Page 55 of To Free a Soul (Duskwalker Beginnings #2)

Approaching a swirling yellow portal in her snowy owl form, Lindiwe landed before it, shifted, and removed her feathery hood.

Nearly a year had passed since Weldir’s return, and she was thankful they’d had many spare owl feathers for him to fix her cloak with. She’d been without the ability to fly for nearly twenty-five years, as it was impossible to fly with a missing arm, and therefore, wing.

She probably should have taken better care of the garment by folding it away neatly and storing it safely, but her cloak was a part of her now.

It was an extension of herself, and not wearing it was like being naked and exposed.

She also hadn’t wanted to die, be trapped in Weldir’s realm, and have it go missing.

A human may have picked it up or stolen the mana stone – not knowing its owner would one day come back to retrieve it.

Although she still had a lot of pain and trauma to mentally deal with from his disappearance, she was... happy.

He was back; that’s all she needed to remember. And things between them had noticeably shifted.

For once, the time apart had allowed her heart to grow fonder. She believed it had to do with their intimacy right before he was shoved into a near-death slumber.

But it wasn’t the sex, despite that being an exceptional bonus.

No, it was his openness, his honesty, and his truth that had built the foundations of trust beyond their bargain.

For every single one of those years alone, she remembered the words he’d said to her, the way he’d touched her with care, and the possessiveness he’d displayed.

Their impact was enough that if she remembered them late at night and under the covers of a soft bed, she’d find her fingers gliding into her underwear so she could give herself relief. Orgasming like that had felt hollow when it wasn’t her hand she wanted, but his. Or his mouth, cock, or tendrils.

Funny how her opinion and mindset had shifted from just one very naughty conversation.

None of that removed the ache in her heart, and the new fear that he’d disappear again. Possibly forever. Anxiety ate at her constantly, nibbling away until it’d burrowed deep, and tightness clutched her chest.

Almost once a day, Lindiwe called out to him to make sure he was still there, still awake, still... alive.

But there was something else behind the anxiety, a tenderness and yearning that hadn’t been present before. The need to hear him constantly, see him more, and be by his side.

If it wasn’t for the fact that Lindiwe was charting across the globe to aid Weldir as his hands and feet in a world he couldn’t touch, she would have asked him to transport her here so she could have an excuse to be in his realm. Be near him.

It’s taken me nearly a month to find this portal, she mused, stepping closer to it confidently. I’ve never been to this part of the world.

Which was surprising, considering how far she’d travelled over her two hundred and thirty-nine years of life. She’d also been in North Unerica for many years and had never travelled to South Unerica.

Releasing the clasp of a special vial, similar to the one she used to collect souls, a tiny, cute puff of shadowy cloud hissed out.

“Thank you,” Weldir said as black glittering sand, so small it was almost invisible to the naked eye, surrounded the portal’s yellow swirl. “This is the last one on this continent. You only have one more to travel to.”

Weariness made her eyes heavy, and she wanted to groan, complain, and stamp her feet. She deserved a break. Lindiwe had been travelling the world, helping him lay down his mist, for nearly a whole year.

To say she was tired was an understatement, and there were things she wanted to do.

I haven’t seen some of our children in over twenty-five years. Weldir had missed out on so much, but so had she.

“I dislike that you cannot see me,” Weldir said, making it known he was right there, but completely invisible.

She offered his cloud a smile with false recognition in her eyes, hoping she was looking in his general direction.

“You could take me to your realm for a little while, then I could see you.” She turned slightly, so she was facing the portal more.

“I know doing this drains what little magic you have, so maybe we could rest for a short while together? You can place me somewhere closer to the next location so I don’t have to fly such a distance. You did say it was quite far north.”

Greenisland, he’d said it was called.

A decadent chuckle flittered through her mind. “You’re starting to make me think you like being in my realm.”

Her cheeks warmed, and she lifted her gaze to the side. “Maybe a little,” she admitted, placing her hands behind her back and interlacing her fingers coyly. “It’s my... safe place.”

“Safe? You once said you hated being there because you were afraid of being trapped in it.”

A sigh slipped past her lips, and she closed her eyes while dipping her head to the right.

“Well yeah, I don’t really want to be stuck there with nothing to do if you aren’t there.

I would’ve gone insane had I died and returned to your realm while you were sleeping.

” She opened her eyes and shifted them to the general location she believed he was.

“But if you’re awake, I find it safe. Nothing can hurt me, and you’ve proven you won’t do that to me again. ”

Hearts could change, they could be healed, and trust could be earned – even when it had been severely damaged.

She felt comfortable enough to sleep there peacefully, while knowing he would be awake the entire time. She was content to read her dozens of journals and spellbooks, or re-familiarise herself with all her personal items.

Heart-stuttering and body-quivering naughty things happened in that darkness. Her thighs clenched when her clit and pussy throbbed in longing.

But intimacy is entirely impossible right now.

Because she didn’t want his tendrils – she wanted him.

His hands, his mouth, his cock, even if he couldn’t feel it.

She yearned for him to whisper sinful threats, promises, and compliments in her ears while he watched, which made it all the more perverse and erotic.

Her fingertips itched to claw at his back or barriers for more, or to grab his horn or hair and tug hard as she came. And to be kissed... Lindiwe sometimes had to stifle a moan because she missed his lips more than she cared to admit, and the way they made her own swell.

But his physical body hadn’t grown in the past year.

He was using every drop of power he gained to spread his mist and barricade these portals. He hadn’t even tended to Tenebris or woken Nathair, and only healed and consumed a few dozen souls a day to slowly whittle down the vast number waiting for him.

Lindiwe sighed. I miss sex. She’d missed it for the past sixty-three years, and knowing she’d be going without for even longer was making her have perverse thoughts. Especially now that he was back within reach – but bodiless.

At some point, I’m going to give in and masturbate.

When he’d been slumbering, she’d clenched her eyes and moaned his name, as if the way she called to him with desperate, aching need might wake him.

It never did.

“I’m... glad you finally feel that way about being in my presence,” Weldir eventually said, his words slow and careful. “You have always been welcome in my void.”

The heat in Lindiwe’s cheeks deepened at her less than pure thoughts.

“I don’t think we’ve placed any children in this part of the world,” she said, trying to distract her mind and evade the vulnerability in admitting how she now felt about his realm. “Nor are there any in the next place I’m going. Is that something you are going to want to change soon?”

That had likely been the plan after Fennec was born.

“Is that something you want?” Weldir surprised her by asking.

“I’m more trying to strum up a conversation about your plans for the future.”

“We can now, but I would have to use my tendril to do so.”

Her smile twitched with strain. “I’d rather not do it that way.”

“I’m sorry, owlet, but I cannot–”

Lindiwe threw her hand up with a strained laugh. “It’s okay, Weldir. I understand, and I’m happy to wait however long it takes.” Then she looked up at the bright sky and let the sun warm her face with a small but genuine smile. “Just know I’m ready whenever you are.”

She gasped when she fell backwards as she was sucked into weightless darkness before she was caught in the comforting ether.

Parts of Weldir’s face formed, enough to dot an eye, cheek, and the opposing side of his nose and jaw. He shoved his face less than an inch from her own to glare at her.

“This kind of teasing is unfair,” he growled, yet it had no edge to it, just a yearning desperation.

Teasing? She was only being honest for once!

Yet knowing his growl was due to the frustration of needing to hold back had her nipples instantly hardening against the material of her dress. She almost wanted to arch into the sound of it, like it was a tangible thing that could erotically caress her all over.

Watching a patch of solidness move across his mouth, she waited for the perfect moment and then lunged forward. She pressed her lips to his when they were fully formed.

“Then hurry up and grow your magic so you can do something about it,” she teased.

When she pulled back, her hair waving over the sides of her face, his lips parted, and he appeared dumbfounded by her kiss and playfulness.

“Vexing little female.” He drifted away with a tsk, his mist visibly warping in and out. “You taunt me at your own peril.”

I’ll wait with anticipation for whatever that means, she thought with a mischievous smile.

A time unknown, but of peaceful contentment

With the tip of a blunted claw, Weldir stroked across her cheek and pushed a stray curl behind her little human ear.