The Beastkeeper's Bride

16: The Beastkeepers of Draëll

16: The Beastkeepers of Draëll

─── · 。ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Millie grimaced as she witnessed one of the twins throw his brother into the dirt with a force that sent a reverberation through the earth that she swore she could feel from where she stood within the cottage.

The two men- the term 'men' very loosely applied to the specimens gathered around the fire- were play tussling, taking turns wrestling each other into the gravel in a show of muscle and strength and possibly a high consumption of sweet wine, and it was at that point that she had thought it wise to extract herself from their company for a spell.

Besides, she couldn't very well converse freely with any of them and using Blayne as constant mediator was tiresome, and she was sure it bothered him- where he was introspective and prone to use less words to convey a message, Millie was normally outspoken and enjoyed filling silences with whatever nonsense entered her head- and her curiosity had reared at the sight of the other three Draëllians. After the initial introductions, the explanation of their predicament and how they communicated had been made apparent from the outset, and her husband had dutifully and patiently relayed her questions to his peers even as she stood before them with nothing but his shirt to cover her limbs.

Having pinned his brother's cheek into the dirt, the other twin- she hadn't a clue which one he was as she had conversed with them but moments before finding an excuse to retreat and though there were subtle differences in colouring, she had largely forgotten what belonged to who- hopped to his feet and did a peculiar victory dance, brandishing his pectoral and arm muscles in a show of blatant prowess. He was the palest out of the lot of them, though his skin was as far removed from a human's as one could imagine. A kaleidoscope of patterns closely resembling scales condensed against his spine and tapered out towards his flanks and shoulders, and a similar texture could be found on the other twin as well. Unlike the other two, older men, the twins cropped their hair short and shaggy- one a deep, burnished gold and another a vibrant russet. They were boyishly handsome and endlessly irrepressible. If it weren't for their tails and remarkable colouring, they would be well-received in her circles once they cleaned up a bit.

Then there was Rogane.

With his dark skin, hair and eyes as black as pitch, a mouth so sensually wide and favouring a cocksure grin- his exoticness was evident and quite devastating. The man would stand out despite his tail in any room so acute was his beauty.

Her thoughts must have been loud for Blayne turned his head slightly to meet her gaze and raised one brow, an abominably caustic expression on his face. She buried her nose into her cup of tea to hide her smile and leaned a shoulder against the threshold of the door as she gazed out at him.

It is an observation, husband.

His only response was to give her a subtle wink, and then he applied his concentration to whatever Rogane was talking about from beside him.

The damn man had nothing to concern himself over, if he even was concerned, because Millie found herself rather... taken by him.

The attraction was a palpable, urgent calling to Blayne Leowyn and she had almost launched herself at him in the pool, wrapped her legs about his hips and begged him to take her then and there. If her curiosity had been fuelled by the presence of three more beastkeepers, then it was currently exploding by the idea of him.

Certainly, her gaze never lingered long or far from Blayne as he conversed with conviviality and familiarity with the men he considered his family.