CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

It feels so similar and yet completely different to ride in Krivoth's arms today. The natural beauty of the woods is the same as the past few days yet always amazing. A brightly colored bird or a bunch of buttercups glowing a rich gold in a patch of sunlight will catch my attention for several moments.

Then Krivoth's fingers will flex against my stomach or his deep voice will rumble from behind me, and I'll flash back to last night and all the unspeakable pleasure we shared. I can't pretend it was Faerie Fruit this time or that it was just a fling.

I gave myself over to Krivoth's command completely, and he rewarded that trust with the most amazing sex I've ever had. Yet it was more than that. It's impossible for me to be that open and vulnerable with someone and not catch feelings. All his attentions were exactly what I wanted, and he made all the effort to take care of me in every way, including holding me after. He cares. This isn't just some "a goddess made me do it" thing with him.

My marriage might actually be based on care and respect and, hopefully, love.

And I'm already falling in love with him. The way he holds me, the way he sees me like no one ever has. To him, I'm beautiful and powerful. Here in Alarria with him, I'm the best version of me I've ever been.

It's effing amazing!

The way we were married is still really weird. But isn't it also incredibly special that a goddess brought us together? I mean, a goddess portaled me all the way from Earth and summoned Krivoth to come and meet me. That's epic!

Here, in this magical world full of goddess-blessed bonds, marriage might not have to be a scary thing at all.

Evening's just beginning as we gallop out of a stand of mountain rowan, their leaves a pretty purple instead of green like the ones on Earth. A magpie takes to the air, its black and white body soaring out into the meadow in front of us with a raucous call.

The sun beats down, warm after the shade of the forest, and I shift in my seat. My core twinges with the pleasant ache of being well satisfied, my thigh muscles still feeling a little weak. The soft linen of Krivoth's shirt brushes over my legs. My jeans dried by lunchtime, but I kept his shirt on, liking the thought of wearing his clothes too much to want to change.

Krivoth presses a kiss to the top of my head, his tusks scraping a little and making me shiver. "Brace yourself. I see the flutter of wings."

Sprites lift from a patch of white flowers and dart across the meadow, their butterfly wings catching the sunlight in bright flashes of iridescent color. "Almost Elf!" "We found you!" "We missed you!"

That last comes out as a high-pitched wail as the flock descends on us, pulling Storm to a halt with a grumbled, "I suppose I could eat."

"Yes, dinnertime," Mist agrees, then snaps her teeth at a passing sprite, sending the entire flock shrieking up into the sky.

"Mist," I say, my tone scolding.

"I'm only having a little fun." She grins her huge Cheshire-Cat smile. "After all, they're less than a mouthful. Barely worth the effort."

"They're sentient!"

"And there's that." But her green eyes laugh at me as she agrees.

"The cat sith toys with you." Krivoth dismounts and reaches up to lift me down. "Fae don't eat each other in Alarria."

"Tell that to the kelpies." Mist's tail whips back and forth.

A shiver of revulsion runs through me. "Yeah, those scaly horse fae talked about eating me."

Krivoth growls low in his throat, his dark eyes catching mine. "I would kill them again for you, if I could."

Warmth blooms in my chest. It should be kinda creepy, a guy saying he'll kill for me, but it's not.

A small stream runs along the side of the meadow, and Krivoth gets out our waterskins and heads for it. Even though he doesn't want any help, he's limping, which means his leg's still bothering him. It would take a human a week to heal as much as he did in a night. But I'm used to the way almost all games have some kind of miraculous healing, so it's also not completely shocking to realize a magical Wild Fae heals faster than expected.

Mist strolls back into the forest, promising to hunt, and the sprites spiral back down around me.

"We missed you." The leader hovers in front of my face, pointing at me, her tiny face frowning. "You're our Almost Elf. We told everyone so, even those pixies."

"Pixies? There are pixies?" My head swivels. I'm going to meet another kind of fae? "Where?"

"Bah. Not here. We made them leave."

"Not out during the day, you mean," Krivoth says. "Pixies are nocturnal. They're the tiny blue lights you see in the forest at night."

"Oh, I thought those were fireflies!"

"Yes, they are bugs!" the sprite says, her wings flapping furiously, making purple and pink rainbows dance all around her. "You should have nothing to do with them."

I bite my lip to keep from laughing. She's such a tiny thing to be so possessive! And of me! Then there's the irony of her with her butterfly wings calling someone else a bug. I lose the battle, a giggle bursting from me.

The sprites laugh with me, making a high tinkling sound like a chorus of tiny bells.

"We will have more fun! We will make more Faerie Fruit!"

They all scream "Yes!" and dart toward a clump of bushes near Krivoth.

Oh. My. God. I can't even! Faerie Fruit now? No. All the no. It's not just that it'll interfere with our quest—I also don't want anything as artificial as its magical whammy to overshadow what Krivoth and I shared last night.

"No, wait!" My hand reaches after them in an unconscious motion right as my crystal warms on my chest. Oh, god! I can't use my powers on the tiny things! I could hurt them!

I snap my hand straight up. Magic roars from the ground beneath me, pouring out in a pulse of power that's a pull instead of a push.

The huge branch sticking out from the tree behind me lashes like it's caught in a tornado. There's a loud crack.

My heart pounds furiously as icy adrenaline floods my body. The world slips into slow motion. The branch races toward me, purple leaves blotting out the sky. I start to move, but my legs are stuck in molasses. I barely make it a couple of inches.

The branch is totally going to squash me!

Hard muscle hits my side, scooping me up and carrying me forward. We spin in the air, plowing into the ground with Krivoth on the bottom, his strong arms forming a cage over my upper back and waist as the smaller side branches of the main one slap down on top of us.

I lie sprawled on him, stunned by what almost happened. Stunned by what did happen.

He's saved me. Again.

We're covered by a blanket of purple leaves, but the branches are thin enough that I can push up onto my forearms to see his face. "Are you okay? Is your leg okay?"

"It's nothing as long as you're all right." His fingers feather over my cheek, then his thumb drags across my lower lip in that way I love.

My breath hitches as a tingle goes through me. "Looks like I'm on top again."

"I'm never going to complain." His smile is downright wicked for a moment, then dips into a frown. "What happened?"

"I, uh…" Warmth floods my cheeks with mortification. "I was about to pull the sprites back to me with my power, but they're so small I thought it would hurt them. So I jerked my hand away from them and ended up pulling the branch instead."

Instead of being upset, he gives me a happy grin. "You've got a new power!"

"You're right!" The pride in his voice warms me and sets my heart racing with excitement. I grip his shoulders to slide upward and kiss him, this man who always sees the best in me.

This man I'm falling for.