The Dragon's Match

XXVII

XXVII
＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

Twin coils of desire and nervousness threaded through her at the sultry tone of his words, and Lillian stared up into his devastating visage with an ache in her heart- an ache of need and the dim awareness that whatever transpired between them was destined to run its course.

But she couldn't dwell on that now.

She was confident in her decision, her choice of becoming the lover of the male before her borne of a multifaceted and calculated decision of all that he was and all that he had shown her over the last few days.

So she swallowed back her trepidation, focused instead on the nearness of the man pressed against her. The material of the dress she wore was so sheer his heat easily permeated the fickle cloth, seeping into her own skin. A shiver spiralled down her spine at the gentle caress of his fingertips as they skirted across the line of her jaw, tilting her head back further.

His expression was shadowed, the stars an impressive and mesmerizing background behind him, and his chest rose and fell against her palms with even, slow breaths. Even like this, with her fingers against his fevered skin, she could feel her composure begin to splinter and crack, her tremors almost blatantly obvious.

Lillian balled her fingers into fists. "Will you..." Her tongue thickened and the words dwindled softly into nothingness between them, causing Aëghan to draw his brows together with concern. It was possibly that which provoked her to continue, warmed by his regard and instantaneous concern for her. "Will you allow me to... to lead proceedings between us?"

His face softened, his wide lips twitching with the urge to smile. "Proceedings?"

She scowled. "You know what I mean."

"I do." Aëghan seemed to consider her a moment longer, his smile thoughtful, and then his hands dropped to her shoulders, his thumbs stroking against the skin of her upper arms in a soothing gesture. "Very well, duchess. Where do you want me?"

Deigning to ignore the flippancy of his words, Lillian considered her surroundings for the first time since he had brought her into the clearing.

It was breath-taking. A quiet stream cut through the centre, splitting the soft grass that was surprisingly dry and cushioned her bare feet, spotted with delicate white flowers. At the farthest end, a gentle cascade of water fell at interspersed sections over moss-covered boulders and fed into the narrow stream that wound through the centre. A solitary tree of unknown genus stood proudly beside the falls, its limbs long and narrow, adorned with slender, deeply green leaves that hung like tufts of long hair from its branches.

There was little other light in the clearing other than the starlight above. The occasional luminescence flickered and dimmed through the foliage as a fae creature flittered through the leaves above or the undergrowth below.

Yet even in the shadows, Lillian could tell that the grove was contrived to be a special place- unknown and secluded from other forest inhabitants, for why else would he bring her here?

Her gaze returned to Aëghan, questioning. "What is this place?"

He released her and stepped away, providing some space between them, but took her hand in his and began to lead her towards the imposing tree looming at the other end. "Do you like it?"

"It is beautiful," Lillian was quick to point out, riveted on his austere profile as they walked. With each step, the tiny blooms parted, snaking through the short grass to avoid becoming crushed, and once their soles had lifted, merged back together with fluid seamlessness.