Page 13 of Whisper Woods (Legends of the Whisper Woods #3)

Rafe

“So you come from Tathys? A city on the other side of the Whisper Woods. And they walled themselves off a billion years ago to keep their magic safe and not deal with whatever fuckery was going on at the time. But now the walls are broken and you have to rejoin the world or whatever? And something to do with the Woods and my friends?” Seff exhales a long breath from his mouth and pulls back a branch to allow me to pass.

“Eh, that might be a slight over-simplification. But overall, yes.” He falls in behind me as I pass, the heat of his chest brushing my back. The Woods on this side of the portal is dense, deliberately hostile to prevent anyone from stumbling upon Tathys’s borders.

Apart from mild motion sickness when we’d passed through the portal, he had taken everything I explained remarkably well. In fact, the portals themselves seemed to be the thing that had bothered him the most. It did not, in fact, lead directly to Tathys itself. I explained, much to his growling frustration, that such gateways existed all throughout the Woods at one point, to allow beings to cross without having to journey so far on foot. But due to time and disuse they had gone dormant.

“I still don’t get how Theo and Marieth and all that is tied in.” He doesn’t sound peevish, just genuinely confused. Reaching back, I try to grab his hand for a comforting squeeze, but accidentally manage to brush against his hip and cock before I’m successful, drawing a lustful hiss from him. “Seriously, don’t get me hard right now. Too many spikey things.”

Smirking, I squeeze his hand again, not dropping it even with the awkward angle. There is a reason he’s walking behind me on the narrow path, though. He’s still very naked. I offered him pants but he insisted they wouldn’t fit.

“Don’t worry, Seff. I’d hate for something to happen to your assets. I’ll protect you.”

He laughs, tugging on our joined hands to pull me back so he can playfully maul at my neck. It tickles and I bark a laugh so embarrassing I’d have to gut any being who ever heard it.

I twist in his hold, but his other arm wraps tightly around me. Sure, I could break free if I chose, but I’d much rather not. I squirm against him as he continues to bite and kiss along my neck, using the scruff of his stubble to tease the over sensitive skin. His body is hot and hard as he rubs against me. And despite that hardness, I don’t think it’s even sexual, it’s just been too long since he’s been touched.

“Stop!” My attempts at authority are seriously diminished by my laughter. My stomach cramps from trying to keep it in check. “Stop! I thought you wanted to know this.”

With heavy, dramatic reluctance Seff stops his playful attack. I think I’m even more disappointed than he is when he releases me. I kind of wish I had gotten dressed earlier so I could have something to fidget with.

“Ugh, fine .”

I cast an eye over my shoulder to watch as he stretches out his arms, giving himself a little shake before running a hand through his mop of sandy hair. He catches me watching through half-lidded eyes and gives me one of his cocky smiles, the one that uses his dimples to full devastating effect.

Rolling my eyes with a scoff, I continue on, leaving him to hurry to catch up.

“Right, so where were we?” He asks, leaning over my head to pull up a low-hanging branch for us to duck under.

“Theo and Marieth.”

“Right. Yeah, that.” His voice is muffled, like he’s rubbing his hand over his face as he talks and there is a distinct lack of enthusiasm in his voice, which is understandable.

He was the same when he explained everything that happened at the cottage that day. I still cannot believe Seff, my Seff , went through that. It was brutal to hear, and despite taking the time to comfort him—and myself—through the retelling, I’ve made a note to take the time later, when we’re home, to truly take my time taking care of him.

“The cottage was located on a pulse point.”

“That’s like, a pool of magic right?” Seff interrupts.

“Yes. Whether the pulse point existed before Marieth or was created by her magic, I don’t know. Either way, her magic ultimately defiled the pulse point. I believe that between her, and Tathys, the Whisper Woods is losing its strength. You and your friends, for one reason or another, were the ones able to solve the Marieth problem.”

“So shouldn’t that mean that Tathys would get stronger ? Like, more magic for it to suck up or whatever?”

“Yes, and no. No one can truly know the will of the Gods. The magic it took to orchestrate its own healing seems to have drained the Woods further. Or maybe, they are just done and want to be whole again. That is a matter for the Orun.”

“And they are?” Seff sounds exhausted—we’ve travelled all night.

“They are an order of beings who serve the Gods.”

“Right, got it.” There is silence for a moment as Seff processes. We’re extremely close to the borders of Tathys. An eerie feeling washes over me. Usually this is where the magic binding Tathys begins, but now there is… nothing.

It’s a sobering realisation.

“I have a question.” Seff asks, drawing me from my concerns. I hum my acknowledgement and he picks up my hand, holding onto it and rubbing his thumb along mine almost unconsciously. “Actually, a couple. So first, what about your parents? Am I gonna meet them? And second, your dick. When you’ve shifted like that, where does it go?”

The polarity of his questions brings me to a standstill. I jerk to a halt and, with my eyes closed, turn slowly to face him, my mind split in its attempt to process the completely opposing questions.

When I open my eyes, he looks a little confused at our sudden stop. This close I have to tip my head back to look at him in those beautiful amber eyes .

“It is unlikely that you will meet my parents on this visit. They do not live in the city, they moved to the hills when I reached adulthood. They were—are—a part of the higher society of Tathys. My father was born into it, he is dragonkin, too. My mother is a floriatae. Being a forest being like she is, living in the city was rather an adjustment for her. They retired from the city a few years ago to be closer to my mother’s lands. They are older, you see. They had me later in life and my father, the stress of the city and his position was too much, he became ill. In his mind .” Seff meets my eyes with gentle understanding, squeezing my hand in his. Emotion clogs my throat, and I clear it roughly, dragging our conversation away from topics too heavy for the moment. “You will, however, meet Brydon. My assistant. He is somewhat obsessed with the Mundane, so be prepared for questions. A lot of questions.” I cup the back of his neck, massaging the tense muscles there until I feel him soften against me. When I tug him down, he comes easily, and I press my mouth to his ear.

“And as for my dick.” He whimpers softly as I whisper. “It’s hidden for safety in this form. But feel.” I take his hand and bring it between my thighs, letting his fingers run over the seam there.

A breath shudders out of him as he strokes, his fingers finding his way between the crease into the slick, secret fold. His hesitant touch feels indescribable, becoming more confident with each stroke. My forehead drops to his shoulder, and I bite down hard on my lip to keep the torrent of words inside myself.

His face burrows back into my neck, nosing aside my hair to get closer. I can’t stop the movement of my hips, my hand clenching hard on his wrist when one thick finger brushes against the head of my cock. A harsh breath wrenches from me, and my claws flex sharply where they are clamped around the back of his neck.

Seff groans, deep and long, the sensation of the sound vibrating through us both. He rocks against me, dragging his cock against our hands where we’re joined. “ Fuuuuck. ” He sobs a moan against me. “That is incredible.”

His teasing draws my cock further out the channel of its confines, which only spurs him, and his blessed fingers on more. My fingers tighten around his wrist, almost painfully tight, and I wrench his fingers from me .

Seff blinks at me, lustful eyes bleary and confused and criminally adorable. His lips are parted in a soft “ O” shape and I give in to the temptation to press a hot, quick kiss to them.

“We are close. Dangerously close to Tathys. We can continue this later.” I nod to get my point across, a small smile tugging at my lips when he follows the movement. But I’m the one rendered stupid when he lifts his fingers, shining and wet, even in the almost nothing light to his lips. He savours my taste with such lust-filled relish he could put a siren to shame.

He hums around his fingers, eyes dropping closed. “Delicious.”

He’s only being partially serious—his raging erection poking at me is more than enough evidence about his enjoyment—but he’s still being his playful self. No doubt to distract us both from the enormity of the current situation. It’s just so inexplicably Seff .

Affection overrides the lust heating my veins and I slide my hand from its possessive hold on his neck to cup his jaw. My thumb strokes his cheek and he opens his eyes, catching me looking at him. Not just looking —seeing.

Our gazes lock, and he swallows hard, his throat bobbing with the effort.

“You are incredible, my kushinavya.” I whisper the words and feel the blush heat his skin under my hand. Words of praise, he adores them. And I want to give them to him. Forever.

I continue to look up at Seff, free-falling into the abyss of my feelings for him. But it is not as terrifying as I always thought it would be.

A smile plays on Seff’s lips, his arms wrapping around my waist. He strokes my scales gently, like he loves the feel of them. “You okay?”

I breathe in deep, my brain and instincts settling their war bringing a centred calm over me. My world might be in turmoil, with Gods know what around the corner. But I know now, what I didn’t know before. I tug on the bag looped around his neck, invoking some of his playfulness.

“Yes, Seff. I’m okay. Things are going to be okay.”

I take his hand once again and lead him home.

** *

“You didn’t mention the dragons, Rafe. How could you not mention there would be dragons? ” After everything that’s happened, with everything before him, that’s what he’s focused on?

What am I saying, I glance at Seff’s awe filled face from the corner of my eye, of course, that’s what he’s focused on. We have exited the Woods on to the hillside overlooking all of Tathys, and in the golden light of dawn, it truly is an impressive sight to behold.

In the grasslands of the south western cliffs, the dragons are waking from their nests, their vivid colouring bright against otherwise stark grassy plains. In truth, the grasslands of the dragons straddle the lines of Tathys’s mystical walls. Aside from Tavishers, dragons were one of the only living things able to cross the borders of our land, the other being the sprites.

The Orun theorise that the former is because dragons are a breed of the giant creatures that predate being and human kind, and are therefore not bound by our magic. As for the sprites, well, it is well known that they are the favourite of the Gods and are therefore not ruled by much of anything other than their whims.

The landscape flows naturally to the east, beginning with a natural border that has formed between the land the dragon's call home and the farms. Greener and more lush than the grasslands beside it, the narrow piece of land stretches from the cliffs, all the way to the northern borders of Tathys. The area is largely avoided due to its distance from the city and proximity to the dragon herd, despite it being the home of the original altar of the Orun.

Five stone pillars representing the Gods stand tall over the cliff's edge, the stone altar still sitting before them. The land itself is still a site of incredible power, but as the stories in our history books go, after the sacrifice was held there on the cliffs, the beings of Tathys found themselves unwilling to go to the altar for worship. As such, the temple of the Orun was built in the town square, opposite the palace, and the ancient altar was mostly forgotten .

The green of the border flows into the farmland—the squares of variating colours like a patchwork blanket on the low rolling hillscape. Shades of greens and yellows, with patches of purple and red, and even a vivid bold pink mark the different crops we rely on in Tathys—for magic, for survival, and for trade. Roads wind their way through the patches, like thread sewing together the seams, tying the land together.

From this distance, Tathys is still a beauty. The warm stone of the buildings looks dramatic in the light of the rising sun. The golden domes atop our buildings give off a wondrous glow, bathing the city in a lustrous haze.

Seff’s hand brushes mine until our fingers tangle together. His grip is tight, and I squeeze back reassuringly.

“You know, I kind of didn’t believe you,” he half laughs, running his hand through his hair. I can feel his itching need to move, and not just the subtle shifting of his leg beside me. His eyes flick to mine for only a moment before he casts his gaze back out over the view before him. “Not that I didn’t believe you. But like, it was too insane. A part of me just thought...” He rushes his words, desperate to explain. I squeeze his hand once again and he relaxes, his shoulder dropping from its tense position near his ear to lean into me.

“I understand, Seff. It is one thing to know . It is another to comprehend.”

“Kinda like Tathys, right?” My brow furrows and I turn to look at him again.

“What do you mean?”

He sweeps an arm wide, to indicate the beings of my city. “You guys knew the prophecy said you had to rejoin the Mundane or whatever. But now the time’s here, you’re all struggling to wrap your head around it.”

Huh. Seff really does have a rather artful way of simplifying things. I stare at him for a moment, and he raises an eyebrow, his confidence in his assessment diminishing somewhat.

“You’re right.” I reassure him, and the smile he beams at me almost brings me to my knees.

The familiar thunder of hooves in the distance brings me back to reality all too quickly. Seff hears it too, judging by the way his body loses its relaxed stance. He tenses, attempting to move in front of me protectively—despite the complete lack of danger. And the fact he is completely naked.

“It’s okay, Seff. It will be Brydon. He’s expecting me.” I place a hand on his arm and ease him around so he’s standing behind me. Really, I should have tried harder to convince him to put on pants. But my selfishness ultimately won out.

And sure enough, I catch the sight of Brydon's shocking blue hair as he barrels up the hill on his horse, Rickets. He insisted on using a Mundane name he’d seen in a book. Unfortunately, he learned the meaning of the word after the name had stuck. My horse, Nimra, runs beside them.

I don’t ride all too often, preferring to run in my other form, but horses are a status symbol in Tathys, and a being in my position cannot very well be without one. Especially one as beautiful as Nimra, with his shining cinnamon coloured coat and rich black mane and tail. Rickets is his brother, but his coat is a rather more bold cream with cinnamon-brown splotches. He suits Brydon to perfection.

“Well, hello .” Brydon smirks, pulling up to a halt at the last possible moment, forcing me and Seff to take a rushed step back. Nimra shows far more sensibility, slowing to a trot and idling up to nose at me in greeting. Brydon eyeballs Seff far too closely, raking his black eyes all over my Seff in an over the top lecherous manner.

I roll my eyes at his antics and give Nimra’s snout a generous scratch.

“Enough, Brydon.” Seff is a bundle of anxious energy behind me. “Brydon, this is Seff, my contact from the Mundane.” I stumble over the word, unable to encompass everything that is Seff and our relationship.

My choice, though, is a mistake. Seff bristles, and his hand stills on Nimra’s neck where he’d begun to give him a pat. Brydon scoffs loudly, rolling his eyes, flipping his hair out of his eyes. Leaning over Rickets to scratch his neck, he doesn’t hesitate to call out my misstep.

“ Contact . Pull the other one, Rafe.” He mumbles something about me being a bonehead under his breath, continuing to scratch at Rickets. At least he has managed to break the tension with Seff, who has begun stroking Nimra again, significantly more at ease. He even manages to chuckle softly at Brydon, who is now baby-talking to his horse about me being an idiot .

“Right,” I grunt, attempting to seize back a little control and dignity. I take a half a step towards Nimra, meaning to mount him, but remember at the last moment just how naked Seff is behind me.

Running across a naked shifter in the Woods is one thing. But even I know it is unacceptable in the Mundane cities to wander around naked post-change. That, and not my awful burning possessive jealousy at others seeing him naked, is the only reason I turn to face him.

“It’s probably best that you change before we leave.”

He is still somewhat stony towards me. He crosses his arms over his big chest to stare me down, and I try to not get distracted by the way it makes his large muscles flex. I do let my eyes drop to his half hard cock and back up to make my point.

He contemplates the alternatives, I can see the defiant little tick in his jaw while he thinks through, before he caves with a big sigh, rolling his eyes and unfolding his body.

“Ugh, fine.” He gives Nimra one last pat and the air shimmers around him, the magic reworking his existence until the golden-grey wolf is sitting in front of me, tail wagging gently.

Wolf-Seff barks a yappy kind of bark and bumps his head into my hand for a pat. Brydon watches on a little too intently, like we are the most interesting thing he’s witnessed—which cannot be true in the least. I ignore him, and his staring, while I mount Nimra. He easily settles under my weight, holding still while I settle.

“Do not say a word. We need to get moving.” I jab a claw in Brydon's direction when I see him open his mouth. He smirks, smothering his laugh when he holds up his hands in surrender.

“Wasn’t gonna say a word, Boss. Lead the way.”

I let out a snort of disagreement and click my tongue to get going. He sets off at an easy run, with Wolf-Seff keeping pace beside Rickets and Nimra.

So far, I reassure myself as we race over the grassy fields, it’s been easy. With the blessing of the Gods, it’ll stay that way.