Page 116 of Lost in the Dark

Selvyn ambled over and took a seat beside me, so close that our thighs pressed tight together. The furry tip of his tail trailed across the surface of the water. Just as I was about to laugh at his antics, something nibbled lightly at my toes.

“Shit!” I screeched as I bolted onto Selvyn’s lap, splashing water everywhere as I went.

He broke out into a fit of laughter and settled me between his spread legs. “It’s okay, Iris. It’s just the fish.” The damp tip of his tail caressed my arm with calming strokes. “I thought you’d find it entertaining.”

“I’m glad you find scaring the piss out of me entertaining.”

Selvyn laughed again and leaned forward so that our bodies were just hovering over the surface of the water. I leaned into him, relishing the closeness of his body. Cherishing our final night together.

“Watch,” he instructed as he plunged his tail into the stream.

I stared at the water, squinting my eyes in an attempt to make out whatever it was that Selvyn’s tail was doing.

“Aha!” He barked, and I nearly toppled into the stream as his tail pulled a fish out of the water.

The creature flipped back and forth like mad, its scales gleaming silver with each desperate thrash of its tail.

Selvyn whispered in my ear, his beard tickling my temple. “You may want to look away now.”

I was no stranger to death, and I appreciated that the fish would fill our bellies, but I still had no desire to see its life taken.

A moment after I placed my hands over my eyes, I heard the harsh slap of the fish across the rocky floor, and Selvyn muttered a thank you under his breath.

He repeated the process until six fish sat beside us on the bank.

“I think that’ll do. Why don’t you wait by the fire and I’ll prepare dinner?” he said, and helped me to my feet.

I sat by the warmth of the blaze and watched Selvyn use the sharp tips of his claws to clean the fish. His broad back was hunched over the river and he hummed the song I’d taught him as he worked.

He was so gentle, so kind. All of my preconceived notions and expectations of what the Demon of Dalwick was like were completely wrong. In a cruel world, he was a bright light. One that was stifled by the darkness of the caves he was forced to inhabit.

For the second time today, tears threatened to spill out of my eyes, but I wouldn’t allow it.

Not tonight. There would be plenty of time for tears tomorrow.

Selvyn smiled at me as he walked up toward the fire, his red skin highlighted by the flames.

“I hope you’re hungry,” Selvyn said while he removed a sachet from his bag and sprinkled a seasoning blend over the fish. He placed the filets on a rock by the embers, then sat down beside me with a sigh.

Silence stretched out between us once again. That seemed to be the trend, the two of us sharing a moment together before dwelling in our own thoughts.

“Selvyn,” I said, and rubbed my hand against the portion of his thigh that wasn’t covered by his skirt. “I—I just wanted to thank you. For everything. If it wasn’t for you, I would have died down here. I’m very grateful for everything you’ve done. And—I’m glad I met you.”

He placed his hand over mine and twined our fingers together before bringing the back of my hand to his lips.

“I’m glad I met you too, angel. So very glad.” With that, he dropped my hand and got up to check the fish, focusing all of his attention on the task at hand and refusing to look at me. “Dinner is done,” he said in a somber tone as he moved the food away from the fire.

We made idle conversation as we ate, but the tension and the sadness was almost tangible.

“I take it you liked it,” Selvyn said as I finished off the last of my fish.

I smiled and nodded my head, watching as Selvyn stretched out on the furs by the fire. His muscles rippled with each of his movements and I remembered how solid they felt beneath my fingers. How it felt to have him buried deep inside of both of my holes.

My thighs rubbed together, seeking whatever friction they could, and I felt the warmth builiding between my legs.

Selvyn quirked a brow at me and let out a dark chuckle. “Come here, Iris.” He beckoned me over with a curl of his finger, his tail swishing back and forth through the air behind him.

I joined him on the furs, lying so the front of his body was pressed tight against my back. The hard lengths of his cocks dug into my backside as I leaned against him, exposing the column of my neck.