“I’m not a threat to your fae,” I informed the bird, lifting my hand for inspection. Not that it helped.
Familiars were resolutely protective of their owners, refusing to submit even to a Royal Fae of my caliber.
“The first rule you need to learn is how to communicate with your familiar via the bond you formed at the time of creation,” I said softly, careful not to provoke any emotions from her that might inspire retaliation from her new pet. “For example, I’m currently reassuring Night that you and Clove are not a threat to us. You should do the same for your falcon.”
“How do I do that?” she asked.
“Here, I’ll show you.” I slowly covered her hand with my own and opened our connection to begin a new tutorial on familiars and how to control them.
We covered a variety of spells all meant for calling our familiars to us. I also gave her some hints on how to properly defend herself and Clove when needed and even went into a handful of offensive incantations.
A hint of danger niggled at the back of my mind throughout our entire exchange, the notion that the method of my instruction posed significant risk to the crown, but Aflora never once tried to push, only using our link to learn and improve her own skills.
It took several hours, our familiars watching and bonding the entire time.
By the time we were finished, Aflora had propped herself up against her headboard, legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles, with me right beside her. She wore the most satisfied grin, her blue eyes sparkling with life once more and confirming I’d more than completed the task of improving her mood.
She sighed in contentment as her falcon preened between us, its large wings feathered outward in a display of black and white. Aflora stroked the tips, her lips twitching. “You know you’re pretty, don’t you?”
“I do, yes,” I replied, fully aware she meant the compliment for the bird but accepting it for myself as well.
Aflora laughed and shook her head. “You’re so modest, Kols.”
“Extremely.” I waggled my brows at her. “We both know I’m attractive.”
“Do we?” She scratched her jaw, her gaze appraising me slowly. “Hmm, I guess you’re all right.”
“All right?” I repeated, arching one eyebrow. “Is your vision failing?”
She snorted, her carefree attitude warming me inside.
Because I did that.
I put that smile on her kissable lips.
I improved her day.
And it pleased me to no end to see her resulting happiness now.
She held my gaze, her smile slipping into something more heated as she considered me with a
growing seriousness. “You’re more than all right,” she whispered, her tongue slipping out to dampen her lips. “You’re very much more.”
“More what?” I asked her, aware of the risky tightrope we both stood upon and daring to take a step forward. “Much more what?”
She angled toward me, her palm falling to the small space on the mattress between us. “Handsome,” she whispered, her glimmering blue eyes falling to my mouth.
“Just handsome?” I asked, leaning into her magnetic pull.
She swallowed, her hooded gaze lifting to mine. “More than handsome.” She brought her hand to my cheek, her opposite one still situated between us. “You’re gorgeous, Kolstov.”
“No.” I cupped the back of her neck, angling her head to the exact place I wanted it, my lips very nearly brushing hers. “You’re the one who is gorgeous, Aflora,” I corrected her. “Fucking irresistible.”
She shuddered, her sweet breath a kiss I could no longer deny. I captured her mouth on her next inhale, my tongue sliding in to duel with hers a hairsbreadth of a second later, and our worlds came crashing down together in unison.
I felt the intrusion deep inside, the rightness of our embrace locking us together in an intimacy that would never end.
She was beneath me in the next moment, my hips settling between hers as I pinned her to the bed. Months of foreplay between our minds led to this, our bodies coming together like two magnets that had finally removed the barrier between us.