"Catch me if you can..."
A bright grin spreads across her lips as she meets his eyes, hands clasped behind her back as she slowly takes a step back.
Desire and mischief flickers in his eyes as he lowers the lantern onto the stone,
glowing amber among the grass and wildflowers.
"And if I do?" He takes a step toward her,
his gaze fixed on her with an intensity that wings flutter alive inside her belly.
Soft grass against bare feet, fireflies flickering golden around them, she traces a pink cosmos along his jaw before he catches her wrist and pulls her into him.
He leans in when she presses a finger to his lips. "Then I'll let you do whatever you want to me," she whispers softly.
A low chuckle escapes him as she slips away from him, wind in her hair as she runs through the wildflowers and glowing fireflies.
Her heart quickens in anticipation when she slows and turns to find him standing where she left him, arms folded across his chest.
A smirk curves his lips as she blinks at him in confusion.
Then he advances another step… and another, making her retreat instinctively.
A shriek escapes her as he charges toward her,
sending her racing through the wilderness in rapture toward the mystery ahead.
Breathless, she glances toward him and finds him grinning with only mere distance separating them.
Before she can remember to turn,
her breath hitches as he moves toward her with a startling swiftness.
She stumbles mid-step as she tries to flee, only for his arms to wrap around her waist and sweep her off her feet.
"No fair!" she exclaims between laughter as he spins her around,
her legs kicking lightly in the air.
His own laughter rings with pure mirth as he carefully lowers her back to the ground.
She turns to him,
a grin dancing across her lips as she wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him.
He pulls her closer, deepening their kiss as his lips curve into a smile against hers.
"You said you'd let me do whatever I want with you," he murmurs,
his breath heavy against her cheek.
"Did I?" she breathes, feverish warmth rushing through her in a dizzying wave.
"You're a cunning little thing," he says with a faint smile,
his lips meeting hers in a passionate kiss that undoes her... gently, completely.
As they kneel there,
half lost to themselves and consumed by the sacred devotion of the kiss, his rough hands wander across her skin like a familiar map of mysterious enchantment.
A cold breeze grazes her bare back as she tilts her head back, his lips trailing soft,
lingering kisses along her throat and chest.
Stars glitter across the clear deep blue sky, the misty moon peeking through the clouds as a breathless sound escapes her.
She basks in the beauty of nature embodied by the Word, and in the ecstasy they unearth within this hallowed covenant of union.
When she opens her eyes, chest heaving and skin damp, a hollowness still lingers inside her, until she finds fulfillment in the heaven of his beautiful glassy eyes.
A bed of soft grass and flowers beneath them, their intertwined hands play with the fireflies glowing around their skin.
Her wilderness burns with overwhelming bliss touched by a rivulet of ache at the miracle of two flesh woven into one...
Two souls once flying adrift now divinely yoked in the presence of the Almighty.
A symphony of fast beating hearts and heavy breaths lingers beneath the chirping crickets,
easing the haze of a beautiful paroxysm.
Wrapped beneath a thin blanket, their tangled bodies stay warm in each other's arms against the growing chill of the night.
Her fingers brush over his brow, down the length of his nose, and across his lips until he gently kisses her fingertips.
Then he pulls her closer, and she exhales as she settles against his strong chest.
"How do you feel?" he asks quietly, tracing gentle circles over her back.
"Sleepy," she whispers. "And wonderful."
He chuckles under his breath. "I meant our baby."
"The baby's alright," she assures him.
"Do you think it's a girl?" he asks softly.
"Nuh-uh," she whispers. ''Another boy."
"How do you know?" he murmurs.
"Because I'm carrying him," she says, kissing the corner of his lips.
"You were right about Rhean," he admits with a sigh. "I'll give you that."
A faint smile touches her lips.
Fireflies shimmer in a blur as drowsiness pulls at her, her eyes growing heavy when his quiet voice breaks the stillness.
"Something has been bothering me since the mission."
Her sleepiness fades a little. "What is it?"
"There was this girl I met," he says slowly. "She was forced to take part in the ritual."
A flicker of unease rises in her chest. "And?"
"Have you ever heard of a singer called Niraya?" he asks.
She shakes her head faintly. "I haven't."
His eyes grow distant, thoughtful. "She approached me after I got them to safety."
She waits quietly for him to continue.
"I didn't understand what she meant back then," he says. "And I had to leave her with the other children." He pauses.
"I'm not even sure it makes sense."
"Tell me," she says, fully curious now.
He stays quiet for a long moment, and she shifts closer, leaning over him.
"Tell me..." she echoes, pressing a soft kiss to his jaw, her lips brushing along his neck.
A low groan escapes him as he turns her over, drawing her into the grass as he kisses her hard.
Her hands trace his solid strength when he breaks the kiss, their breaths still tangled.
"You don't want this." His voice is low, restrained desire threading through it.
Her fingers graze the roughness of his stubble. "It'll be alright…"
A quiet sigh leaves him as he holds her hand and kisses her palm.
"I'm afraid I'll hurt you," he says quietly.
Her heart softens at the helpless look in his eyes.
She nestles closer as he shifts beside her again. "I want to know about the girl..."
"Nothing here can really be trusted." He rests an arm beneath his head.
She gives his chest a small poke. "You're annoying me, dear hubby."
A small smile pulls at his lips. "I would've thought myself insane... if we hadn't just had dinner with your parents."
She's truly uncertain of where he's going with this.
Then he looks at her directly. "Her real name is Neriah Lei…"
She parts her lips, but no words come.
He brushes her hair from her face. "Were you this confused back then?"
"No," she breathes. "I know things… He simply reveals—"
Then she sits up, clutching the blanket to her chest as her gaze drifts toward the haze beyond the shadowed woods, where smoke curls through the darkness like fog.
He rises a second later,
drawing in the smoke and burned ash drifting through the air.
"The twins..." she trails off.
"We should leave," he says.
She feels movement beside her, but she's already half gone with the wind flaring through the burning woods and the vision of agony that waits ahead.