The Hathway Kingdom (Book 2)

Twelve.

~Twelve. ~

Romulus stood framed by the large double doors that acted as the entrance to her study, hand raised and resting where he had knocked just moments ago. He looked at her carefully before he walked into the room and came to a stop in front of her. Reaching up, he gently tucked a stray lock of her hair back into its place behind her ear. His fingers lightly brushed her cheek as he lowered his hand again and she looked up at him.

"Is everything alright?" he asked her, and she sighed before she looked away from him.

"Yes...Yes, everything is fine. I'm just..." she began to say before she stopped. She felt Romulus lightly touch her chin and she turned to look at him again.

"Just what, my love?" he asked her, and she sighed again before she replied.

"I'm dreading going down into the city to see the damage that he left behind. Not to mention seeing the families of the fallen men and explaining to them what is going on," she replied, looking down again. She heard him sigh before he embraced her suddenly, pulling her close.

"I can come down with you when you do go if you like?" he suggested to her and Larissa thought for a moment before she chuckled and embraced him in return.

"Thank you, but I think that this is something that I have to do on my own," she said as she pulled back to look at him. He chuckled as well before nodding his head.

"If you insist," he said as he looked down at her gently. She smiled at him before she nodded her head as she looked at him and she gave a small squeak as she felt his lips on hers.

She blinked several times before she smiled against his lips and kissed him back. She held him close as they kissed before she felt him turn them and she was walked backwards. She soon found her back against a wall and Romulus' body pressed against her. Her hands found themselves in his hair and she gave a small tug on his black locks. His hands wandered his body and, before long, he had turned them, and the contents of her desk were sent scattered to the floor.

* * *

Larissa sighed in content several hours later, lying on her side and facing the now roaring fire in the fireplace. She couldn't remember how it had been lit but somewhere and somehow during their activities, it had been lit and was now going along quite happily. She sighed again as she toyed with a loose thread on the blanket that was covering her body before she felt Romulus shift beside her, and she looked at him. She sat up, moving slightly with a small wince so that she was leaning against the couch, the blanket held up to cover herself as Romulus looked up at her.

"I...was not expecting that," she said in a quiet voice and Romulus chuckled before he moved up to kiss her deeply.

"Nor I. But I'm glad that it did happen," he said against her lips as he pulled back just enough to rest his forehead against hers. She chuckled softly before she sighed and looked towards the fire as Romulus moved to sit beside her. His blanket, or his part of it to be more accurate, covered him from the waist down. He moved his arm around her shoulders and held her close as she leant her head on his shoulder.

They sat like that for a while, neither moving nor making a sound as they enjoyed the warmth from the fire. Letting out a gentle sigh, Larissa lifted her head from his shoulder and moved so that she was sitting up again but with his arm still around her. He watched her curiously as she adjusted the blanket so that it would stay covering her on its own before she raised a hand and held it out towards the fire.

He watched as she looked at the fire, her eyes turning an orange, the same colour as the flames in the fireplace. The flames flickered slightly before they flicked out towards her hand, licking her palm before it returned to the fireplace. The flames remained there for a few moments longer before it leapt out again and circled her wrist, hand and then went halfway up her arm. Romulus blinked as he watched her move her hand closer to her body again, the warmth of the flames radiating from her hand.