Sath grinned as he positively pounced on her, his rumble drowned out by her giggles. “Much,” he said hoarsely as he wrapped his hands around the back of her head and pulled her to him. “Very much.” Her hands fluttered over his chest and worked at the laces holding his armor in place. “Let me,” he said, making quick work of the armor and the tunic he wore underneath. “How do you manage without fur?” he whispered. “I feel…naked?”
“I think that’s the point, isn’t it?” Gin said, her voice husky. She tried to unlace her own armor, but her fingers fumbled. Sath took her hands in his and brought them to his lips, kissing the backs of her knuckles. She blushed as he nimbly undid the laces, and her armor fell back onto the bed, leaving her in her linen tunic. To her surprise, he left it alone and went back to taking off his own armor. “Didn’t you want me to…?”
“Gin.” Sath’s voice was quiet but firm. “I want you to be comfortable.” He took off the vambraces that kept his forearms safe and then went to work on the greaves that were strapped to his legs. When he was done, he stood up and looked at himself. “Gin, I’m not sure that…I mean, I don’t know if…I’m not sure how this body…”
Gin smiled at him and held out her hand. He took it and sat down on the bed next to her. “I’m a lot tougher than you give me credit for, you know,” she said. “You don’t have to worry about hurting me.” Sath cupped her face in his hand. She climbed onto his lap, kissing his forehead and then his nose. He tilted his face up, and his lips met hers. With what was supposed to be a rumbly growl, he pulled her down onto the bed. Hands and fingers and lips roamed freely, pieces of clothing were discarded to the floor, and soon there was nothing between them.
Sath pulled away from her. “You still okay?” he whispered, his teal eyes ablaze as he looked at her.
“Yes,” Gin said breathlessly. “Why are you looking at me like that?” She pulled further away, reaching around for her tunic to cover herself up. Sath caught her hand.
“Don’t,” he said. “You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, Gin.”
“I’m not Qatu,” she muttered.
“Right now, neither am I,” he responded gently. “But that doesn’t matter.” He placed one hand on her chest, causing her to shudder slightly. “This is the most beautiful, compassionate, guarded heart I’ve ever known. There is no way I could find you anything but amazing.” Gin snuggled up to him, kissing him tenderly.
She pushed his hand from her heart and placed it on her lower back. He pulled her to him, causing her to gasp slightly. “Stop telling me and show me.” Sath grinned and moved closer. He looked down the length of himself and laughed. “What’s so funny?” she asked.
“I hope this all works the way the old me works—only one way to find out,” he said with a snicker. Moving closer to her, he smiled. “Oh, yes, I think it does. Now…tell me if this is too much,” he whispered, his breathing becoming ragged.
“I trust you,” she said, a bit surprised at how much she meant it. Sath smiled.
“I love you, Gin,” he said. “To the Void and back.”
“For always, Sath.”
Dappled sunlight poured through the windows as birds began to flit about outside, chirping at each other. Gin’s eyes fluttered open, and for a moment, she wasn’t sure where she was. A pleasant realization settled on her, and she stretched languidly, smiling, and reaching out for Sath. Her hand grasped only air, and she rolled over, looking around for him as panic rose in her chest. Her breath froze in her throat as her gaze fell on a male wood elf leaning against the wall opposite the bed, his eyes roaming over her body.
“Who are you, and what do you want?” she hissed, reaching for a weapon as the male advanced on her. She rolled off the bed and scooted back against the wall, shouting spell words that would call up swarms of stinging insects. Her attack was cut short by the male holding his hands up in the air to show he wasn’t armed.
“Gin,” he said, and as she met his teal gaze, her entire body relaxed at the familiar voice. “Stand down and put those bees away, would you?”
“You’ve learned enough to recognize that spell, well done, Sath,” she said, smiling at him. Sath blushed, recognizing the tone in her voice that was reserved only for him. He leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on her lips, then pulled back to look at her. “I thought that was a dream! What? I’m sure I look a mess,” she said, pulling back from him.
“You look like Gin,” Sath said, smoothing a hair back behind her ear before pulling her to him roughly. “My Gin. But we have to get moving. I’m pretty sure that Sephine didn’t intend for us to forget the favor we promised her. You need to get that…whatever it was…to Omerith if we have any chance of getting home.” He stood and walked over to the door, his face pinched and tight. “Home, to Khuj…” He clenched his fists and then opened his hands, looking at them in surprise.
“I don’t miss those knuckles cracking,” Gin said, grinning at him. “But I did not expect you to still be…you know…”
“A wood elf?” Sath replied chuckling. “It was a bit of a surprise this morning when I woke up, I’ll be honest. But it makes sense that she would keep me in this outfit so that we can get close to Omerith. Smaller and easier to hide and all that.”
“Sath?” Gin said as she rose from the bed and moved closer to him. “You don’t think that she…I mean, do you think that you are…” She touched the side of
