The savage and the swan

Keeping my eyes on his, I rose and patted the end of the bed. Dade didn’t move, didn’t so much as shift his gaze toward the bed.

Stubborn asshole.

Withholding a groan of frustration, I tore my eyes from his and scrunched the bedding in my fist. Fine. If he wanted to sulk in his beast form upon the floor for the rest of his miserable days, then—

I looked from the bed to him and nearly laughed.

He would break it. Perhaps even if he were careful, the wood would still bow and bend and snap beneath his considerable weight.

Right. I stood and marched to the door. Dade reached it in one leap that shook every piece of furniture in the room. He growled in warning, blocking my exit.

I propped my hands upon my hips and raised my brows.

He sat on his ass and lifted his nose into the air, every inch the spoiled royal brat, even as a wolf.

Sighing, I said, “I thought we might be more comfortable in your rooms.”

He stared, then blinked, then twisted and marched to the door on the opposite side of the room—to the door that I’d never dared open, never dared to even near, before now.

I opened it, knowing what I’d find and not entirely sure that merely closing it would mean it would never be used again, then paused in his dressing room.

A dressing room that was almost the size of the bedroom we’d just left. Reds, grays, blacks, and a small smattering of whites and creams were all I could make out in the dark.

Dade huffed and rounded me, soft fur grazing my leg and hand, waiting for me to lock the door behind me.

Satisfied when it clicked, he strutted into the bedchamber, then paused, blocking my entry as he sniffed the air. I waited in the doorway, the moon bouncing off the pristine dark bedding on the gigantic bed, as Dade sniffed every corner, every item of furniture, then climbed onto his bed.

It groaned but otherwise seemed plenty big enough for him and even myself. Yet I halted, thinking perhaps I should just tell him I was okay and make my way back into my own quarters.

Dade waited, head upright, shadows dancing around his pricked ears and those deadly horns, and I sagged with defeat and relief, crossing a woven carpet and climbing onto the monstrosity to sit beside him.

After staring at him for endless moments, I gave in to the urge to crawl closer and laid my head upon a pillow soaked in his scent. I was tempted to roll my face into it, tempted to rip it to shreds with my hands and teeth while swallowing as much of him into me as I could.

Then he laid his head down below the pillow next to mine, eyes searching, fur rising and falling with each breath.

Beautiful was too small a word to describe him. He was magnificent, terrifyingly intimidating, and so utterly enchanting it captured each trembling breath. Despite every natural instinct I’d been born with screaming not to, I surrendered to the newest one. The one I was still struggling to come to terms with—the instinctual need to be as near as possible. I surrendered, and I curled closer to trace his muzzle, the silken white fur between his eyes.

They closed at my touch, his tongue wetting his lips when I continued over his head to the horns. Stone. Twisted, sharp twins of stone, they were warm and smooth under the pad of my finger.

Wings, tucked into his side, rustled when I dragged my finger down to his soft ears, and I couldn’t keep from smiling. “You want me to touch them too?”

He opened one eye in answer. My smile remained as I settled back against the pillow, thinking it was best we both sleep instead.

A nudge from a cool nose at my arm had me conceding, and those wings flicked out, stretched wide to skim the floor, downy feathers brushing my cheek. “Show off.”

A fire roared to life, lighting the silver stones in the hearth, but I couldn’t drag my tired eyes from the magic beside me long enough to admire the stonework. They drooped, Dade’s breathing evening out, his heartbeat a slow drum near my ear that lulled me to sleep as I nestled closer.

I woke some hours later, sweat misting my forehead, and realized why. A wing had blanketed my entire body. My face was buried in fur, a snout evicting even breaths that stirred the hair at the back of my head.

Smiling, I rolled over to gain some air, noticed it was morning, and happily drifted back to sleep.