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“ It wouldn’t have hurt,” he replied matter-of-factly, which made her mouth drop open.

Grimacing , Naomi looked at him. “ Could you wait for me in the living room? I’ll talk to her in private and then we should be good.”

He nodded and left them to talk. However , the two rooms were right next to each other, and while the two of them tried their best to whisper, he could still hear their conversation.

Naomi gave her a very quick recap of who he was and why he was there, and every sentence or two Hayley would interrupt to ask if she was sure, if she was alright, or if she had been enchanted to believe he was safe.

“ Goddamit Hayley ,” Naomi whispered harshly, exasperated. “ I even fucked him and I’m still in one piece. He ’ s safe .”

“ You did what ?” Hayley screeched, way louder than a whisper.

Naomi shushed her but it was useless, he could still hear them. His lips tugged into a smile, amused and a bit proud.

Eventually , the two of them emerged from the kitchen, Hayley looking defeated.

“ She promised not to tell anyone about you,” Naomi told him. “ And she promised to be civil .”

Unsure of what to do, he simply nodded. While Hayley sat down on the couch farthest from him, Naomi settled herself right next to Kilean .

“ You didn’t come on your usual days,” she said, a hint of vulnerability in her voice. “ I thought I wouldn’t see you this year.”

“ We had a last-minute mission,” he explained. “ I wasn’t expecting to find you still here. I thought I would just leave you a note. And this.”

He held out his hand, calling the object with his magic.

Naomi gasped quietly when it appeared, a smile stretching her lips.

It was a wooden Christmas decoration for her tree, carved in the shape of a snowman.

The sides weren’t completely symmetrical and the face was a bit crooked, but human books said that in gifts, it was the thought that counted most. He just hoped Naomi felt that way, too. He would hate to disappoint her.

“ For me?” she asked.

“ Yes .”

Naomi took the decoration, holding it gently as if worried it would break. Her smile grew as she admired it.

“ I made it myself. I didn’t use magic,” he proudly said. “ I found out humans really value handmade things.”

When she had let him decorate her tree—telling her the stories of each ornament—he had been so fascinated by the human tradition of putting objects and lights on trees.

He had seen Christmas decorations before, but he had never interested himself in them.

After seeing how precious it was to Naomi , however, he couldn’t help being curious about it.

His stay in Hell had been followed by intensive research—stealing human texts wherever he could—about the human tradition of decorating for the holidays, until he went down a rabbit hole of information, learning about all kinds of holidays and traditions.

Eventually , he found himself fascinated by how humans made some of the decorations themselves, and after researching more about that too, he had found himself with his talons chipping at blocks of wood.

“ This is beautiful , thank you so much.”

Naomi placed a hand on his shoulder to pull him down, leaving a quick kiss on his cheek, and all the remaining worry evaporated from the weight pulling at his heart.

Hayley cleared her throat, mumbling, “ I’m still here guys.”

Naomi ignored her and rushed to the tree, taking off a decoration in the middle to replace it with his snowman. She stepped back, admiring it, then turned to her friend with a smile so wide he thought her face would break. Seeing Naomi so excited filled him with warmth.

“ Isn’t it adorable?”

Hayley sighed in defeat. “ It is cute.”

Naomi slumped back on the couch, still admiring the tree. He hated to ruin a good moment, but now that he was there, he had to tell her the other reason why he came.

“ I also came to tell you something,” he admitted.

When she turned back to him, her smile disappeared, replaced by a serious expression.

“ Tell me what?”

He hesitated, suddenly worried she might reject him. What if she was actually content with only seeing him so sporadically? What if she didn’t want him to be in her everyday life?

“ I might have found a way to change rank,” he admitted quietly. “ If I can change my role in Hell , I would have more power and freedom to choose things for myself. I could have more time for you, and actually plan when I will come to this world.”

The minute he finished talking, Naomi beamed with excitement and all his doubts disappeared.

“ That’s possible?”

“ It seems like it, but it’s going to be a hard and long process.”

Her smile wobbled a little. “ How long?”

“ I don’t know a specific timeline, because not many have succeeded in doing this, but it will take years.”

Kilean hated seeing that sad look on her face, even more when he was the reason for it. But he truly hoped that with this, the sadness would only be temporary. If he could succeed, he would be able to truly focus on her and do everything in his power to make her the happiest woman.

“ Would we not be able to see each other while you try for this?”

“ I should be able to still come by, but it still might not be every year.”

“ So he’s the reason you keep coming back here in December ?” Hayley asked, interrupting the moment.

“ We made a pact,” Naomi told her. “ He comes when he’s able, and I’m always here to wait for him.”

Hayley glared at him. “ You’re making her wait for you?”

Her eyes and tone were fierce, doing exactly what she was trying to achieve: making him feel ashamed.

“ Hayley ,” Naomi warned. “ I’m the one that wanted to do this. Don’t take it out on him.”

Hayley raised her hand in surrender. “ My bad, continue talking.”

Kilean sensed sarcasm in her tone, but Naomi seemed to purposely ignore it.

“ It will be difficult, and dangerous, and it will take a long time. But if you also want it, I’d do it,” he said. “ I hate to ask you to wait for me, to waste your time for this. I can’t promise that I’ll succeed, either, but if I do, I will make sure you’ll never have to wait again.”

Naomi reached out, taking his face in her hands.

“ I want you to do it, but for yourself. You should do it because you deserve the freedom to choose your own life. Especially after all the years you spent doing what they wanted, don’t you want to do things at your own pace?”

“ I do.”

He was old, and tired. Being able to control his own life—outside of his routines, too—was a desire that grew every day.

“ It’s a risk for yourself, too,” Naomi continued. “ But if you feel ready to take on the task, I’ll wait for you. I’ll be here to support you in the little ways I can.”

Her mere presence did so much more than she could ever imagine. Even just the thought of her was so powerful to keep him going.

His initial worry was gone now, and while a part of him wasn’t ecstatic about changing everything he knew, it helped his resolve knowing that he was doing it for her and that Naomi supported him. She believed in him and would be waiting for him, so he couldn’t fail, no matter what.

“ You two are really close, aren’t you?” Hayley asked, curious eyes traveling back and forth between them.

“ We are,” Naomi confirmed, squeezing his cheeks a little.

His chest filled with warmth as he took one of her hands, intertwining their fingers together.

“ How long can you stay this time?” Naomi asked.

“ Only until tonight, I think.”

Sadness flashed behind her eyes, but she was quick to hide it with a smile.

“ Let’s make the best of it, then.”

Naomi spent the rest of the day trying to get Hayley to warm up to Kilean .

She even forced them to cook together, as to show her friend that he wasn’t a threat.

Hayley kept asking questions about the way they met and their unconventional relationship, then eventually relaxed enough to joke around with them.

When he wondered why Naomi was still at the chalet, and why she had company, Naomi explained she had chosen to spend the entire December there, since her job was flexible enough that she could work from home during the holidays.

“ The first week or two is for waiting for you,” Naomi said. “ And then closer to Christmas , my friends and family join me here and stay until New Year . This place is the perfect Christmas setting, after all. It would be a waste not to take advantage of it.”

Hayley had arrived a few days earlier than the rest of her loved ones, and he quietly thanked the universe for it. If he had accidentally walked into the house to Naomi’s full family, it would have been much harder to explain himself.

When night came, Kilean and Naomi had some private time.

She told him about her new artistic hobby, and made him pose as she tried to sketch him.

He watched her as she worked, trying to calm his wild heart doing backflips in his chest. The idea that she wanted to have something to remember him, that she cared about him that much, created such intense emotions in him.

It was all new and a bit confusing for him, yet beautiful.

He , too, cared immensely about her, but he wasn’t able to put those feelings into words for himself, let alone for her.

He sincerely hoped he was at least able to show his affection through actions.

They ended up cuddling in her bed: Kilean sitting with his back to the headboard, and Naomi in his lap.

He held her hands in his, playing with her fingers as he talked about the process of ascending to a better rank.

He kept asking her whether she really was okay with waiting and risk wasting her time for him—and each time, she reminded him that she believed in him, and that waiting for his success wasn’t wasted time at all.

He hid his head in the crook of neck, inhaling her sweet scent.

“ Thank you for finding me that day,” he whispered. “ Even if I wouldn’t have died without your medical help, I don’t know how my life would’ve turned out if I had never met you.”

Naomi wrapped her arms around him, squeezing his big body.

“ Thank you for caring for me,” she answered back.

His hands roamed over her curves, caressing her round backside and thick thighs. He squeezed a little, earning an amused chuckle from her.

“ Like what you feel?”

“ I really do.”

Naomi leaned back just enough to look him in the face, her dark brown eyes gazing at him so intensely that he had to look away.

“ Can we try something?” she asked, biting her full bottom lip.

He simply nodded and watched as she rolled out of bed, quickly removing her clothes and throwing them somewhere around the room. When she came back to him, she straddled only one of his thick legs.

Kilean stared, her beauty taking his breath away. Long , bronze braids cascaded over her shoulders, framing her full breasts. All her curves and rolls were exposed, with beautiful stretch marks painting her light brown skin. He still had no idea how a woman could be that gorgeous.

Naomi cleared her throat, catching his attention. She gestured down with her head. He followed her gaze, only to notice his cock out of its hiding place and already erect. His cheeks heated, not realizing his body was acting on its own.

“ I’m gonna move, okay?” she asked, pulling all her braids to one side as she prepared herself.

His voice was already breathy when he answered, “ Okay .”

All the air disappeared from his lungs once her pussy made contact with his thick thigh, her heat and wetness spreading on his fur. One of her hands caressed the curve of his round belly, while she placed the other on his chest, her fingers digging into his fur.

She sent him a knowing grin, then started her movements. Slowly , she rocked back and forth on his thigh, rubbing her soaking pussy on him. Her hands wrapped into fists in his fur, lightly tugging when she’d hit that spot on her clit, making her breath hitch every time.

His cock twisted painfully between his legs.

He didn’t want to ask her to insert himself into her hot cunt, assuming that Naomi would have told him if she wanted that.

Instead , she was rubbing herself on him and he wanted to be respectful of her decision.

If , after, she wanted to do more, he’d be more than happy to oblige.

“ You can touch yourself,” she told him.

He obediently wrapped a hand around his cock, rubbing it slowly as he watched her.

“ Yes , touch yourself to me,” she moaned, smiling. “ Fuuuck .”

With a mind of its own, his tail wrapped itself around her leg, possessive.

Naomi moaned quietly, eyes half-closed, lost in the pleasure she was giving herself.

Unable to keep his hands to himself, Kilean wrapped his free hand on her backside, feeling her softness and helping her move.

His eyes fixated on her heavy breasts, swaying every time she moved.

They rocked together, Naomi on his thigh and his hand on his cock. When she picked up her pace—face contorting into pleasure, with her beautiful mouth wide open in silent moans—he began moving his hand faster, too, almost aggressively trying to satisfy himself.

He groaned loudly when he came, droplets of seed painting her thigh and hip.

As if him coming was the sign for her to reach her own high, Naomi grinned and leaned forward, hiding her face in the fur of his chest, moaning against him while her hips rocked quickly on his leg.

She let out a muffled cry, shaking as she pressed her cunt on him.

He held her through her orgasm, caressing her back.

“ You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, voice full of awe.

She pulled back, looking at him with a blissfully exhausted gaze. Her hand cupped his face, thumb brushing over his cheek.

“ You’re beautiful, too,” she whispered, still a bit breathless. “ Beautiful and so, so sweet.”

Never in his life had he been described as sweet, but it didn’t feel like a bad adjective. Coming from Naomi , it felt like the best compliment. His cheeks warmed, silently thanking his complexion and fur for making it impossible to tell when he blushed.

He took her hand in his, and placed a kiss on her palm.

“ Let me hold you while you rest,” he whispered.

They laid down properly, and his heart filled with an immense sense of accomplishment when Naomi put her head on his chest. Kilean wrapped her in his arms, fingers tracing lightly over her silky skin.

They exchanged some words here and there, but for the most part they cuddled in silence, content with the closeness and affection.

He did his best to postpone his departure as much as possible, but eventually had to let go of the beautiful woman that had given herself to him.

He kissed her forehead, trying to ignore the sad look in her eyes when he said goodbye, but when he walked out of the door, it wasn’t only sadness he felt.

He had a promise to fulfill now, and he was not going to let her down.