frown pulling at his lips, likely due to the familiar way that she uttered the male’s name. But how could she not be? Once she had met the silvanus, she recognized him as the presence that had lurked around the woods near the cabin. “It is not nice to sneak up on people, you about gave me a heart attack,” she admonished.
A deep male chuckle followed as the silvanus she had seen before stepped out from the trees. His twisted horns had an ancient appearance, and he was distinctive with his peculiar tail that separated into three narrow tips halfway down its length. His eyes darted to her warmly, but it was upon Silvas that his gaze locked. Larce tracked the lucomo’s movements as he approached. He raised his hands in supplication, an amused smile curving his hard lips.
“Peace, apa. I intend no harm toward your uxorem.”
The male laughed as if such a concept were absurd. Her lips quirked because she couldn’t imagine either the male actually doing harm. Fuck with her if she didn’t observe the proper rules when in the woods, sure… but not harm.
Still… apa?
Diana stared between the males, trying to discern their relationship. Although Silvas seemed tense, there was no hostility between them. The silvanus’s lips tipped upward as Silvas lashed his tail irritably.
Silvas shook his head in confusion. “Larce? I thought I recognized your scent, but this doesn’t make any sense. What are you doing in such a new forest? I would have assumed that you would be lurking in your ancient haunts with your uxorem.”
The male shrugged. “Cassia consented to come here for a time as a special favor to Turan. You know that the goddess has a way of garnering what she desires. She deemed it important that someone look out for the soul meant to be yours. It is not the first time we have relocated to watch over your uxorem. Whenever we are made known of her soul once more walking upon the earth, we followed, dwelling near her and watching over her during the course of her lifetime. I watched as she grew up, and when the forest expanded, I increased my territory holdings so no other spirit would interfere. You are welcome,” he said loftily, his smile playful.
Silvas grunted in reply, but he relaxed, and his lips curved in amusement. They stared at each other for a moment before both males moved in and embraced. They chuckled and pounded each other on the back in a show of affection. Silvas reached his hands up to frame the other male’s face and drew him down to kiss his cheeks and forehead.
Diana’s eyebrows went up and she stared openly at them.
“I’m sorry, but I’m totally lost here,” she interrupted. “You seem to know each other… What’s an apa?”
Silvas’s smile suddenly became strained and his ears tipped back. He cleared his throat and fixed her with a grave look. “Diana, as you know, I am very old… I have probably lifetimes worth of events, to be honest…”
“Apa means father,” Larce interrupted, his eyes sparkling with mirth. “Ah, you didn’t tell her that you had bred offspring.” He chuckled at the disgusted look Silvas bent on him.
“I had meant to broach the subject… eventually… in a tactful way,” he said.
Diana relaxed and laughed. “Oh, is that it? I already knew about that, though it was something I meant to ask about.” She tapped a finger on her chin. “What was it that the horrible dryad said? Oh yes, I was told that you fucked and discarded humans after you had bred sons on them.”
Silvas gaped at her. “I certainly did not! I was a lusty youth and may have dallied with human women as well as denizens of my woods. I certainly didn’t intend to ‘breed young’ on them. It was a surprise when the first of them, Larce’s mother, abandoned him in my woods, and he was brought to me to rear.”
Diana raised an eyebrow. “And how often did this happen? From what I’ve heard, there are quite a few silvani out there.”
“Only a few! I have four sons that I brought forth.”
“Cassia and I have bred three thousand, two hundred and eighty sons,” Larce announced proudly. As Diana turned a horrified look upon him, he grinned. “It has been a great number of centuries. There was no need from the Eternal Forest and the cosmos for us to have offspring that frequently… but time has a way of adding up,” he