Page 27 of Pocket Full Of Posies (Snowberry #2)

I nearly lost it when I saw the wraith hovering over Daisy’s curled up body, protecting Delphi. There’s red blood smeared all over her shirt and I have no idea if it belongs to her or Delphi. Either way, something inside me snapped. A fierce fiery need to protect what’s mine, my Blossom, my love, my mate.

I placed myself between the wraith and my future on instinct. My inner fire becoming my outer fire. I’ve never fought a wraith, but it only made sense that a being made of shadows, darkness and iciness wouldn’t like fire. It’s its polar opposite. I didn’t think, I just acted. Thankfully it was the right thing to do, and the wraith didn’t absorb and kill all of us. If it had, I would have died willingly, knowing I did everything to protect Daisy.

“Where are you hurt?” I ask, kneeling in front of Daisy and running my hands over every inch of her looking for an injury.

“It’s not mine, it’s from Delphi.” She lifts Delphi so I can see the poor injured sprite cradled in her arms. “She protected me from the wraith.”

Tears pour down my blossom’s beautiful face and I brush them away. I may not know how to heal the hurt I have created, but I can heal Delphi’s wounds.

“Come on, Blossom. Let’s get her back to your house. I can help her there.”

“What? What do you mean? We have to get her to a doctor or a vet…fairy…someone…” Her words trail off as I help her stand, and she carefully shifts the sprite in her arms.

“There are a few things you still don’t know about me. One of them is, I just so happen to be a vet.”

Large glassy green eyes stare up at me in confusion.

“It’s a long story but trust me, I know what I’m doing. I can help her. I promise.”

She doesn’t look like she wants to believe me, and I don’t blame her. With no other options and Delphi bleeding in her arms, she concedes. Nodding once and sniffling.

She doesn’t argue or pull away when I hold her under my arm and close to my side. Her shoulders rise and fall with each heart wrenching sob, and I feel like an even bigger asshole. If it weren’t for me, she wouldn’t have been out here and neither of them would have been in danger.

My heart nearly ripped out of my chest when I thought I might have lost Daisy and only with her tightly in my hold does it settle into a steady rapid beat.

When I realized she wasn’t in the woods surrounding the festival and had wandered deeper into the forest, I connected with any animal in range searching for her. I’m only happy I found her when I did.

Daisy follows my lead as we enter familiar land and finally make it back to her property. Her house sits dark and empty, Sage and Tobias still at the festival, no doubt on their way home soon. The festival ends at sunset. In the next hour everyone will be making their way back home for the night to sleep off the revelry.

“Do you have a sewing kit, Daisy?”

“Um, I think so.”

“Where is it?”

Daisy shakes her head trying to focus on my question. I’ll need a needle and thread to stitch up Delphi’s cuts, and Daisy needs something to focus on other than Delphi.

We make it into the kitchen, and I send Daisy off to find the sewing kit while I clean Delphi’s wounds. Thankfully they’re just deep cuts with no internal damage. I make quick work of everything. Once the wounds are stitched, Delphi’s sprite healing will kick in and finish the job. It’s stopping the bleeding that’s important, to allow for her magic to replenish.

Sprites are one of the most magical creatures in our world, but even they can’t survive bleeding out. I look down at the sprite that most likely saved Daisy and stroke her blood-stained fur. I owe her for that. I’ll give her every trinket she will ever want. I’ll even build her a larger nest so she can fit everything.

“Will she be, okay?” Daisy asks softly. She clings to my arm, needing something to hold on to as she watches Delphi sleeping in the nest of towels and blankets I made for her in the kitchen sink.

“She’ll be fine Blossom. Now that she’s stitched up her healing magic will finish the job.”

I press a soft kiss to her hair covered in lilies and one black dahlia. I’ve never seen that flower in her hair before and I know it has something to do with me and not Delphi.

“Come on Blossom, you need rest too. It’s been a long day.”

She nods and allows me to guide her to the couch in the living room, still within line of sight of Delphi in the kitchen. I sit and pull her down with me and she curls into my side. Even while angry at me she reaches for me for comfort. Presses against me for warmth and reassurance.

When she’s settled our tails naturally twine together. The action comforts me just as much as her. Daisy’s petite body curls into a ball, her knees pulled up to her chest and her head tucked under my chin. I pull the blanket off the back of the couch and wrap it around us both.

“I’m sorry, Blossom.”

Her eyes turn up to look at me and she frowns, a cute wrinkle forming between her eyes. “It wasn’t your fault; she tried to protect me from the wraith.”

“Not about that.”

Her expression drops and understanding flashes in her eyes. For a moment I expect her to pull away. To call me names, vow to never speak to me again, claim she doesn’t love me. She doesn’t do any of that. She does turn her face down. Hiding her eyes and expression from me.

“Endo told me what Nysa said. And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you first. When I first found you in the woods, I wasn’t out there intentionally to deceive you. I was trying to clear my head and figure out a way to avoid my mother’s meddling. I just happened to stumble upon you. I thought you had been delivered to answer my prayers. And in a way you had. I just didn’t realize which one at the time.

“I thought we could have a little fun, I could deter my mother, and no one would get hurt. But the more time I spent with you the more I wanted to be with you. The more I was drawn to you. You became far more than just a fling for the equinox.”

I take a breath, pausing to allow her to scold me or perhaps forgive me. She doesn’t do either.

“Anyway, I’m sorry that you had to hear it from Nysa. She shouldn’t have opened her mouth. All she wants is to make other people's lives miserable. Whatever she said, just know none of it’s true. Yes, my initial intentions were indecent—sometimes they still are.”

Daisy’s head jerks up to glare at me but there’s humor swimming in her emerald gaze. I grin back.

“What can I say? You make me want to do indecent things.”

Her cheeks pinken and she presses her face into my torn shirt. The scratches the wraith caused have already healed, leaving only a little dried blood on my ruined shirt. I should probably remove it but I’m comfortable right where I am. Once Daisy is ready for bed I’ll strip for her.

“Thank you, for what you did for Delphi.”

“Of course. I’d do anything for you, and her. She’s important to you and you’re important to me. I’ll always be here for you both. No matter what.”

Daisy toys with the frayed edges of my shirt where the wraiths claw cut through it. Her long delicate fingers just barely make contact with my skin beneath. It was just this morning when I had her naked in a bathtub and moaning, and I already want her again.

“How did you know how to take care of Delphi? You said you’re a vet?”

“Yeah,” I chuckle. “I got bored one year and went perusing online for something to entertain me. Stumbled upon online courses for veterinary school. I took classes online and even attended some in person. I’ve always loved animals and when I started classes it just seemed logical. Haven’t done much with my credentials yet but I think I’d like to change that. Do you think Snowberry could use a vet?”

Her pretty pink lips purse in that adorable way when she’s trying not to smile.

“Maybe. Do you plan on staying long enough to open a clinic?”

“I plan on staying forever. Think that’s long enough?”

She blinks rapidly, mouth dropping open slightly. I want to kiss her. Suck on those pouty pink lips. I take her mouth in mine before she can argue. Relishing in the way she melts against me the longer we kiss. I suck gently on her bottom lip before releasing it and brushing my nose against hers.

“Yeah, I think forever will work,” she breathes the confession against my lips.

“Any chance you have room for me here? I don’t think I want to stay at my parent’s place anymore and living at the motel doesn’t sound enticing.”

“I don’t know. You’ll have to convince Sage to let you stay too.”

“Do you think he accepts bribes?”

Daisy giggles and the sound lightens the ten-ton load on my heart. I never want to see her cry again. Nothing has ever ripped me apart like knowing I hurt her. If she’ll have me, I’ll strive to make her smile each and every day.

“That depends. Can you cook?”

“Not even a little.”

“How about we just tell him about your heroic rescue of me and Delphi from the wraith?”

My smile falls. Although the story itself would be a great tale of heroics, her reason for being in a situation to be attacked by a wraith in the first place was all my fault.

“How about we tell him how many times I made you orgasm at the festival?”

“Kai!” Daisy squeaks and slaps at my chest playfully, the pink in her cheeks darkening to red. “Don’t you dare.”

“Why don’t I just tell him how much I love his little sister? And that I’ll sacrifice my life to save hers. That I’ll do everything in my power to make her smile and laugh every day. That having her as mine and my future, makes life worth living.”

Stretching up, Daisy presses a soft kiss to my lips, pulling away before I can deepen it.

“I think that might work,” she whispers against my lips.

“How long do you think we have before they get home?”

She shrugs, grinning at me. “How long do you need?”

“To make you come? Five minutes. To love you? Forever.”

“Well then, we should get started.”

In a sweep of my arms, I scoop up Daisy and settle her legs around my hips. My tail circling her waist and holding on tight, as I walk us to the stairs leading to her bedroom. The one place I haven’t had her yet that I’ve dreamt of taking her. But, like we’ve already established, I’ll need to be quick. Sage and Tobias could be home at any minute.

Daisy directs me to the door of her room, and I kick it open then shut behind us. Tossing her on the bed, she bounces and laughs, but immediately begins stripping her clothes.

I do the same, pulling the destroyed shirt over my head and shoving my jeans off. Leaving me naked and erect overlooking my Blossom blooming for me, nude on her bed.

Crawling over her body I’m sliding inside her in seconds, filling her with my cock and my love. Stroking it deep inside her in smooth hard thrusts. Her body arching and opening to me, begging me for more, that I promptly oblige.

Just as I promised, I have her coming around my cock in less than five minutes and follow immediately behind her with my own release, panting into her flower strewn hair and sucking on the soft salty flesh of her neck.

“I love you, Blossom. No matter what anyone says to you, never doubt that.” I breathe the confession into her ear and love the way her body shivers underneath me.

“I love you too Kai.”