Crowns of Flame and Ice - Book One

(40) Live a Little 🔥

The next morning I awoke to the faint sound of chittering birds and laughter from the streets below. It took me a second to remember what had happened last night, what Quilo and I had done. I'd fallen asleep quickly after, my body becoming heavy and content. I knew Quilo had been awake when I'd finally closed my eyes, I wondered what he'd been thinking about. Quilo had both of his arms wrapped around my middle, pinning me to him. I tried to push him away but he gripped me even tighter. Then I tried to wiggle out of his grip, but that didn't work either.

Good morning" Quilo whispered against my neck, his breath warming my skin. Pink tinged my cheeks as I looked at the wall, "Quilo", he hummed against my neck in response, "I am very naked." It was true, I could feel the soft sheets against my skin and the warmth of his hands around my waist. "well aren't you rather observant this morning" He teased, his voice making my heart do that silly little leap thing again. "But my clothes currently sit in shreds on the floor and I need to go to the bathroom." I didn't mention the fact that there had been very little point in wearing that tiny slip anyway. He chuckled and moved his arms away, "no one's stopping you."

"Okay, but could you just like not stare at me?" I asked, not sure why it mattered even if he'd seen me naked before. Quilo sighed, then tucked his face into the pillow. I rolled out of bed, smiling at the sight of the new day. I saw Quilo reach for me and I instinctively grabbed his wrist, his skin warm under mine. His eyes shot to mine, faint lines of silver darting between the blue. I squeaked realising two things at once. One, Quilo was now staring at me as I stood before him completely exposed, two, I had my hand wrapped around where I'd bitten him last night. He growled and I quickly let go of his arm, feeling the intensity of his stare. "You might... you might want to go deal with that" I whispered. I felt Quilo's gaze as it travelled over me, my nipples hardened, he noticed that too. "I'm fine" he rasped, such an obvious lie. Quilo shook himself out of whatever had come over him, then grinned "fancy a quick detour before we head out of town?"

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

I pressed a hand against my chest to steady myself as I studied the sight before me. Quilo had brought me to a lake, the water so blue and clear you could see all the way to the bottom. The entire area was hidden by a circle of tall towering fur trees. small purple flowers were dotted amongst the mossy floor, the stems swaying in the warm breeze. "beautiful" I whispered, watching as the water lapped against the bank. Quilo's attention was fully fixed on me as he breathed, "yes." My cheeks heated as I realised he wasn't just talking about the expanse of water before us.

It felt so peaceful here, no one but Quilo and me for miles. All of our things rested on a nearby rock after we'd decided to stay for a while. It was only a day's journey from here to where we needed to be. Quilo had said the woman we were to meet had once worked in the library at the castle however had eventually retired and moved away. I was trying not to think about how in a day's time we could possibly know what the book means and maybe on our way back to the castle. I really didn't think it was more than an old storybook, but I was willing to go on the hunt for answers if it meant prolonging this trip just a little more.

Just then I heard a rustle of clothing next to me and I looked over to find Quilo unbuttoning his shirt. "What are you doing?" I asked, trying and failing not to look at the bare slither of skin. Quilo paused, "going for a swim. Want to join?" I blinked, heat creeping into my cheeks at the thought of going for a swim, naked, with him. I shook my head and Quilo rolled his eyes, pulling the shirt off his shoulders. When Quilo unbuckled his belt and pulled on his zipper I looked away, waiting until the splash of water silenced as he entered the lake.

Peaking back towards the water I found him standing near the centre, grinning at me. "come on Anala!" Quilo shouted, "live a little!" Live a little, I felt the words through every part of my being. Was that not what I desired most? To live? I wanted to run wild, be free, and throw myself into everything the world had to offer without worrying about the consequences. But mostly, I wanted to feel. I gave Quilo a smirk, then pulled off my jacket, socks and shoes. Then tugged off my top and trousers, then my flimsy undergarments. They all fell to the floor in a heap and I kicked them to one side. I looked up at Quilo and found him studying me like a wolf would when it spotted its prey. I hissed as I stepped inside the pool, feeling the biting water lap at my ankle. Deciding I really didn't want to deal with Quilo's taunts I walked the rest of the way into the lake.