Alasdair was in love.
He stood next to the bed and watched the steady rise and fall of Isabelle's chest. It was dark in the room though not quite full night, the sun had set and dark clouds rolled in deepening the darkness creeping over her. A sudden flash of lightening brightened the room momentarily. He smiled at the scene before him.
She had bathed before crawling onto the plush mattress, the damp strands of her hair clung to her bare shoulders in random places. He could smell the citrus scent of her shampoo over top her unique feminine perfume.
The spell twisted through him sharply, reminding him that no matter how much he wanted to let her rest he would have to wake her or suffer indescribable torment. He pushed back at the pain with all the strength his adoration of her gave him, determined to give her a few more moments of peace. He had no idea how many opportunities like this he'd have so he took a deep breath and shoved against the pain as it rose up again.
Isabelle sighed softly, shifting under the covers. Alasdair pulled the blanket back and slid in next to her. She felt the mattress dip and turned to him with a sleepy murmur.
"Hello dream faerie." She snuggled close to him. "Is it time?"
"Time for what lass?" He pulled her close and pressed his lips against her forehead.
"You know." She giggled.
He felt her start slightly when another flash of lightening illuminated the room followed closely by a crack of thunder. Her hand slid up his chest coming to a stop on the back of his neck.
"It looks like we'll be inside tonight."
"I'm okay with that," she said and pressed her lips against his skin. "You're hurting aren't you?"
"Yes lass."
The spell had started to overpower him as soon as she touched him. While his love for her had given him the strength to hold it at bay for a little while longer than he had been able to before, lately it had started to rebound faster and stronger than what he'd become used to over the years.
If she had noticed she didn't mention it. Instead she had accepted it without complaint the same way she had with all the demands of having an enchanted faerie.
He admired the depth of her compassion, her determination to give him some sort of freedom, and to improve the limitations of his existence.
Before his arrival that night he had reclined on the pallet in his prison that was now covered with big pillows she had shoved into his arms as he left her one morning a week prior.
"You can at least be comfortable." She'd said with a smile as he disappeared.
Next to the pallet was a stack of books she'd given him along with something called a tablet. He still wasn't comfortable with that particular gift even though she'd very patiently shown him how to use it while explaining that there was no magic involved, just plain old human ingenuity. The books, however, were a welcome distraction once he'd gotten a good grasp of modern English.
"You don't have to wait." She caressed his jaw with her fingertips.
"You were sleeping lass. The first time I took you while you were sleeping was quite distressing."
"For both of us." She tilted her back to look at him. "I'm not unwilling so you don't have to worry about that anymore." Her hand slid to his shoulder to pull him towards her as she rolled onto her back.
"Once is more than I'd ever want you to endure," he said softly.
He followed her, sliding between her thighs, smiling against her lips as she reached down to help his hardness find it's target. He pushed into her slowly savoring the sound of her breath catching and then her little moan as he worked himself all the way inside.
The spell released it's painful hold just as she took his full length. His breath escaped in a groan. He only had a few moments to enjoy the feeling of her under him before the need to spill himself into her rose up.
"Lass I—" He started. She lifted her head from the pillow to kiss him. He gave up yet again.
He swore she could sense it every time he was about to explain what had happened that night above the trees. She had been dodging his attempts for weeks. Between the demands of the spell and her distractions it had been frustratingly difficult to declare his feelings for her and describe just exactly what the blue light meant.
He had resolved to make one more attempt before giving up and waiting but she had cut him off with a kiss. Perhaps she knew what he wanted to tell her and just wasn't ready to hear his declaration.
Perhaps she doesn't feel the same. He looked into her eyes when she pulled away slightly. Her smiled stalled before it reached her lips.
There's that look again. Her hands pulled him against her chest. Why does he look so sad?
Within moments her pondering was pushed to the back of her mind by the rhythm of their bodies moving together. When she looked again the sadness had vanished, replaced by a look of naked desire.
The pace of his hips faltered slightly, she moaned as he thrust hard. Her thighs tightened against him when he thrust deep and stayed there filling her with his seed. He breathed deeply with relief. The pain had receded for the moment and he could turn his focus back to her. He kissed her softly relishing the way she pulled him into her with her arms and legs.
"Better?" She asked with a smile as he dropped onto the bed next to her a few minutes later.
"Stars yes." His eyes closed for a second. "Lass—"
"Next time." She said quietly as she slid off the bed to walk to the en suite. "It's not a competition and no, it doesn't diminish your manhood if I don't every single time." She stopped in the doorway and turned back to him. "Besides, I don't think I would survive that many orgasms every night. I have no idea how you have the strength."
"Because I'm faerie." He smiled. She laughed and turned away.
*******************************************
Every night since they'd had sex above the clearing she'd tried to keep the mood between them light. Yet, in spite of everything she'd fed or shown him, she still kept catching him looking at her with that heart wrenching look of loss in his eyes. He'd been doing a good job of hiding it away each time she caught him but it still lingered between them.
She didn't understand what was causing it and was too afraid to ask. After turning it over in her mind for what felt like a hundred times she decided it must have something to do with his mate. Maybe she reminded him of her in some way? Perhaps seeing her brought back the pain of her loss?
Regardless of being shoved into a sexual relationship by the spell their connection was still young and fragile, she didn't feel right about prying into something so obviously painful. It was safer to ignore her curiosity and attempt to turn his mood around with other means.
A few weeks after their night above the treetops she had an idea.
She had a nap after kissing him goodbye at sunrise and then got to work. The server at the diner in town gave her a funny look when she ordered fried chicken before ten in the morning but Isabelle didn't care. She was busy thinking about how Alasdair looked before he left her earlier.
When she got home she packed blankets, tarps, pillows and a full cooler into the garden wagon. After a quick inventory she went to the guest room and pulled out more pillows and a fake fur blanket to add to the pile. The book was slid into a backpack along with some clothes to change into before she summoned him later.
It took several hours to pull the overloaded wagon through the trees, string up the tarps, lay out the blankets, find enough rocks to build a small fire pit and then gather wood. Starting the fire was accompanied by a string of curses Alasdair would have been shocked to hear come out of her pretty lips.
When the orange flames finally sprang to life she wanted to jump up and do a little happy dance. The rest of her preparations went quickly. She went to the stream to wash up and change. It was still hours before sunset so she set an alarm on her phone and snuggled under the fake fur for a nap.
Having a faerie who could only escape his prison after sunset had been unbelievably disruptive to her sleep schedule. She had refused to listen to his suggestion of not opening the book each night. The responsibility of his freedom weighed too heavily for her conscious to allow her to sleep peacefully while he remained locked away. So sneaking naps anytime she could had become routine.
The alarm went off a few hours later, just as the sun was sinking below the horizon. She stayed under the blanket for a few minutes before throwing it back so she could stretch and then finish setting out the contents of the basket.
The fire had burned down to embers while she slept so she added some wood, blew on it gently, and breathed a little sigh of relief when the flames leaped up to consume the branches.
She went back to the wagon turned impromptu table and flipped the book open. It was a few seconds till he appeared next to the fire.
"Did you miss me lass?" He asked with a smile.
She laughed at his expression when he looked at her standing at the edge of the pallet. "A little bit."
"Isabelle." He looked around at what she'd done. "Where did you take us? It looks a bower in my realm."
"It's the clearing you took me to."
He turned and saw the stream. "You did this for me?" She nodded.
"I thought once we, um you know." Her eyes glanced at his naked lower half. "We could have some wine and watch the stars come out."
A sheen of perspiration had already coated his brow. He could barely restrain himself from grabbing her and tossing her down onto the pallet. His hands shook with effort but he fought against the excruciating pain to be gentle as he slid the silky red nightgown from her and set it aside.
She went to her knees when he guided her forward, gasping as he pushed into her. His hands on her waist pulled her up to press her back against him. She looked up at him as he wrapped his arms around her. Neither of them said a word.
Her heart sank as she got an up close view of that look in his eyes. She pressed his hands against her, trying to comfort him.
After a few moments his lips curved with a hint of a smile and the look disappeared. He kissed her softly, delighting in her little purr as his hips moved slowly. She may not have been ready to accept his devotion but he could make her body sing with pleasure.
