Faery Kissed

Chapter Six

Chapter Six

I wasn't really surprised with her announcement—given what she told me prior—but I was surprised that it was in such a tight time frame.

"Seven days? How is it even possible to know if one has successfully conceived in that amount of time?" The idea seemed preposterous.

"Everyone will be able to tell. I'll begin to glow if I am." She was wringing her hands together.

"Excuse me?" I wondered if I'd heard her correctly.

"I'll begin to glow. Certainly you've heard this saying in your realm. When a woman is with child, she gets a certain glow about her, like her appearance brightens."

"Yes, I've heard of that." I stared at her curiously.

"Well, it's the same for the women of my race, only we actually do get a pale shimmer to our skin, as if we've been lit from the inside." She was blushing again. "I know you find it odd to rush into childbearing, but it is the custom of my people."

I laughed slightly. "Actually, I'm beginning to be intrigued. I want to see what you look like when you glow, because I already thought you looked that way."

"You do?" Her eyes were wide, and I wrapped my arm around her waist, hauling her to me.

"I do," I whispered then kissed her lightly again. "And I will agree to all your demands, the public displays of affection, and even the child."

"Why?" she asked, amazed.

"Because I like it when you smile and when you blush. I like hearing you call out my name and what it does to me." I hesitated, considering my feelings before I spoke my next words. "And I think . . . I like that you are mine."

She closed her eyes. "Will you please say that to me again?"

"I like that you are mine."

She threw her arms around my neck and kissed me with wild passion, her tongue meeting my own as I pushed her over to the canyon wall, leaning her against it. She clung to me with a fierceness I'd never known from anyone before, and I knew in that moment she really did know what love was, and she was in love with me.

"You'll never realize how much your words mean to me," she said when we broke apart. "I will never forget them."

But I did know. She'd shown me, and I hoped that someday—for both our sakes—I'd be able to give her even more.

She laced her fingers in mine, pulling me after her. "Come on! I want to share everything I can with you."

I laughed, and we raced to where the walkway split into two, dividing toward each side of the canyon.

"Which way do we go?" I asked.

"You decided." She smiled at me in excitement.

"Left, let's go left."

"Done."

We slowed when the walkway narrowed, leading up to the first set of steps. I peered curiously over the edge to the layers of city that were both beneath and above us in the canyon walls. I noticed something I had missed before. Slim, stone, footbridges spanned the lower part of the canyon, nearer to the water, accessing both sides of the walls. It was clear there was no way this civilization used anything like horses or carriages—there would be no way for them to maneuver around. There were, however, long, thin boats tethered down in the water near multiple docks.

Eirian watched me with avid interest before leaning to look over the edge. "It's wonderful, isn't it?"

"Yes," I agreed. "Why are there so many boats?"