Kyran

Selene stands by my bed with a small pout on her pretty face, the way her lips pucker making me smile as I pull a t-shirt over my wet hair. She’s loosely holding a towel around her body in one hand and holds the other on her full hip. Crossing my room, I sit on the edge of the bed and take her hand, pulling her into my arms to give her a soft kiss. “What’s the matter?” I ask her as I lace my fingers at the small of her back.

She sighs and drops her hands onto my shoulders as she sits sideways in my lap. “I have nothing to get ready for the day. I don’t mind wearing my clothes from last night, I literally only had them on for maybe half an hour,” she chuckles softly, “but I don’t have anything for my hair or—”

Her voice is cut off by a small flash behind me and I feel a light breeze tickle the back of my neck. I stand abruptly with her in my arms and whirl around to find a black canvas bag with a folded note on top sitting on my bed. My eyebrows pinch as I frown and it only deepens at Selene’s burst of laughter. I’m about to question her when she pushes out of my hold and steps over to the side of the bed.

“I’ve got to find a gift for her, with everything she’s done for me,” she murmurs, a warm smile pulling her lips wide as she reads the note.

“What? Who?” I ask stupidly, concerned with how something was able to be sent magically into this house. I had it heavily warded when I first took position as alpha with the help of Eir and Vala. I wanted to be confident that my family and myself were protected against unwelcome people or objects via teleportation while we slept and had our guards down in general within our own home.

“Ria, of course,” Selene says on a chuckle as she shakes her head, unzipping the bag.

“How?” I ask incredulously as I watch her remove the contents of the small bag onto my bed.

Selene just shrugs as she places a smaller bag with flowers printed on it, a wooden hairbrush, a small blow dryer, and—if I remember correctly—a curling iron onto the blanket. She reaches in again and pauses, giving me a sly smirk as she plucks out a lacy sheer thong and drops it onto the bed. I raise an eyebrow at her with a smirk in return and she smiles on a laugh as she collects the items into her arms. She carries them out into the bathroom and I follow her, leaning against the door frame to watch her as she gets ready.

I wait patiently while she brushes and dries her hair before asking her what she’d like for breakfast. We talk about what to do for the day, how I’d like for her to meet some people if she’d be up for it and she eagerly agrees while she does her makeup. Watching her is comfortable and has me thinking about what to get for my room to make it more inviting for her. An easy smile falls on my face as my mind wanders, thinking of options on renovating the bathroom and getting different types of furniture to add to my room for her personal things to have places of their own.

Selene turns to me and scrunches her nose with a fake pout and I chuckle as she shakes her head before going back to the mirror. “What?” I ask lightly, realizing I must not have heard her and I stick my hands in my pockets from the mild embarrassment.

“I asked, could you get my clothes for me, please? What were you thinking about? You have a dreamy look on your face,” she raises an eyebrow at me over her shoulder and smirks before turning back and leaning over the sink.

“Making changes,” I chuckle as I turn into my room, crossing over to my bed and find her white clothes freshly cleaned and pressed lying neatly across it. I glance at the note discarded beside the black bag and pick it up, reading Asteria’s wispy handwriting, ‘I’m beyond thrilled for tonight! You’ll find everything you need in here. I told you that you’d need it for tonight, and you thought I was kidding. I love you, and we’ll see you this evening, xoxo.’

Just as I let the paper drift back to the bed, I notice black ink scratching across the bottom of the note as if an invisible hand writes a message. Pulling my brow down, I pick up the paper and read the new message I can only assume is from Asteria, ‘Kyran, I have things for Selene to place in your home whenever you’re ready, let me know and it will be delivered at your discretion. Think of this as a sort of bonding celebration gift. Also, change out of your clothes, I’ve left you something much more appropriate in your closet. I will not have you wearing anything barbaric for your ceremony with Selene.’

I raise an eyebrow and glance down at my clothes, I’m wearing my usual jeans with a black tee and I huff a laugh as I shake my head. Looking back at the paper, I watch as more words form and continue reading, ‘Also, I’ve spoken with Kyrre and she’s on board already with getting preparations started, so you don’t have to concern yourself on that matter. Enjoy the day, we look forward to meeting with you both later this evening. P.S. she loves chocolate chip pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream, and this note will combust once this sentence is finished-’

I immediately toss the smoldering paper aside and watch perplexed as it dissolves into flames, the dusty ashes floating to my floor like snowfall. Running a hand through my hair, I look up into the skylight and shake my head with a small grin, knowing how obviously Asteria will get along quite well with my family. I have to admit that her power is impressive, regardless of how she managed to bypass the wards around my home.

Taking Selene’s clothes into my arms, I turn to bring them to her and find her coming in through the archway. I hold them out with a lopsided smile as she notices the condition of her clothes and she glances at me curiously as she takes them from me. “Your sister,” is all I say and she laughs with a shake of her head as well, content with that answer.

I watch with a hooded gaze as she drops her towel, drifting my eyes over her gorgeous naked body. She smirks at me as she pushes her arms into her shirt, leaving it dangling open as she steps into her silky skirt and slides it over her hips. Stepping behind her, I take the laces from her hands and tie them for her, grasping her hips and kissing her cheek. I reach up to tie her blouse as well, letting my hands linger over her bare waist for a moment before she takes them and wraps my arms around her middle. Resting my chin on her shoulder, I breathe her in and squeeze her tightly before releasing her to turn her around. I wrap a curled lock of hair around my finger and smirk at the shimmer it holds, raising my brow at her in silent question.

“My sister,” is all she replies flatly and we both bark a laugh.

I let go of her magical hair and take her hand in mine as an idea slowly forms in my mind. “Come with me, I want to show you something,” I murmur, suddenly feeling slightly nervous.

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

“I don’t have my shoes on yet,” she lightly protests but follows me as I turn toward the bathroom.

“You don’t need them, we’re not leaving just yet. Come on,” I smile hesitantly over my shoulder and notice the curious look she gives me as we enter the fragrant atrium.

I cross the bright room to step through a dark archway, leading Selene across a dusty floor to the far wall and reach out to grasp a heavy fabric. Letting her hand go, I pull the drapes open to reveal a floor to ceiling window that spans the length of the wall, walking with one panel to tuck it behind the holder. I can hear her small intake of breath as the morning sunlight illuminates the small library, the shelves are covered in a thin layer of dust and I wince at the sight, realizing how long it must have been since I’ve last come in here. Turning around, I watch as her gaze lingers over the soaring shelves and she steps over to one of them to gently run her fingers over the spines and knickknacks that have lived there longer than I have occupied these rooms.

Sliding my hands into my pockets, I wait as she wanders around with widened eyes, absorbing the energy this room holds. A few moments pass in silence until she walks over to me with a wistful smile on her face and I lift a corner of my mouth as I look around again. “This is my personal library, it holds all my mother’s favorites, as well as my own. I will clean everything and maybe bring in some plants to give life to the room again, but I’d want you to keep your favorites here, as well. That chair is the comfiest and time can easily slip away from you in here,” I nod to a well-worn overstuffed armchair in the corner as I remember falling asleep to stories my mother would read to me as a pup.

“This was our special room together since none of my siblings cared much for reading growing up. They’d all preferred sports or games as entertainment and my mother loved having one-on-one time here in the evenings, before father began his…training,” I say quietly, almost in an offhand way as I pull my gaze back to Selene.

She gives me a warm smile and takes my hand again, rubbing her thumb across my knuckle comfortingly. “This is beautiful, I can feel the love in here, everything seems to have held onto both of your energies. I’d like to help you bring it back to life,” she looks up at me with bright eyes and I smile, dropping a kiss to the top of her head.

My gaze catches on the boarded up archway half hidden behind an old forest tapestry and without second thought, I let go of her hand as I cross the room. Stopping before the makeshift wall, I carefully remove the tapestry and place my palms against the rough wood, sliding my fingers into a gap between the planks. I bow my head for a moment, knowing this room has been closed up since the first day I entered these rooms because the reminder of my mother was too much for me to handle at the time. Now that I have Selene, I trust that I can walk through here with her at my side and I want to make it hers. I tighten my grip on the old wood and yank it down, the nails clattering noisily to the floor at my feet as I place the plank at the base of the wall.

“Ky? What are you doing?” Selene’s soft voice holds concern and I hear her light steps approach.

I wordlessly pull each plank free and wave a hand at the archway as air thick with particles swirls from the movement. Kicking the nails to the side, I step through the archway, carefully making my way over to the wall of windows and pry one open to let in fresh air, the handle giving way with a small pop before the crank turns. I can hear Selene call my name from the entrance and I glance over at her, meeting her gaze as I offer her a small smile. Raising a hand, I gesture for her to come in farther and wait as she makes her way toward me. Since the windows are covered in centuries worth of dust, just as the rest of the room is, I shuffle over to the wall and rub my hands against the glass to let in some light.

“This room has been left untouched since well before electricity was discovered and therefore never received the renovations I had done to the home while modernizing things as time went on. There were days my mother would spend all of her time up here, especially while pregnant with the triplets, since leaving this floor was an arduous task on her body. My father would bring her meals to the bedroom for her and I remember sitting beneath these windows to watch her work. She always created the most beautiful pieces,” I tell Selene softly as she looks around in amazement.

I follow her gaze to the dozens of painted canvases dotting the large open room, some left half-finished on easels and many leaning against the mural covered walls. Everything in the natural world is depicted in her art pieces, my mother adored the beauty of nature, she’d always say. My eyes catch on an easel with a worn stool and a small table beside it holding old cracked cups of paint with brushes sticking out of them, sadly waiting to never finish the faded woodland sunset.

Clearing my throat, I drop my gaze to the floor and murmur, “This is—was—my mother’s art studio. I remember from some of our conversations that you enjoy creating art and wished you could paint more. I’d like for this room to be yours, I’ve never wanted to use it for myself and it would’ve stayed boarded up till the day I died had I not met you. Before you refuse,” I hold up my hand as she opens her mouth with a shake of her head, “just…think about it. You have total freedom with these rooms here, to do with as you please. What is mine is yours, I don’t really have much that I care to lose in this house, besides you,” I add quietly with a small smile.

Selene closes her mouth and draws her eyebrows inward, her eyes shining in the dim, dusty light as brightly as the specks in her hair and I reach out to brush some of it away from her face. “How long is it going to stay like this?” I wonder out loud, not that it bothers me, just mostly out of curiosity.

She just shrugs and mumbles, “I have no idea,” glancing around at the studio again. “Kyran, I don’t think I can take this as mine,” she whispers, “it’s incredible, how it remains, her soul lives on these canvases. I can’t, it’s not—”

“As I said, think about it. I just wanted to show it to you, to let you know that this space is for you to have to yourself whenever you need it, for whatever you’d like,” I interrupt her, lacing my fingers through hers and guiding her back toward the library. “I want these rooms to be yours as much as mine now that we’re bonded.”

Selene remains silent as we walk through the rooms and come to stop before my bed once more. Her full mouth twists to the side as she thinks and I lightly push for her to sit at the edge of my bed. Lowering myself to my knee, I grab one of her shoes and lift her calf to slide it over her foot, repeating the same for her other leg. She hums lightly and my chest blooms with heat at the sound as she bends over to kiss my forehead and laces the thin straps up her slender legs. Once finished, she rests her hands on the sides of my face and looks deeply into my eyes.

“Thank you,” she whispers, “for everything. I love you,” she kisses me softly and my chest lightly rumbles at the contact.

“I love you,” I whisper against her lips and we smile, pressing our foreheads together.

Her stomach lets out a noisy gurgle and I chuckle, rising to my feet and hold out my hand for her. “Let’s go make some breakfast. How does chocolate chip pancakes sound?” I offer with a smirk and she bounces on her toes, lacing her fingers with mine as we cross the room.

“Oh, yes! Do you have strawberries?” she asks with a grin and I laugh as I open my door for her.

“I’m sure I do,” I murmur with a wide smile, closing the door behind me softly.

Before Selene can take the first step down, I sweep my arms beneath her shoulders and legs, lifting her to my chest and her startled squeak makes me laugh as I carry her bridal style down the stairs. I feel on top of the world, holding her in my arms after the night we’d spent together, and nothing could take away the warm, free weightlessness that has settled into my bones. My life finally has meaning, and I cannot wait to happily share the rest of it with this woman, I smile at the thought as I kiss the top of her head.