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It’s warm.
A bit too warm.
I grumble under my breath as the sunlight peeks in through the curtains of the room. Wincing, I blink a few times and rub my eyes to get the gunk and crust out. This shouldn’t be happening — I’m always perfect with my pre-sleep routine, so all annoyances should’ve been accounted for. The curtains should be closed tight, the door should be shut and locked, and my back should be propped up against a wall.
But no, the curtains aren’t doing their job, I can hear footsteps coming from outside the room, and I’m definitely not leaning against a wall.
I’m on my side.
On a comfortable bed.
And there’s a pretty redhead fast asleep against me, her back pressed against my front.
“Huh.”
I’m not entirely sure when, why, or how this happened — my mind pauses when Eleanor shifts a little, pushing her hips back against mine — but I’m not complaining.
Ah, right.
I tighten my grip around her waist and pull her closer toward me, nuzzling into her soft fruity hair. Eleanor said something about how it would be bad for my posture to keep sleeping against a wall. She isn’t wrong, but I didn’t want to impose. Still, she insisted… as she always does. Though, if we’re being honest, she’s tried to worm her way into my life ever since we met, and it’s about time I started letting her in.
We’d finally reached Port Zekson after visiting Aball.
I had a few days to process the whirlwind of emotions that suddenly resurfaced, but it’d been so hard that I sometimes felt like I had forgotten how to breathe. All the while, Eleanor stayed by my side and refused to leave me alone.
I never told her, but just by being here, she helped me sort through my thoughts and figure out all of my feelings… including the confusing and ridiculous ones that she reminded me I still had. My head spins when I think about that one word, but I’d never say it out loud — especially not around her. It can be a nasty word that imprisons a person’s heart and leaves them vulnerable to manipulation. Yet it’s also a word that can save someone’s life.
Still, she makes my chest ache in pleasant, unfamiliar, human ways.
But I think she knows all of that.
“Please…” Eleanor murmurs, still half-asleep. Her legs shift around a bit, and I gently rest one of mine over her thighs. My chest presses snugly against her back, and Eleanor lets out a content sigh. “Just a few more… minutes…”
Honestly, she’s already found a place in my heart.
“Fine, fine...” I let out a relaxed breath against her ear, sinking deeper into the pillow and stroking her stomach under her shirt. She lets out a quiet giggle, taking my hand and lacing our fingers together.
Sure, we could afford to have a few more hours to rest…
“Rise and shine, lovebirds, rise and shine!”
Groaning, I press my face against the back of Eleanor’s head and try to hide my eyes from the sunlight and the frustrating witch. Eleanor wiggles a little too, shrinking closer toward me. I guess this annoyance hasn’t been dealt with, and her name is Magilou.
“Hello-o-o-o! You two gonna get up or what?”
Eleanor grunts a noncommittal response, and, in a similar fashion, I hurl one of the pillows toward Magilou without looking.
The pillow certainly hits something, and, judging by the muffled “Hey!”, I apparently managed to drill her in the face. Magilou sighs, and I hear her stomp out of the room.
“Clearly, neither of you lovebirds have any sense of taste!” she yells as she slams the door shut.
I snort. Yeah. No taste here.
In the distance, I can hear the boys — mostly Rokurou — yell at Magilou to keep it down, so I guess no one’s in the mood to get an early start on the day.
The room falls quiet, and all I hear is a faint buzzing in my ears and Eleanor’s gentle breaths. I let out a snort and tighten my grip around her.
“At least she had the decency to close the door,” I murmur against her neck, my breath brushing over her warm skin.
She starts laughing quietly, and I can feel the movement against my chest. “Oh, Velvet,” Eleanor huffs. She rolls to face me, pressing her forehead against mine, an adorable pout on her face. “We don’t have all day to laze around.”
“You don’t think so?” I give her a gentle peck on the lips — a light one that’s just enough to get her smiling. “Wouldn’t it be nice to stay here forever?”
“Well, yes.” Eleanor returns the kiss with a longer one, her fingers tangling in my hair. Moments later, she’s breathless — but so am I — her cheeks turning pink as she breaks away. “I would certainly like that.”
“Right,” I say simply, tugging her closer to me and pressing my lips hard against hers to return the favor. I close my eyes and let the feelings erupt around me, the vibration of her muffled groan, the way her hips move gently against mine, the tight, sure grip of her fingers that keep me pressed to her, the heat coiling low in my belly that flares whenever she touches me...
Her warm fingers dip under my blouse, and I feel her explore my skin, from my waist up toward the middle of my back. She moves slowly and unhurried, like she’s enjoying the exploration more than the hunt, but her actions are faster than my overloaded brain can keep up with. My attention bounces from her hot, needy kisses, to the feather-light touch of her hands on my cool skin, and back to her gentle, warm body pressed against mine.
My shirt hitches up with every inch she travels further, and, within moments, she’s got me clad only in my shorts. My breathing quickens, and my heart thumps faster than a lengthy fight with daemons. The so-called exalted praetor grins, a devilish expression on her deceptively innocent face, and, suddenly, I can’t seem to remember how she rolled me onto my back and straddled me.
Or when she figured out how to get me out of my clothes.
Or when she discarded hers, for that matter.
Eleanor tilts her head down to capture my lips in another sweet kiss. My skin burns everywhere her fingers blaze across as she settles comfortably in between my legs. My hips lift of their own accord, aching for any kind of touch, and she’s playing me like she taunted a damn prickleboar to ram straight into a tree. Her fingers trail up my thighs, the sensation like a gentle breeze, and I let out a quiet gasp as incinerating heat pumps through my blood.
Her forehead pressed against mine, Eleanor stares me down with those hungry emerald eyes, and I smirk back, daring her to move first.
She may have the upper hand, but I’m not the type to surrender so easily.
Her gentle, lithe fingers ghost over wetness, and I let out a frustrated moan.
“Eleanor, please —”
Well, hell. Maybe I am prone to surrendering easily, but let’s just say it’s only in regards to this damned exorcist.
Eleanor shakes her head, then traces kisses down my jaw and neck, sending jolts of electricity down my body and straight to my already needy core.
“You said we had forever,” she whispers as her lips reach my ear. Her teeth nibble the soft flesh of my earlobe, and I grumble a half-hearted complaint, trying to ignore my heart threatening to fly out of my chest. “Won’t you be patient for me, my daemon?”
Without waiting for my answer, Eleanor smiles sweetly and drags me straight to heaven. My vision turns a blinding white, and all my senses dull as a wave of pleasure crashes onto me.
My brain must have turned off for a moment there. When I come back down, Eleanor rests her head against my shoulder as I heave for air, dragging her nails lightly up and down my stomach idly. Her emerald eyes are half-lidded as she levels a lazy gaze toward me.
“You really are good with your hands,” I say with a sigh.
“What?” The silly exorcist’s face flushes a bright red, her cool, sensual demeanor disappearing in an instant. “You’re twisting my words!”
“Am I wrong?” I grasp her wrist and lift it to my face, kissing each of her wet, sticky fingers. I slip her fingertips one by one into my mouth and suck gently, staring into her captivating green eyes.
“Velvet,” she whispers, almost as a warning, her voice husky and low. Though, she doesn’t take her hand back, and I smirk as she swallows the lump in her throat.
My tongue runs over every crevice of her warm skin, and I lap up every last drop of my own juices. It tastes like nothing to me — of course — but I love watching Eleanor fidget, unsure of how to react. Her fingers tremble with each flick of my tongue, and her deep emerald eyes dart from my lips to my eyes and back. I can only imagine she’s thinking about where else I could effectively use my tongue.
“Mm.”
With a small hum, I give her palm a soft kiss, and she glances away, her cheeks turning pink. I wrap my arms around her waist, hoist her on top of me, and kick the covers up over us. She yelps a little before sighing and sinking into my embrace. My fingers stroke through her bright red hair, and I kiss the top of her head.
Before I knew it, Eleanor had deftly burrowed into my heart. She believed anyone and everyone could and should be saved from a horrible existence. I initially hated that naive optimism in her, but now, we keep each other balanced.
With her relaxed against me, listening to the rapid beating of my heart, I feel an odd, unfamiliar calm wash over me.
“Hey, Velvet?”
“Yeah?” I mumble into her hair.
Eleanor lifts her head and stares down at me, her emerald eyes gleaming with a hint of concern. “Are you worried about Artorius?”
“Mm…”
What comes next is another story.
All I want to do is savor her for a little while longer. We can worry about Artorius, Innominat, and the Abbey tomorrow.
I gently grip the back of her head and press her forehead against mine. I look hard into her eyes, and her expression softens from fear into care and passion. Her breath is warm and ragged against my cheeks, and I lean up, brushing a ghost of a kiss against her soft lips. I’ll never know what she tastes like, but she smells like mint, lilies, and the dawn of a new day.
“Right now, it’s just you and me,” I whisper.
“Oh…” Eleanor closes her eyes and initiates another kiss. I weave my fingers into her hair as she deepens the kiss, moaning briefly into my mouth.
Eleanor feels so warm, so gentle against me, and a fluttering feeling erupts in my heart. I want to hold her close, keep her safe, and never let her go.
We break apart to catch our breaths.
“You know,” I say, running my hands down her back and gripping her waist firmly. She suppresses a moan, digging her teeth into my shoulder and clutching my tangled mane instead. “I never did pay you back for earlier.”
“Hm? What are you —”
A moment later, I flip around and pin her down by the wrists, holding them above her head with my bandaged hand. I bare my teeth like a wild animal taunting its prey. Eleanor lets out a surprised noise, face flushed red, as she wriggles to free herself from my firm hold.
My free hand trails down her soft skin, tracing the jagged scar on her chest toward her hips and down to her wet core. I lean down and growl into her ear as she struggles to slow down her breathing. My lips graze across hers before she can move a muscle, and I stare at her flushed, whimpering expression as she pleads for more with her longing emerald gaze. Her hips lift up off the bed, and I gently rest my palm onto her lower belly, pushing her back down with a smirk.
“Velvet?” Eleanor breathes out, the sound low and coarse.
I don’t know what the right words are for this — for us. “Love” isn’t a word that ever crossed my mind since I lost everyone I cared about, but she’s given me more than enough to fill my heart for one lifetime. Before all else, I want to cherish our stolen time and leave her with happy memories.
Maybe I’m asking for too much.
Hell, after all I’ve done, I can stand to be selfish for one more day, can’t I?
“Don’t worry about anything else,” I say softly like this is our little secret that I’m fighting to guard with my life.
A smile lights up her sweet face as she nods and relaxes, laying out all of her vulnerabilities for me to see. My chest tightens as I release her hands, and I can’t help but plant another kiss on her lips. She lets out a soft moan, her fingers weaving into my hair as she pulls me ever closer. Her tongue traces across my lips, and I chuckle, pulling back so that I can stare down at her flushed, wanting face.
“Right now, I’ll make sure you’re only thinking about me,” I murmur, cupping her cheeks.
The lustful gaze in her alluring emerald eyes softens. Into love? Maybe.
“Okay,” Eleanor whispers back, her warm hands covering mine. “I trust you.”
Tomorrow can wait.