I was not sure if Shiloh even realized what she’d just admitted. That at least some subconscious part of her was making permanent plans to live here. With me.
Even if those plans revolved around her art instead of around our marriage, it was something.
Though what she’d told me last night had given me pause. The words telling me she hadn’t really come here looking for a husband. That marriage had never been what she’d wanted, had never been her goal. I’d wrestled with them, chewed on them. Went over them in my mind.
When I wasn’t going over the world-shattering pleasure of putting my tongue in her mouth.
Whether Shiloh realized what she’d just said or not, Xennet and Dorn did. They shared a wordless look between them.
“I do not know anything about painting. But my property also has many things that look different, depending on the day, weather, and season!” Xennet told her. “Just so you know!”
“Same with mine,” Dorn grunted.
“Yes. Well. Neither of you have got a pond,” I challenged.
“I have got a creek! A very nice creek!” Xennet cried.
“It sounds lovely,” Shiloh said soothingly. “Maybe you can tell me a little more about it today.”
I scowled, digging my fangs into the side of my cheek. I wanted to argue, to retort that Xennet didn’t need to tell her anything about any stupid, blasted creek. Because if she ever saw his property, it would only be on a visit. Accompanied by me. Her husband.
But I knew this would make me look like a jealous, foul-tempered fool.
I doubted Shiloh enjoyed being around jealous, foul-tempered fools.
Dorn, Xennet, and I tied our shuldu to the nearby trees. I had brought the skates for Shiloh and me, and I unpacked them now.
“It’s just something simple,” I told her, kneeling at her feet with her pair. The construction had not been overly complex. I hoped they worked alright. I’d used the measurements of her boots for create a sort of stiff half-boot to fit over top. Then, I’d drilled holes in the sides for leather laces, which would tie securely over the tops of her current boots.
“Just something simple?” she exclaimed as I knelt before her in the snow at the pond’s edge. “This is amazing! When did you even have time to do this?”
I’d made time to do it by losing out on sleep. But I did not think she would like to hear that. So I mumbled something that didn’t really mean anything at all. Then, I grasped her right ankle and lifted her foot.
“Whoa!” She wobbled slightly, before leaning forward and using my shoulders as support. And it felt so cursedly good. That when she lost her balance, I could be the one she leaned on.
“Sorry,” she said on a huffy, laughing breath. “I could sit down…”
“It’s too cold and snowy,” I told her. She had on a jacket, but her trousers would offer her no protection from melting snow. And if there was anything I would not stand for, it was Shiloh’s backside getting cold and wet on my watch.
“You just hold on tight to me,” I reiterated, repeating my words from before. I heard her breath give on a slight sigh.
“OK, Rivven,” she whispered.
I eased the first skate onto her right foot, over top of her boot. Between my left hand, right arm, and tail, it took some finessing, and a few moments of shoving. But then, the skate slipped into place. It seemed to fit pretty well. I tied the laces rapidly and securely with my fingers and tail, then carefully lowered her foot.
“Oh! Wow! Thank you, Rivven! I look like I should be on a Christmas card!” She beamed down at her foot, and for amoment, my mind was entirely blanked by the beauty of her. Her smile truly was the prettiest I had ever seen.
And I had put it there.
My throat felt oddly tight. Heat thrummed, spiking and vibrating, beneath my skin.
“Do I just put my weight on it like this?” she asked. Her fingers clenched harder at my shoulders as I gripped her other ankle.
“Yes. Just stand on it. Let your weight go straight down into the blade. Don’t let your ankle lean over to either side if you can help it.”
She gave me one of her human nods and let her weight sink down onto the skate. I watched closely, to make sure nothing happened with the construction of the thing, now that it was on. But it held just up fine. The other skate was a little quicker to get on, now that we’d already fastened one. Once she had both on, I swapped from my knees to briefly sitting down to get my own skates on. Shiloh kept her right hand on my left shoulder. I could feel her swaying slightly, getting used to the narrow blades of the skates, testing her own balance as she shifted from foot to foot.
“We may not have brought skates,” Xennet said as I finished tying my laces, “but do not think we have come entirely unprepared, Shiloh! We have brought our tuxerados!”
