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Vladik watched her, a small smile on his face. "You are still my puppy. Morana borrowing your voice occasionally isn't going to change that."
Zori pushed her hands into her hair. "Just when I think I've got a handle on all of this, something changes. I still have moments where I wonder if I'm losing my mind."
Vladik's wings twitched. "I know it's a lot, but you have to try to think about it from a different perspective. For a start, none of this is weird to us. You being a princess, a black swan, Morana speaking through you, all of it. It's not everyday occurrences, but it's not out of the realm of possibility either."
"I don't want anyone getting taken or hurt by Maxim because of me," Zori said, wrapping her arms around herself. The haunted look in Misha's eyes spoke volumes about the trauma he’d sustained. She didn't want anyone else to go through what he had. "If Maxim ever got his hands on you, I'd never forgive myself. If he gets to the city—"
"If it did happen, it wouldn't be your fault, Zori." Vladik rested his hands on her elbows and let his wings curl around her to protect her from the falling snow. "Chernobog'svolhvhave been threatening Kitezh since Morana made us. That you are here is just extra motivation for Maxim to come. We know they can't get past the wards, or they would have done it already," Vladik reassured her. "I'm not going to let Maxim ever hurt you again, Zori."
Zori leaned her head against his hard chest and tried to get her worry under control. "You're the only thing that makes sense to me in this whole mess. You know that?"
"I can't say I'm sad about it," he replied, a smile dancing along his lips.
Zori took a deep breath and asked the thing that she'd been wondering all afternoon. "Are you reluctant to mate with me because I'm kind of like a princess?"
Vladik's smile slipped. "That's not the reason. Mating isn't like a human marriage, Zori. It's forever. I won't take your choice from you until you know what it means fully. Yes, you are a princess and I'm just…me. A grunt in the army that will do anything to protect you and this city. It's my whole purpose. If you decided you needed something more than that, I would have to deal with that."
Zori didn't care what their status was. She just wanted him.
"Deal with it? So what you're saying is you would be completely fine if I started dating other people," she said, stepping back from him. She bumped into his wings, but he didn't release her. His eyes were shining with a feral animal sheen. It told her everything. "That's what I thought. You are full of it."
Vladik's jaw worked, forcing the words out. "If that's what you really wanted, I would respect it."
"You would give me up without a fight?" she asked. She was playing with fire, and she knew it. She couldn't help it; she loved when he got stirred up.
"There would definitely be a fight. I wouldn't be able to stop myself because I would need to know they could protect you better than I could," Vladik replied, more growl than words. Zori knew she shouldn't be turned on by that, but damn, her whole body lit up like it was Christmas. She bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from grinning like a fool.
Vladik's eyes narrowed as he reached out and ran his claws through her hair. "Are you trying to stir me up, puppy? See how crazy you make me before I snap?"
Zori smiled sweetly. "I'm just trying to learn more about gargoyle culture."
"You will learn all about gargoyle culture when I bend you over and make your pussy—"
The front door to the house swung open. "Inside, now! I'm not waiting all night," Aleksandr called.
Zori patted Vladik's chest. "Hold that thought. Dinner is ready."
"I'd rather you sit on my face so I could have you for dinner instead," Vladik replied.
Zori pulled that beautiful face down to hers. "Please don't make me horny before I have to have dinner with my grandmother. I'm sorry for stirring you up."
"No, you aren't, but you will be the next time I get you alone," Vladik huffed and kissed her hard. It was deep and savage and utterly possessive. Zori's hands tangled in his hair, and Vladik pulled her up into his arms.
She was wrapping her leg around his hips when snow hit Vladik's wing, spraying them both with ice and making Zori squeal.
"Did you just throw a fucking snowball at me?" she demanded, whirling on their attacker.
Aleksandr was making another ball in his massive hands. "There's more where that came from if you two don't stop sucking each other's faces."
"Fine! We are coming, keep your pants on," Zori said and moved away from Vladik. "We'll pick this up later?"
"This better be the quickest dinner ever," Vladik groaned, and they walked to the house together.
* * *
Sadly,it was not the quickest dinner ever. Zori sat back as the others talked about defenses they were putting in the forest around the city to hinder any attackers. Aleksandr and Irina argued like siblings, and at the same time, Zori could see that they still worked well together. It made her wonder what it would be like to have a friendship that close.
Vladik's tail stayed curled around Zori's calf under the table, and when Irina insisted she stay with her that night in case Morana's possession had any side effects, Vladik hadn't argued. He'd kissed Zori's cheek good night and had left with Aleksandr. The older gargoyle needed to talk to him alone, and being with her grandmother when Zori's magic was volatile was the safest place for her.
