And he could see how much joy that’d brought her since she did it every day.

“What if you lie down with me and hide my scent?”

His head twisted so sharply he thought any other creature may have broken their neck. “Pardon?”

“If I sleep under you, will it stop them from smelling me?”

“Well, yes. It would help,” he answered, before he licked at the inside of his mouth in uncertainty. “You... want me to sleep with you?”

Her nod was slight, almost shy.

“You’re really warm. If you don’t want to, that’s okay. I-I’ll, um, have the bath then.”

She sounded like that was the last thing she wanted.

“No,” he quickly said. “I do.”

I want to lie with her. The offer alone was enough to make his heart beat heavier, but it deepened even more when he walked to the other side of the bed. He was unsure about this.

“Do you want me above the furs?”

“No, it’s okay.” She reached over and pulled the fur covering back.

Yellow danced along the edges of his vision as he crawled under the furs, and it deepened when she was the one to wiggle further until she was pressed against him. She was facing him, her arms resting comfortably in front of her.

“You’re not doing a very good job of hiding me,” she said with a playful and mocking hint to her tone. “You don’t have to be so afraid. You can hold me if you want.”

Orpheus slowly turned, his heart quickening by the second. He’d wanted to rest with one of his humans more than anything, to hold them while they slept, and Reia was offering it, asking for it. All the things he told himself he shouldn’t be feeling after she run away soared despite himself.

Tenderness, fondness, joy, and hope.

Slipping his arm underneath her head to replace her pillow, Orpheus wrapped his other arm around her tightly, pushing her against him until he enveloped her in his embrace.

Her breaths were light and fluttery against his bare chest.

He hadn’t put on his shirt yet, though he’d been intending to right after his bath. Her elderberry and red rose scent embraced him, and the squishiness of her sent a thrill through him.

I can feel her heartbeat. It came from everywhere, racing through her veins, and it was utterly soothing.

Her hand brushed his chest. “Your wounds are gone. There isn’t even a scar.”

He placed the underneath of his long jaw against the top of her hair. “I heal within a day.”

“Lucky bastard. My ankle still hurts.”

A fluttering chuckle escaped him, the sound unusual and uncommon for him.

She was silent for a few moments, and he’d thought she’d fallen asleep again.

“Why do they call you Mavka?”

“It means forest creature. It is what they call me, like how your kind calls me Duskwalker because I can walk in both the darkness of night and the sun of the day.”

She fell silent once more, and eventually her breathing evened out when she fell asleep.

Contentment radiated through him. He gently nuzzled the top of her head with the side of his jaw, adoring how she felt in his arms. He doubted he’d get much rest with how quickly his heart was beating, but he knew he’d enjoy every tortured second of it.

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Reia woke to the feeling of claw tips gently raking across her scalp and nearly moaned in bliss.

She knew she’d fallen back asleep with her hair grossly knotted. Orpheus must have been brushing his fingers through her hair for a long time that it was no longer tangled.

The points started from her hairline above her forehead to brush back until they reached the pointed dip of her skull before pulling through the long length of her hair. When he did it again, it started from the nape of her neck, the backs of his claws moving upwards until they reached that dip again and moved through the strands.

Both times it sent a shiver down her body that pearled her nipples into hard points.

As much as she wanted him to continue, if he did, he’d smell she was becoming aroused by the simple touch. She was beginning to understand just how good his nose was and how much it would give away her body’s reaction to him.

Reia turned her head up, making him pause and lift his own.

“You’re awake?” He removed his fingers from her hair.

“Was I disturbing your sleep?”

She shook her head, realising she’d been hugging his torso while she’d been sleeping. She buried her face against his chest, sheepishly taking in a deep draw of his rich forestry smell. Her muscles were so lax in his warmth that she didn’t want to move.

However, as much as Reia was shamelessly enjoying being in his embrace, she squirmed. She tried her best to ignore the sensation low in her stomach, wanted nothing more than to stay how they were. But the more she woke, the more pressing it became.

Reia groaned before pushing at his chest to get away.

“Is something the matter?” He let her go, his eyes turning a deep well of blue. “Did I upset you?”

“I’ve gotta pee!” she exclaimed, nearly rolling off the bed as she attempted to scramble to her feet.

She didn’t know how long she’d been sleeping, both the first time and the second time, but she knew she hadn’t peed for a looong time.

Oh crap, I’m about to wet myself! She bolted for the washroom, removing the lid of the chamber pot as the door swung closed. She moaned when it released after she sat over it, almost laughing at the fact it would have been totally embarrassing if she’d done it in the hallway.

I guess this was one way to get me out of bed.

A bed she very much hadn’t wanted to leave, in the arms of a creature she very much wanted to stay snuggling with.

It was a guilty pleasure, telling herself she was just too tired and groggy to stop holding him than the actual truth.

She washed her hands before rubbing sleep from her eyes with the back of her hand. She exited the room.