12. Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

Quinn ~Day Twelve~

My heart hammers away against my ribs until I’m sure they’ll somehow develop little heart shaped bruises. What in the fresh hell was that ?

If I didn’t know any better, I’d think that Bennet was about to kiss me! But that can’t possibly be what was happening, right? Sure, there are times when Bennet looks at me like I’ve personally hung the moon just for him. There’s been the little touches between us.

My heart says there’s a chance he feels the same for me that I feel for him, but my brain is telling me to think about all of this logically and not get ahead of myself. It wouldn’t do either of us any good if I make him feel uncomfortable. He’s the only one I have in this time loop! What if I do something foolish that pushes him away?

Fuck, why are feelings so complicated ?

I quickly get dressed in the robe that’s been left for me, complete with leggings and sandals I didn’t see earlier. My robe is a gorgeous blue color with golden accents. It’s got flowy arms, a swooping back that somehow ends in a train. There are pleats that mean I can spin around and feel like a true fairy prince. The leggings beneath match with little open patches along each side by my thighs.

I feel beautiful.

Bennet comes out of the bathroom in his own robe and leggings. He looks like he’d much rather be in his leathers but holy shit, he looks incredible.

Where my robe is blue, his outfit is dark green. It reminds me of the forest that he loves so much and makes the gray of his eyes pop. It’s tighter than my own robes, fitting against his muscles, accentuating the width of his shoulders. His leggings are black with a crisscrossing design in the fabric.

He reminds me of a tree and fuck, would I love to climb him.

What did that fae say when we were just about to enter this realm? Right, the fae realm is for lovin’ , or something like that. I couldn’t agree more. Bennet deserves to be loved. He deserves all of this affection. He deserves my affection even if he can’t reciprocate.

I keep thinking about the pocket watch and how the arms are little hearts. Does that have to do with this curse? Is there something glaringly obvious that I’m missing?

Do the hearts have a special meaning? Would we get out of this mess if only I had the courage to tell Bennet my true feelings for him? All of this feels so big and complicated. Right now I should be enjoying the fact that I’m in the fae realm with the man I adore. I should be focusing on the here and now instead of the what ifs. Why did it take being stuck in a time loop to learn to focus on the present instead of dreaming about the future?

“Jesus, Quinn, you look incredible.”

Warmth blooms inside of me. “Thank you. You don’t look so bad yourself.”

Bennet rolls his eyes, gesturing down at himself. “I’d rather be in my leathers.”

“I had a feeling you’d say that,” I confess softly. “But you look amazing. Green is your color.”

He looks like he’s about to argue but at the last second, his eyes soften. “Thank you,” is all he says before opening the door to our room and stepping out.

Asherah is waiting for us outside, smiling when he looks at our outfits. “You both look lovely! I had a feeling I picked the right colors for you.”

“Thank you for the clothes. This entire experience feels unreal.”

Asherah reaches over and pinches my arm. I yelp in surprise, looking at him with wide eyes. He just grins. “Just reminding you that it’s real.”

Bennet smirks at me over Asherah’s head and I narrow my eyes at him. It’s only an act. There’s no way I could be mad when all of this is going on. This feels like a dream come true. Being in the fae realm, enjoying food with a literal king, and being with Bennet. I don’t want today to ever end.

That’s the first time I’ve had that thought since this entire time loop bullshit began but it’s the truth. If every day was like this, I wouldn't mind staying stuck just a bit longer.

Sylvee is sitting beside Asherah, also waiting for us. She darts between my legs before nudging her head against Bennet. He picks her up and carries her as we walk to the great hall. Her glowing green eyes look over at me. I swallow thickly, feeling the way she’s assessing me. I remember Bennet talking about how great of a judge of character she is and I hope I’m coming up in her good graces.

The great hall that Asherah leads us to steals my breath. My head is on a swivel, turning every which way so I can take in every single detail. There are pillars throughout the outline of the room, covered in carvings of what I can only assume are great deeds the fae people have accomplished carved right into the marble stone. There are sparkling lights throughout the room, making it appear we’re surrounded by fireflies. The tables are long and covered with a variety of food. My mouth immediately starts to water.

This place feels like I’ve walked straight out of a dream.

“You’ll be sitting right here,” King Geoff says, standing up from the table and gesturing to the seats beside him. Asherah takes the seat on his right and Bennet sits directly to his left. I sit beside Bennet, looking around at all the new fae faces I haven’t met before.

The meal is incredible. There’s different styles of breads, meats, and cheeses that everyone picks at with their fingers along with fruits that I’ve never even seen before. My favorite is something similar in shape and color to a dragon fruit but the flavor inside is like sweet berries mixed with mint. It’s absolutely delicious. As much as I want to eat everything , I keep coming back to these fruit, having at least one between everything else laid out.

There’s also an incredibly hearty soup that’s excellent for dipping the bread into and sweet bubbly wine served in tall glasses.

When I’m sure I can’t possibly eat another bite, some people come through and deliver giant plates of dessert. The chocolate cake is decadent and warm when I bite into it. I find myself moaning without my permission and Bennet’s stare heats me to my very core. I wink at him, causing his cheeks to heat with a blush.

During the meal, Sylvee must decide I’m alright because she moves from Bennet’s lap into mine. I pet her soft fur as I listen to Geoff talk. I’m totally enraptured by his storytelling, hanging on his every word.

“So there I was,” Geoff is saying, retelling the time that Bennet saved him. “Stranded at the bottom of a lake, unable to breathe, with the biggest cleodon circling me.” I have no idea what a cleodon is but it must be dangerous to have Geoff so worried. “You’ll never guess who dives in after me.”

Bennet smiles as he looks down at his plate, shaking his head. “Anyone would have done it. I saw someone in need and couldn’t just leave you.”

“That’s what makes you such a great man,” Geoff says, shaking Bennet’s shoulder. “I’m expecting him to slay the cleodon but instead, he dives right down to me. I’m not sure what I was expecting but what I got was a pair of lips placed against my own.”

“What?”

Geoff chuckles. “Don’t be jealous,” he says and now it’s my turn to blush. “He pushed every ounce of air from his lungs into mine. Then he set to work on releasing the bonds that were wrapped around my ankles. He almost passed out but somehow, he managed to get me free before turning and facing the cleodon.”

I lean forward, riveted by Geoff’s every word. I love hearing about Bennet in this light. I always knew he was incredible but hearing it first hand is an absolute delight.

“The only problem? The cleodon was pissed . That bugger was not about to let the two of us go without a fight.”

“What happened next? How did you breathe if you gave Geoff all your air?”

Bennet rubs the back of his neck. “It wasn’t that big of a deal. I used what little magic I had to cast a version of create water that I wasn’t even sure would work. Instead of creating water, I reversed it and destroyed water in order to make a little pocket of air that I could breathe in.”

I stare at Bennet for a long moment before grinning from ear to ear. “Do you have any idea how fucking awesome that is? You came up with a spell modification in the middle of a battle! Bennet, that’s so cool!”

“It was even more amazing seeing it up close! I had found a trident that was left at the bottom of the lake. It was rusted to shit but it was enough to fight the cleodon off while it was distracted practically wrestling with Bennet.”

I’m overwhelmed by how much I adore this man. He has no idea how fucking amazing he is. He’s selfless, funny, charming, and handsome. I want nothing more than to be at his side, being the one that gets to remind him of his greatness. I want him every way possible.

My resolve to tell him how I feel grows stronger by the second. He needs to know that I care about him. He needs to know that I love him .

Geoff finishes up the story, making sure to acknowledge once more how Bennet is the hero of the story and a hero forever in his eyes.

Bennet excuses us from the table, claiming we have someplace to be. The look Asherah gives us makes my face heat but I easily ignore him, too occupied by the fact that Bennet has his hand against my lower back, guiding me through the castle like he traverses this place regularly.

“I’d like to change back into my leathers before we head out, if you don’t mind.”

“Whatever you want,” I say softly, grinning at the way he keeps tugging at his legging. It’s a quick stop at our room before heading out the door. We stop at the gate to talk to the guards before finally heading back out into the forest.

Bennet looks up at the sky and smiles. “I love them all so much, but they can be stifling after a bit,” he admits softly.

“You’re back in your element, nothing wrong with that.”

“I like that you understand.”

I smile over at him. Feeling brave, I reach over and take his hand in my own, giving it a soft squeeze. Bennet’s face softens when he squeezes me back.

“I like that you’re letting me see all of this, seeing you ,” I confess softly as we continue to walk, purple petals drifting down from the giant trees above us.

“We’re almost there,” Bennet says, pulling me forward. We have to carefully push our ways through a few giant hedges but on the other side is yet another beautiful sight. How can this place surprise me with every new turn?

Before me is a waterfall that seems to fall down from the clouds themselves. It falls into what I can only describe as a pond. The water is barely disturbed by the waterfall, like it’s been magically made into a personalized swimming pool out here in the middle of nature.

“Holy Christ on a cracker,” I say slowly, taking everything in. There’s large boulders surrounding the pond that would be perfect for sunbathing in and all around, there’s a variety of wild flowers. This feels like an oasis, a treasured place, and for whatever reason, Bennet’s brought me here.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it? Any time my party would come to the fae realm, I’d beg them to let us stop here at least for a little while.”

“Can we swim in it? Are there cleodons hiding below the surface?”

Bennet chuckles. “A cleodon couldn’t even fit in this little pond, don’t worry. Yeah, it’s safe to swim in.”

I grab his hand and pull him towards the water, both of us chuckling as we go. “Then come on!”

Once we’re near a boulder, I begin to strip out of my clothes. Bennet makes a startled noise but I ignore him. Did he think I was going to jump in with my clothes on? Absolutely not! Especially not borrowed clothes!

I get down to my underwear before looking over my shoulder at Bennet. He’s carefully taking his leathers off, keeping his back to me to give me some privacy. He’s adorable even if I wouldn’t mind him getting an eyeful of me without my robe on. I carefully lay my glasses on top of my clothes before making a hasty decision.

I quickly shuck off my boxers and leap into the water, surprised by how warm it is. I was expecting a cool plunge and instead, it feels like I’ve just jumped into bath water.

Swimming to the center of the pond, I realize I can stand up with the water only coming up to my chin. This is perfect and despite being completely naked, I feel covered and unexposed in the water.

I wait until I hear Bennet get into the water before turning around. The water is to his armpits and I get to see his broad shoulders in all their glory. I never knew he had chest hair but now that I know, my fingers clench as I think about running them through the coarse hair.

“This is wonderful,” I breathe out, sinking my head back into the water and looking up at the sky. The waterfall flows down from the clouds. I wonder if anyone’s ever tried to swim up it, just to see where the water is coming from.

“I’m glad I could show you this. This is one of my favorite places in the universe.”

“The other one being your classroom, surely,” I say with a teasing smile.

“I know you’re teasing but you’re not far off. I really love being able to teach future scouts. It’s rewarding in the same way adventuring used to be.”

“I feel the same way. Sharing my love of magic with the next generation sparks joy. I hated being an adventurer,” I say softly, wrapping my arms around myself. “I was always so terrified every second.”

“I know I’ve said this before but there’s nothing wrong with that. Not everyone is destined for adventures. Not everyone is patient enough to be a teacher. It takes all kinds to make the world go round,” Bennet says, giving me a little smile. “You got out before you were forced out.”

My heart leaps up into my throat. “I know you said you fought a wyvern, but didn’t you have a cleric with who could help?”

Bennet nods, looking up into the sky for a moment. “They were almost completely out of mana,” he says softly. “She did everything she could and even used a little bit of her own life force to make sure I was healed enough to live. It was awful, feeling her magic pull all my bones and muscles and ligaments back together. I lived because of her. For that I’ll always be grateful. I might live with pain, but I got to live because of her.”

“You’re incredible, Bennet. You’re what a true adventurer should strive to be.”

“So are you,” he says quickly, his eyes finally darting over to meet mine. “You got out when it was right for you. Sometimes adventurers don’t do that and they regret it. Plus, you were practically born to be a teacher. Every student whose life you touch is lucky to have met you, Quinn.”

I take a step in Bennet’s direction. Then another. And then one more until I’m stood in front of him, looking up into his pretty gray eyes.

“I know being in this time loop isn’t a good thing,” I say, my voice shaky. “But I’m still glad for it. Being stuck with you doesn’t feel like being stuck at all.”

I might have initiated our first kiss in the most reckless way, but our second kiss comes because Bennet carefully holds my face between his hands like I’m something treasured and important. He kisses my lips softly. I’m completely and utterly lost.