Love’s Eternal Fire

Chapter 8: A Date

Kesiray's POV

"You looking fu*king hot!" Gwena told me. She was sitting on her bed, and I was examining myself in the full-length mirror. My cream dress with lilacs on it hit me right at my mid-thigh. My long hair was curled and falling to the middle of my back, where Gwena had gathered some of it loosely in a golden clip shaped like a leaf. I had gotten ready at her house since that was where I was supposed to be, according to Gwena's lie to Thazel yesterday.

"Do you think this is too short?" I asked, turning to see where it fell, barely covering my a**.

"No, I say it's not short enough," she chuckled.

"It's not leaving anything to be desired," I told her, adjusting the top where it was pressing my boobs together.

"Exactly," Gwena told me. "Ray, you're not kids anymore. He's your mate, remember."

"I know, but doesn't s*x mean completing the bonding process?" I questioned.

"Yes, but you have to mark each other," she reminded me.

"How do phoenix mark their mates?" I wondered.

"I have no idea," Gwena mumbled, lying down and staring at the ceiling. "Maybe they poke you with their beak."

"I highly doubt that's it," I laughed.

"Maybe you'll find out today," she winked. I only rolled my eyes and continued to stare at myself in the mirror. "You better get going; everyone's at lunch in the main house, and if you're late, he might think you're standing him up."

"This isn't a date," I said, turning away from the mirror. "This is just him and I discussing whether being together is worth it."

"Oh yeah, okay," Gwena mocked, rolling her eyes and smiling. "You do look stunning."

"Thanks," I smiled. Gwena walked me downstairs and stood in her doorway, smiling as I looked around and made sure the coast was clear. Sighing, I walked quickly into the woods, spreading my wings after a while and flying low between the trees. This was a much faster way to get to no man's land than walking. The stone path was below me, leading me further away from my tribe. It disappeared, and my heart began to race the closer I got.

Landing still in the shadow of the trees, I peeked around to see the back of Solaris. He was placing something on the ground, looking handsome in a white T-shirt and jeans. I found myself smiling while I watched his work, even if I couldn't see what he was doing from where I was. With a breath, I emerged from my hiding spot and walked towards him. He must have heard me because he turned around and broke out into a large smile.

"Kesi," he said, making my heart flutter with the excitement and kindness in his voice. He moved to the side, and I saw a blanket on the ground. There was a basket on the blanket and plates out.

"What's all this?" I asked, seeing that food in glass containers sat near the plates.

"This," Solaris said, indicating to the picnic. "Is our first date."

"A date?" I asked, trying to hide the excitement in my voice now.

"Yeah, did you think I wouldn't take you on a date after eighteen years?" Solaris asked, holding out his hand to me. My hands were folded in front of me, and looking from his hand to his smiling face, I reached out and placed my hand in his. Even though I knew it was coming, I gasped when electricity shot up my arm. We sat on the soft red blanket, and Solaris handed me a glass of white wine.

"Thanks," I said, taking a small sip.

"I hope you like what I brought. I wasn't sure what you would eat, so I just made you some of my favorites," he said, picking up a plate and putting a large, thick sandwich and salad on it.

"It looks delicious," I told him, taking the plate.

"It's nothing, just a turkey pesto sandwich with tomato and mozzarella," he told me, putting a sandwich on his plate.

"Did you make this yourself?" I questioned.

"I did; when you spend so much time locked up like I did, you pick up new habits," he explained.

"True, I picked up painting and learned to play the piano," I told him with a small laugh.

"When did they let you out of purgatory?" Solaris asked, digging into his sandwich.

"When I turned eighteen. Once I got my wings and powers, it was harder for them to control me, so I guess they thought after so many years I didn't need to be under guard anymore," I explained, biting into my sandwich. "What about you?"

"I was twenty-one when people finally stopped following me around," he said. "It was so hard not to come back here and wait for you again, but I thought after so much time you probably didn't remember me."

"Did you get in a lot of trouble when you got home?" I asked, knowing I had been yelled at and sent to my room. My parents barely spoke to me for a few days, but they cooled off eventually.

"Oh yeah, my parents beat the sh*t out of me," he said.

"Wait, seriously?" I asked, horrified to hear he had been beaten simply for playing with me.

"Yeah, my dad said maybe I would think about that the next time I decided to disobey them. It didn't work, though, since here I am with you," he smiled.

"I'm so sorry that happened to you," I said.

"Don't be. I got some cool scars from it, and I never broke a rule after that," Solaris added. A pang of guilt hit me at the thought of Solaris getting beaten because of me, or at least because we decided to form a friendship.

"Solaris," I said, looking down at my half-eaten plate. "Thank you for this picnic; it's the first date I've ever wanted to be on."

"Really? How many have you been forced to participate in?" he asked.

"I'm not sure; my parents started throwing people at me the second I got my wings," I explained. "A few of them did lead into other dates and a short relationship or two, but there was always something missing."

"Yeah, me," he laughed. "My parents didn't try to get me to choose a chosen mate. They were more focused on Ryse and getting him to find a mate. I'm unsure if that'll change now that my parents want me to take over."

"I do have to ask; I know you're probably a warrior for your clan, leading a combat class and being in the fight the other day. Have you ever killed a fairy?" I questioned, hoping the answer was no.

"No, never," he said, putting his plate down and taking my hand. I sighed out in relief at his answer. "It hasn't been easy, but I've always found a way to keep them from dying at my hand. I haven't been able to save them all, but I've never had a hand in killing one."

"Thank you for being honest," I said.

"Every time I came face to face with one, I only thought about you. What would you say if you ever found out someone you loved died because of me? I always thought if we ever found each other again, I'd never be able to lie to you about it, and I didn't want you hating me because of it."

How had he stayed so loyal to me after all these years? He had no idea if we would ever see each other again, yet he thought about me with each action he did, which only made my guilt of forgetting about him stronger. There had to be a reason the Gods placed Solaris into my life and brought him back again. If we were destined to be together, maybe it was worth saying goodbye to my family, at least for a little while.

Solaris began trailing his fingers along the inside of my arm, turning my entire body into jelly. He moved closer to me, shifting from his position in front of me to come and sit behind me. I closed my eyes and leaned against his hard chest, feeling myself relax completely while his sage scent encircled me.

"How is it that so much time has passed, yet it doesn’t feel like any time at all?" Solaris asked, kissing the top of my head.

"I don't know," I replied.

"I like your dress, by the way," he told me, placing a hand on my upper thigh and sending tingling straight to my core.

"My friend picked it out for me," I breathed, trying to keep my composure.

"Tell her thank you for me," he whispered, gently moving my hair aside and kissing my neck.

"Solaris..." I moaned as he traced my neck with his tongue.

"Do you want me to stop?" he mumbled against my skin.

"No," I said, feeling him begin to move his fingers up my leg towards my pulsing core. My underwear was already soaked, just from the touch he had given me on my arm and neck. Solaris used one hand to turn my head and look into my eyes.

"God, you’re beautiful," he said before attacking my lips in a fiery kiss. Kissing Solaris was unlike anything I had experienced before. Our lips together ignited a fire deep inside me; every nerve ending I had was on fire, craving his touch and begging for more. My senses were in overdrive, too many sensations to take in at once, with Solaris holding the back of my head and his other making its way closer to my dripping wet center. Solaris was leaning into me, making me fall back onto the soft blanket laid out on the ground.

He hovered over me, smiling devilishly. Slowly, he pushed my underwear to the side, running his fingers along my folds and gently brushing my nub. I gasped, lifting my hips off the blanket, trying to bring him closer. Pushing my dress up further, Solaris pulled my underwear off and let it fall next to us. The desire and lust filling his eyes had them almost red, the swirls of blue and brownish gold practically gone. I twisted under the feelings of pure pleasure when he kissed my inner thigh. I wanted nothing more than to stay in this clearing with him forever, forgetting about any responsibilities and the fact we were supposed to hate one another.

Solaris licked my full length, causing a deep moan to escape from my lips. He began running his tongue in slow circles over my cl*t, and I grabbed fists full of the blankets, crying out as he quickly brought me to the edge. Solaris inserted a finger inside my core and pumped in and out while continuing his assault on my nub. The knot was growing in my lower abdomen, my core pulsing with the need for release. Crashing over the edge, Solaris had to hold my legs open because the convulsions my org*sm caused threatened to snap my legs shut on his head. Panting, I looked at him as he sat up and wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. He came to lay next to me, cradling me gently in his muscular arms.

"Solaris, I love you," I admitted, watching the swirling red retreat and leave behind the familiar golden blue hues.