for the rush of...sensations to sucker punch me like that.
“Are you okay, Little Mate? Would you like to bathe with me?” he asks simply, and my eyes widen.
“Um, I do...but I shouldn’t, I mean, I didn’t come here for that, although I’m very interested in that,” I blabber, shaking my head at myself and internally yelling, get a hold of yourself, woman! “Crap, sorry. What I mean is, I just wanted to check to see that you were okay,” I finally spit out.
Vudu’s eyes soften, and he pulls open the door and reaches for me. As I step into his arms, it’s the strangest thing, it’s like just his touch chases my worry away. He wraps his large arms around me, and I press my cheek against the armor plating on his chest and just breathe him in, feeling so small and safe as he holds me.
“Toreon and I are good, thanks to you,” he tells me, his voice rumbling against me.
“Are you sure?” I ask, my fingers moving against his chest. “You and Toreon seem…” I trail off, not knowing exactly what to say.
Vudu leans down and kisses the top of my head before he strokes a hand down the tip of my wing. I feel his touch against my feathers like it’s between my thighs, but I don’t say anything because I don’t want him to stop. I’ve had so little time with Vudu—so little time with all of them—and it’s like I’m parched of them, hungry for their affection.
“Morax had Toreon for a long time,” Vudu says in his low, gravelly voice. “I know you understand how difficult that must have been for him. Of course he’s happy to be free now, but he lost everything, and that guilt is going to take time for him and me to come to terms with. He also feels vulnerable. It’s ingrained in him, and me as his protector, to be distrustful. But we have a mate now, and we’re trying to be trusting and follow your lead as it should be, but it’s not in our nature to be out in the open and so exposed.”
I look up at Vudu, understanding awash in my eyes. Like my sisters and me, Toreon is now the last of his kind, and like us, his people have been hunted, used, and forced into hiding. And I just brought them straight to a Sin’s house in the middle of Nihil, where they probably see threats everywhere. No wonder they’re feeling tense about it. They don’t feel safe here.
“Is there somewhere you two would feel better, less exposed?” I ask. “I know Ire would understand—” I start, but Vudu brings his lips down to mine, cutting me off.
He kisses me slowly, leisurely, as one hand presses me in against him and the other pulls gently at my feathers. I lift my hands to cradle Vudu’s face, ready to climb him and see where this kiss can take us, but with a purring sound I feel light up through my whole body, Vudu pulls away.
“You’re a good mate,” he tells me against my lips. He tugs at a feather, but it feels like he’s tugging at my nipples instead. “Wrath gave her word that we would be protected, and the Sins do not make oaths lightly. We’re as safe here as we would be anywhere, it’s just going to take time for that to sink in.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure,” he confirms with a smile that makes me feel all melty. I never wanted to know what the cheesy center of a grilled cheese felt like, but nevertheless, I get it now. “Now go, Little Mate, before I abandon my manners and keep you in here with me, all to myself,” he tells me, popping a little slap on my butt before stepping away.
Confusion fills my eyes. “Your manners?” I question.
“Yes, my manners. This is Ire’s lair, and as such, he should get you first.”
My mind sputters, rebelling at what he’s saying, but there’s also a pesky heat that settles between my thighs at the implication.
“But don’t worry, Sable,” he adds, interrupting my reeling thoughts. “I’ll have you soon.” And with that, he gently pushes me back a step before shutting the door in my face.
I blink at the closed door, my face just an inch away from it. I hear a chuckle on the other side, and the telltale sound of a lock snicking into place. My mouth drops open in shock, and I stare