†Chapter 5: Sweetness and Bitterness†
THE rain was drying up.
Warm, golden light shone in through the windows. Dawn was here.
The fulfilled man gazed lovingly upon the woman sleeping nestled against him. He quietly reached out and patted down her tousled hair. He never grew tired of running his fingers through those silken locks.
She had fallen sound asleep after they joined their bodies repeatedly throughout the night. Zelaide seemed to have slept a little afterward as well.
While Beast Bloods were heavy sleepers, they only slept in short bursts, so Euphemia was still in dreamland when he woke up. He had come home just past midnight, which meant they had been enjoying each other’s company from the dead of night until first light. Zelaide had explored every detail of Euphemia’s body and poured everything he had into pleasuring her.
I can’t believe it’s this different with her…
He sought things from a human woman he never desired from a Beast Blood, and greedily yet lovingly devoured what she offered up.
Even with her milky white skin basking in the early morning light, Euphemia didn’t stir awake. Only her chest rose and fell with her deep breathing.
Zelaide’s fingers traveled down her hair to her shoulder. Her skin was cold to the touch. Her body must have chilled after working up such a sweat before falling asleep.
She’s gonna catch a cold. I need to cover her with somethin’.
Zelaide had never thought of covering someone with a blanket before. He looked around the room he only used for sleeping and changing.
Unfortunately, the stark room had neither a blanket nor anything useful right now. The room barely had any of the typical necessities. Even the mattress was exposed and stained from their night together. Now he wished he at least had a fitted sheet. Things definitely couldn’t go on like this now that he had a mate.
Zelaide quietly slid out of bed.
He felt refreshed, as if he had been cleansed from the inside out. The exhaustion and pain from his fierce battle with the Bijours was washed right out of his system.
Naked, he sauntered into the en suite bathroom. The bath was nice and bright thanks to the skylight. When he turned the faucet, hot, pressurized water poured out. Zelaide had never taken a bath before. Whenever he cleansed himself, he just took a hot shower. He didn’t like soap either because of the strong aroma.
But after working up such a sweat, he wanted to warm Euphemia up. He set the bathtub control panel to automatically fill with warm water. The sound of hot water pouring into the tub drowned out the rain.
Zelaide decided to set up the bedroom next to his while the tub quickly filled. Euphemia’s guestroom was too far from his and he no longer wanted any distance between them. None of the rooms were being used anyway, so it didn’t matter which one he made hers.
The room beside the master bedroom was the same size and design with a bed in the center. Zelaide opened the closet and found the shelves packed with unopened bedding. He had never made a bed before, but he utilized the images on the packaging and followed the steps. He spread out the sheets so that there were no wrinkles, squeezed the edges, and hit the pillow to inflate it. The bed now looked just like the image on the back of the package.
Zelaide looked upon his handiwork and nodded. The hot water had filled the tub and automatically shut off by the time he finished. He returned to his room, scooped Euphemia into his arms, and carried her into the steamy bathroom illuminated by the golden light of dawn shining through the skylight.
He eased Euphemia into the hot water. Her eyes flickered.
“Hmm? What?” she asked groggily.
“It’s okay. I just put you in the tub. Sleep.”
But the bathtub was filled too high and Euphemia sank into the water, too tired to hold herself up.
“What am I gonna do with you?”
Still naked, Zelaide slid in behind Euphemia, keeping his hands on her shoulders to hold her up. It was a giant bathtub with jets and temperature control, but the water spilled over the edges when he got in with her. Ripples spread over the clean, pale tiles.
“Zel…that’s…” Euphemia turned her neck and looked at his chest. Red teeth marks stood out just under his clavicle from when she bit him in the heat of the moment.
“I’m sorry…really sorry. Why did I bite you so hard?” she sleepily muttered.
“I asked you to… You should’ve bitten me harder.”
“But…but you’re always putting your life on the line for me, Zel.” Euphemia’s face crumpled.
Numerous scars of various sizes vividly marred his tall body. Several were still fresh. They seemed to have only recently sealed and looked painfully red and purple. Euphemia had no way of knowing that he’d received those injuries fighting the Bijours. Between the new and old scars, there wasn’t a single patch of skin that hadn’t been cut open at some point.
“I know nothing…about how you got all these injuries…” Euphemia was crying. Her tears squeezed the Beast Blood’s heart.
“Don’t cry…okay? It’s nothing. Doesn’t hurt or itch. You don’t have to worry ’bout a thing. Okay? Please stop cryin’,” he pleaded with her. “Don’t ya remember I said I don’t know what to do with myself when you cry?”
“Zel…I love you…” Euphemia wrapped her arms around her love’s neck and hugged him. His muscular arms gently enveloped her. “I love you so much.”
“Yeah. I know. You’ve said it a lot.”
“You don’t have to love me, Zel, but is it all right if I love you?”
“Yeah. It is. Just let it go for now and sleep. I’ll wash ya off,” Zelaide said as he positioned Euphemia between his legs.
He rubbed the sweat and grime off her back with his big calloused hands instead of soap. Her golden locks floated on top of the water. He ran his fingers through it until the hair felt softer than a silk blanket. Euphemia comfortably rested against his chest and dozed off.
“Asleep already?” he quietly chuckled.
Zelaide, however, wasn’t so comfortable. Bathed in the morning light, Euphemia looked like a radiant angel and it turned him on as he wiped her clean. Two round, plump mounds were right beneath his eyes, tempting him.
He instinctively swallowed the lump in his throat.
But he wasn’t going to talk her into making love again when she was so tired. Left with little choice, he endured the temptation by getting out of the bath, wiping her down with a big towel, and carrying her to bed in the other room. He laid her down on the bed he’d made. Euphemia was only half-asleep while he was drying her off, but she was soon fast asleep under the blankets. Her safety assured, Zelaide threw on some clothes.
I need to feed her somethin’ when she wakes up. Murakami fed me so I’m good. But has Yumi eaten? She seems like she’s lost weight, and she spent the whole night makin’ love with a guy like me, so she’s burned a lotta energy.
When Zelaide entered the hallway, Tipsy, who’d been locked out of the room, happily landed on his shoulder and tugged on his hair with his sharp beak.
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll feed ya too, so don’t get nippy.”
As if he understood his master’s words, the small pterosaur Muta took flight downstairs, leading the way to food. Zelaide followed him down.
The kitchen refrigerator was fully stocked with food when he opened the door. Zelaide didn’t really understand how to use the stainless steel box he rarely peeked inside, but he knew it’d be stocked and maintained while he was away. While he knew what butter and milk were, he had no knowledge of how to cook fish and vegetables.
For now, he threw a ripe fruit to Tipsy. The omnivorous Tipsilox swept down and perfectly caught the fruit in his beak. He immediately alighted on one end of the counter and started pecking at the fruit. Though the Muta would be content with just that, the human woman would not.
Grr. What do I cook her? Somethin’ warm? What’s good warm? I’ve often heard ’bout a sticky food called porridge bein’ good…
Zelaide closed his eyes and rested his chin on his hands as he deliberated the hodgepodge of ingredients on the counter. Staring at the food would accomplish nothing but wasting time.