Because I Love You✔️

Chapter 74: Party Animals

Author's Note: This latest chapter is, once again, dedicated to Wimbug for being the Queen of Romance. I strive to be as good of a writer as youuuu!

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Chapter Seventy-Four: Party Animals

Things progressed quite quickly after that.

After sitting with the other guys for a while, Zelphira finally entered the room and gave a speech. Then, Xaphile and the other boys were led outside and into the forested city. It was only when a small majority of the adults took flight that he glanced at Bonks.

"Where are they going?" he questioned, gesturing at the flying men. "Aren't they staying?"

"Oh, them?" the blonde quipped, looking at the departing sprites. "They're the ones who have mates waiting for them. I've heard that most of the ascended adults take part in the festivities, too, since... well, who doesn't desire pleasures of the flesh?"

Bonks giggled and suggestively nudged his side, but Xaphile merely let out a sigh.

He saw women in every direction regarding them with hungry gazes, and the other guys seemed to be doing the same to them, but he felt nothing but awkward.

"So, what do we do now?" he quietly demanded. "Are we free to do as we please?"

"No, first we must feast," Obi explained, grinning from ear to ear. "Once the night is nearing its end, then we will do as we please. For now, let us enjoy the celebration held in our honor!"

Xaphile sighed again when Bonks tugged him and his brother, Kesh, into a wide clearing.

In the center of it was an enormous bonfire, and scattered throughout were dancing women.

It was graceful, yet wild, and utterly eye-entrancing.

He jumped when he was pulled down to the ground, but Bonks merely laughed when he cast a frown his way.

Within moments, the other men joined them, until the whole male portion of the community was sitting patiently around the fire as more women approached with plates piled high with every vegetarian's dream.

Xaphile's mouth watered when he beheld the fruits and vegetables that had been prepared.

The feast reminded him of something out of one of the Arabian Nights, or maybe Gulliver's Travels, or some other book detailing the rituals of a foreign land.

As the food was brought before them by faery women who looked like they had barely hit adolescence, dancers came out of the dark, cleared a circle, and began to perform to some music that made his head spin. 

The melody was unlike anything he had ever heard, floating to unbelievably high registers before plummeting sharply into deeper notes and pulling back at the last second to compliment a new, singing woman's voice.

He ignored the food for a good ten minutes while he listened, but just as he'd had his fill of music and turned to take his fill of food, Krishna appeared out of nowhere.

Xaphile's eyes slowly slid from her bare feet to her face.

To his shock, her hair had been undone from the cornrows he'd always seen and stretched down to her slim waist, curling gorgeously in the firelight, and instead of her leather sarong and breastplate, she was wearing a white sheepskin dress.

She had a surprisingly good figure.

Like an hourglass.

"Greetings," she chuckled, eyes glinting as she smiled down at him. "I almost didn't recognize you, Darkling. Your attire is very becoming."