Esterpine

Koldis stayed close to Taylynn, despite knowing the forest wouldn't swallow him whole. He'd sensed the difference when they had arrived. The usual foreboding magic wasn't there. Normally, the forest would warn travelers away. If they still ventured into its depths, it would rearrange around them to trap them, confuse them, and even drive them insane. It was a protective mechanism to keep people from finding the spriten cities, particularly Esterpine.

Without the magic, their journey through the trees took days. Far longer than it would have, had the trees swept them straight to their destination. The magic, when it worked, folded space and time, drawing two places together and eliminating the path between. He'd experienced it multiple times with Claire.

"Finally," Taylynn breathed, as their path widened and the city loomed before them. Her relief at the sight of Esterpine's gate unraveled the knots in his shoulders.

"Not used to finding things the old fashioned way, huh?"

She threw him a glare that said, very funny, clearly uninterested in his teasing. This was a serious matter, not one to be made light of. Except, she'd been in a serious mood for days. He longed to lighten her burden.

He inhaled, breathing in the pine and floral scent of the city. They began passing glass houses tucked beneath the roots of giant trees. Everything looked so familiar, as if he'd been here just yesterday. He'd never admit that it calmed him, seeing this place again. His mate's home. The place he'd discovered their bond. It held a special home in his heart because of that.

Sprites went about their daily lives, pausing to bow when they spotted Taylynn. They paid him curious looks. They didn't know about the bond, but they'd learn of it soon enough. He hoped there'd come a day when his presence would be as accepted as hers.

"Ayas Loaya," a guard greeted as they approached the palace. "Aahm tir nin outah barihon?"

Koldis frowned. Once they were mated, he'd understand the language perfectly. Until then, he was forced to pick out various words. He recognized barihon. They were asking about his queen—their queen.

Taylynn gave an answer that made the guard nod grimly. She ascended the stairs, not bothering to wait for him. He trailed after her, feeling a little forgotten, though he didn't take it personally. He'd grown used to her ways. It was best to let her be when she was in this state. The state of carrying the weight her people on her shoulders.

The queen's advisors were waiting for her. They held hushed conversations in a language he could not understand. The sprites knew something was amiss. They'd been the first to inform her of the changes within the forest. She'd been honest with them about the nature of the situation. They looked to her in the queen's absence.

"Come along," she said nearly an hour later, once she was finished. He could have wept with relief. He'd never liked the crystal palace all that much.

"Where are we going?" he asked as she led him through the city.

"My home."

He faltered, then quickened his stride to walk beside her. "You don't live in the palace?"

She huffed. "Not for a long time. I prefer to make my own way. While I have accommodations there, my true home is hidden in the forest. Though..." She frowned. "We'll have to find it the old fashioned way." A smile tugged at her lips, the first he'd seen in days, as she threw his words back at him.

Unable to stop himself, he reached for her hand, twining their fingers together. Her lips parted, like she might protest. He gave her a challenging lift of his brow, silencing anything she might have said.

Several hours later, they stood before a cottage. Well, cottage was a rough word for what looked nothing like the elegant glass houses in the city. He frowned. "You...live here?"

"It's rather quaint, is it not?" Her expression beamed with happiness and pride.

"Quaint is one word for it. Looks like a witch's cottage more than anything."

"Oh, stop." She swatted his arm. "Witches are for storybooks."

"That so?" He pulled on her hand, dragging her to him. The feel of her body in his arms set him on fire. Before she could squirm away, he dropped his mouth to hers and kissed her. She softened in his arms, kissing him back. Her tongue was tentative at first, flicking out in search of his. At the feel of it, he groaned. Her hair was thick in his fingers and he clenched it in his fist, holding her there, right were he wanted her. Gods, it was torture, having this female but not truly having her.

When they pulled apart, they were both breathless. Her accusing glare made him chuckle. "I've been wanting to do that all day, Ayas Loaya." Her chuff was meant to sound like a scoff. It only made him grin wider.

"Come, let me show you my witch's cottage." She tugged on his arm, leading him past overgrown shrubs and vines bursting with colorful flowers. A butterfly landed in her hair and she paused to laugh, the sound mesmerizing and beautiful. He reached out with his finger and it crawled onto it. They held it between them. Taylynn whispered something and it and it flew off. The whole area was swarming with butterflies. Bees, too.

The wooden door of the cottage opened with just a touch. She led him inside. Glowing lights came to life. He blinked, taking everything in.

It was...it was...

Taylynn's lyrical laugh made him blink. "The look on your face is priceless, Drengr."

"It's not what I imagined and yet, it's exactly as it ought to be."

Her lower lip caught between her teeth.

The cottage was more forest than anything, except, it was very obviously a place for living. He didn't know where to look first. There was an alcove of narrow shelves stacked with books. Another with bottles and vials in different colors, full of ingredients. Vines covered everything. Dried herbs hung in clusters.

A wooden table sat in the middle of the space, covered in fragments of parchment and broken quills, empty ink bottles, and other bits and pieces. A cold hearth was across from that, with a massive cauldron for cooking or brewing.

Another alcove held a bed, heaped with pillows and linens. It was large enough for two, for him, thank the gods. The walls of the alcove had shelves bursting with more books. Some were spilling out and all were a mess of sizes and ages. There was a wardrobe beside the alcove, its doors open. He spotted a mix of fabrics bursting free, from gauzy and delicate to practical and durable.

A small sitting area was off to the side of the sleeping alcove with two warn but cozy arm chairs, a small sofa, and tea table. There was another small fireplace to center it.

A narrow ladder took his gaze upwards to a small loft. A platform, really. A shelf spanned the platform with potted plants. The floor was heaped with pillows and rugs. A place for reclining, then.

Mullioned windows let in patterns of light, half overgrown with greenery.

"Do you like it?" Taylynn was suddenly before him, taking in his wondrous expression with a hopeful one of her own.

"I more than like it," he growled. He reached for her hips, lifting her, clearing a space and setting her on the table where he could better kiss her. He stood between her legs and ravaged her mouth, kissing her without restraint. She responded to him eagerly. "Tell me we might stay here for a while. Just us. I want you all to myself."

She nipped at his lower lip. "We have a job to do."

"I know," he growled. "But I'd like to try out that bed over there. Looks made for me. For us."

A breathy laugh escaped her lips. He loved making her laugh. Loved the sound of it. Was addicted.

He hadn't done much of it over the past few weeks, since they'd left the keep.

Their journey had taken them first to the hatching grounds, where the wild dragon hatchlings were due any day. They'd spent time with Fright before venturing on foot into the heart of the forest. She'd been distant over the past few weeks. Now, she seemed present. He wasn't about to waste the opportunity.

He splayed his hand over her stomach, pressing her backwards against the tabletop. A surprised breath escaped her lips. "I think before the bed, though, the table will do just fine." He bent over her without giving her a chance to squirm away, kissing her jaw, her neck, trailing downwards until her clothing got in the way. She laughed when he bit her through the fabric, as if to rip it in two.

They became a mess of limbs and mouths as he worked to shed everything that kept her hidden from him. He intended to taste every inch of her flesh before he let her go. Sensing his need, she didn't fight him, instead growing plaint and soft beneath his hands.

Everything else disappeared when the sound of her gasps filled the cottage. His worries, their missing king and queen, the threat of Kane—all gone. There was only his mate, beautiful and breathless beneath his mouth, her hands tangling in his hair. Only the taste of her. The desire to make her feel good.

***

Night had fallen. He'd moved them both to the bed, where they now lay in a mess of tangled limbs and lips. "You've got too many clothes on," she complained, burrowing against him. The sight of her naked skin on display let him uncomfortably tight in his pants, as he had been for the past few hours.

He'd made a thousand plans in his mind, for their mating, when it came. Until then, he was forced to exercise restraint. There was plenty to do that didn't involve sealing their bond, and he intended to explore all of it.

"Take them off, then," he challenged, right as the sound of a growling stomach filled the cottage. They both laughed. "Or, on second thought, let's get you some food first."

She pouted, a face he never imagined a princess like her would wear. "Ignore my stomach. It can be sated in other ways."

He huffed, rolling out of bed and stalking around her living space. "Where's all the food?" he groused.

She sighed, coming up to her knees. For a moment, the sight of her naked, full breasts on display, struck him dumb. He stood there, staring at her chest. His mate. His.

"Trap door next to the table, into the cellar."

"Huh?"

She laughed, sinking back into the blankets. "Gods, you're hopeless."

He blinked. "Trap...right." He shook his head, clearing out the image of her there with all that skin, and found the latch on the floor.

Stairs took him into a generous cellar bursting with sacks of grain, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and even hard cheeses, all preserved by magic. The space was arranged ideally for food preparation. He found a tray and began gathering a modest meal, laying it out to be eaten with their fingers. As soon as that thought came to him, he smiled. Yes, he'd very much like to feed his hungry little mate straight from his hands.

When he returned with two goblets of wine and a heaping tray. He found Taylynn lounging in a gauzy robe. He climbed into the heap of blankets, setting the tray between them. He wasn't subtle in the way his gaze raked over her body, barely hidden beneath the shimmery fabric.

Her stomach growled again and he reached for an apple slice, lifting it to her lips. "Eat," he demanded, his voice rough, low. Her eyes darted to his in question before her mouth obediently opened. He felt the flick of her tongue against his fingers. There was something sensual about watching her chew, watching her throat bob as she swallowed.

He knew, without a doubt, she had never been vulnerable like this for anyone. She might have taken lovers before him. Gods only knew how many, over the long years of her life. But she'd never opened herself to them the way she did for him.

It was a prize beyond imagining.

By the time the food was gone, he was aching. There was no comfortable way to sit. He was all but ready morph his nails into talons and shred his pants. Taylynn put him out of his misery, clearing their meal away and putting her hands on him, removing his clothes and bringing him to completion in the most wicked way. Only, her deft handling left him hungrier than when they'd started.

Buried beneath the blankets, he held her close, skimming his fingers along the soft skin of her bare back, listening to the sound of her steady breaths. "We should set out first thing in the morning," she said, a lazy quality to her voice.

"Agreed." He angled his face to kiss her forehead. "Will we be successful?"

"I cannot tell. I..."

"It's all right," he soothed, pulling her more tightly against him.

Since the King Tree's disappearance, her foresight had dried up. She'd been reluctant to tell him at first. This was a matter of pride for her. Losing the ability made her feel as if she no longer had anything to offer.

"What does your gut tell you?"

She nuzzled against the crook in his shoulder. "That we are too late." Her words were a gentle whisper.

He tensed. "If he has all five?"

"Then he will surely make his next move against the kingdom."

"Have you any idea what that might be?"

She was silent a long time. When he tilted his head to look at her, he found her eyes already on him, something akin to despair in their depths. His stomach hardened. "He will use them to overthrow the monarchy."

His jaw flexed. "Then we can't let him get the last two. We'll set out at first light tomorrow."

"Tomorrow..." she breathed. He settled against her, listening to her breaths as they evened out. Eventually she fell into sleep, but it was lost to him. So he simply held her, memorizing the feel of her body with his, until the light stretched long and the first, faint blue vestiges of dawn pricked through the windows. 

💕❤️💕Don't forget to heart this chapter!❤️💕❤️

Hello Bookdragons!

When I set out to write this series, I always knew I wouldn't give Taylynn a POV. As mentioned before, I wanted to keep her mysterious. It's been a real challenge, but I do love seeing this other side of her. Knowing she's mentally struggling with the lost of her ability helps us relate to her a little more.

The next chapter will also be from Koldis's POV. See you next week! 

--Mel