Hushed Willows black in the magic, beauty in the tragic

She trusted him infinitely. If he said she wasn’t sick, then she’d believe him and accept it without question or demur — that is, until the next riptide of doubt assailed her and brought her to her knees. The curt flick of Aditya’s tongue as it clasped the syllables of her mate’s name went seemingly undetected, or at the very least, unmentioned; and she relished a catlike contentment in the way he watched her move, different from all the times she “spoke” and certainly different from the two times he’d watched her dance. This sleek sort of satisfaction sank deep into the marrow of her bones and warmed her — no, spiced her — like a sting of cinnamon on the tongue.

In many ways, her altercation with Komodo had taught her more than his kindness ever had, but Seelie was still young enough to be foolish and naïve. Whatever obstacle Aditya faced, surely it was surmountable! She loved him, and he loved her back — what could be wrong about that? She assumed that Komodo had reacted so vehemently because Komodo did not have a mate to call his own; but Aditya had a mate, which meant that he could love her and cuddle her and still be just as happy with Dawn. In Coelacanth’s mind, mateship was only the tether that connected two beings; love, on the other hand, was a free commodity that never ran out and only grew warmer, wider.

The golden-eyed male began to sing then, and if Seelie had been less homed in on him maybe she would’ve missed it — but she was keenly attuned to his every breath in this moment, and she heard every word. She didn’t understand a single one, but she began to dance in time to the breathlike croon anyway, her movements sinuous, possessing a fledgling sensuality just barely beginning to awaken. The atramentous Groenendael was a virgin in every since of the word, a blessed innocent, and she defied the male with a mischievous air. “No,” she breathed, but it came out as a soft plea. “More? Tumko…” she parroted, letting the round vowel trail off appealingly.