24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

I cannot hide how I feel.

Serlotminden landed the shuttle in an open space near the roaring ocean. Kal and Seth were the first to leap out of the open hatch. Kal swept his mate into his arms and nuzzled his neck; Seth, in turn, held him in a tight embrace. A shot of longing went through me. My arms ached to hold Caleb.

Caleb grinned at me before racing to the deep blue water. Violent waves crashed onto the purple sand, then swept back into the ocean. “Be careful,” I called after him. “I mean it, Caleb. Do not get too close.”

He didn’t even look at me as he raced along the shore.

The towering trees with rich green trunks and wide black leaves lined the beach. Undisturbed sand, as this wasn’t a favorite beach for locals to visit, was decorated with shells in a variety of colors. None of which I could focus on as I usually did.

When my family and I visited the ocean, I normally studied the plant life, inspected the shells, or sometimes I sat beside the water and watched the towering waves. None of that was possible with my mate so close by.

A tail wrapped around mine, and I barely glanced at Serlotminden, keeping my gaze on Caleb. I had to make sure he was safe. The water was full of dangerous creatures and that wasn’t even talking about the waves themselves, which were powerful. They could rip a person out into the ocean and drag them under.

I tried to logically parse through my sweeping instincts. Caleb couldn’t be injured by the creatures or swept away by the current. But he could, and probably would like to explore the seabed. That was much too far from me to be safe.

“Caleb,” I called again when he bent over the water, sticking his feet in. He peeked back at me. “Do not wander from my side. Please.” He chuckled but stepped back, earning a satisfied grunt from me.

“You’re courting Caleb, aren’t you?” Serlotminden asked.

I crossed my arms, wings fluttering against my back. “Pest told you.”

“No,” he replied. “He hasn’t said anything.”

“Then how?”

He flicked the point of my tapered ear, and I hissed at the sharp sting. “You did.”

I gaped at him, and he laughed.

“I’m not just beautiful, Bloom. I can be rather intelligent, and I know you. You’re acting differently. Stars, you are being protective.” Setlotminden gestured to Kalvoxrencol who kept a secure hold on Seth as they approached the water. “You’re acting like Pest and Hallonnixmin with their mates.”

Kalvoxrencol was exceedingly protective of his Seth, not that I’d witnessed much of their relationship. Hallonnixmin was as protective of Gilvaxtin as she was of him. It was the drakcol way. Our mates were ours. Our other half. We would do anything to keep them safe.

“Yes,” I forced out, muscles tightening in preparation for a battle, not that Serlotminden would physically attack me. If he did, we were evenly matched. As my elder brother, though, he was equally protective of me as Kalvoxrencol was.

“You can’t make this love thing easy, can you?” he teased, arm coming around my shoulders and tugging me securely against him. He rested his forehead on my temple, but he didn’t scent mark me. When we were young, our family members would scent mark us, claiming us. That ended as we grew, usually nearing our tenth cycle; we no longer tolerated it.

“You’re not upset?”

“At you? No. Pest? Yes. He should’ve told me. Don’t worry, I shall repay him for that,” he said, but his playful grin stole any heat from his words. Serlotminden gently shook me, his wing drawing me even tighter in his embrace. “I worry, Zoltilvoxfyn, as I imagine Kalvoxrencol does. I worry when Caleb vanishes, he will take your soul with him. I can't lose you, Bloom. I love you too much.”

Tears burned the backs of my eyes at his admission, but my brother was right. I kept my gaze trained on Caleb as he dashed over the purple sand, laughing. If Caleb passed on, he would take all that I was with him. I couldn’t even promise that I wouldn’t wither away. Most drakcol didn’t survive their mate’s loss, and I doubted I would. He was too integral to my existence.

“He’s going to stay,” I said.

“For how long?”

“I assume forever, but we haven’t discussed a timeline.”

“Why not?”

There was no answer to his question, so I didn’t try to formulate one. There were several conversations that Caleb and I needed to have.

“You cannot avoid the truth with your mate. I might not have the experience that Hallonnixmin or Kalvoxrencol have, but even I know you need to be honest with your Caleb.”

“I intend to, Speedy, but we haven’t been together long.”

He grinned.

“What?”

“At least you didn’t hide it from me for very long, then.”

I scoffed. The truth would have remained hidden for much longer if I wasn’t as obvious with my affections. Caleb laughed, and I whipped toward him as my soul throbbed in my chest. How could I be anything but obvious when Caleb had claimed me so wholly?

The stretch of purple sand, which resembled the color of grapes, was a surprise. The water was darker blue than what was found on Earth, and the looming waves would make even the most skilled surfer balk. I liked it, though. The same peace I had at the beach on Earth wrapped around me here. The ocean was the ocean apparently—it soothed my soul.

My head tilted back as the wind rushed over the shoreline, making the black fan leaves rustle, but it didn’t touch me. I could pretend. Why not? I was a ghost; I was allowed perks, even imagined ones.

Feet crushed on the sand moments before Fyn appeared. He was a perk after all—the best one. His tail swiped my leg, and his lips quirked. I wondered what he felt. I honestly had no idea. I assumed cold from the amount of shivers I created when I ran through a crowd.

“Serlotminden knows about us,” he said.

“Is that a problem?” God, everyone was going to think he was insane. He was dating a ghost. My poor boyfriend.

“No. He and Pest are both supportive.”

Well, his family was nicer than mine. If I had told my family I was dating a ghost, I would’ve been admitted to a hospital. Though, to be fair, my family didn’t believe in ghosts or the ability to see them like Fyn’s family did, so it really was like comparing apples and oranges, or more like apples and rocks.

“I’m glad they weren’t upset.”

His long white hair ruffled in the breeze, flaring out behind him. The moisture in the air clung to his scales, making them extra shiny. Fyn glanced down at me, and I went on my toes, making his lips open as his breathing increased and his tail wiggled.

“Is your hair soft?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“What does it feel like?”

“I don’t know how to describe it or how your skin would perceive the texture.”

“Hmm.” My fingers traced along his chest, and his breathing sped up even more to the point his chest heaved. A smirk quirked my lips at his reactions. Never in my life had I possessed such power over a person. Shit, it was a heady feeling. “Try.”

“My hair is soft, like,” a deep snarl that I was fairly certain was lukniskil , “silk. It would slide through your fingers with ease, like water.”

“That sounds nice. I would run my fingers through your hair and scratch your scalp,” I said, continuing to explore his chest. “What about your scales?”

“Smooth,” he choked out.

“Can I feel the ridges around them?”

“Yes,” Fyn replied.

“Is your tail smoother than the rest of your body?” I asked. The scales were more tightly interlocked on the prehensile appendage, not allowing me to see any of the slips of color.

“Yes, very smooth and very sensitive.”

“Is it?” I muttered, sliding my fingers down his taut stomach.

With each question I asked, the tighter his voice got. I pressed as close to him as possible without actually touching him. “I would drag my nails over your scales before kissing every part of you. I would lick you until you were crying out for me. Then I would ride your cock until we were both sated and shaking.”

Fyn swallowed as his cock visibly stiffened in his pants. His wings escaped from the slits in his shirt and encased me, shielding us from sight. “Caleb.”

I fought a grin as I relished the power I had to make him so turned on, in front of anyone who cared to look.

“I would make you happy if I could,” I said with complete certainty. When I was alive, I hadn’t had that much experience, but I had enough to ensure Fyn enjoyed whatever we did.

“I’m already happy, my Caleb. I do not need more to enjoy being with you.”

I beamed, but at the same time, guilt poked at me. If Fyn was with a living, breathing person, he could’ve had so much more than what meager scraps I offered. All I had to give was my time. Nothing more. It wasn’t fair to my Sunshine. Not in the slightest. And yet I was selfish enough not to back away. Alive or dead, I’d never cared about someone as much as I cared about Fyn. Being with him consumed me, and I didn’t want to exist without him beside me.

“I’m excited for our date,” I said, changing the subject. “And I am excited for after.”

“After?”

I went up on my toes, so I was a hair away from his mouth. “I want to see you and touch you as much as I can. I want to watch you stroke your cock until you’re writhing with pleasure.”

His throat bobbed. “We need to have a conversation first, but I would like that.”

Permissions. The drakcol were very big on communication. Not a bad thing, but it did kill the spontaneous vibe. Whatever. I would give him whatever he needed so he felt comfortable and loved.