornness and didn't seem to want to obey rational thought.

And though the effort may be futile on her part, she was yet determined to limit the impact the Dravolese had on the fickle organ.

Finally, Aëghan kissed her fingertips. Saying nothing, he took her hand in his and planted their entwined fingers between them.

Grateful for his understanding, she was unwilling to allow silence to settle between them and the urge to steer her thoughts away from troubling concerns compelled her to study the beautiful angles of his face until they settled, not for the first time, on the tiny scar on his temple. With her free hand, she traced the tiny marring of his skin reverently. "You have not healed yourself here."

He allowed her the caress, unmoving when her fingers continued over the slope of his cheek. "No."

She found his glittering eyes cold and implacable then. "Why?"

"It is a reminder." At her intent look, Aëghan sighed. "You will not let me rest until I tell you, I gather."

"How astute of you, dragon. It seems our time together has made you learn something about the woman I am."

His smile was fleeting, allowing her a brief glimpse of the cavalier devil she knew him to be. "It is a reminder about why our worlds do not belong together," he said, his voice quiet and resolute. "It reminds me every day that I am alive and that I am not welcome on this plain, that this is not home, and it solidifies those sentiments with every single Other who feels the same way."

A steady ache threaded outwards from her chest at his words, intertwining with each artery with icy intent. "Why?" she whispered.

He hesitated briefly, she caught it flickering in his eyes, and Lillian believed that he may not tell her after all, but then he rolled onto his back and sank into the pillows, draping her across his chest and tucking a hand beneath his head. She eyed the bunching of his thick muscle there despite herself, noting the feint outline of the mark that circled his bicep. "I was fortunate when The Reveal first occurred," he addressed the ceiling, "in that I wasn't taken and placed to work in a factory, or something equally repulsive. There was a family who found me- a wealthy couple with a single child, a boy the same age as me- and I have always wondered at their kindness. Perhaps it was because I looked more human than any of my counterparts and that served their purpose for me... but in the end, it doesn't matter. None of it does."

He was thoughtful and introspective while he spoke, with an undercurrent of sadness she had never quite thought possible from him, and she was loath to disturb him. Instead, she lay with her head pressed against his shoulder, her attention rapt on his achingly handsome profile while she felt her heart bruise over and over again at his words.

"I was to be his companion. In hindsight, I believe that I may have been considered something slightly more coveted than a child's pet... I had my own room in the townhouse, my own paltry belongings. It was frightening at first, but it could have been worse, and soon I realised that as I slowly began to witness the fates of my brethren around me. So I lingered on with that family for five years I believe, as a playmate, a friend." An edge of bitterness clipped his words, his chest rising sharply with the inflection and Lillian splayed her fingers over his heart where her print remained. "We did everything together," Aëghan continued quietly. "And it was soon easy to forget what I was, that I was truly that boy's confidante. I do not recall spending much time with his elders, yet I suspect they were not present for much of our youth... and then Gregory came of age where he was sent to school and board with other boys his age. With other human boys."

She wanted to crawl atop him and kiss away every aching crease of hurt and disdain she detected, wanted to ease the tension emanating from him and replace every bad memory with something good and cherished- but she refrained for now, needing to listen to the end conclusion of his memory.

"That's when things changed. I was left to my own devices at the house- given chores and household duties to fill my time and earn my keep- and when Gregory returned several months later, I could see the prejudice in his eyes when he looked at me. It seemed he had been given an education on my kind and how his new human peers perceived we should be treated. I was no longer friend, or companion, now that he found his discrimination didn't allow that sort of use for me.

Then one day some of his peers called upon the family- some sort of tea party, or soiree, or luncheon- who knows? Regardless, my presence... was not welcome. They cornered me in the garden during a game when they realised what I was and pushed me to the ground, raining punches and kicks to every conceivable part of my body they could. In as much as I could tell during the beating, I don't believe Gregory took part... though he did not halt it either. When it did finally stop, it took every ounce of dignity I had left to stand and face them, to rally against all that... hate. I thought that would be the end of it and they'd leave me alone, continue on with their game, but at the behest and cajoling of one of his peers, Gregory was given a rock. A simple rock that embodied his choice- throw it at me and stand with his human peers, or discard it and stand with me, an Other." Aëghan rubbed his temple, covering the small puckering of skin with his fingers briefly. "You can guess which one he chose."

The fire crackled behind the grate, somewhere from within the ruins of the castle a woman laughed, and voices carried through the trees of the forest around them. Lillian was aware of it all distantly, yet every part of her hummed for him.

She could not be so quick to cast judgement on his prejudices, on his choices, when her kind had shown him some of the worst that humans were capable of. Compassion, humility, empathy- these are the things that Aëghan Dranora had not been privy to for a very long time and she felt ashamed for it.

The capability of humanity's kindness could transcend all barriers, yet the choice not to was made above all others.

"I am so sorry," she whispered, causing him to turn his head to regard her. It took Aëghan all of a few seconds to diminish the anguish the memory invoked, and a fond smile curled his lips as he studied her. This softness was new and she wasn't sure how she felt about it, especially when it made something flutter inside her chest.

He turned on his side again to face her, tucking the fur over her shoulder and diving his hand under to span her waist and pull her closer. "Do not be," he said. "I can't imagine how things would have turned out had that rock not been thrown. I would have stayed with that family, probably still be there to that day... and that means my life would have taken an entirely different trajectory. One that wouldn't have led me..."

To her. He needn't say it, she would attempt to quell it and bestow as little meaning as possible to the sentiment anyway.

To show her appreciation of all that he had told her, of all that he was and endured, she pressed her lips against his softly, lingeringly, savouring the moment. When she parted, she brushed the dark locks that draped across his brow back- an action her fingers had been itching to complete since the moment she had first seen him- and Aëghan leaned into the touch.

"I am curious," she murmured, eying his dark hair where her fingers made long strokes against the contour of his temples, "what was your human designation?"

"You mean my human name?"

It had been standard practise to assign the Other names that were more common in this realm, though Ravensfield had quickly abolished that norm once Millie had married her beastkeeper. Lillian nodded, finding his gaze unerringly locked on her face. She gave him a small smile, then said, "Yes."

"Percival Stokes."

Her eyes widened slightly. At her reaction, his narrowed. "What is it, Lillian?"

"It's..." She smothered a smile, dipping her head so that he couldn't detect it.

"Lillian."

There was no humour in his gaze when she found his again, and she couldn't help being slightly amused at his grumpiness. "I am very glad," she told him fervently as her fingers delved into the silken locks behind his ear, "that your name is Aëghan, and not Percival, for there is no word less suited to everything that you are. It would be a shame to have to call out that name while you're inside me."

Some mirth entered his gaze then, and his hand moved against the curve of her waist, dipping into the arch of her lower back until the tips of his fingers settled against her spine. "Gods, what filthy words those lips are capable of," he remarked, gaze dipping to her mouth with heated intent. "Perhaps I can show you what other filthy things you can do with them."

Her core warmed, but his fingers were trailing a slow path up her spine, stroking each ridge with a reverence that belied the levity of his words, as if he were cataloguing everything that she was compiled of and memorising it.

She had never been touched the way he was touching her, and she stilled at the ache that filled her when she recognised it for what it was. Her smile faded as she could only stare into his eyes that were so tumultuously blue and unveiled, she could feel every unspoken truth that lay between them, that moved with each poignant stroke of his fingers up the ridges of her spine- up and down, up and down- and she knew precisely what it was.

Adoration.

Beloved.