7th Day of Winter, 518 AV, 9th Bell
Warmth.
For the first time in her life, Zavya was surrounded by warmth. Her scarred cheek lay nestled against warm, soft skin, burrowed contentedly beneath the softest of furs. A fire crackled merrily in the hearth, filling the room with that same gentle warmth she felt against her face. And more than that… Shiress herself was the embodiment of warmth. Kindness. Gentleness. Love.
It was almost more than she could bear.
The tigress cherished every moment spent together, but she couldn’t bear it because she knew it wouldn’t last. All of this warmth… it was not for her, not in the end. It was a lie, a beautiful lie wrapped in shadows and paranoia. It wouldn’t be long before the master of the house returned and with him, reality. Not only would she have to own up to what she’d done, she would have to make the cruel admission: Shiress was not hers. The woman would never be hers. Elias, Rook… these were the men her heart belonged to. Zavya adored the emerald-eyed beauty with every ounce of her being, more than she ever thought she could, but this… this was not her place. She would just have to accept that.
Pulling herself from her melancholia and shoving it all to the back of her mind, the Kelvic nuzzled in against Shiress’s throat, her arm tightening around the woman’s waist. Breathing in that sweet aroma of vanilla that had filled her very dreams, she smiled. There would be time enough to worry later. She had to cherish this while she still could.
“Shiress,” Zavya whispered, brushing her lips across the curve of her jaw. “Wake up.”
Languid limbs draped over hers, another smile tugging at her mouth when those eyes inevitably fluttered open. “Good morning,” she greeted her companion, gentle fingers trailing over her cheek before catching her lips in a brief kiss. “Did you sleep well?”
A few more chimes passed of the tigress sleepily curled in her lover’s arms before she roused herself enough to pull herself away, pushing back the covers and letting her feet hit the floor. With a yawn, she rose out of the nest of warmth, leaning down and stretching out to touch her toes. Sighing, she straightened back up and turned to face Shiress.
“Show me around today?” she asked before grabbing a discarded cloak and tossing it over her shoulders. “If you’re feeling up to it, of course,” Zavya hastily added, worried eyes raking over the angry red lines that marred her flesh. She knew well how much one of Ryker’s… sessions… could take out of someone, and didn’t want the woman to push herself for the tiger’s sake. “I was thinking maybe we could take a walk around the manor. I haven’t seen much more than the bedroom, after all.” A mischievous smile followed that last comment, golden eyes sparkling lasciviously.
“What do you say? Up for a change of scenery?”
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