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Tessa takes me to a quiet, serene river, lit by the faint glow of the moon once more, and we sit near it to talk. We have been here a few times before, talking about Abigail and her stories and about a few of Tessa’s stories. I tell her about my time in the arena and the expectations of various types of demons.
But tonight feels different. There was a new kind of magic in the air, likely spurred on by the urgency of the letter I’d received. I don’t know when I will be forced back into my realm, especially if the orcs no longer appear to be a threat. I have run out of excuses.
We sit on my cloak, protecting us against the evening dew. The river flows gently, serenading us under a blanket of dazzling stars. Tessa sits and sighs, the way she always does when the weight of her day is behind her.
I look at her as she cranes her neck up to the sky. She’s leaning on her palms, having removed her long braided hair from under her cloak and pulled it over her left shoulder. It sits on her breast as her soft breath rises and falls. She’s lost somewhere in the galaxy above, musing likely, dreaming up another story within that stunning, incandescent mind of hers.
I can tell she’s utterly relaxed, and I cannot wait anymore. I want to fall into her and never look back.
“Tessa,” I said, leaning my arm closer to hers.
“Hmm?”
Her eyes remain focused on the sky. A part of me doesn’t want to shatter her bliss, but I must know. Nothing inside me would be able to live on if I can only wonder.
“I want to ask you something.”
She turns to me casually, and I inch my arm even closer. Our fingers are close on the cloak but aren’t quite touching. Her face is still a distance from me, but close enough for me to feel her warm breath, tingling my lips as she fixes her gaze on me.
“What is it?” She asks.
I blurt out my proposal before the words get a chance to bury themselves away inside of me.
“There is a likelihood that I will have to leave here soon,” I said, trying to keep my voice from trembling. “My mission is nearly complete. I want to remain to protect the village from the orcs, but my King called to me ….”
My voice trails off, and I notice her eyes are downcast. I touch her chin, and she’s once more alarmed like she was on that hill those fateful weeks ago.
“But I want you to come with me,” I said desperately. “I want you to be with me in my realm.”
The look of tranquility faded from Tessa’s face as fast as a lashed whip, and she pulled her head away from my hand.
“Varzig,” she said, grimacing slightly. “I can’t just get up and leave the farm. These people are my people too. I can’t …”
She frantically rolled away from me and got to her feet. She moved toward the river with her arms crossed, and I realized that it wasn't with anger toward me but with confusion and misunderstanding of her own desires.
I stand and move toward her, holding out my hands in an act of submission and empathy.
“Tessa, just think of all the things you will see in my realm. All the stories you will be able to forge once you cast your eyes upon the wonders!”
I begin to chuckle, and she turns to me, an intense scowl painted across her gorgeous face.
“Is that it then?”
I raised my eyebrows.
“What?”
“You just want me there so I can tell you more stories? To keep you entertained when you’re bored?”
I ran both hands through my hair and squeezed at my horns for a moment. I began to chuckle once more, as slowly and as sweetly as I could muster, and stood before Tessa.
I look down on her beauty, so striking, it makes my strong body weak.
“Oh, Tessa,” I fawn, bringing my hand to her chin again. “That isn’t why I want you there ….”
Her scowl begins to disappear as I lower my head, my legs moving into a slight crouch position to meet her mouth. Her chest begins to heave as her eyes wander mine. She’s no longer afraid or alarmed.
I whispered to her while tracing a finger down the slope of her delicious neck.
