Chapter Twenty-Three

Silas

“For the last time, I’m fine. I promise.” Wanda’s laughter echoed through the glade. The forest folk were gathering for an evening meal—a chance for everyone to meet the new forest dweller, and to catch up with each other. Silas had left Dakata with Dougal and George setting up Dougal’s firepit. It seemed Dakata had ‘opinions’ about how that should be done, and Silas felt it best to leave them to it.

“I haven’t had a chance to catch up with you for a while.” Silas hugged his sister closely as they wandered along the river's edge. “Your trees are super protective, and Dakata is… time consuming.” He felt the flush on his cheeks as he said it—a heat that increased when Wanda laughed again.

“The entire forest knows you’re going for gold medals, looking to break records on the most unusual places a couple has copulated in the forest. Tell me I’m wrong.”

“You’re not wrong,” Silas agreed. “Dakata is a very energetic being, and it’s not always easy for him to just breathe slowly and enjoy the scenery.”

“I think he enjoys the scenery well enough.” Wanda swatted his legs, which were bare. “He sees you clambering up a tree, and his eyes can’t see anything but that flashing butt of yours. He has absolute laser focus when that happens.”

“I know. It’s fun. But we’re talking about you.” Silas was well aware of how amusing the forest folk found his bond with Dakata to be. “Are you sure you’re doing all right? Are you sure there isn’t anything you want to talk about? You know I worry about you.”

“I’ve had a few issues.” Wanda shrugged her slender shoulders. “It’s nothing major, honest. Just a few things making me feel off-kilter. You know how it is always said that some things can’t be unseen, and some of the things we saw in the demon realm I wish I never knew were possible.”

“I know.” Silas still had his own issues with that night. No matter how bad the person, Silas didn’t believe it was his place to take a life, and the fact he had weighed heavily on him at times. But that wasn’t something Wanda needed to hear.

“I thought your demon would have you all dressed up and in town singing tonight,” Wanda said after a long, but comfortable silence. The siblings didn’t need to fill the air with chatter for the sake of it, and Silas simply appreciated a few moments alone with his sister. “You hate missing your Friday nights at that club.”

“Yes, well. I doubt I’ll be singing there again.” Silas chuckled. “It’s not really a laughing matter. I mean, Dakata totally went on a demon rampage at the club, frightening over two hundred people. It was a wonder no one got badly hurt getting out of his way. But what really upset Branson, the manager, was that Dakata’s roars broke the glass tiled dance floor, and it took a week to replace it. Dakata covered all the costs, but Branson sent me a note through George suggesting that in the interests of his sanity, I should keep away for a while.”

“That’s a shame.” Wanda patted Silas’s arm. “I know how much you love to sing for others.”

“Dakata said he’s organizing for me to sing somewhere as an opening act for one of his bands who are touring. I don’t know the details. Dakata’s been very hush-hush about it, but it’s enough that he knows I love to sing, and he’s going to do his best to make that happen.”

“Your singing is what brought you two together,” Wanda said brightly, and then she sniffed the air. “Hmm. George has brought some fresh fish with him. I can smell it cooking.”

“I think Dakata ordered quite a few meat and fish products,” Silas lowered his voice as they got closer to the fire pit. “According to his driver, Miller, Dakata had never eaten a burger in his life until he met me, and now he wants them at least once a week.”

“Then we’re lucky he loves to share.” Wanda stopped just outside the hearing of everyone else. “He’s a blessing, you know that don’t you?”

“My oak seems to think so,” although Silas was nodding his own agreement too, “there are three new saplings growing on the back end of our tree. Three of them, can you believe it? And Dakata has been so darn protective of them once I told him what they were. He checks on them every day.”

“All new life is precious in the forest,” Wanda said quietly, but her smile was warm as she hugged Silas tightly. “We’re a very lucky pair of tree sprites, living where we do. Now, please, that fish is calling my name. Let’s grab some before the bigger folk around here clean us out of anything tasty.”

~/~/~/~

Dakata

Whatever he’d expected his life to be—sitting around a fire pit with strange tree folks and eating burgers, was never on that list. As he sat on a log, watching meat cook on a grill, he knew it would’ve been a pity if he’d missed it. If he’d missed the opportunity to breathe and exist in a simple way. Silas’s way of just being—his contentment with the simplistic, gave Dakata a new way of thinking, and he was finding he liked it.

He glanced up the moment Silas appeared with Wanda. The two were smiling, though Dakata didn’t miss the forced nature of Wanda’s when her gaze lingered a second longer on him. He was sure they’d gotten past him being a demon and what had happened because of that… but he still made a point of wandering to her orchard at least once a day, making sure there was nothing he could help her with.

“You have a fine smell coming from the fire pit,” Silas said as he approached to sit down on one of the wooden stools they’d taken from Silas’s house.

Dakata grinned and flipped over the burger, the juice hissing as it hit the wood beneath. “Dougal is giving me tips on how to make the perfect burger.”

Silas’s giggles got a scowl from Dougal. “I didn’t know you were such a professional, Dougal.”

“Now there’s lots you don’t know about,” Dougal blustered back, his cheeks a bright pink as he picked up a plate, and slid some cooked fish onto it, and offered it to Wanda.

The conversation remained teasing as the cooked food was consumed, and the sky darkened. The forest was alive with the night creatures and made its own symphony, which Silas sang along to.

His dreamy expression stole Dakata’s breath and added another layer of strong emotional ties around his heart. Sappy… he was turning sappy, although he would never voice that aloud, not even to Merihem, who wasn’t his friend right now. It had nothing to do with being ousted from the demon realm. Or so Dakata thought, only he was unable to prove it right now because, for some reason, Merihem had blocked him from summoning him.

Dakata’s worries slipped away when Silas rose, his arms lifting to the trees as they swayed in time to the notes of the song. His shift rose and revealed the gentle curve of his buttocks and thighs, leaving Dakata struggling to keep his thoughts from sliding right into the demon realm.

Aware that the forest folk talked about their sexcapades, Dakata worked to keep them confined to their mighty oak or Silas’s home. Which was impossible really when Silas could tempt the devil himself with just a smile. Like the one he was aiming at Dakata right now.

“Time to leave!” he muttered, his plate already on the stack.

Laughter flowed around them as he picked up Silas, who automatically wrapped his legs around Dakata’s waist.

“You could have let me finish,” Silas chuckled. “The trees were enjoying my performance.”

“You can finish it another night, I want to have a private performance with you,” he whispered and strode off towards the house, then shouted back, “I’ll clean up tomorrow.”

Their laughter was the last sound he heard as Dakata used the heel of his boot to kick the door shut behind him. His grin turned predatory. “Now where haven’t we christened in the house?”