Wild Magic Three: The Shade of the Earth- a M/M fantasy shifter romance

19- Kind of Amazing

*****Poor Robert got caught ahahaha*****

ROBERT—

Once we had caught our breath, again, we dressed and I led Sami out of my room for breakfast. I was surprised he didn't shift into his cat form, and instead followed me wearing the clothes Emma had made for him that I'd paid for. They fit him perfectly, showing off his small, pert ass and almost petite body and chest. Though he wasn't in his cat form, he still moved like one, stalking gracefully, silently at my side. If he didn't say something every once in a while, I wouldn't even know he was there.

As we walked, his eyes were on me more often than not, and I eventually turned to him when we were near the barracks' mess hall.

"What's wrong, Sami?"

His answer, as always, was succinct and without any bit of hesitation.

"I want to hold your hand," he said, his voice a bit of a pout.

I laughed, shaking my head as I held my hand out to him. He studied me for a moment, watching my hand, then my face, then back to my hand.

"You are not embarrassed or ashamed that we mated, my Robert?" he asked, his voice a little small, quiet and timid. Something I didn't think I'd ever heard from him.

I considered his words. I should be. I should be ashamed and upset that last night I'd pushed past every acceptable sexual and social line I'd been raised on. But I just couldn't muster the energy to be anything but hungry and tired. I wanted to get breakfast, and then I wanted to go back to my room and test Sami's soreness.

So no, I didn't give a shit if anyone saw us holding hands. We had before— before I'd given in to Sami, before I'd let myself fall for him so deeply I couldn't even pinpoint when I'd hit the bottom— if I ever had. Everyone already thought we were together. So why would now any different? Just because it was ... true?

"We've held hands before, Sami. It's not any different," I explained, clenching my fingers in a beckoning gesture to try to get him to grab onto me.

His eyes flashed with hurt, though looking back on what I'd said, I wasn't sure what I'd said wrong.

"It's different for me, mate," he whispered, before sliding a cold, clammy hand almost limply into mine.

I opened my mouth, ready to push him for what had upset him, but he dragged me along before I was able to form a single word. I shook my head and rolled my eyes, then followed after him obediently.

When we made it into the barracks' mess hall, only a handful of men remained— it was rather late in the morning for us to be coming for breakfast. Dasan and Nibley looked up and immediately broke out into loud, choked guffaws at the sight of us, and I could feel my cheeks heat in embarrassment.

They knew. At first sight.

How did they know? How was that possible?

A group of men sat a ways away from Dasan and Nibley, but they barely glanced up for a moment before looking back down to their own breakfasts. I tried to ignore them as Sami and I walked up to Dasan and Nibley.

Nibley ribbed Dasan to chastise him, trying to straighten his own amusement from his face. He turned to me and made a motion, as if to brush something from his top lip. I frowned, raising my brows in question, and he snorted and made the move again.

I tentatively reached up and brushed my own upper lip and felt mortification run through me as I touched something dried and crusty on my skin, across my top lip and a little in the scruff that had grown overnight. I rubbed it off with the back of my hand as Nibley and Dasan continued to try to calm themselves. My face flamed so hot I could feel it as I practically scrubbed at my mouth.

Sami huffed in annoyance, rolling his eyes and glaring up at me— as if angry I was brushing his dried cum off my lips. As if I should have kept it there. He sighed and looked away, his eyes glancing around the room a few times before he made a strange, full body shudder movement and stalked towards the food.

"He ok?" Nibley asked as I sat across from them.

"He'll live," I grumbled, making Dasan snort in amusement.

"And you?"

"I'm..." I stopped, meeting Nibley's eyes and wanting to open up— about my confusion, my continued lack of interest in any man but Sami, my joy that I'd maybe found someone I could spend the rest of my life with, even if he was in a package I never could have anticipated. My fear that I was feeling too much, far too soon. And yet it wasn't— I'd known Sami for months.

But I held back, shaking my head and taking a deep breath in, not wanting to vomit all my swirling emotions on my friends. Not even sure how to pinpoint or articulate most of them.

"I'm kind of amazing," I said with a smile that I knew was maybe a little smarmy and a lot sappy.