Spellbound

Chapter 11

Elion was slowly sucked back into reality. The warmth he was surrounded by beckoned him to stay a little longer, and who was he to argue?

Realm traveling always made him exhausted and throwing a grouchy cambion on top should wasn't helping anything.

No, he was good where he was, nestled into the soft mattress and buried under thick blankets. The pillow was harder than he normally liked, but this one was just good.

He sighed as his hazy mind began to close down once more. That's when he realized that his pillow had a heart beat.

His eyes slowly, cautiously and possibly a bit regrettably, opened to see what situation he had gotten himself into. With his cheek on his partner's chest, Stavros' bare torso seemed to stretch for miles, complete with lean muscle that Elion's fingers had apparently taken the liberty of stroking.

His breath hitched in his throat the same moment that a bowling ball dropped into his gut. There was a quiet scratch of fabric against skin and then a defined, slightly heavy arm was draped over the small of his back, all but pinning him in place.

Elion tried to will his pounding heart to slow down before it burst and made the situation even messier. He squeezed his eyes shut and slowly retracted his leg that was thrown over Stavros' shins and almost cried when he realized just how much his body had been enjoying their tangled position.

He was almost free enough to make a hasty roll and, in the case Stavros woke, pretend that he was simply shifting in his sleep. That plan would work. No one would ever know that he had become a clingy koala in his sleep, no one would know that he had woke up all but molesting his partner.

With a well executed shift he would be free to forget the way his erection ached when he shifted his hips away from Stavros', because that wasn't okay. Not even in the slightest.

Before he could make another move, Stavros's arm tightened and a low, almost startled sound rumbled in the cambion's chest. Elion froze and recalled his first year training on how to keep yourself calm in a deadly situation, because really, this was probably the most deadly one he would ever be in. Stavros was going to pluck his head off his shoulders for this, even if it was an honest mistake that he had no control over.

He waited, mind screaming, blood pumping wildly, for the pain to come, but it didn't. Instead, the arm loosened and slightly rough fingertips slid between his cheek and Stavros's chest. The arm tightened around him once more and then he was..rolling?

Elion struggled not to open his eyes, or scream for his mother as his body was moved gently, as if Stavros was trying not to wake him. But that would be a lie, Stavros wasn't kind. He was probably just trying to keep Elion asleep until he had a pillow over his face.

Fingers brushed over his cheek and Elion shivered, a slight gasp slipped through his parted lips and the hand retracted instantly. He felt the mattress move as a weight shifted and heard feet quietly hitting the floor. Material slid against skin and then the weight was back. A large hand gripped his shoulder firmly and gave a tired shake.

"Elion," Stavros said, the sleep still thick in his voice. Elion dared let his eyes flutter open once more, not sure what to expect. "We overslept."

"Huh?" He asked, propping himself up on his elbows. Day was breaking, but it was still a few hours before they normally began their day.

"We overslept," Stavros repeated. "The days are shorter in Asurian this time of year. We won't have much time to make camp if we don't hurry up. You can have the shower," he said, stretching on his toes to reach into a dresser drawer. Elion swallowed hard and nodded though Stavros wasn't even looking in his direction.