The Dragon Bond: Heirs of Lyra

Chapter 82

Years ago, whenever Henry was asked what his goal in life was, he always answered, "To have a crown on my head and a beautiful woman in my bed."

Now everything was different. He no longer desired a mindless beauty or the glory of kingship. Now he only wanted Mavis by his side, for the rest of his days. He wanted to seek her council for difficult problems, work beside her on a farm, and spend every evening in a rocking chair with her beside him. He could envision it now, relaxing by the fire, Mavis knitting next to him, her belly growing each day with their baby. They were sweet dreams that were nearly within reach.

He had woken nearly an hour earlier, but remained in bed, for Mavis' comfort. Her head was nestled into the crook of his arm, her hand slung over his torso. A warmth filled him as his eye caught the simple diamond ring on her finger. 

Her thin, scraggly arms were bare, the blanket just covering above her chest. She was sleeping so hard one might have thought she was comatose, the only sign of life the occasional snore. They had a late night last night. 

Henry grew warm remembering it. Mavis was perfect, his greatest treasure in life. After she said yes to his proposal, he had wanted to get married on the spot. He was ready to summon his entire family, wake them from their slumbers, and hunt down a priest. Mavis was the practical one, reminding him her family needed to be present too. 

Mavis did, however, surprise him by spending the night. He thought they should wait, but she had very convincing methods to sway his mind. 

So there they were, tired and content. Henry could have slept longer but was thoroughly enjoying the fascinating slumber of his fiance. He would never tell her, but she made some interesting noises in her sleep, most of which sounded like a resuscitated animal. And she was a twitchy thing, almost violently so. But he loved every minute of it. It was like his own personal entertainment.

He struggled not to burst into a fit of laughter when she finally twitched so hard she knocked him upside the head. He was practically choking back laughter, trying his best not to wake her. 

Eventually, she stirred, sitting up abruptly, the blanket sliding down. "Where am I?" Her head looked around frantically, her mind still waking up.

Henry bit his lip to keep from smiling. She was something else, Mavis. "It's okay," Henry said. "I'm here, you're in my room."

Visibly, she relaxed, her eyes falling on Henry. She blushed, pulling up the blanket to cover herself. "Right, I forgot."

He leaned forward, kissing her nose. "Sleep okay?"

She nodded, stifling a yawn and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "I think so." She stared at him. "Why are you smiling like that?"

He pressed his lips together, shaking his head. She didn't need to know. "I'm happy, okay?"

She punched his shoulder playfully, then kissed him. "I'm happy too." 

Her gaze fell to the ring on her finger, heat rising to her cheeks. "So that was real?"

Henry nodded.

"And we really...you know?" Her eyes glanced to his bare chest, then lowered before rising back up quickly. 

Henry nodded again. "Yes, that happened."

He had never seen someone blush so violently. Suddenly he worried she might have regretted it. He brushed the hair out of her face as she fanned herself. 

"Hey," Henry said sweetly. "Is it okay that it happened?" Any answer other than the affirmative would completely shatter him. 

She thought about it for a moment and finally looked him in the eyes. Then she backhanded him across the chest, catching him completely off guard. He blinked at her, utterly confused.

She glared at him, the redness slowly fading from her cheeks. "That's for making me blush so hard! I can't have that happening every time we sleep together."

He smiled. "What are you saying?"

She rolled her eyes. "You're an idiot, Henry. Of course I don't regret anything. It's not like I was drunk last night. I knew what I was doing, I wanted it to happen."

"Then why did you hit me?" He was struggling to understand this woman.

"Because you asked a stupid question. Of course it's okay that it happened. I love you, you dumb ofe." 

At those words he pulled her down to him, her legs straddling his torso as they kissed. He growled playfully, rolling her over until he was on top of her, and then he made her blush even harder.