All Things Wild and Beautiful

53. A Trail of Bloody Handprints

    Fenrys woke and smiled, spying the crimson head that rested against his chest. Nascha's arms were wrapped around his middle and, at some point in the night, she'd tangled her legs with his. Her breaths were still deep with sleep. Fenrys smoothed a few stray wisps of hair out of her face and kissed her forehead.

    Two days had gone by since he woke, and he'd spent every minute since with Nascha. With the completion of their Mating Bond, Fenrys found new instincts gnawing away at him. It was all he could do to restrain himself when Nascha was speaking with Vaughan, Rowan, or any male for that matter. He knew she felt the same when watching him converse with Aelin, Elide, and Lysandra.

    They were doing their best to keep their instincts under control, and stolen moments together seemed to take the edge off of them. There had been several times when Fenrys pulled Nascha into a closet and muffled her moans by covering her mouth with his own, or with his palm. Usually though, they tried to reserve such activities for the privacy of their bedroom. Nascha had discovered a way to shield the room using her darkness, preventing the others from intruding and sound from escaping.

    Still, Fenrys couldn't wait until they were able to go home and he could have her all to himself. They were being kept at the palace so the healers could monitor their progress in recovering from their burnouts and Nascha's Settling. Fenrys thought they might be able to leave in another day or so. He was counting the hours, and Nascha was counting the minutes.

    He knew she was also counting the minutes until Rayan and Eliora's deadline arrived. It was only three days away now, and Nascha grew more anxious as each day passed. He didn't know how to ease her concerns. Truthfully, he shared them. He had no idea what they were going to do when the deadline arrived and Nascha refused to take her place.

    Fenrys combed his fingers through Nascha's hair as he thought. She stirred, blinking her eyes open. Her lips curled into a smile. "Good morning."

    "Morning, Stardust," he replied. Fenrys kissed her softly.

    Nascha stretched her arms over her head and twisted away from him after a moment. Fenrys' throat bobbed as his gaze swept over the curve of her hips, accentuated by the thin blanket covering her legs. Nascha noticed his stare and laughed. She sat up and shifted onto his lap. Fenrys rested his hands on her thighs.

    "I hope we can go home soon," she said, cupping his face in her hands. Nascha kissed the length of his jaw, then the corners of his mouth. "No offense, but your Court is somehow more annoying than you."

    "I'm offended that you think anyone is more annoying than me."

    "Well, individually they aren't, but as a group?" She smirked. "You're sorely outmatched."

    "I see." Fenrys hooked his arms around her waist and laid back, pulling her down with him. Her hair tumbled onto his shoulders as he kissed her. Nascha made a small contented sound and Fenrys deepened the kiss.

    "I love you," she murmured when he drew back.

    "I know." Fenrys snickered as Nascha smacked a hand against his chest.

    She rolled off of him and stood. "I'm starving. Do you think the others are up yet?"

    "Maybe."

    Fenrys stood as well and pulled on a pair of pants. Nascha was quickly dressing herself. She braided her hair while he tugged on an undershirt and a tunic. Fenrys sheathed his dagger at his thigh and stepped into his boots. Nascha was ready shortly after him. Together, they left the room and headed down the stairs.