Of Thorns and Glamour

Don't be Mad

I walk out of my room, closing it behind me, "You've been busy." I turn and see Inchiki down the hall, leaning against the wall, the light of the dinning room behind him, casting a shadow on his face.

I peer at him, "I can explain." He stares down at me, "I was able to help, and I think I made the right decision." He starts walking to me, and glances at my door. I stop him, "Just don't be mad." I plead and he arches a brow.

He opens the door, looks in, then closes it slowly and rubs his eyes finger and thumb. "Why is there a man and wolf on your bed?"

I look down from him, and I walk to the dining room to sit down. He follows me as I take a seat at the table, "A client of yours came in for medicine, I was able to find the batch you made but he said the last one didn't work. I then tried to fix his curse with my own power, and Umbra, the wolf you saw, is a god that was inhabiting his body. I made a contract with her to get her out of him to break his curse and to help her not die." I explain quickly, trying not to let the words fumble over my tongue.

"Do you realize how dangerous-" He stops himself, and turns around with his back to me.

I try to say something to defend my point, but he spins back around to interject. "I couldn't even see it!" He shouts at me and I flinch and look away. He finally sighs, defeated and slumps into a chair.

"I'm sorry, I was only trying to help. If I had been a better god-"

Suddenly he straighten up, beaming, "No. Wait." He looks at me grinning and comes over to me to hold my face. "You're amazing Lily!" He kisses me on the lips. I blush brightly as I give a little dim glow. He laughs a little, "It's brilliant, I wish I would had thought of that. And the fact you were able to make a contract with another god with no prior experience is exceptional. I mean as a goddess it should come easier, but still, even I am surprised." He continues to grins, "I think this will help, at least give you more protection." I feel conflict, but I smile back.

"Oh, I see, so that means you're not upset?" I ask, bowing my head slightly and looking up at him.

"I'm livid, but that's beside the point. I think with this you should be able to move more on your own. I have something for you as well, follow me." I do, and we move downstairs to the shop and he goes to the basement's door. I stop a few paces back as he opens it, "What? What is it Lily?" He asks me, watching me not move from my spot. "It's fine, I don't have any bodies down there right now."

"Bodies?" I ask him, he sighs and scratches his head.

"Just come down, you'll see." I do and he snaps his finger as all of the lamps and candles light giving us visibility. I smell the death, but it isn't pungent nor does it smell like rot. "This is my lab, I have done many experiments in here, but now it's mostly used just for storage of more rare or volatile items." He pulls a box from a shelf, and gives it to me. "It won't work on every door, but whenever you leave this should let you back in." I open it to find the bone white skeleton key, similar to his own.

I realize what this meant, "So I can go out on my own now?" I ask him, and he smiles down at me and nods. "Oh thank you!" I hug him and get on my toes to kiss his cheek.

"You need to be very careful still, and use the glamour." I squeal a little, giddy from the idea of freedom. "Keep Umbra by your side." I nod my head expressively, he smiles and tosses my hair.

I pull back, "I know this is very important to you, since this is your home. I swear, I will keep this key safe." I curtsy to him, showing my overly enthusiastic compliance to make sure that this place is well protected.

He smirks and pulls my chin up to kiss me, but his lips hover over mine, "Let's seal the deal then with a kiss." I lean in to kiss him, but he pulls away smiling and teasing me. So I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him down and kiss him deeply, key still in hand. I feel him put his arms around my lower bottom and scoop me up. I held onto him while he walks me to a long table. We both continue to passionately kiss after sitting me down on the table.