"You can't change what you've done," she said, her expression solemn as she squeezed his shoulder, "You'll have to make peace with that. But you can still try to make things better. You're already trying to be a better person. That has to count for something. At least it does to me."
He looked away again, closing his eyes, but he reached up to place his hand over hers, and she slowly laced their fingers, offering him the support he'd given her earlier. She'd turned her back on something that could have saved her village, maybe her entire planet. He'd betrayed the man who'd saved his life, raised him like a son. And Lily was certain they had both made the right decision.
They talked a while longer, about Amranth's life, the things he'd done. Lily did her best to understand, though some of it was too terrible to think about. His regret for his days as the Sword of Turlabon was clear.
He wanted to make things better, and Lily knew he couldn't do that alone. She just hoped that, once she returned to Earth, he found a way to keep going. He was a good person, she thought, in spite of everything. She wouldn't have regretted marrying him.
Chapter Nine
Eventually, she returned to her bunk and slept while Amranth kept watch. Her dreams were troubled by thoughts of what he'd done, and she woke feeling still groggy, her thoughts clouded. She shook it off and shared a peaceful breakfast with Amranth before they got to work, continuing repairs on the ship. Lily helped when she could and found other things to do when she couldn't.
There was something pleasantly domestic about it, talking idly while he tinkered with something and she built up a fire to cook on. She wondered if it would have been like this if she had been contracted to marry him instead of Turlabon.
Talking in the kitchen while he washed dishes and she chopped vegetables. Or would she have just been sitting in the Garden with the other brides while he was out on some terrible errand of the king's? Maybe this was the closest they could come to being together. It surprised Lily how much that thought bothered her.
Around noon, Elder Keeler visited bearing gifts. Some preserved fruit he said he had too much of and the local equivalent of honeycomb which he claimed he didn't care for. They had lunch with the old man, laughing over some joke of his while honey dripped down Lily's chin. Before he left, Keeler took Lily aside.
"Something has changed," he said, "Have you decided to trust him after all?"
She thought about it for a moment before nodding.
"I have," she said, "I know who he is and what he's done. But he wants to be better. And I believe him. I want to help him."
Keeler nodded in understanding, patting her on the shoulder.
"If you say he can change, then I believe you,” the elder said, “If even the Sword of Turlabon can change, then truly there’s hope for all of us, isn’t there?”
Lily’s eyes widened as she realized Keeler knew who Amranth was, but the old man only winked and went on his way.
Lily found herself watching Amranth more closely as the day wore on, watching the muscles of his back shift as he bent over his work. He really was the most beautiful alien she’d ever seen. Perhaps, the most beautiful person, period.
She wondered how anyone on Sahria could consider him a weed, or anything less than the incredible person he was. She'd never met anyone so capable. Strong and clever, kind underneath his closed off exterior. Wounded, but striving to do better, to be better.
She wondered how much longer it would take to fix the ship, and found herself almost hoping it took a few more days. She wanted to share this beautiful place with him a little longer before returning to the icy wasteland of Earth and the disappointment of the family she had failed.
She realized he had caught her staring and quickly averted her eyes. Looking for something to do, she stood and hurried off, thinking maybe she would look for the source of water they'd heard the other day. The afternoon was waning towards evening, the light just beginning to fade into hazy violet twilight.
Lily kept careful track of her surroundings, making sure she'd be able to find her way back as followed the sound of running water. It grew louder the closer she grew, to the sound of a shallow waterfall. Sure enough, as she moved aside a curtain of chiming wisteria, she found a river. It cascaded over a tumble of stones perhaps six feet into a serene blue pool before rolling onwards down the mountain.
As the evening darkened, the glow bugs were rising again, illuminating the singing flowers that grew on the riverbank. She tiptoed closer, awed by the beauty of her surroundings, to dip her toes in the cool water, wondering if it was safe to swim. She would have loved a chance to rinse off after all they had been through.
"It should be safe."
Amranth seemed to guess her thoughts as he appeared from behind the wisteria.
"Forgive me for following you. I was worried you might lose your way alone in the dark."
"It's fine," Lily said, smiling at his concern, "Do you really think it's okay to swim? Does Sahria have crocodiles or anything?"
He laughed, shaking his head.
"Not at this elevation," he assured her, "But I'll keep an eye out for sharks."
She stuck her tongue out at him, hoping he was teasing her, and began stripping off the sweater and dress Elder Keeler had given to her. She glanced at Amranth, feeling a little self-conscious, and wondered if he was watching. When she found he was looking out at the water instead, she felt a flash of disappointment.
Down to her underwear, she waded into the cool water experimentally, smiling at how refreshing it felt.
"Do Sahrians swim?" she asked as she waded out further.
"Sometimes," Amranth confirmed, "I've never made a habit of it."
"Maybe you should start," Lily looked back at him with a grin, her long hair drifting on the surface of the water, "It's fun! Come on, I need you to protect me from the sharks."
He looked doubtful for a moment, but relented to her pleading expression, beginning to take off his clothes. She watched with open curiosity and Amranth didn't seem to be shy, taking off everything but a pair of clinging black shorts that she assumed were his underwear. They didn't hide much, and judging by the outline, she had to assume reproduction for his variety of floraform must not be so different from the mammalian way.
His strength showed in the sculpted muscles of his smooth, hairless torso, the lines of his abdominal muscles flowing up into the ridge of petals that stood out from his hips and just below his ribs, like flourishes on a sculpture of ideal masculine beauty.
His long, moss colored hair shed tiny white flowers like stars as he shook it, and they settled on the water ahead of him like a vanguard of his presence.
He slipped into the water with casual, predatory grace, the glow bugs a halo around him, and for the first time Lily was glad she'd decided to come here, in spite of everything. Whatever else happened, she wanted to remember this sight for the rest of her life. She'd never experienced anything so breathtakingly beautiful.
"Do you feel safer now?" he asked, coming to stand beside her in water that was waist deep for him, almost chest deep for her.
"Yes," she confirmed with a perfunctory nod, "Thank you."
"You know I was teasing about the sharks, yes?"
She turned away from him with a huff to splash water over her arms, beginning to wash herself.
"I would certainly hope you didn't just let me wade into a shark infested pond."
He shook his head, and cupped water in his hands to spill it slowly over her shoulders, helping her bathe. She shivered and swallowed a lump in her throat as she felt it running over her skin.
"I would never let you be hurt, Lily," he said with surprising softness, "I would never do anything to hurt you."
Lily's heart beat a little faster and, hoping to squash her nerves, she turned to splash water in his face playfully.
"That means I can do whatever I want, right?" She asked, smiling.
He looked surprised for a moment, and then his eyes narrowed in a dangerous smil
e. She backed up quickly, laughing.
"Whoa, hey, you promised never to hurt me!" She reminded him as he advanced on her, then splashed him again and dove away, laughing, ducking under the water to escape.
He chased after her, wrapping his arms around her to lift her, shrieking, into the air and drop her. She landed back in the water with a splash, floundering for a moment before she caught him by the knees and dragged him down to join her.
He yelped in surprise before his mouth filled with water. Lily emerged, cheering with triumph before he splashed her and the chase began again.
They played like children in the lavender haze of the growing twilight, their laughter echoing on the stones, and Lily felt a thrill every time he touched her that she realized had been growing since the moment she'd first seen him. Half afraid to acknowledge it, half afraid to let it go, she elected not to think about it all, but just to follow her instinct.
Amranth caught her at last after a prolonged chase, getting his arms around her shoulders and pulling her close. Lily, surprised by the sudden closeness of his body, close enough for her to feel every inch of him, stared into his eyes. He stared back, slowly realizing how close they were himself.
He started to release her, reluctantly loosening his grip, but she moved closer instead, squeezing his arm to hold him in place. She couldn't find the words, but as he slid his arms more firmly around her, she realized she didn't need to. He understood. She closed her eyes as he bent to kiss her.
His lips were soft and cool against her skin, the taste like mint or fresh herbs. His arms strong and reassuring as they held her tight. Her hands explored the smoothness of his chest, brushed against the ridges of his petals, which made him shudder against her. Wondering how sensitive they were, she stroked them again, and he broke the kiss to grab her wrist.
"If you do that," he said, "I may not be able to restrain myself to just kissing."
"I don't care." Lily smiled, and kissed him again. She might regret it later, but for right now, this was all she wanted in the world.
His hand slid down her back to catch her under the thigh, lifting her up against him. She gasped against his lips as she felt his hips against hers, sending a rush of desire through her, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders to cling tighter.
She stroked his petals as his mouth drifted to her throat, his kisses teasing, teeth grazing her skin. She brought his hand to her breast and he slipped it under her bra, exploring her with eager curiosity. She ran a hand through his mossy hair, collecting white blossoms that smelled of honeysuckle and left sweet nectar on her hands.
She could feel the weight of his arousal growing, pressing against her, and felt her excitement to have it inside her growing with it. Only slightly nervous, she let her hands drift down to the hem of his underwear and felt the muscles of his stomach jump under her touch, as excited as she was.
She slid her hand under the waistband of his shorts and down to his growing hardness, biting her lip to muffle a moan of desire as she felt it against her hand. It was not so different from what she was used to, soft hot skin over a hard core, but rather more tapered and accented by soft ridges that ran in graceful strokes down the shaft. Heat flushed her skin as she imagined what they would feel like inside her.
As she was exploring him, he explored her as well, teasing her breasts with curious fingers before moving lower to slide her underwear down, squeezing the soft curves of her ample backside before running his fingers over the lips of her entrance. She gasped, arching against him as his finger pressed inwards curiously. He lifted her higher and she felt the ridges of his tool slide against her.
"Can I?" he asked her, his eyes hazed with lust and his voice rough.
"Please," she all but begged, nodding in fervent consent.
Slowly, rocking with the rhythm of the water around them, he pressed into her, slowly opening her up. She groaned, his size more substantial than she'd expected, and buried her face in his shoulder.
He cradled her in his arms, buoyed up by the water, and pressed eager kisses to her throat as he filled her. He took his time, rushing nothing as inch by inch he spread her open until Lily was trembling, aching with the suspense.
"Please," she ground her hips against him, struggling for leverage in the water, "I want more."
As though that were all he'd been waiting for, he thrust the rest of the way in at once, filling her to her limit and sending sparks of pleasure dancing behind her eyes.
Holding his shoulders, she rolled her hips into his thrusts, moaning with pleasure at the way his ridges dragged at her walls, his eager mouth keeping her dizzy with kisses and teasing bites, his hands at the small of her back as he bent her, tongue hot on the curve of her breast while he throbbed inside her.
The water wouldn't allow the reckless speed Lily wanted, forcing her to endure his teasingly slow pace. She laced their fingers, squeezing his hand tight as he ground deeply within her, pressing against places inside Lily that left her head spinning.
Feeling herself close, she brought his hand to her mound, showing him where she needed his touch. A fast learner, he rubbed careful circles over her button as he buried himself within her. She came crying his name, tightening around him, feeling the strange shape of him imprinted on her, part of her forever.
When she wilted, pleasure fading into a golden veil over her eyes, he pulled himself from her, still hard, and carried her to the bank. He laid her down in the soft moss beside the water, a cloud of fireflies glittering around them, the flowers singing with their movement and the brush of the evening wind.
The glow bugs gathered in her hair like ornaments, and converged on Amranth's flowers. He looked like an angel, she thought, something divine reaching down to save her. And as he filled her again, it felt even better than the first time.
The moon was rising, a pale beacon above the trees that highlighted them in silver as they moved together, their every gesture summoning a chorus of delicate notes from the flowers around them and an accompanying dance from the fire flies.
Lily was for a moment distracted from her pleasure by sheer awe. She'd spent her life in a frozen hole, the only flowers she'd ever seen in pictures on a data pad. How quickly her life had become a fairytale. Betrothed to a king, a runaway princess, making love with this magical creature, surrounded by singing flowers and fairy lights. How could she ever regret any of it? She'd lived more in these last few days than she had in her entire life. She never wanted to let it go. She never wanted to let him go.
"Amranth," she gasped, feeling the heat rise within her again, his hands on her breast and the sweet mound of her vulva, bringing her with him as he rose towards the peak of his pleasure.
He pulled her close into a sudden deep kiss, burning with passion, and she felt the throb and the sudden heat of his completion spreading within her.
She shook with ecstasy; feeling like her entire body was glowing. She wished she could freeze this moment and hold on to it forever. She never wanted to be anywhere else. She wanted to love him like this for the rest of her life.
But slowly, the pleasure faded. He didn't let her grow cold, however. He showered her in delicate kisses, holding her close as they both recovered.
"You're incredible," he murmured into her hair, stroking the skin of her arm with his fingertips, "I never imagined..."
Lily glowed with delight at his praise, kissing his cheek.
"Never imagined what?"
"That anyone would ever want to be with a cross bred weed like me," he said with a touch of bitterness that quickly evaporated, "Let alone that it could be so amazing. I don't know what this meant to you, or if you'll ever want to do it again but... Thank you."
Lily smiled and pulled him into a deep kiss, which she broke only when they both needed to breathe.
"I definitely want to do it again," she said, "Preferably as soon as possible."
Chapter Ten
It was another hour or more before they rinsed each other off and fell asleep
in the moss beside the pool, neither of them confident about finding their way back to the ship in the dark and in their pleasure addled condition. By then, Lily was exhausted enough that the moss and his shoulder seemed like all the bed she needed.
She slept well, and woke in the morning at the first touch of warm sunlight past the trees. She had that same fuzzy clouded feeling as the day before, and it was a little more difficult to ignore today, but Amranth made it easier, tempting her into the water again to rinse off and play before they walked back to the ship for breakfast.
Throughout the day, Lily battled a persistent headache and a growing sense of fatigue. She ignored it, smiling as Amranth found any excuse to kiss her, pausing frequently in his work to pull her close just for a second or two.
The stoic man seemed reborn by the revelation of her love, the revelation that he was lovable at all where he'd thought himself beyond affection. Lily didn't mind reassuring him, often and intimately, just how much she liked him.
She wouldn't say those words yet. She couldn't say she loved him. Not when she knew how likely it was that they'd be separated forever soon. She had to go back to Earth after all. And he would have to flee Turlabon's revenge.
It wouldn't do to be giving into those kinds of feelings. She cared about him, she was definitely attracted to him. But as long as she didn't say the words, she would be able to move on once he was gone.
She thought he must have realized the same thing, because the way he looked at her seemed as though the words would spill from his lips at any second, he didn't say them either. They kissed each other in blissful denial, resigned to enjoying what they had while it lasted.
Keeler visited again halfway through the day, but sensing the change in the air he didn't linger long, just gave Lily a congratulatory smile and a pat on the back, told them unprompted to remember to use protection, then wandered off again, leaving behind another little basket of gifts. Lily, embarrassed but pleased by the Elder's apparent approval, pulled Amranth into his bunk for another round.
The Warrior's Proposal (Celestial Mates Book 7) Page 24