Land of Light and Shadows

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

In the mornings, Jai usually found himself the one being used as a pillow with Lyv half on top of him, her face pressed into the crook of his shoulder, and bare legs tangled with his. That wasn't the case the next morning, but rather the opposite.

If his body weight was crushing her even in the slightest, Lyv didn't utter a word. She was awake before Jai even came out of unconsciousness, his body pleasantly sore and satisfied in only the way she could make it. Usually he was the one taking charge, but after she did the night before...well, Jai made a mental note to let her take over whenever she wanted.

Lyv was humming softly as one hand played with his hair while the other traced along the venom scars along his side. It was a tune he'd heard before, one she used to keep herself sane while under Corliss's control. Her thoughts were anywhere but remembering those times, though. Mostly, he was getting flashes of what happened the day he got those scars, the rush of feelings Lyv had felt whenever she saw him for the first time...which were nothing like the feelings she had for him now.

"You're awake," she whispered, breath brushing against his cheek and ear.

The sound and the feel of her words dancing along his skin made him shiver. "Mm," he hummed against her. "What time is it?"

"Early. I don't think anyone else is awake. At least, Elys and Eamon haven't tried barging in here yet."

"Is the door still locked, ward up?"

"Yep. No one's getting in here until we let them."

"Then I get to keep you to myself a little while longer."

Lyv laughed quietly, continuing to trace her fingertips along his scars. Another hum reverberated in Jai's chest with every movement.

"Why are you up so early?" Jai asked her a few minutes later when he finally leaned up. Her curls were a tangled mess against the pillow, face still flushed. "Another nightmare?"

"Quite the opposite, actually. I don't even remember my dreams. And I haven't felt this rested in...well, a while. It was a good call coming here and getting away from everything."

"Then I guess you're looking forward to doing whatever you want over the next two weeks, huh?"

"Definitely," she smiled before it dropped ever so slightly. "What Mik and Allel were saying to you yesterday about Kalla meeting us here...did they know when or where she was going?"

"She didn't tell them. Just that she had to go see someone and would then come here. Who knows if she'll even be willing to talk whenever she comes back? We're all well-aware she's been keeping something from us all, Mik and Allel included. Maybe she'll finally tell us."

"Hopefully," Lyv mumbled before Jai settled back down against her.

Their alone time together didn't last too much longer after they made plans for the day. Elys and Eamon did indeed attempt to come in the room, but the locked door and ward held them back. Good thing, too, since Jai and Lyv had made no move to get up and get dressed, the only thing covering them were the bed sheets and that was from the waist down.

It wasn't until Lyv's eyebrows furrowed and her lips screwed up in a scowl that Jai knew something was wrong. In a hurry, she pushed him off her and bolted for the bathing room, grabbing her bag in her rush. Not knowing what was happening, Jai sprinted after her, knocking on the door just as he heard her soft curse, followed by a groan of pain.

"Lyv, what's going on?" Jai called through the door.

Her voice came back as muffled, like she was pressing her face into a towel to try and stifle her groans. "Just...hold on, all right?"