But as River woke in the early hours of the morning, and we began to make slow, passionate love all over again, that was a discovery I knew I could put off for a long, long time.
River
Ben was home. I’d never felt so secure, so confident, so at peace with myself and the world around me, as when I was in his arms.
I’d fallen asleep in exhaustion after our first time, but when I woke again, we continued making love until the sun streaked the sky above us. Only then did I sleep again, and so did Ben.
When I woke the second time, it was one pm according to Ben’s watch—though I doubted that time applied in the dragon realm. Ben was still asleep. Propping my head up on one elbow, I stared at his face. My gorgeous husband. My best friend. My man. My prince.
My heart leapt as his eyes finally opened, allowing me to admire his face in its full glory.
“Good morning, beautiful,” I whispered, beaming down at him.
He smiled back, his eyes glazed over. “You stole my line,” he said huskily, before pulling me to him and engulfing me in a cuddle.
We both sat up in bed and gazed around us. I hadn’t even realized what a mess we had made of the bed throughout the night. The sheet was half off the mattress, and of the dozen or so pillows that had sat on the bed, only two small ones remained.
Ben grinned impishly. “So,” he said, cocking his head. “How was it?”
I bit my lower lip, blood rushing to my cheeks. “How was… um, what exactly?”
He broke out in a chuckle. “Seriously? You’re going to make me spell it out? All right. Let’s put it another way… Did I… uh, tinker with all the right bells?”
My breath hitched just remembering it. “Oh, you did. It’s really no wonder they call you Tinkerbell.”
He narrowed his eyes on me. “You will be moaning that name by the time I’m finished with you.”
Without warning he lurched forward and grabbed me. Straddling my hips, he began tickling me in all the worst places. My stomach wound up in knots from laugher, I cried out, “No, stop! Please! Mercy! Mercy, Tinkerbell!”
Only after I’d gasped the name did he stop, allowing me to sit up and catch my breath.
Then his eyes dropped to my bare abdomen, the smile on his face fading. I knew what he was looking at.
I’d forgotten all about the scar. I still hadn’t told him what had happened to me. I hadn’t told anyone, not even my mother. It was still painful to talk about because I did not know exactly what they had done, what they might have put in me or taken from me… or maybe they’d just looked around. It was the uncertainty of it all that made me anxious. And I didn’t want to worry Ben. But he had seen it now.
“It’s, um…” Still, I hesitated.
The concerned look in Ben’s eyes only intensified. “It’s what, River?” He was dead serious now.
“When I was in the hunters’ headquarters—“
He cursed beneath his breath.
“What?” I asked him.
“Go on,” he said.
“Yeah, well when I was there… they did something to me. But I’m not sure what it was. They took me to an operating room and drugged me.” My voice shook a little as I relived the trauma. “When I woke up I had the scar, but it didn’t hurt. M-Maybe they just examined me.”
Ben’s jaw clenched. “And have you experienced any pain since? Any symptoms at all that could be considered… unusual?”
I shook my head. “No, thank God. I’ve noticed nothing out of the ordinary.”
His fingertips moved to my scar and lingered there for a few seconds. Then, reaching his hands into my hair, he pressed a firm kiss against my forehead.
“If you haven’t experienced any symptoms by now, then I’m guessing they’ve done nothing that will affect you personally, and that’s all that matters to me right now. They might have simply taken a sample from you for experimentation… for one of their future projects. But we should have Corrine examine you when we return to The Shade.” He paused, a flash of anger in his eyes. “And if we ever do come across the group of hunters who did this to you, I swear, they will sorely regret it.”
We ended up staying in The Hearthlands for three more days after the wedding. The dragons took us for more rides outside, showing us the entire land right up to its tip, the Obran peninsula.