ELIA

She'd woken to find Reth curled around her, also sleeping, and she hadn't moved immediately. It was instinct to be quiet and listen to the house, heart thrumming, waiting to see if Elreth was in trouble again, or still asleep.

Then she remembered and sucked in a breath.

"Reth! Wake up! Reth! We're alone!

"

She rolled over as he groaned and blinked, then smiled when he found her, up on one elbow smiling down at him, her hair—which needed a cut—falling around her shoulders and face.

"Good morning, beautiful.

"

"Yes, yes, we already did that this morning, remember! Now we have to get up and go do… whatever it is you want to do. We're alone, Reth. We're ALONE.

" She shook him and he grunted, then grabbed her around the waist and rolled over onto his back, pulling her up onto his stomach and opening his mouth on her neck.

She shrieked and laughed and was about to push him off, when he began flicking her skin with his tongue and suddenly her heart was pounding for a whole new reason.

She wrapped her arms around his head and sighed, relaxing across his chest and feeling both the strength of him—and the steel of him rising against her side.

"Well, good morning to you too,

" she chuckled, sliding her leg over his waist so she straddled him.

Reth growled approvingly and kept kissing her neck.

Elia groaned as goosebumps washed down her back. The urge to give in and just stay in bed was there. They could have a lot of fun without ever leaving the cave. But Elia so rarely got to leave the cave alone with Reth anymore—one of them needed to be with Elreth—that she didn't want to waste another second of it.

Being wicked, she slid herself back against him, bumping his arousal so that he gripped her ass and pulled her against him.

"Hold that thought,

" she said, then kissed him.

"Let's go somewhere and do this… outside. It's been forever, Reth!

"

His eyes, hooded and hot, latched on hers and she could see him weighing the decision—to do this here and now and take the edge off, or to wait—a painful wait for him, probably—but have that thrilling joy of something different.

"Temptress,

" he growled.

"It's your fault for being so attractive,

" she whispered, stroking her fingers down his stubbled cheeks.

"But seriously, Reth…. Can we go outside somewhere? Be alone? There'd be no one out by the Weeping Tree… right?

"

His smile grew and his eyes flashed.

"I have an even better idea,

" he said, his voice gruff with sleep.

"But you'll need to dress a lot more warmly. And…

" he trailed off, his smile fading.

"What? What is it?

"

He cleared his throat.

"Well, how do you feel about travelling as our beasts?

"

She sucked in a deep breath, watching him carefully.

She'd shifted a few times—once, most notably, when two young lions were rough in their play with Elreth. She'd shifted right there, in the middle of the City, and roared at them.

They'd both almost wet their pants.

But shifting wasn't something she enjoyed. She still harbored doubts about returning to her natural state, though she'd been able to do it at will so far. She was trying to remember the Creator's assurance that her beast was a gift, not a curse.

"Do we need to?

" she asked carefully.

"Well, if we travel as our beasts we'll be there in about half an hour and we'll have a lot of time. I suppose you could ride me, but that could get… tempting,

" he said, pulling her against him again.

"But your human legs are way too slow, sorry.

"

He watched her, combing his fingers through her hair while she thought about it. He wouldn't push, she knew. Reth had trained with her, as had Aymora. She was becoming a little more confident, but it was still… not a relaxing proposal for her.

But if it meant they'd get where they were going faster and they could spend more time making love…

"Okay,

" she said and blew out a breath.

"Yes. I will.

"

Reth smiled and pulled her into a kiss, then sat up.

She slid down his body and into his lap and both of them groaned as they found each other. It would take only a little shift of weight and position—

"Get out of my lap, you goddess,

" Reth growled, taking his hands off her ass and raking one of them through his hair.

"If we don't get moving, we never will. And I have a list!

"

"A list?

" Elia grinned.

"Yes, a list,

" he said, his eyes heating further.

"But we won't even get the first one checked off if we don't get moving.

"

Elia rolled her eyes, but crawled off of him and then across the sleeping platform. When she made it to the floor and stood, she started to untie the laces of the little teddy from behind her neck, but Reth growled,

"Leave it.

"

She turned and smiled at him.

"Oh?

"

"Just put your fur on over it so no one else can see. I have plans for you.

"

Her smile grew.

"Well, okay then.

"

*****

As usual, the anticipation of shifting was always far worse than the actuality. As her lioness followed Reth's lion through the forest and up the side of the mountain, at first all she could think was how stunning he was in beast form—rippling muscles and thick mane that extended halfway down his back and under his belly. His golden hide shone even in the gray of the overcast skies.

She was so busy admiring him—her beast's desire growing for him—that at first she didn't even notice where they were going.

When they broke through the trees and into the clearing she was so startled, she immediately shifted back to make sure she could keep control.

She staggered on her first step back in her human body, her mouth open and her heart throbbing with the memories.

It was the clearing where they'd made Elreth, where they'd come when they were waiting for the wolves petition to be taken to the people. When they thought Elia might be removed as Queen and her position given to Lucine. That day was a sickening memory to Elia, but this place... this place was a mix.

A wide expanse of grass scattered with small trees and bushes, the size of a football field, but the short end opened out over the cliff-drop down the mountain to look out over WildWood.

Just like it had the first time, the view stole her breath.

Reth had run straight to the top of that sickening cliff face, not shifting until he stood at its edge. The winter sun was lower, so despite it still being morning, they were once again in the shade of the trees that climbed the mountain to her right.

Elia stared down at a carpet of treetops, so far away, they looked like bubbling green clouds. But then she looked up—the sky thick and heavy, a blanket of gray, yet still too bright to stare at comfortably.

For a moment she was back there, in that moment, the first time she'd thought they might be taken from each other. Torn apart. She had to turn and look at Reth, and reassure herself that he was there.

He stepped up to her then, cupping her face with his hand and looming over her so his shoulders blocked the view.

"Why… here?

" she whispered.

"Because this is a beautiful place and I don't want to be afraid of it anymore,

" he rumbled back. Then he kissed her, his lips dragging along hers, his tongue dancing. Elia sucked in a breath and clung to his shoulders and her fear skittered away like a cloud on a windy day.

This wasn't just the place where she'd first learned she might lose him.

This was the place where they'd made love. This was the place where they'd made Elreth.

This place was as beautiful as her mate.

She would never regret this place as long as she lived.