It was Tavlor, sneaking in to check up on me. I assumed.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you,” he said, his voice crisp but sincere.
I smiled and beckoned him over. I wasn’t quite ready to get up just yet, but that didn’t mean he had to leave, either.
“Come lay down with me for a minute,” I said. “Please.”
He shut the door and crept inside, shrugging off his robes and lying down behind me wearing only his pants.
I shuffled back, pressing myself against his warmth and sighing as his hand slipped around my waist. I always felt better with him next to me, holding me. I felt like I could do anything, knowing he was by my side through it all.
Tavlor spoke gently in my ear. “How are you feeling?” he asked, his fingers tracing patterns in my hip. “Hungry? It’s past dinner time now.”
“Yeah, I suppose. Tired...” I was struggling to open my eyes, especially with Tavlor’s hands on me, and his hot breath at my neck. My pelvis began to pulse, but I tried to ignore it. Now was not the time to be thinking about that.
“I organized our trip for tomorrow,” he said. “You’ll get to speak to a large group of shifters and hopefully take steps towards making up your mind about what you want to do.”
I nodded, “Hmmm... thanks.”
“Did you have a good afternoon?” he asked, not as quietly.
I forced my eyes open, fighting the desire to be annoyed. He obviously wanted to talk, despite the fact I really wanted to go back to sleep.
But he was right, it was probably best that I got up and ate something before passing out for the night. Especially if I was going to make some big public speech. I wasn’t good at those.
I rolled onto my back so that I could look up at Tavlor, his beloved face staring down at me. His dark eyes bore into mine.
I smiled. “Ah, yeah, I did have a good day in the end, actually.”
“What did you do?” he asked.
I glanced down, then ran my hand up his arm, enjoying the feeling of his warm corded muscles beneath my palm. “I... uh, spent most of it talking to my mother, actually.”
I wasn’t sure if I should have said anything at all, but I didn’t want there to be secrets between Tavlor and me.
“Did she help you decide on what you want to do?” he asked.
I shrugged. “Not really... but she made me feel like I could actually do the job they want me to.”
And that was more important than telling me what she thought I should do.
“Of course, you can,” he said, and it made me love him more. There was a sadness to his eyes, however, one he blinked away, trying to conceal from me. It was as though he was resigned to the fact that a future between the two of us was impossible.
“I won’t give you up, Tavlor,” I said. “I won’t.”
I cupped his face and smiled up at him, trying to make him understand. Trying to make him believe me.
He smiled back but I could see the worry in his eyes. “I won’t hold you back from changing this world, Ava. You are meant for great things.” He took my hand that cupped his face and planted a kiss on my palm. “I refuse to let you sacrifice your destiny for me.”
I scoffed. “And I told you... I won’t lose you.”
“You won’t have to,” he said. “Perhaps we could come up with a... compromise?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. I wasn’t sure I liked the sound of that. “Like what?”
His eyes were shadowed as he said, “If they would take out the clauses about you needing to be faithful to your husband, perhaps, after you have conceived your heir, we could...”
He let his voice trail off.