Forging Ties (Ties, Book 3) | ✓

Chapter 31

After they finished their eggs, they went back outside and Nim dragged a small wooden cart out of a shed on the side of the house. He loaded it up with sacks of fruit, making sure to leave enough room for Skye to sit in it as well.

Once everything was in place, Skye sat in the cart and watched shamelessly as Nim stripped out of his clothes. His body had changed a little, but Skye didn't mind. Nim was a little broader in the shoulders, a little more muscular. Still very handsome and nice to look at without his clothes on.

Nim shifted and carefully wriggled his way into a harness connected to the front of the cart. As Nim started walking, he dragged the cart behind him on his way down a dirt path that led away from the cabin.

Slone and Yore had shifted as well, and they chased one another around alongside the path as Nim trundled along, nipping at one another's faces and soaking themselves as they dashed through a shallow creek.

Skye snuck a banana out of one of the sacks and ate it as they travelled. It was so surreal to be back with Nim. They'd been apart for so long, but already being with him felt more right than anything had in a long time. Skye had built something of a life in the last couple of years, but he'd always felt a little out of step with the world around him.

Skye snuggled in against a sack of oranges and let his eyes fall shut as he basked in the morning sunlight, but he blinked them open every now and then just to look at Nim, just to confirm he was still there. That the world hadn't taken him away with just as much stunning abruptness as it had returned him.

The big pointy light blue glass tower could be seen from a long way away, but it wasn't until they got much closer that the town became visible. It was smaller than Saltwater, more scattered and improvised, like people had just built things where they had decided to build things without any real town planning. It had a different energy to it in general. In Saltwater, shops had signs and displays to market themselves. Here, it was less obvious what buildings were for from the outside. They seemed to expect people to just know. Maybe they didn't get as many travellers passing through.

They followed a wide dirt road that passed through the middle of town and pretty much saw all there was to see along the way besides a few scattered houses tucked back closer to the beach.

Nim dragged the cart right up to the doors of the tower and slipped back out of the harness while Yore, still in wolf form, approached two orcs armed with spears guarding the doors and had an exchange with them involving only body language. Skye followed the wolves as the orcs let them inside the tower and then opened another door for them on the bottom floor that led into a room with a bed, vast curtained windows, and marbled blue tiled floors. Skye sat down on the bed and swung his legs as the wolves shifted and then went to get clothes from a wardrobe. Butts, butts, butts.

Was this Yore's room? Did he live in a fancy tower because he was a werewolf prince? It was pretty cool, but Skye liked Nim's cabin better. They had so much space to themselves, and chickens, and a cat, and fruit trees. Yore didn't have any of those things.

Nim turned around once he was fully dressed and as his eyes met Skye's, Skye found himself beaming. He hopped off the bed, went over to Nim, and pushed up on his tippy toes so that he could plant a kiss on Nim's lips.

Skye made a face as he pulled away. "It's so sharp."

Nim gave Skye an indulgent smile as he let out a sigh. "Yore, can I borrow a razor?"

Yore laughed. "I think you'd better."

Skye hovered around Nim as he shaved in front of the bathroom mirror, monitoring him to make sure he didn't accidentally cut himself with Yore's straight razor. After he rinsed off the shaving cream and patted his face dry, Skye pulled him in for another kiss. This one was soft and lingering and also Nim smelled nice.