especially when it rains

Yori looked around as they moved down the steps. He could hear water flowing somewhere. He noticed a line running along the wall. As they passed it, he looked over his shoulder at Rune. “This tunnel floods,” he said.

Rune nodded. “That’s the high water mark,” he said. His brows furrowed. They could be in a great deal of danger if it began raining. “Let’s finish what we came to do and get out of here,” he said. “We don’t want to linger.”

“No,” Yori agreed. He tucked a lock behind one ear. “Did it seem like it might rain?”

the middle lion

Yori frowned at the three lion statues. The ones on each side stood on their hind legs, rearing in a rather horse-like manner. The center lion was crouched low. All three had their mouths open in silent roars.

Scowling, he stepped forward and thrust his hand into the crouching lion’s mouth. He smiled when he found what he was looking for. Catching it, he pulled his hand back out. There was an audible click and the middle lion slid away, revealing an opening.

“Let’s go,” he called, as he moved down into the tunnels. Smiling, Rune trailed along behind him.

Zippers should be undone

Rune couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. “I’m sorry,” he said, when the noise earned him a glare. He took a step towards Yori and said, “Do you need any help?”

“I think you’ve helped quite enough,” Yori snapped. He tried again, unsuccessfully, to free his long white-blond locks from the zipper. Then, he heaved a sigh and said, “Help?”

Rune stepped closer and then, carefully, he began easing the strands of hair loose. “It’d be more humorous if it I didn’t know that it hurt,” he whispered.

“I’d find it far more amusing if it were your hair, rather than mine,” Yori growled. “Especially seeing as you were the one who closed the zipper in the first place!”

Darling

Rune watched their young tumbling around in the leaves. It had taken him a little while to get used to them not looking at all human. Yori assured him it was normal. They would find their true forms in time. For now, they would live as little fluffy, downy creatures.

“What… are they?” he asked.

Yori chuckled. “About what you’d expect, if you crossed a leopard an owl and a fox,” he said. He tilted his head slightly and looked at them. Love shone in his eyes. “They’re beautiful and dear!”

Look at me

Yori flushed faintly as Rune led him out to the dance floor. He felt strange – out of place – among all the deiva nobles. They all moved around in a circle. They all seemed to know just what to do with their feet and their arms. Their movements were sure and graceful.

“I don’t know this dance,” Yori protested. He started to look down at his feet and try to do what he was supposed to do. Then, Rune caught his chin and tipped it up, so that their eyes met.

“Don’t worry about,” Rune said. As they joined the other dancers, he smiled. “Follow me. Keep your eyes on my face. It’ll be fine.”

For a moment, Yori hesitated. Then, he nodded. “All right,” he whispered.

A brief respite

Yori lay back in Rune’s arms and stared up at the strange sky of their little hidden world. Rune had created this place just for them. His eyes closed and he sighed. “It’s nice here,” he said.

Rune made a noise of agreement. “We can spend days here and return to find a few hours have passed for everyone else,” he said.

Nodding, Yori said, “The smallest break from the daily pressure we face, somehow, though, it’s enough.”

“It has to be,” Rune agreed.

It’s simple: just breathe through my lungs

Yori knew that he was supposed to use the full extent of his gifts only rarely and only under the direst of circumstances. Rune knew that he was well aware of that fact. However, he had to agree that their circumstances had, indeed been dire.

As soon as the wolves had been chased off, Rune whirled to face his mate. “Yori,” he said. Then, he cried out as he watched Yori crumple to the ground.

Galen beat Rune to his side, but only by seconds. They turned him over together. Yori’s face was ashen and his lips were faintly blue. “He’s not breathing,” Galen rasped.

Rune nodded and tipped Yori’s chin back. He inhaled deeply and pressed his lips to Yori’s own, then, he slowly breathed into his mate. His chest expanded nicely. That was good to see. “Come on,” Rune said, as he inhaled.

He gave Yori several more breaths of air. Then Yori’s body seemed to spasm. As Rune sat back, Yori began coughing and gasping. “That’s it,” Rune said, rubbing his back gently. “Take nice deep breaths, Bellissima. You’ll be fine now.”

Galen sighed in relief. “That was… that was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen,” he said. He looked up at Rune. “Have you had to do that before?”

“Just once,” Rune admitted. He sighed and shook his head. “Sometimes… Yori just needs to borrow a set of lungs that work better than his own.”

My heart opens to your voice

“Yori.”

The voice sounded faint and far away. Yori moaned softly and shifted in his sleep. He wasn’t quite ready to wake up. However, that voice… he simply couldn’t ignore it.

“Yori,” the voice said, “it’s time to wake, Cara mia.”

Yori sighed and forced his eyes open. He smiled up at Rune and said, “Good morning. Is it late?”

“No, Bellissima,” Rune said, tapping his nose gently. “It’s just now time to wake.” He slipped off the bed and added, “If we’re late for the officer’s meeting, the commander will tell us we need to separate again.”

Yori sighed and sat up. “Can’t have that,” he said, following Rune’s example.

Undisclosed Desires

Yori watched the deiva lord with a slight frown. Whenever he’d turn away, he could feel the man’s eyes on him. However, the moment that he turned to look, he would see the man in conversation with someone. It was a bit maddening. Was he imagining it? Was it his own self-consciousness, simply making him feel as if everyone was staring at him?

“What’s wrong, Bellissima?” Rune asked, handing him a drink.

Suppressing a shiver, Yori took the drink. He sipped it and said, “There’s a deiva lord over there – tall, dark curls – is he… staring at me?”

Rune glanced beyond him and then looked at him again. His brows furrowed. “He is indeed,” he said, his voice soft. “He’s Lord Eros, by the way.”

“He’s just a bit creepy, by the way,” Yori said, intentionally mirroring Rune’s words. He took another sip and said, “If he has something to say to me, I wish he’d just come over here and say it.”

“No, Bellissima,” Rune said, taking a sip of his own drink. “You really don’t want that. He’s one that’s better left alone.”

Nails for breakfast, tacks for snacks

Rune wasn’t sure what he had expected from Yori the first time they went out in the field together. However, it wasn’t what he got. He might have expected for Yori to panic when he was faced with a mair. He might have expected that he’d have to swoop in and save Yori from an unexpectedly tough foe.

He never imagined that Yori would be the one to save him. It happened naturally enough. Three mairs descended on Rune. He was forced to the ground. Two of them grabbed his legs and the third sat on his chest. He growled, trying to force them off.

“Rune,” Yori rasped, as he swooped in on white feathery wings. Swirling wind followed him, scattering the mairs that were attacking Rune. He folded his wings as he lighted beside Rune’s prone form, panting. “All right, there?” he asked, glancing back at Rune.

Rune nodded and got to his feet. Standing back to back with his mate, he said, “What do you eat that makes you so tough, Bellissima?”

Yori just flashed him a sunny smile. “Let’s take care of these,” he said, “then, we can talk about food.”