Eyes Up, Guardian

Chapter 26

              Tessa awoke curled in Damian's embrace. Bare skin met bare skin, and she remembered what had occurred the previous night with pink cheeks. They hadn't done everything yet, they hadn't gone all the way, but even still, she flushed. Damian made her stomach tingle, even when she knew he wasn't forbidden or dangerous. He was the safest, most loving person she'd ever had and yet he made her heart hammer like she was in battle. The way he'd kissed her scars yesterday, it made her heart fill, the love poured into every brush of his lips had been enough to almost bring her to tears.

He'd started with the one under her right ear, the enormous scar left behind from Oryx's blade. He'd kissed its entire length, or at least all that wasn't covered by her bra, which he kindly respected. He'd kissed she scars on her arms and then had moved to her torso, then her legs. The latter had made her cheeks hot, but he'd been sure to stop when she tensed. Traveler, she didn't deserve him.

She leaned into him, and his arms tightened a bit around her in response, shifting a bit behind her to tell her he was awake. She tilted her head back to kiss him, and he shifted so he could meet her lips with his. She rolled over, resting her head against his chest and heaving a deep breath, breathing in the scent of him. She felt her body relax again, as if his mere presence could ease stresses she hadn't even realized still clung to her.

"The party is tonight." Damian reminded, and she could feel the rumble in his chest as he spoke. "Are you ready for it?" She knew what he was asking without him saying it outright. Was she ready for the attention, the focus, the stares? Was she ready to be showcased as a weapon, some supreme being?

"I think so." She said, lifting her head to peer up at him. "Are you?"

He smiled, "Not in the slightest." He said, truthfully. "The only thing I'm looking forward to is seeing the surprise you've been hiding from me."

"I'm sure they'll have champagne." Tessa said, "That's something to look forward to."

He chuckled, "I guess it is." He replied, "Did you know that before the collapse, champagne could only be called champagne if it came from Champagne, France?"

She frowned, "That seems a little ridiculous." She said, "What did they call it if it came from somewhere else?"

"Sparkling white wine." He said, to which she chuckled.

"You know some weird little things about the past, Damian." She said, smiling up at him.

"At least I know about the past." He said, not to claim that she didn't. "Did Echo ever brush up on his ancient religions?" He asked.

"He did." Tessa said with a grin, recalling the instance before their battle with Oryx. "I think he was embarrassed. He told me he read the entire bible."

"Well, he can read it in a matter of seconds." Damian reminded.

"True, true." She acknowledged with a light smile.

The pair enjoyed a quiet breakfast, then went out to the city for a walk through the parks, smiling as they watched children struggling to build figures out of the fresh snow that had fallen the night before. With the day of the Dawning just less than two weeks away, the whole city had launched itself into the season. Beautiful light blues, silvers and golds covered the city, in banners or ribbons or lights. It occurred to him that he hadn't gotten her a present yet, though he didn't believe the city would be the place for him to find it, at least not this part of the city, where clothing and jewelry stores and cute shops selling various handcrafted items lined the streets, mixed in with cafes and restaurants.