Page 20 of Murgul
“Little Starshine, there is no reason for your anger. Everything happens for a reason, and I am here. Nothing happened to me. I do not blame my brothers for their actions. They were trying to save the other halves of their souls from death, and that is a worthy cause.”
Pulling my face away, I lean back and frown up at him before snapping out. “I am well aware that you are just fine. That doesn’t mean I’m not fucking pissed off at both Slavic and Einar. Just because I understand why they did what they did, doesn’t mean I have to agree or like it!”
My voice ends on an angry hiss that sounds similar to one of the Murgul’s favorite ways to express displeasure. It appears some of his mannerisms have rubbed off on me.
“Come now, do not be cross. It is time for us to go to bed. We have talked late into the dark cycle, and we need our rest. The next couple of rotations are going to be long.”
Murgul’s cajoling voice soothes a small amount of my pique, and I hop off his lap with a huff.
“Fine,” I reply. “But don’t think I’ve forgotten that there was something else you wanted to talk to me about. You were way too quiet when you got here after leaving the helm room.”
Stomping to the bathroom, I make use of the toilet and brush my teeth before bed, frowning at my reflection in the mirror the whole time.
Exiting the lavatory, I see Murgul has pulled the covers down for me and is waiting for me in bed. His body is propped up against what constitutes the headboard, and he’s watching something on his personal viewer. Yet again, he’s managed to change into sleepy-time clothes, put his hair in a loose braid, and get in bed first. The second he hears me, he puts the screen down and gives me his full attention. It’s so much different from what I am used to from humans, men as well as women. My society had become numb from technology that some sort of screen always influenced our personal interactions.
Using my stool, I climb into bed and get under the covers, only to smile when Murgul pulls the ends up over me before I can reach for them.
“Please do not be cross with me, little Starshine. I am not intentionally hiding anything from you, but considering how emotionally drained you are… would you be averse to waiting until the next rising for me to share my news with you?”
Rolling so I’m facing him, I feel my anger slide away completely when I see the worried look on his face. Sometimes I forget how emotionally sheltered he really is. Tucking a lock of his colorless hair behind a pointed ear, I cup his jaw before pulling him down until his mouth meets mine. Kissing him softly, I soothe his worries without words until I feel his big body completely relax into the bed. With one last caress of my lips against his, I pull back and smile tenderly up at him.
“Murgul, honey, I wasn’t, and amnotmad at you. I’m furious with your brotherson your behalf,and that unintentionally came across in my tone when I reminded you that you wanted to share something with me. You’ve nothing to worry about, okay?”
“I understand. Thank you, my little Starshine.”
With that, he rolls onto his back and pulls me snugly against his side as we settle into sleep.
The only time I can see his mating collar is when we are this close, as the pitch-black lines almost blend in perfectly with his dark green skin. It starts around his thick neck in a harsh, boldline before curling up his jaw, across both cheeks, before twining at the corner of each eye. The lower portion extends down in two lines, one down his spine, virtually hidden by the spines found there, before curling around the base of his tail and extending to its tip, while the second line stretches down his chest and disappears beneath his sleeping shorts.
Neither line is plain either; they both have loops and swirls that branch off. Tracing them with my fingertips has become a nightly ritual that I have no intention of ever stopping. I fully intend to commit it to memory. It’s also quite soothing, and the longer I trace them, the more I can feel the pull of unconsciousness tugging at me. “Goodnight, Murgul. Sleep well. We’ll finish talking in the morning.”
“Goodnight, precious one. You have no idea how long we have waited for you.”
Smiling to myself at how sweet he is, I slip into sleep, only half realizing it wasn’t Murgul who spoke.
Chapter Seventeen
GWENDOLYN
I wakeup horny and plastered to Murgul’s side. One of my legs is thrown over one of his massive thighs, and my clit is throbbing against his hard flesh. Moving my leg off him, I slip out of bed and pad over to the bathroom to perform my morning ablutions. After I’m done, I get back in bed and snuggle up to my mate. Murgul and I haven’t really done anything other than exchange kisses to this point, but I’ve kept Einar’s warning about the mating sickness at the forefront of my mind.
So far, I haven’t noticed Murgul struggling with any sort of malady, and we have been unmated quite a bit longer than it took for Rowan and Einar to seal their bond. Every time our kisses have gotten heated, Murgul pulls away from me. He swears he will do nothing to pressure me into making a decision, but he’s basically edging me with arousing kisses and then not doing anything about it.
Thus, me waking up horny as fuck.
It’s time for us to take a big step forward, and I have just the idea to make it happen. Peeking up to make sure he’s still asleep, I slip my hand down his bare chest to the top of his soft sleep shorts. I’ve never seen Murgul naked; he always changesfrom his tactical-looking pants to these soft sleep shorts when I’m in the bathroom before bed. The waistline of both articles of clothing has a slit cut into it for his tail, and I have to applaud whoever designed them. Thankfully, the sleepy-time shorts have a simple string holding them up, and aren’t like his complicated-looking daytime clothes.
Gently, I pull the end of one of the strings to untie the bow and start in surprise when a large, dark green hand snaps firmly around my wrist, halting my actions instantly.
“What is it that you’re doing, bright one?”
Murgul’s tone is a combination of amusement and trepidation.
Relaxing against him, I smirk. “Oh! You’re awake!”
“Yes, I have been since you got of bed to tend your morning needs in the cleansing room.”
Huffing in exasperation, I let my head drop against him. So much for being quiet and stealthy. Raising my face back up so that I can look him in the eye, I reach for some courage. “You keep hiding the goods from me, and I want to see what all of my mate looks like.”