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"I am a little hungry," I added when Laszlo seemed to accept the compliment rather than press me for the truth.
His nose nudged into my hair as he nodded. "As am I."
The book was set down on the bed, but Laszlo's arms tightened around my back, and instead of sitting up and going in search of food, I was rolled back into the mattress. Laszlo hovered above me briefly, squinting in study. I leaned up to nip the tip of his nose.
"Hywel calls it my beak," Laszlo said drily.
"It's dignified," I said, kissing him.
"It's particularly useful in one regard," Laszo said.
"Smelling?" I guessed, a grin growing on my lips.
He shook his head. "Shall I show you?"
One of his legs wedged between mine and he started to shift back, sitting on his heels and lifting the sheet to expose my breasts to his ridiculous squinting, farsighted gaze.
I held back my laugh. "Please do."
And when Laszlo moved to spread my legs, tossing away the blankets and settling himself on his belly, face nuzzling into my sensitive sex, I sighed.
"Ah, yes. I always did appreciate dignified noses for this reason," I murmured as Laszlo helped himself to a generous serving of me.
* * *
I wincedas the setting sun turned Laszlo's feathers into blazing blades of light.
"Are you tired, dear one?" Laszlo asked, turning away from the view over the terrace.
The sun was high by the time Laszlo and I left his nest, and I'd coaxed him out to the meadow for our stretches, the warmth and summer breeze soothing my stiff body. In turn, he'd wheedled me into more training before dinner. I would've like to protest, but in truth, our night together, uninterrupted by parasitic nightmares, had restored me almost completely.
"A little. But…" I didn't want to go to bed without him. And while I wouldn't have objected to a repeat of the bath and oil and sex, I mostly just wanted to savor another peaceful sleep.
"We'll go up together when you're ready," he assured me.
He was so beautiful, so bright, it almost hurt to look at him, golden, amber, and a bright fiery orange as the sun gave its last bleeding gasp on the horizon. But I would gladly go blind before I gave up the view of him.
Strands of music burst suddenly to life, weaving through the halls of the castle to reach us. Laszlo and I turned in unison.
"Another ball?" I asked. "Does that mean he's dreaming more or less?"
"Less, I think," Laszlo said, and he lifted his arm for me to take, his closest wing stretching to enclose me. "Shall we? Dinner's always grand when he brings a ball."
I linked my arm with his, told myself to breathe through the sudden urge to claw and clasp the gryphon to me, to bite his skin and claim him, even though I didn't know if I could bear to keep him.
"Conall should be here to dance with you," Laszlo said, brow furrowing.
"I enjoy dancing with you," I said, although I did still miss Conall and his bright eyes and blatant hunger.
"As do I, but his wildness suits you. The rest of us don't have it in quite the same way," Laszlo said as we stepped into his study.
The rest of us. I mused over the words and then paused at the sight of Asterion hovering in the opposite doorway. Asterion had never been especially casual around the castle, not like Conall or even Laszlo on occasion, but he was not dressed in one of his elegant dinner suits now.
Riding boots, coat, horrible gloves clenched in his grip.
"You'releaving?"
Asterion ducked his head. The gold was pulled from his horns, and he looked…strange somehow, sheepish. "There's work to be done in the city. Conall will return soon and—"
