As my feet settle on the ground, his eyes rake over me, and I nearly flush. I was only in the cargo pants I'd dawned this morning, the tattered shirt long since fallen off my shoulders. My body had changed, and with each passing day as a lycan reborn, I felt like I'd grown stronger.
I was losing the softness I'd had, while I was not the trim and cut adonis before me, I was slimmer and more fit. The lines of my chest had carved themselves more clearly, my collar bone accentuated by muscle rather than ghostly under pale skin. "Hmm." It was an interesting sound, causing me to make a face as I cross my arms protectively over my chest.
"What does that mean?"
With a boyish grin, he smirks at my offense. Dimpling his cheek, flattering me with the appreciative head tilt. "I'm not sure, you are just... overwhelmingly attractive... to me right now. Don't get me wrong, resisting you at times has been an act of god's mercy, but-" Catching his lower lip in his teeth, he captures my hand to carefully and slowly spin me in a small circle. "I must say, I'm quite taken."
So proper. It wasn't often I was exposed for him in this way, not in broad daylight, not so consciously without being otherwise at risk of losing my life. "Taken, eh? Is that 'english' for you'd take me on this lawn if there wasn't a religious cult in that house?"
Scoffing, he reaches to brush some of my hair out of my face, snagging a stray strand of hay or corn silk. "Darling, I would bury myself in you on their damned kitchen table if our children weren't in that house. Least you forget that while you were king, I enjoyed startling your servants out of their stupor with your sounds of pleasure."
My cheeks darken as I gawk at him. It wasn't often he spoke to me so boldly, let alone so casually. "Well surely we couldn't ruin lunch... but I could convince Gary to take the boys out for a bit?"
Taking a step closer to me, his hand trails down my abdomen, the backs of his fingers brushing over my stomach as he releases my hand to trail his thumb over my lower lip. Cupping my face, he drinks me in with that icy gaze and I'm smitten for him all over again. "I do enjoy dessert before a meal on the rare occasion. Of course, you'd have to be bathed first... but you'd do for a plate, then I'd get to clean you off all over again."
Bending, he skirts his nose over my cheekbone, and my lips part as I will him to kiss me. Disobedient as always, he hovers his lips over mine, I relish in the feeling of his stubble against my own. "You have no regard for people's water bills with all this bathing." I tease with an airy chuckle.
"Mmm, guess I'll just have to use my tongue for round two."
Swallowing hard, I can only chuckle lightly as he grins against my lips. "Foul creature."
"Daddy, do I need a bath, too?" Darrius tugs on Verando's shorts, making me gasp and him sigh. Wide eyed, I meet my husband's gaze with an apologetic chuckle as he growls low in his throat only enough for me to hear. A frustrated noise, more than anything.
"Bath, bath!" Xaiver manages, carefully managing the stairs.
"Did I ever tell you I want like, ten kids?" I tell him with a giggle, enjoying the horrified look on his face.
Legardo scowls from the porch, "For the love of god, don't encourage him to keep reproducing. Also, as a lycan who can hear everything, can I verbally vomit and tell you both to get a room? Actually, don't? Just fornicate in the woods like the heathens you are?"
I could only imagine the look on Caspian's face, I hadn't necessarily thought about the aftermath of other lycan's hearing our conversation. Verando lifts Xaiver who immediately squirms out of his grasp. "Icky!" He squeals. I couldn't say I blamed him, the man was covered in dirt, grit and tree bark.
"Did I see you carrying a log?" I question as we follow the small boy back to the house. Darrius seems concerned about our state of filth though he does a better job of hiding it.
"Half of one. The logistics of shouldering an entire tree are quite ridiculous. Strong enough to carry it, uncoordinated enough to not balance it, I suppose. Judging by the look of you, you seemed to have done something fun this morning?" Wrinkling his nose, I swat at him for his insult of my scent. I had half a mind to remind him he was all over me not moments ago.
In my hatred of Caspian, I hadn't remembered to tell him what we'd done. "John and I fixed a tractor!" I tell him excitedly.
"Vroom!" Darrius giggles. "Like on the show?"
What show did he watch that had a tractor? I encourage him with a smile before glancing back towards Verando, who looks slightly more concerned as we climb the stairs. He takes Xaiver's hands, swinging him in half-hearted jumps up the stairs as the child kicks and squeaks to go higher.
"It's like.. a giant.. clunky.. car? But not a car."
"Oh. That makes so much sense. A car that isn't, I can see it now!"
"Asshope!" Darrius accuses and we both freeze, wide eyed. Verando elbows me firmly, nearly knocking me back down the stairs. I clutch my side, shooting him a glare before clearing my throat. "I'm like Tata!"
"Wow. Good parenting, Nic." Tiberius appreciates from inside the living room. "Let's leave the asshopes to get clean and get some lunch before your mommy and daddy kill each other." Shouldering both children, he gives us a look to please hurry before going back into the house with Xaiver screaming to be put down.
Darrius blinks. "I don't have a mommy."
"Ok. Quickly please, gentlemen?" Tiberius calls over his shoulder.
While it was overwhelming, it felt so normal. A real family unfolding before our eyes. "Are we good parents?"
"Wait. You still haven't explained to me how you ended up in this state. A tractor? Why were you fixing a tractor? Helping that prick, no less..." Even in the small clad shorts, he still manages to produce a cigarette and a lighter. Lighting it, he steps away to distance himself on the porch before taking a slow drag. I resist the urge to push him over the railing for such defiance.
"I really like to fix things, I don't know, it makes me feel good to be useful." Verando sighs and I immediately stop him with a hard look. i know he felt I was useful, he loved me, more than I would ever deserve; but- I needed something that mine. He couldn't do it, not with his size or his dislike of grease and all it entailed.
This would be mine, entirely, and something I could do for him on top of something that I found interesting. "I like it. John showed me how, he's really not bad when you get to know him. Anyways, it started and then we couldn't get it stopped so I just picked it up and it caught my shirt in the midst of all the chaos."
Concern flashes over his face as he takes another drag, watching me cautiously before putting the cigarette between his lips to approach me. Parting my lips, his gaze stops me from talking as he takes my hands in his. Slowly, he inspects me, from my waist, over my chest, down each arm and my neck before his hand rests on mine once more. Removing the death stick from his mouth, he exhales and I gag, grabbing it to toss it on the ground and crush it out. "That's disgusting." I scowl at him.
"Got to have our vices, darling." Gripping the wedding ring between his thumb and index finger, he glances back up at me. "Take this off when you do things like that, it could get caught."
For a moment, I was worried he'd tell me I couldn't, that he would attempt to steer me away from what he might consider dangerous. Instead, he seems mostly concerned for my safety. "Take care of this. This is mine and I expect it in complete working condition at the end of every day." Kissing my forehead, he brushes his nose against mine.
We take turns showering, I knew better than to be alone with him right now after how he'd looked at me, there was no way he was going to allow me to get out of his grasp the moment I was of access to him. To be honest, it was nice to be pursued. Oftentimes, while I knew he did find me attractive, boasting about it was not something he made a habit of. He'd tell me I was beautiful, in his own calm manner, but to discuss it so intimately had done wonders for my libido.
I take the time to finish lunch before he was done, showering immediately after him if only to prepare my body for another layer of filth as I was desperate to get back out to the tractor and conclude the work we'd been doing on it. This seemed to disappoint him but I couldn't help wanting to continue to enjoy the thrill of the hunt for a solution.
Kissing his cheek and leaving him with our children, I trot out the door only to be stopped by the younger version of my husband. "Oh. Randy." I try not to sound disappointed. The young man hadn't necessarily been a ray of sunshine. "I figured you'd be sleeping off the labor from earlier."
He shrugs, almost shy. "Caspian gets clingy when he's tired, I'm not ready to sleep yet and it makes me uncomfortable being around my future self. Can.. I go with you? To see what you're working on? I seemed to like whatever it was, still trying to figure this whole thing out." Tilting my head, I find it amusing how uncomfortable he was asking me to come alone. For such a symbol of sex and masculinity, the young man wasn't used to being on this side of the table when it came to courting someone.
"Oh, like a date?" I chuckle, as he glances up at me, horrified, just as he'd done earlier. "Oh, you're going to grow up to look at me just that same way." I pinch his cheek affectionately before nodding. "Yes, come along, before I change my mind. You can help me not die and maybe keep John alive a little longer in the meantime, as well."
John follows along behind us, though now I was slowed down by two humans, I could appreciate that Randy was finally starting to look like a person that was eating at least semi-frequently. "Is there a place out here to put us when the full moon rises?" He sounds distant as he crosses his arms over his chest, shuddering at the thought. Painfully behind schedule already, there would be no way we would be able to send them back before another full moon. It was only two days away.
John nods, "The old cattle barn has some stalls, they're steel with a lid, we'll chain you up good in there. Verando has Father David coming tonight to bring us some silver and holy water, I heard him talking to Tyler about it. Apparently, it should help keep a lid on this whole... change.. thing. Try not to kill us all, alright there, kid?"
Paling, he nods, disturbed that they'd already decided what to do with him and Cas. "You'd be wise to arm yourselves. i doubt a steel trap is going to keep me locked down."
"We've got this under control. Don't worry about it." An attempt to reassure him, I put my arm around his shoulder with a small smile. Fixing the tractor takes longer than I expected, to get the bolts out and reinstall the wheel, coupled with the learning curve and working with two humans, I wondered how my husband managed for so long. He was so gentle, considering, I knocked Randy over quite a few times just trying to hand him things.
It was hard to be strong and then soft. In the back of my mind, I envision taking my pent-up energy out on the gray-haired man later tonight if I could find a place for our kids. Perhaps I didn't want ten kids, I valued our alone time way too much. As dusk begins to settle, I note a car and imagine that much be the Preist. As we gather the tools, I notice another. And another. Followed my multiple more.
My phone rings, my heart sinks, I quickly answer when I see it's Landon calling me.
"What? Is everyone alright? Is Randy ok?"
"Oh, everyone's fine.. Randy's a little mad but-" he stammers through the words before sighing. "The girls have arranged a small community concert while Verando and Tiberius are in town, they're having a party... apparently Jan helped them organize it? You might want to get back here before your husband says something he might regret. When I say a little mad... it's Verando."