Colette's Covenant

Emergency Summons

Emergency Summons

"Well, there's very little other options available to you when you're raised in the Bronze District," Nicolas answered, shrugging his nude shoulders carelessly. "It was either follow my father into a job of hard labor, or join the military. I chose the one that was more dangerous, but paid better."

"That's it?" Colette asked, looking at him expectantly from where she was laying tucked into his side, her head resting between his shoulder and his chest. He was laid out flat on his back, she had curled herself against him, fitting her body into his.

Nicolas grinned at her. "We can't all have divine light showing us our destinies as children."

She made a face. "Grandmother told you that story, huh?"

"She seemed rather pleased with it. Told it with relish. Of course, there was very little she spoke of that wasn't about you while I was there. She loves you a great deal."

"Mm. I love her, too." Colette placed a gentle kiss against his chest, just below the line of the bandages that they had somehow managed to keep intact through their activities. "I miss her a lot. Do you miss your parents when you're gone from home?"

"My father died a long time ago. Around the time I joined the royal guard. So, I suppose, in a way, I miss him all the time."

"And your mother?"

"She lives in a lovely little house in the Gold District. Right on the edge of the plate. It's a little small, relative to the other estates in the area, but she has the most marvelous view."

Colette smiled. "Can I meet her?"

Nicolas shrugged. "If you like. Though, I warn you, if I take you home, she's going to immediately launch into ideas of a wedding. Mother is part of the old generation. She doesn't really think that affairs outside of marriage are at all permissible."

Colette giggled. "That's sweet though. Grandmother used to be like that, but she was a bit hypocritical about it. They did the same things when they were young, they just pretend like they didn't, so they can think themselves better than us."

Nicolas smiled at the expression on Colette's face. Contented, almost glowing in the low light of the approaching dawn. The hand he had around her caressed gently down the skin of her arm, marveling at how well she fit under his palm.

She hadn't even twitched when he had said the word 'wedding'. Not a hint of a blush nor the beginning of a stutter. Almost like he hadn't even said it. Or, like she didn't care that he had said it because weddings and marriages just weren't things that she was thinking about.

He didn't know if that was exclusively with him, or just in general. It honestly scared him either way he thought of it. Either she just didn't think of ever being married, or she just didn't think of being married to him. After all, she was only giving him today.

It was enough to drive a man mad. How was he supposed to think when he didn't know where he stood with her? Only a single night in the same bed, and already he couldn't think for a single moment of returning to sleeping alone.

Not that there had been much sleeping done tonight. If there had been any at all. It wasn't all love making either. They had spent a great portion of it just like this. Talking. Simply chatting about anything and everything that came into their heads.

Or, rather, her head. She controlled the conversation. Just as she controlled when she wanted to join their bodies in ecstasy again. Just as she controlled him in nearly every aspect outside of this chamber even before last night.

Nicolas told himself not to ask for much. It was enough that he was going to be getting this today, and the next today, and the next until she tired of giving him todays. But how could today be enough when he considered all that could lay beyond today?