the way the limbs bent and swayed toward him in greeting. His lips curved as he breathed deep of the forest, relieved to have returned. His smile widened as he turned his attention to his mate.
“I suppose we are traveling by ground now,” Diana mused as her eyes took in their surroundings. “Any chance we can walk a bit. I know that we are in a hurry and all, but it would be good to stretch my legs for a little while before I’m in the saddle again.”
“We can walk for a short time, I think,” he agreed. “But first, rest and see to your needs. We will have some rations for now, but when we settle for the night, I will see what I can hunt for our meal.”
She gave him a grateful look as she sank down between a couple of thick tree roots, her back resting comfortably against a tree. To his surprise, the tree immediately lit up with the multitude of tiny motes of energy released as the hamadryad reacted to Diana’s touch. His mate made a soft sound of delight in her throat, her eyes watching the drifting lights for a long moment before falling once more on him.
“I don’t recall the trees reacting to me this way when we were coming through.”
He grinned and rested his hand on another tree, which after a couple of heartbeats began to light up in turn. “The hamadryads of the Eternal Forest differ from those that are constantly around the palace, it takes direct touch. Your tree is responding to you.”
Diana’s eyebrows shot up as her head whipped around to look at the tree behind her. “To me? How is that possible?”
He grinned at her innocent wonder. The first centuries were going to be ceaseless sources of fascination for his mate. He hoped to be present to witness her every new discovery.
“We are bonded. I told you before that you are no longer human. Although it will take time for your transition, as my uxorem the Eternal Forest will begin to recognize and respond to you.”
“This is so fucking cool,” she whispered as she trailed her hand along the surface of the tree. The sparks of light followed the direction of her touch, making her laugh with delight. “I wonder if the trees around my house would do this.”
A heavy feeling sank in his stomach, but he forced a smile as he replied. “As you are now… they would recognize your touch and react. I suspect after a time any tree near your home would have the hamadryads in a state of ecstasy, like those that grow around Arx, for being near you over such a long period.”
She raised an eyebrow in his direction. “I thought it was because of their relationship to the palace?”
He shrugged, a chuckle rolling through him. “There is not a great difference between me and my palace. Arx was a seed I planted. Much like the vinculum marcam, except not quite so profound, it is a part of me. I am connected to it even if Arx as it is was the result of an accident.”
Drawing her hand away from the tree, she folded them in her lap and raised her eyebrows at him. “An accident? Oh, this should be good. Please go on,” she laughed at his pained grimace.
“Mind you, it is a distant memory, so I am a little fuzzy on some of the details,” he grumbled reluctantly as he dropped down beside her. “You must keep in mind that at that time I had just recently been given responsibility over the Eternal Forest. I was a very young and lusty silvanus, who was perhaps equally captivated by the various nymphs as I was with exploring my new domain.” His lips twisted in a self-deprecating smile. “I hadn’t yet understood the nymphs’ lust for sexual desire and passion. Although they may mate or take a lover into their bodies, many of their interactions require no sexual consummation. As a young silvanus, it is not surprising that I fell into the more common category.”
“That must have been frustrating,” Diana chuckled.
Silvas rolled his eyes and shot her a glower. “Some sympathy, uxorem. Do you wish for me to continue this story or not?”
“Sorry,” she said around a strangled chortle. “Please continue.”
He huffed in irritation but smiled himself, delighting in her willingness to play with him. Although as a predator he had enjoyed the taste of her fear, this was what he needed from