First Forest - Viola Grace Page 0,8
dizzy.” She draped her hair over her shoulder and kept her hands on his shoulders while he held her waist. “So, what happens now? I can’t really see my mother accepting me into the house or even the guesthouse again.”
“She was angry that I wouldn’t take Ledana in your stead.”
Abiha’s hands slipped, and his grip on her kept her up. “What?”
“When she turned nineteen, your mother offered Ledana to me as a mate. She knew I had chosen you; your father knew that I had chosen you; apparently, you were not notified.”
“Um, no. I would have remembered that conversation.”
He sighed and lifted her for a kiss. “Your father did not mention you returning?”
“He said that I should go home after he passed, but I couldn’t get my mother to issue the invitation, and none of the other members of the village had answered any of my letters.”
He nodded. “I see. That will need to be addressed.”
“Why?”
Kiloh cocked his head. “What do you mean, why? They disrespected my wishes.”
She nodded. “Ah. That. Well, my mother could use some time out of the village, as could a few of the elders. Not the city but one of the nearby towns. Just a month or two. Oh, and ban any botanists from the fields for a few weeks. That will drive them nuts.”
He snorted. “That would be cruel but not harmful. I will make the arrangements.”
“How?”
“I have a communications center in the temple.” His lips quirked in amusement.
She stared at him and slapped the water. “What?”
He laughed. “I wanted the people around me to be calm and trustworthy. I can easily pick up on the broadcasts from com units. It lets me control the information and the research being done here.”
She was stunned. “So, all the rituals, the clothing...”
He shrugged. “Out of all the human costumes, these appealed to me the most. I was having a problem with personal containment back then, so the robes helped keep my body concealed while I sorted out things like the correct number of limbs.”
“The rituals and manners?”
“Appeal to my aesthetic. It makes for a polite and graceful population.” He slid a hand down her back and kissed her again. Apparently, the height discrepancy didn’t bother him a bit.
She pressed her hands to his chest and was amazed at how warm he was. It was why she had probably acquiesced to him so easily; it was instinct to curl up next to him. Abiha sighed softly as he kissed her. It was sweet, gentle, and held against him as she was, she knew it wasn’t from lack of enthusiasm, he was being considerate while imprinting himself on her.
She shivered and ran her hands up and over his chest, down his shoulders, and she touched his biceps. She explored as much of him as she could reach. It wasn’t enough, but she used her logic to tell herself that she would have other opportunities.
He finally, slowly raised his head. “I believe it is time for lunch.”
Abiha smiled at the mundane mention, and she giggled.
He gave her a curious look. “What?”
“I never thought of you as eating.”
“I don’t. You do.” He carried her out of the water and stood with her on the mossy bank. Their bodies steamed in the noon light.
She looked up and was surprised. “The time got away from me.”
“I know. The sun kissed your cheeks as well.” He cupped her jaw and thumbed her cheek. “I am jealous.”
She fought the urge to grab his horns and hang from them while she kissed him. It was an image that rang through her mind, and she fought to let it show on her face.
“Well, it’s a good thing that with all those layers, the underclothing can dry quickly and won’t snag the outer layers.”
He smiled brightly. “See? Practical clothing.”
She laughed and looked around. “Which way did we leave them?”
He picked her up again and walked with her through the woods and away from the pond. When they were back in the small clearing where they had sex, her clothing was hanging upon a number of the branches, and his was hanging next to it.
“It looks like a dollhouse has gone wrong.” She walked up to her undergarments and pulled them down from the trees. The thin ties were a little awkward with the wind tugging at her, but she managed them. She hopped up and got the underlayer down, struggling into the sleeves and tying the thin strip to keep it up and away from her feet.
Kiloh