Page 7 of Dominating the Dryad (Halloween Temptation #13)

“Good. That’s good,” Peri says. “Please don’t leave while I sleep. I want to kiss you good-bye.”

Tristan laughs and kisses him again. “You are so fucking adorable. And I won’t.” He tucks Peri under his chin and hugs him close. “Now, sleep. I’ll still be here in the morning.”

“Okay. Good night.”

And Peri sleeps like he never has before. Dreamless, deep, and comfortable.

* * *

“You can’t tell anyone what I am, you get that, right?” Peri looks down at his lap, fiddling with the blanket and twirling his long hair between his fingers. “And I can’t tell anyone about you. They’d exile me.”

Tristan sits back down on the bed, gently stroking Peri’s cheek. “I know. We’ll figure it out, okay?” He tips Peri’s head back, forcing their eyes to meet. “I want to see you again, though. How do we do that?”

“I can meet you in the forest at the front of your house? Right by the treeline?”

Tristan’s face scrunches in confusion. “You know where I live?”

“I . . . I do,” Peri says, face heating quickly enough to make him dizzy. “I have followed you around for a bit,” he adds in a whisper.

He expects Tristan to get angry, or disappointed, maybe scream at him or at least say that he’ll never want to see him again. But instead, his eyes soften and his lips quirk up in a smile.

“How long?” He asks.

“A couple of weeks.”

“Why?”

Peri’s face burns. His eyes flit away again, unable to look Tristan in the eye.

“Handsome,” he starts before having to clear his throat.

“You were—are—so handsome and . . . big, and I just couldn’t look away.

I didn’t mean to follow you or be creepy, but I couldn’t stop myself.

” He slams his lips shut before saying something entirely embarrassing.

“It’s okay,” Tristan laugh—laughs. “I’m not mad at you. I’m going to take it as a compliment.” To cement his words, Tristan leans forward and presses a soft peck to Peri’s lips. “And meeting by my house sounds good. Tonight?”

Breathing a sigh of release, Peri answers, “okay.”

* * *

The sun had already set, and Perenneos is hiding behind a thick tree with a clean line of sight to Tristan’s front door. They hadn’t specified a time that morning, so Peri had simply headed when he knew Tristan would get home. And it’s only slightly concerning that he knows exactly when that is.

He could go up and knock on the door, but people are moving about the street and Peri really doesn’t want to be seen. He’s already broken enough rules.

But, just as he contemplates breaking a few more, Tristan walks out the door—this time with a thicker coat, gloves, and a scarf.

And a bag. Crouching down, Peri puts his palms to the earth and calls forth his magic.

Quickly, the grass grows taller and greener, and a bright yellow flower sprouts right between his fingers.

Peri lets it bloom fully before sitting back and gently plucking it from the ground.

He knows he shouldn’t use his magic for frivolous things, but what’s another rule to break? And every dryad ever has grown a flower for their beloved.

“Tristan,” he calls when the man is close enough to hear him. “I’m over here.”

Following the sound of his voice, Tristan stops before him with a smile. “Hi, Peri.”

“This is for you,” Peri answers, holding up the flower to him. “I just grew it.”

“My amazing, Peri.” Tristan grabs the flower, but doesn’t admire it for long before pulling Peri against his chest in a tight hug. “I’ve missed you.”

“Missed you too.”

They head back to Peri’s cottage in relative silence, hands clasped and listening to the sounds of nature around them.

So many animals are settling in for winter, building burrows and collecting food before the ground grows frozen and cold.

Peri will make sure to help them out if they need it.

And maybe he can get Tristan to help out too.

* * *

When they arrive, Tristan is quick to make himself at home. He toes off his shoes, hangs his clothes up neatly and places his bag on the dinner table.

“I got you something,” Tristan says, digging through his bag and pulling out a square piece of . . . plastic? Peri doesn’t reach out to take it straight away, but eyes it suspiciously. “It’s a phone.”

Peri still doesn’t grab it.

“It’s so we can keep in contact with each other.” Tristan taps on the thing, making it light up, and Peri takes a step back. “I found one of my old ones and set it up for you. You only have my number, and will only need to use it to talk to me. It’s not dangerous. I promise.”

“It’s plastic.”

Tristan pauses. “Except for the plastic, it’s not dangerous.” He grabs hold of Peri’s hands and gently places the lit up . . . phone into it. “I’ll show you how to use it. And I got a power-bank so you can charge it here. We’ll figure it all out.”

Peri cups the thing in both hands, staring down at the screen. There’s a picture of a dog on there. “How . . . ?”

They spend a couple of hours going over everything several times.

Peri learns both new words and how to use his new possession.

And finally he can both . . . text and make video calls (Tristan let him practice three times).

So, when he leaves the next morning, Peri is already waiting for the message to tell him Tristan is home from work.

He guesses it will be good for winter, when not even dryads can withstand the cold and snow. And keeping in constant contact with Tristan is good too. Even though the phone is made of plastic.