CHAPTER 154: CHAPTER 153: AND YET, HE SAID NO

Months continued to pass, and the departure of the elves grew nearer.

Everyone felt it, like a hush before a farewell. Even the elves themselves could not quite hide the longing in their eyes when they looked at Lumberling, though none of them spoke it aloud.

...

Outside Lumberling’s modest home, Aurelya stood alone, shifting her weight from foot to foot. She stared at the door, her hands balled into hesitant fists at her sides. More than once she looked as if she might turn away. But at last, she drew a deep breath, gathering whatever fragile courage she had left, and stepped forward.

She didn’t knock.

The door swung open, and she slipped inside quietly.

Lumberling was seated at the rough-hewn table, finishing his breakfast. When he saw her, he paused mid-bite, an eyebrow arched in amused surprise.

"Hey," she said, flinching as if startled by the sound of her own voice.

His mouth curled into a teasing grin. "Couldn’t wait for me at the training ground? You had to come running here to see me?"

To his surprise, Aurelya actually nodded, shyly, almost demure. "What...what are your plans today?" she asked, her eyes dropping to the floorboards.

He tilted his head, studying her curiously. "Hungry? Come eat with me."

"I’m...not hungry," she said, stiff as a board as she walked over to the table and perched herself beside him. She looked smaller than usual somehow, all her usual poise traded for something unsteady.

"What’s going on with you?" he asked, searching her expression. "This isn’t like you."

She was silent for a moment. Then, very softly, her voice barely more than a breath, she whispered, "You know we’re going to leave here soon, right?"

He didn’t answer in words, only nodded once.

The silence that followed stretched long enough to feel heavy.

Finally, she exhaled shakily, as though she’d been holding something in her chest for far too long. "If you’d like...I’ll... I’ll give you an exception. D... d... do..."

Her mouth worked soundlessly, her ears flushing red. She groaned in frustration, burying her face in her hands. "Urgh, whatever," she mumbled, dropping the last of her shy composure like a garment she couldn’t stand to wear any longer.

She turned fully to face him, eyes bright with a complicated, vulnerable determination. "Come with us. To our empire. I’m sure Lady Vaenyra and Thessalia would want that too," she blurted, her voice cracking as she spoke.

Her face was crimson, but she held his gaze without retreating this time.

Silence followed.

Then Lumberling turned to his side to face her, his eyes shadowed by the flickering lamplight.

"No," he said flatly.

For an instant, she just stared, as though she hadn’t heard. But then her lip trembled, and wetness gathered at the corners of her eyes.

"Aurelya?" His voice softened.

"Ha... huh?" She hastily wiped her tears with the back of her hand and stood, turning away as if to flee the moment.

But his hand shot out, strong fingers wrapping around her wrist, warm, steady, unyielding.

"Why are you so stubborn?" she cried, her voice breaking around the ache in her chest. It was like she’d torn herself open, made her confession, and he’d crushed it with a single word. "Do you kn..."

Her protest dissolved in a muffled gasp as Lumberling surged up and captured her mouth with his.

Her whole body jolted, a shiver racing down her spine. She tried to pull away, but his arm wrapped around her waist, dragging her flush against his chest.

"Wha... what... mm...m..." Her voice broke into soft, helpless sounds as his lips claimed hers, hot and insistent.

He kissed her like he meant to devour every last flicker of her doubt. His mouth moved over hers, hungry, sure, dominant. When she parted her lips in a stuttering breath, he took advantage at once, sliding his tongue into the heat of her mouth.

Their tongues met, hesitant at first, then tangling in a wet, urgent dance. She tried to keep up, but compared to his practiced intensity, her kisses were messy and uncoordinated. Still, every unpolished stroke of her tongue sent a bolt of heat down his spine.

Her lips were softer than he’d imagined, lush, yielding, tasting faintly of wildflowers and something sweeter he couldn’t name. His hand skimmed up her back, feeling the shiver of her body as she began to kiss him back in earnest.

Her breath hitched. A soft, needy sound slipped from her throat as he tilted her chin up, deepening the kiss until her knees nearly buckled.

He tasted her slowly, savoring every sigh and flutter. The world fell away, leaving only the slide of his tongue and the delicate tremor of her body pressed tight against his.

When he finally broke the kiss, they drew apart inch by inch, reluctant. A shimmering thread of saliva stretched between their parted lips.

Both of them were breathing hard, lips reddened, chests heaving as though they’d run miles.

Her eyes fluttered open, hazy and unfocused, the way a woman looked when she was drunk on something far stronger than wine.

Then slowly, clarity returned to Aurelya’s golden eyes. She drew in a long, shaky breath and looked up at him, her cheeks flushed.

"No one would even dare do that to me," she murmured, trying to sound indignant. But the way her lips parted and her blush deepened betrayed her true feelings.

Lumberling let a slow, possessive smile curl across his face. He leaned close enough that his breath fanned her ear, his voice dropping into a husky whisper.

"Of course no one would," he said, savoring the way she shivered in his hold. "After all...you are mine."

Her body reacted before her mind could. A visible tremor ran down her spine. She clutched his shoulders as her heart pounded so hard she could almost hear it echoing inside her ribcage.

He lifted his hand to cup her cheek. His thumb traced the softness of her skin, and he kissed her again, slower this time, deeper. Her breath caught in her throat as she melted into him, her lips parting eagerly.

Their tongues met, exploring, testing, tasting. She was warm and sweet, and the soft, stifled sounds she made between their breaths drove a low, possessive heat through his chest.

When his mouth finally trailed to the slope of her neck, he drew in her fragrance, something like crushed petals under the sun, and lightly grazed her skin with his teeth.

"Ah..." A helpless sound escaped her as her head tilted back. Her fingers threaded into his hair, holding him there, giving silent permission.

He bit down, just enough to mark her. Her hips pressed forward against his instinctively, and he could feel the rapid rise and fall of her chest against his.