Catherine frowned in her slumber, groggily reaching towards the swell of her hip as a faint tickle brushed against her upper thighs. She brushed it away impatiently, then rolled over onto her side and let out a long, weary sigh. Suddenly, she felt it again, and opened one eye to fix the area with a bleary, half-hearted glare. As she did, she caught a glimpse of a pair of brilliantly green eyes.
"Good morning," she murmured, a little smile playing across her lips. Adeon crept leisurely up the length of her body; kissing her thighs, her hips, her stomach, her breasts, her neck, and finally coming to her lips. Catherine blinked wearily at him but felt herself lean into him anyway, and she closed her eyes as he pressed his lips against hers in a soft, long kiss.
"A very good morning indeed," he replied gently against her mouth, and she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. "How did you sleep?" he inquired, trailing a finger down her cheek. Despite her weariness, Catherine couldn't help but be amazed by the casualness of that question. Something about him made it incredibly easy to forget that she was living in a cave with a dragon. And, unlike every other person who had ever asked that question, he seemed genuinely interested in knowing the answer.
"Very well, thank you," she sighed. "I mean...all things considered, it was really wonderful," she added, her eyes flitting around the treasury, taking in the stone walls bathed with the reflection of polished metals, the countless statues and weapons that littered the floor, and then the enormous pile of treasure they had fallen asleep on the night prior, blanketed with the cloak.
"All things considered?" he repeated, and she smiled shyly.
"I'm not yet accustomed to sleeping on mountains of gold."
"You should be," he laughed, encircling her waist with his long fingers. She flushed, realizing that she had forgotten to clothe herself before falling asleep. "It looks fantastic on you." With a weary moan, she sat up and curved her spine in a stretch, stretching her fingertips towards the tall, tall ceiling.
"I'm sure a pile of riches makes everything look better," she yawned. He leaned back and propped himself up on his elbows while she stretched and stirred, his gaze raking over her in unapologetic appreciation.
"Oh, quite the contrary," he replied. "I believe that everything looks better with a beautiful girl resting on top of it." She threw a silver coin at him playfully, and he watched in amusement as it bounced off his pale shoulder and rattled onto the floor. Although he had left his trousers and boots on, his chest was bare, and the haphazard, casual grace he was exuding sent goosebumps across her skin. She groped around her for her dress, frowning when her search proved fruitless, and he rewarded her endeavors with a broad grin that boasted a mouthful of those slightly too-sharp teeth. "I've taken your dress hostage in the main cavern," he told her slyly, and she laughed.
"You fiend," she exclaimed softly, feigning a scandalized tone. "What sort of ransom do you plan to extort from me?"
"Merely the pleasure of watching you retrieve it," he laughed, leaning down to kiss her again. "But I'd keep a close eye on it from now on. Who knows what terrible things I'll demand of you next time?" he continued, reaching up to trace her bottom lip with his thumbnail. She suppressed a shudder as he spoke, trying to ignore the slow heat that was unwinding inside of her from the mischievous delight in his voice.
"Terrible, terrible things, I'm sure," she said, and his eyes sparkled deviously.
"Then up you get, before I change my mind," he ordered playfully, and she rose quickly to her feet, laughing as she felt his fingertips graze her the small of her back. After scurrying down the hallway, she quickly scooped up her dress, which had been discarded in a silky blue puddle on the floor the night before. She pulled it on hastily, and clearly not a moment too soon, because only seconds after the hem had fallen to her ankles, she felt his arms entwine around her and tug her back against his warm chest. "What would you like to do today?" she heard him sigh, and she shrugged, lacing her fingers through his.
"I'm not sure," she said lightly, leaning her head against his chest. He peered down to look at her, and she tilted her head up a bit, gazing at an upside-down Adeon that regarded her fondly.
"Well, even though it ended rather abruptly, I rather enjoyed my journey with you yesterday," he admitted, and Catherine's eyes widened in surprise.
"You want to go out again?" she asked dubiously.
He raised an eyebrow. "You sound so hesitant."
"Not hesitant," she insisted. "Just...surprised." He pressed his lips against her hair, closing his eyes.
"I trust you," he said. "Is that so hard to understand?"
"Do you really?" she murmured. He opened his eyes a bit to look down at her lazily, and something warm and wild was burning behind them.
"I believe I do," he said softly. "I thought it would be hard, but you made it rather easy." She frowned up at him.
"It's far too early for such seriousness," she scolded him, and his lips curled into another one of his vulpine smiles.
"You started it."
"I did no such thing."
"Well, tell me, darling girl," he said, looking thoroughly amused. "Where would you like to go?"
Catherine frowned in thought, staring pensively at the wall. "You know," she replied, "I'm not entirely sure. I haven't really left the kingdom in a while."
"The world at your fingertips, and you don't know where to go." He let out a long sigh, and one of his hands came to her shoulder to idly sift her hair through his long fingers. "What about the Black Forest? That isn't terribly far." he said suddenly, and when she looked up at him in shock, his eyes were dancing. "Look at you," he laughed. "I never thought a mass of trees could instill such terror in a person."
"The forest is off limits," she protested. "No man has ever entered and returned." His eyes rolled skywards in a disapproving sort of way.
"That's because every man who has entered it has done so recklessly," he said dryly. "One thing that humans have always failed to understand is that they are not the oldest things roaming this earth, and that some things do not belong to them. When one meanders through a forest swarming with magical creatures, it is best to do so delicately, and without the intention of absconding with every precious thing that catches their eye."
"You abscond with precious things all the time," she retorted, and he raised his eyebrows.
"Good thing, too," he murmured, "or I mightn't have had the pleasure of meeting you." Catherine felt heat rise to her cheeks despite herself.
"I don't know," she said hesitantly, not quite looking at him. "It's a dangerous place, isn't it?"
"Not with the proper guide," he offered, smiling broadly. "And I've heard that dragons are particularly good at protecting things, and make fantastic navigators."
"Have you?" she inquired with a grin.
"Oh, yes." He rested his chin on the top of her head. "Come, now," he urged, giving her a firm squeeze. "It could be fun."
"Or we could be eaten by something," Catherine mumbled.
