by M. J. Haag
Azio shrugged, the move jostling me more firmly against his chest as he ran.
“That’s a yes, isn’t it?” I asked. “Nothing we’d gathered is that important. Don’t risk yourselves.”
He chuckled.
“Food is very important. We will return, and we will be fine. You will stay home.”
Like I ever wanted to leave again. The trip had served its purpose, though. I’d indirectly witnessed the carnage the fey could achieve and didn’t pass out. Every action today had been made to keep me safe. Why should I fear that? I shouldn’t. And while a little fear and doubt lingered, I knew I was one step closer.
Sighing, I turned my face into Azio's chest and lifted my hand to cover the place over his heart. It beat steadily under my palm, a reminder that he was a living, breathing person with thoughts and feelings like any other.
The trip home seemed to go faster than when we’d left. My butt appreciated it. By the time we cleared Tolerance’s wall, it felt like I had more ice flowing through my backside than blood.
“Can I walk from here?” I asked as soon as he landed.
He grunted and let me down. The fey carrying the bag handed it over to Azio.
“Thank you for your help today,” I said, taking a moment to look each of them in the eye.
They nodded in return, and each wandered off their own separate ways. In the growing shadows between the nearby houses, more fey moved. So many fey.
“Are you sure you want to walk?” Groth asked.
I took a calming breath and nodded, giving my two companions a small smile.
“I’m safe.”
I repeated that to myself every time my nerves tweaked on the way home and forced myself to look up as much as possible and either nod or smile to passersby. It was a relief when I was finally safely inside the house once more.
“If I ever want to do that again, remind me how much I didn’t like it, okay?” I said, removing my shoes.
“Did you find what you wanted?” Azio asked.
“I did. Thank you.”
“I will make us something to eat,” Groth said, moving away.
I watched him for a moment, feeling slightly guilty. I liked Groth. He was just as kind as Azio. After seeing Azio’s size today, I would be so much wiser to change my mind and make a play for Groth instead. But—I shifted my gaze to Azio, who watched me—Groth didn’t call to me. Something about Azio did.
“How is your shoulder?” I asked. “I saw you were bitten. Do you want Cassie to look at it?”
“No. It will heal.”
This was my perfect opening. A reason to get him alone and talk to him. My stomach twisted anxiously. I could do this.
“Come on.”
I held out my hand. His gaze swept from my face to my peace offering. He wrapped his hand in mine, taking a large breath at the contact, and waited for me to make the next move.
Trying not to tremble, I led him upstairs to the bathroom. The snick of the door closing sounded loud in the silence.
“I will heal,” he said when I pointed to the toilet seat.
“I know. But I’d still like to help. You were bitten keeping me safe. Take off your shirt and let me at least disinfect it.”
He grunted and sat. I collected the peroxide and gauze, then hesitated, glancing at myself in the mirror. Yes, disinfecting wasn’t really paying him back in kind for what he’d done. And I wasn’t sure it would send the message that I cared either since it tended to sting. I thought of the see-through shirt I wore under the blue one I was looking at.
I warred with myself for a few seconds before setting everything down and pulling the top t-shirt over my head. My nipples puckered at the lack of warmth, calling even more attention to my very visible chest through the transparent yellow top.
Azio didn’t make a sound when I turned, and his gaze remained locked on my breasts as I moved toward him.
“Put your hands on my waist,” I said. “It’ll loosen the skin on your shoulder a little.” The explanation hadn’t been necessary to obtain his willingness. He’d grabbed me as soon as I’d said waist. But I gave it anyway so he’d understand I wasn’t asking for a grope session.
He held still, not looking away once while I dabbed his wound and watched it bubble up.
“Does it hurt?” I asked.
“Yes,” he rasped.
“I’m sorry. I really appreciate what you did, though.” He didn’t respond, and I took a moment to pep-talk myself.
“I can’t thank you and Groth enough for taking me in and letting me stay with you. It’s clear you’re both hoping for something more with me. And I have to be honest. I’m hoping for something more too.”
His fingers twitched on my sides, and he jerked his gaze from my breasts to look up at me, his pupils narrowing to slits.
“I’ve dreamed of having a family of my own since I was little. I want babies, Azio. Lots of them. I know how dangerous that would be in this world with a human man. But today proved it might not be so dangerous with a fey. I mean, look at you. You were bitten and fine. I want to know my kids would be fine too.”
He nodded slowly.
“You won’t always fear us. When you are ready, you can choose. No single fey would refuse you.”
“I think I already know who I want to ask. But I’m worried about hurting someone else’s feelings by choosing.”
“Yes, many will be disappointed. But not sad. We will celebrate our brother’s fortune.”
“So Groth won’t be mad at me when I choose you?”
Azio stood suddenly, lifting me with him and wrapping me in a hug. The hand on the back of my head steered me to his unbitten shoulder as he pressed me close.
“You please me more than you know, Terri. I will keep you safe and fed and warm. You will want for nothing. I swear to you.”
His exuberance had the opposite effect on me. I started shaking.
He quickly released me and resumed his seat, eyes down on the hands he braced on his knees.
“Forgive me. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“I know. It’s okay. I just need a little more time.”
“As much time as you need.”
I’d waited so long already and didn’t plan to stall more than necessary. My period was due any day. Once that started, the countdown would begin.
Chapter Fourteen
Nibbling at my lip, I finished cleaning Azio’s shoulder.
“Are you sure Groth will be okay?” I asked, putting away the peroxide.
“Yes.” Azio glanced at me quickly. “Do you want him to find another house?”
“What? No. I like having both of you here, honestly.”
Being alone with Azio so soon after telling him what I wanted would feel like more pressure to do the deed. Besides, they’d opened their home to me. There was no way I would be okay with kicking either of them out. But what did Azio want?
“There’s plenty of room here for all three of us. Right?” I asked hesitantly.
“Yes. He would like to stay. Even if you choose to be my female, he would still like to talk to you and learn.”
“Learn?”
Azio stood and offered me his hand. Guilt poked at my conscience when he kept his gaze on his hand instead of making eye contact.
“You can look at me, Azio,” I said, placing my hand in his. “Even when I’m afraid, you can look at me. If I can’t manage that much, how will we ever be able to get to the point where we can make a baby?” I flushed at the words, but that didn’t make them any less true.
His gaze swept over my face, and my face grew hotter.
“My fears won’t magically disappear. I’ll need to work on them. But if you can be a little patient with me, I think we can make this work.”
“We will. Come, we will tell Groth and assure him he may stay.”
He led me into the dark hallway, giving me little time to think about anything, including my shirt until we were downstairs and Groth’s gaze locked on my chest. Unde
r the bright kitchen light, the heat exploded in my face anew.
Oblivious, Azio continued to pull me forward. “Terri will choose me when she is ready. But, she wants you to stay here, too, brother.”
Azio steered me to a stool, seating me like I weighed nothing, but boy did my chest bounce enough in the process. Azio noticed, based on the way he stared and trailed his fingers down my ribs before releasing me. Groth studied my chest just as raptly as Azio had, his ears darkening to black before he lifted his gaze to mine.
“Thank you for letting me stay.”
Azio’s fingers returned to my ribs, gently caressing me. He probably meant it as comfort since my heart was hammering away. But it felt more sensual than anything, especially with two sets of eyes hungrily watching me. Heat speared between my legs, and I struggled to draw a decent breath.
“It was your house first,” I managed before slowly crossing my arms. “I’m sorry about the shirt.”
He tilted his head at me. “Why? It is very pretty. Thank you for letting me see it on you.”
Azio’s fingers paused their play over the thin material.
“I scared you again,” he said. “You were not ready to tell Groth.”
Groth’s expression fell a little.
“It’s not that,” I said, forcing myself to speak the truth plainly like Brooke had said. “It’s a little awkward for me to let Groth see my chest after saying I wanted to make a baby with Azio. I’m struggling with how to deal with it.”
Both fey blinked at me.
“We don’t understand,” Azio said finally. “What are you dealing with?”
His question broke through my embarrassment enough that I wondered just how different our cultures were. Then I remembered Brooke’s comments about how they wore clothes they found uncomfortable solely to blend in better.
“Nudity?” I said, no longer sure. “Did you pick out this shirt for me for comfort or because it was see-through?”
“Both,” Azio answered. “Neither of us has seen a female before. Mya says we can’t ask to look. I thought the shirt would make us all happy.”
“So nudity doesn’t bother you?” I asked.
“We all wish there was more of it on the surface,” Groth said.
I choked out a laugh, keeping my arms firmly in place. “Humans tend to be more modest.”
“We know,” Azio said with a sad expression as he glanced at my arm-shield. “Does that mean you don’t like the shirt?”
“No. It means wearing this shirt will take a little more courage than I’m used to. And it probably won’t ever be something I can wear in public.”
“Our brothers will be disappointed, but they will understand,” Azio said.
“You seriously wouldn’t mind if every fey here saw me naked?” I asked.
He gazed at me thoughtfully and slowly shook his head.
“I would not rob them of what so few females will ever give. A chance to see how different a woman is made from us is too special.”
“A gift,” Groth said in agreement.
It was a lot to wrap my head around. Oh, I wasn’t about to get up and run around outside in my shirt. And I still wanted a bra. But maybe the glimpse I’d given Groth didn’t need to be as big of a deal as my brain was trying to make it out to be.
“Okay. A gift. But no more sitting me in front of other people when I’m exposed in any way,” I said to Azio. “Who sees me needs to be my choice.”
He grunted in agreement.
“Thank you for letting me see you,” Groth said. “Are all female’s nipples the same size as yours? I know breast sizes are different. Angel told me. But what about nipples?”
He slid a plate in front of me and waited for an answer with an openly curious expression.
Despite beheading infected without a second thought, the fey were nothing but kind, slightly naïve grown men. It wasn’t easy to wrap my head around that.
“They’re like breasts,” I forced myself to say. “They come in all sizes and colors, neither of which play into how they function.”
Azio frowned. “Function?”
“Yes. Once a baby is born, breasts fill with milk, and the baby suckles on the nipple to draw the milk out. It’s the delivery system. We call it nursing when we feed babies with our bodies.” I felt like I was completely botching the explanation, but I desperately wanted the conversation to be over.
“No one told us that. Ghua said Eden likes when he sucks her nipples, and her pussy clenches around his cock when he pinches them. But not too hard. If he’s too rough, Eden gets angry, and then he can’t lick her pussy after she comes.”
My mouth dropped open, and my gaze darted from Groth, who’d delivered that doozy of a fact, to Azio, who watched me with concern.
“I will not pinch your nipple,” Azio promised. “But could I still try sucking on them even if they are meant for a baby?”
I lifted both hands to cut off this topic. However, accidentally re-exposing my boobs had the opposite effect. Their gazes dipped. Groth looked confused. Azio looked wistful.
“Is that why females like their nipples sucked?” Groth asked. “Because they want babies?”
I quickly crossed my arms again. “This conversation is making me really uncomfortable. I kind of want to skip eating and go hide in my room for a while.”
“Why?” Azio asked. “I would gladly talk to you about my cock. It has two functions. Urination and—”
“I really don’t want to talk about that either.”
Azio sighed but didn’t look away from me.
“I can hear your pulse racing. What do you fear?”
I looked down at the countertop, not to hide but to seriously consider the question because he was right. My heart was hammering away like I was one more awkward topic away from a panic attack. Why?
“I don’t know,” I said finally and looked up at him. “When I stopped to think about it, there’s not really anything to fear. The topics are a little embarrassing, but we’re just talking. I know your questions aren’t meant to push me in any way. That you’re only curious about our biology. Yet, I’m still struggling to be open about information that’s common knowledge to us.”
“You are no different from many of the other females,” Groth said. “They do not like answering our questions either. Mom will if Dad is done. Angel will always answer questions, but Shax gets impatient to touch her and sends us away too soon. The rest turn pretty shades of pink like you. Mya scolds us.”
Well, that just made me feel bad for them and helped kill some of my fear.
“Okay. You win. What do you want to talk about?” And to prove I was willing, I uncrossed my arms and reached for my spoon.
It was the weirdest, most awkward meal in the history of meals. And the conversation remained firmly stuck on female breasts. The differences in how a baby suckles versus a man. When a mother’s milk comes in. How breasts change. How to make them feel better when they hurt.
By the time I begged for a break, I felt like they’d learned enough to award them with some kind of boob expert certificate. But they were both so grateful for my willingness to share what I knew that I couldn’t let myself dwell on how uncomfortable I’d been.
“Thank you, Terri. This will help me when I have a female of my own.”
“No problem, Groth.”
I moved to grab my dishes, but he insisted on cleaning up.
“I think I’m going to turn in,” I said. “Thank you for today.”
Azio followed me to the stairs.
“Terri, will you consider changing rooms?”
“Do you want my room?”
“No. I want you to try sleeping next to me tonight.”
“Why?”
“If you choose me, you would sleep next to me every night. This will be a good test to see if you like it.”
What he said made complete sense, especially given the timeline I’d set for myself. Yet, I wasn’t stupid. He wanted me in the same bed with him for a r
eason.
“Just sleep? No touching or anything else, right?” I asked.
“No touching or anything else. I swear.”
“Okay. We can try it.”
“Good night, Groth,” I called, heading up the stairs.
“Sleep well, Terri.”
I went to my room and quickly changed into a pair of shorts before joining Azio in his room. He paused his restless pacing when I entered. The tight sweat pants didn’t hide an inch of how much he was anticipating sleeping with me.
His gaze swept over my legs and lingered on my breasts. His length twitched.
“Will you tell me when I may touch you?” he asked, meeting my gaze.
“You’ll be the first one to know when I’m ready.”
He grunted and pulled back the covers for me.
After so much shock and awe today, crawling into Azio’s bed while he ogled my butt didn’t seem so out of place. He turned out the lights then I felt him get in on the other side.
“You can touch me whenever you want,” he said in the dark. “You have my consent to do anything.”
I laughed. “Thanks.”
“Females never ask about our bodies. Why aren’t you curious?”
“I’ve been married before, Azio. You don’t have anything that’s so different from Wayne. I mean, your ears and eyes are a little different, but other than that, you’re the same.”
He was quiet for a long moment.
“We are not the same. He told you he didn’t want you. I will never be so stupid.”
“That’s really sweet of you, Azio. Thank you.”
“Can I ask you more questions?”
“Of course.”
“You said you wanted a family since you were little but had a husband. Why don’t you have a baby already?”
“Wayne didn’t want babies. He had a surgery to prevent it.”
“Stupid,” Azio said softly. “I really want to touch you, Terri. I won’t, but I think about it all the time.”
His honesty pierced my heart.
Chapter Fifteen
“I’m afraid to say yes. I know touching leads to other things.”