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Snapping his mind away from carnal thoughts, Narsus demanded, “Why’d you hit me?” Although he already figured out why it happened.

“ That was a fun surprise.” Lune wiped away the jovial tears. “But you used contractions and weren’t proper and stuffy enough. But yeah, yeah, I get it. I’ll do my best to rein in any Cal-isms. Especially here.”

Another swing of the pillow mussed up Narsus’s hair this time. “And this one is for getting ahead of yourself,” Lune continued. “Ogling me like some sort of dessert. I’m quite aware phoenix run passionately too hot.”

Narsus followed when Lune jumped off the bed. They chased each other around, laughing, shouting. Crashing into the bookcase, causing it to thump and rattle against the wall. Several knickknacks rolled to the floor with yet another clatter, but did not break.

“Oops,” Lune giggled, shoving the items closer to the wall with his foot. “You don’t think we’re attracting unwanted attention, do you?”

Narsus halted, listening, then shook his head. “Bree’s a telepath, and an empath. They won’t bother us. ”

Lune wrinkled his nose with a mischievous grin. Then stalked forward. “Good.”

Narsus tensed at the bit of fluff held above Lune’s head, and lunged to secure his own pillow. He lifted it and sent a swing back. And missed.

Hooting and laughing, Lune jumped back up on the bed. “It’s about damn time you picked that up. I was starting to wonder. Let’s get rid of some of that pent-up energy.”

“So you’re saying I’m slow?” Narsus asked, half-offended, but full surprise radiating from the question.

“With your aim, and your perchance at having fun.”

That did it. “Perchance?” Narsus teased in reply. “That’s such a Calico word. Did you even use that correctly in a sentence?”

Lune puckered his lips like a fish and shrugged with utter indifference.

Narsus aimed the next swing at Lune’s knees. His mate shrieked at the swift, harmless contact, dropped to his butt, and rolled off the opposite side of the bed. Narsus crawled over the rumpled sheets in pursuit.

Their laughter rang throughout the suite as they took turns chasing each other back and forth across the mattress. Even under it in a hail of muffled giggles. They skipped around in circles about the washroom, leaping over the narrowest stretch of the sunken bath.

It was nearly a joint, mutual surrender inside the walk-in closet. Until a well-placed smack tore a seam of the soft cushion. Feathers and down arced out and floated in the air. More squeals, more warm hilarity orchestrated them back to the main room, where they collapsed upon the bed.

Both heaving from the exertion .

Narsus was dizzy and worn out with joy. He was barely able to spit a stray feather off the corner of his mouth because his body was so comfy and cushy in this big bed.

There was a dip, a flop, and the mattress bounced several times. Narsus barely opened an eye to spy Lune fussing, trying to get comfortable. Perhaps still wound up with excitement.

Knowing he was safely cocooned in his gloves and long sleeves, Narsus reached out to wrangle his still overly-animated mate. A mate who’d knocked the wind out of his sails, and left this silly undead poison phoenix in a pile of exhausted feathers.

It was a shock when Narsus realized he’d scooped Lune up into his arms. Plopping him against his chest to still the wiggling. Narsus was met with a low, wicked chuckle.

“I got you right where I want you,” Lune announced.

Narsus rumbled with lazy mirth. “You had me here before.”

“Ah, but you’re more relaxed now, am I right?”

“You’re so right,” Narsus agreed, his voice going gritty and lethargic.

Savoring the ragged, heaving, uneven flow of them catching their breath.

Their hearts thumping in response to that fun, spontaneous romp.

He was super relaxed, despite Lune snuggling up against him, pressing his nose into the heavy fabric of his woolen tunic.

“Mmmm. You smell of coals and fire,” Lune mumbled against his chest. “I love it. It’s natural.

Fresh. Manly. Reminds me of campfires on the beach during group dates when I was a teen.

Our family’s scents are all so stuffy and cloying and fussy.

As much as I love Cal, his chosen scents often gave me low grade headaches. ”

Narsus’s eyes flashed wide, but he didn’t move.

Or let on that the comments had caught his interest. So Lune was aware of phoenix holding certain scents close to their hearts.

Just how far did his mate’s knowledge go?

Had Calico shared their secrets with Lune?

He’d wait for additional dropped details before inquiring over the matter further.

At this moment though, the warm weight of Lune’s body snuggled up against him took precedence. It was all so new. Strange. Comforting. Frightening. It was a fear and sensation Narsus welcomed.

And at this present moment, Lune visibly inhaling, enjoying that smoky essence of his phoenix-self, carried Narsus to a place where grief didn’t exist.