The Lions and the Lamb: A Tamlin x Rhysand x OC Story

Chapter 6: The Lake of Starlight

I thought that I would grow incredibly tired of staying inside the manor, but quite the opposite prevailed for the rest of the week.

My books and Alis kept me company enough, my belly was full, and I got to sleep in a luxury bed. I was even finally able to stand and walk a little bit (though slowly) on my own as well as do simple tasks that I needed help with before. The only thing that was missing was Tamlin.

I was reading in the library when suddenly heard voices coming from downstairs and feet on the steps.

"Alanna?" It was Tamlin calling for me as he came into the room. I couldn't contain my smile as he came to me, kissing my forehead gently and smoothing my hair back.

"I'm so sorry that I was gone without notice...I can't tell you everything, but know that it was urgent and I was...angry." He explained, clearly ashamed with himself for his behavior.

"It's okay, you're back now and that's all that matters. And look!" I steadily got out of the chair by myself. "I can stand now!"

Tamlin beamed at me as he held onto my arm to steady me. I must have looked like a newborn foal trying to take its first steps.

"That's incredible, the magic effects subsided faster than I would have thought. Here—I brought you something." He said, reaching inside his shirt pocket.

He revealed a beautiful little necklace, white gold with a nicely sized sparkling emerald in a marquis shape.

I was at loss for words as I thanked him in a mere whisper. He motioned for me to turn around. I felt his hot fingers on the back of my neck, the fine hairs standing up, my cool skin scorching his own. He spun be back around carefully and looked at me as if I was a freshly picked flower—the best one in the garden.

"It looks beautiful on you." He complimented. Blush rose to my cheeks at his words.

"Really, thank you Tamlin. I love it." I hugged him, and with the way he reacted I suspected that it wasn't something he was accustomed to. He flinched slightly at my embrace, slowly relaxing and pulling me into his chest. He still smelled like the forest and something richer, something giving off pure primal masculinity. It had me craving something so deep inside me, and I didn't know what it was.

"I'm sure you're itching to go outside. Let me show you something." He said, helping me walk slowly before ultimately just picking me up as usual with a chuckle at the snails pace I could only walk at.

Once we exited the manor, we headed towards the stables. Tamlin motioned the stable hand to get his fine black stallion ready for a ride. The beast truly was the most gorgeous horse I'd ever seen, as if faery horses were somehow an entirely different breed to the ones in my village.

He put me up on the beast first, swiftly climbing up behind me and pressing his front into my back securely. I took note of how my back gently arched into him, and I could have sworn I heard a low growl come from his throat at my reaction.

We started to venture off at a smooth pace, before the final destination was in sight.

"It's called the lake of starlight." Tamlin said, answering my unspoken question.

I could clearly see why it was named such a phrase, as the lake quite literally looked like liquid starlight. He hopped off his horse, lifting me down soon after.

"What, are we going swimming?" I quirked a brow. Him removing his shirt was answer enough. I tried not to look at his chiseled form, his tanned abs glimmering as if he himself was a god.

"Don't worry, I'm not looking." He said, getting into the lake facing the other way. I removed my dress, leaving on my undergarments to the best of my ability, still a little unstable but manageable. I dipped my toe into the water, finding it soothingly warm. Not just like any plain warm water, but like it warmed my whole body and soul up as I inched deeper into it.

Once I was fully submerged, Tamlin faced me.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yeah, this is incredible..." I looked into the endless water my eyes tearing at how gorgeous it all was. Tamlin noticed and swam up to me. He placed a hand on my cheek, a stray tear had fallen.

"I can't imagine how overwhelming this is for you." He remarked, truly trying to sympathize with how different this was from what I knew before he had brought me here.

"It's just...I didn't think I would ever see such a place." I looked up into his leafy eyes, they stared back at me with the look they had since the first time he made eye contact with me.

What he did next, no, what we did next, would unbeknownst to me at the time, eradicate my future.

I met his plush lips and kissed him with such passion I hardly knew was inside of me. He kisses back, and I could have sworn that a jolt of electricity shocked me for a moment in the best way possible. I couldn't pull away, the magnetism was at it's peak. When we both finally found the strength to, we started into each others eyes breathlessly.

"I—"

"I wanted to do that since I first saw you." He admitted. I kissed his cheek and laid my head against his chest, feeling utterly content in that moment. I had been with a couple other lovers before, but none made me feel like this. None made me feel like sparks were flying, like souls were intertwining together.

"Let's go home." Tamlin said, holding me close as he lifted us both out of the water.

"Well well well, what do we have here?" Said a sly voice coming from a stranger with dark hair, tanned skin, and violet, dark eyes.