of reindeer and green balloons {m}

He gazed into her eyes, brilliant pools of verdigris set in her dark, noble face like shimmering gems. But beautiful as she was to behold, he could not hold her gaze for long. The power that lingered there, the majesty and greatness that made her his Alpha and Queen, was too much for a mere subordinate to brazenly look upon, and so he glanced away with each fleeting glimpse he dared to steal. Her words came to him like a branding iron, making him burn and sear inside with the subtle heat they bore. He had not expected her to reciprocate his feelings or his advances, and yet…here she was, doing exactly that. She truly was a creature of mystery and intrigue, a living shadow every bit as secretive and surprising as true darkness itself.

He glanced at her again, a veiled mixture of desire and wariness in his eyes, and continued in a voice just barely above a low, dark whisper, "I suppose maybe I like it too." He quivered with anticipation, dying to reach out and touch her but fearful that to do so would somehow disturb and break the suspended magic that hung in the air around them.