Welcome to Gaia! ::

Nalyne gave her a grin as she pulled him into the bed with her, turning them so that she was half over him. He gave a soft chuckle at the mention of a surprise for him and gently trailed his hand up her arm, over her shoulder, and up her neck until he could cup the back of her head under her hair, “I’m afraid that you’ll have to wait for that surprise, Sweetheart…” he told her simply then pulled her down for a kiss thorough enough to addle her wits.

His other hand slid around her waist as she straddled him and held her to him in a firm grip that wouldn’t let her move any further.

It was the second drain that alerted him, though he didn’t let on right away. As it was, his kiss had distracted her enough that she had no clue that Lily was on her way to the bedroom.

He tightened his hand in her hair, grabbing a good fistful of it and used that to pull her up from his mouth as he sat up and rolled them both to the floor with him pinning her there. He hadn’t been gentle when they’d hit the floor and the pain of the impact had distracted her enough that she’d lost Lily’s form.

As he looked her features over, his eyes narrowed, “So… He really is back…” he said softly just as Lily opened the door and found him pinning Nyx to the floor beside the bed, she wasn’t dressed but he still was and he grinned down at Nyx, “Surprise!” he added, unable to help it…

While she had been pretty convincing, there had still been a few clues that had alerted him to the fact that she wasn’t his Lily. For instance: his Lily absolutely hated to be called Sweetheart…

“Princess, meet Ilea and Esabel’s newest sister… Sorry, I didn’t get her name yet since she decided to make an attempt at imitating you,” he just couldn’t resist the attempt at an introduction, hoping that the girl would give her name, at least…

Nalyne gave a pained sound when Lily pulled the dagger out of his chest. He’d only been able to give the smallest shift that only barely kept Nyx from stabbing him in the heart. As it was, he was already feeling the energy drain.

He gave a gasping cough as he pressed his hand over the wound that was now starting to bleed fairly freely with Nyx’s poofing act. Then Lily was giving her jealous act and he gave a bark of laughter that turned into a pained groan, “I can’t believe you’re jealous, Princess… That woman has got nothing on you. Hell, she couldn’t even imitate you accurately! I came in and found you in the bed. I almost bought it too. Until she asked how things were on the base. You never ask that because you know more about what’s happening on the base than I do,” he pressed the wound harder in an effort to stop the bleeding even though it was fairly futile at the moment.

Unfortunately, even Lily’s ability at healing would only be able to slow the bleeding. If that dagger was what he thought it was, it didn’t just paralyze and drain him…

He gave another pained groan as he sat up and propped his back against the wall, “Look, Sweetheart, I’m still bleeding here… She was already naked when I came in. She was able to look like you in detail. At least I caught on quick enough,” he added, knowing that the ‘sweetheart’ bit would catch her attention.

Then he grinned at her, “Besides, she had to trick me, you got me as is… And I have no intention of even looking at another female…” he added, hoping that the ugly green-eyed monster would leave and bring back the princess he’d fallen in love with, “Green eyes just aren’t your color…” he hoped that she’d understand the comparison….

Nalyne gave a soft chuckle after she’d gotten the bleeding to stop and pulled her in for a better kiss, giving a very happy sound when she wound up straddling his lap in the process, “I think I like you jealous and possessive, Princess… It makes me feel like you want me around permanently,” he said, mainly to tease her a bit. He pulled her in closer so that he could simply hold her for a moment, lightly letting his hand trail up and down her spine in a soothing movement he knew would help her relax a bit more.

After a moment of simply holding her he spoke up again, “I really was planning on a surprise for you, you know… I was going to seduce you then ask if you’d like to marry me,” he added in a soft whisper. Maybe not the most romantic way of doing it, but the moment felt right to propose to her.

They hadn’t spoken about marriage or Mating since they came back from her meeting his family. There was a lot they hadn’t spoken of since then… He’d been giving her the time to adjust to being in a relationship with a god and had been understandably nervous about her true reaction to the news of his status.

“I will heal, Princess, and my energy will recover. She may have taken some of it but she couldn’t take as much as she’d intended, thanks to you and that jealous streak of yours,” he tried to reassure her on that point, trying to change the subject since he wasn’t sure how she’d react to his attempt to propose to her…

Marriage was one way of binding her to him that he dearly wanted. He wasn’t sure how she’d react to the thought of a Mating ritual since it would bind them together tighter, to the extent that she’d share in his lifespan, even though she’d be able to heal him better. While it wouldn’t make her a goddess, it would give her a lot more resources than she had now.

And it would allow him to act directly against his half-brother…

Nalyne really enjoyed the proper kiss and didn’t bother to say anything as he picked her up and took her to the bed to celebrate her answer to his proposal. Anyone who knew Lily would have found it surprising that he never had to use the cuffs on her this time.

He really was going to have to give those back to Dev at some point…

By the time he finally allowed her to rest, he somehow found the energy to go run a bath for them both. Then he carried her in and got into the tub with her, determined to pamper her a bit after she’d agreed to marry him. Once in the tub, he found himself simply holding her.

They could discuss wedding details but all he wanted to do was make sure that everyone knew that she was his…

“Strange… I’m finding myself feeling a little possessive all of a sudden… I’ve never felt that way before…” he admitted to her in a soft whisper, suddenly grateful that her back was to him as he held her. He wasn’t sure how he’d react if she looked at him right now.

He really wanted everyone that looked at her to know at a glance that she was his; that they had to keep their hands and eyes to themselves or he would… He didn’t know what he’d do but he was feeling very primal right now….

He was enjoying the marks he’d put on her right now; the bruises in the shape of his fingers and hands, the bite marks he’d given her… And the marks she’d given him were just as fantastic, showing him that she wasn’t afraid to show her own claim on him. He was equally grateful that he didn’t heal like he usually did since those marks would stay for a while longer.

He lightly trailed his fingers along the skin of her arm and leaned in to nuzzle her neck so that he could inhale her scent, “I suddenly want everyone that looks at you to know that you’re mine… I don’t know what to do with this feeling, Lily… I’ve never felt this before… I’m not sure that I want Dev near you right now and he’s about as claimed as someone gets…” he added, still in that soft whisper.

He really wasn’t thinking of a fully Bonded Mating ritual. It was more like something that he couldn’t verbalize, a deep and primal feeling that he wasn’t used to…

Nalyne was frozen for a long moment when she said that. It wasn’t anything that he’d even hoped for and certainly not what he’d ever expected to hear from her. His shock actually showed on his face as he searched her eyes to make sure that she was serious.

When his shock finally wore off, he answered her in the only way he could: he pulled her in for a kiss that was fierce and hungry and possessive. He didn’t really give her any choice in the kiss either. He simply moved in and claimed her mouth in a way that he’d never done before. When he finally let her up for air, he waited for her to regain her wits before he answered her verbally.

“The Mark I’d give you wouldn’t be something easy to bear, Lily. It isn’t like what Morrigan or Esabel or Ilea wears. It will Mark you body, heart, and soul. You will share in my lifespan and be able to call upon some of my powers as well. While I’ll share in your heart and mind and you’ll be able to heal me easier, bearing the Mark of a god isn’t something taken lightly,” he warned her, knowing that he had to do that much before anything happened.

He’d been up front with her from the beginning and had no intention of hiding anything from her now.

“We can still go with just the wedding if you think bearing my Mark would be too much for you. I still want to marry you, Lily, that one goes without question. But for you to bear my Mark as well would be something I never could have hoped for,” he added, giving her the chance to back down if it really was too much for her.

This was also the first time he’d spoken of his godhood out loud. Until now, they’d both stepped around the subject but it had to stop standing between them and come out into the open for them to move forward.

He had to know that she knew what she was getting into by asking for his Mark.

He’d take hers without question. But he had to know that she was certain…

Nalyne gave her a deep grin that could only be described a fierce and hungry as he pulled them both to their feet and out of the tub, “I’ll wear your Mark, Lily. But before this night is over, you’re going to know what it means to feel the force of powers you’ve never imagined,” he told her simply, his voice taking on a deeper tone as he led her back into the bedroom.

Once in there, he allowed some of his powers to manifest and transformed their bedroom into something unimaginable and amazing. It was similar to what she’d seen when he’d taken her to meet his family, but something much more to the occasion.

He laid her on a bed covered in satin, silk, and plush furs. Then he moved to lay over her, propped up on his arms and leaned down to hover just over her lips for a moment before shifting to trail his lips down her neck to her shoulder. He gave a deep growl as he nuzzled her a bit, knowing how hot she got when he teased her like this, “Mine….” He growled out right before he bit her and claimed her as his own.

He only hoped that she’d forgive him the pain it would put her through as their minds, hearts, and souls connected and his powers flooded her in ways that no mortal should have experienced… But in that moment, she became his in every way possible.

Once his Mark began to spread over her skin he put his neck and shoulder to her face, inviting her claim on him even as his body raged at him to finish claiming her in the most primal of ways…

By the time Nalyne finally let her rest, Lily was beyond exhausted. While she now had access to more energy she hadn’t yet attained the stamina that he had, so it wasn’t that much of a surprise when he finally settled down to simply hold her as she rested.

While she was asleep, he restored their bedroom, though he did leave the bedding alone since it was incredibly comfortable. As he laid behind her he couldn’t resist lightly trailing a finger along the Mark he’d given her: it was a beautiful design against her skin and actually shocked him with how much it actually added to her beauty; it rolled over her shoulder on all sides as well as halfway up her neck, then partway down her chest. It was a beautiful shade of deep violet with hints of a metallic tone he couldn’t readily identify but easily noted how it accentuated her pale skin. The design was one that few would be familiar with and wouldn’t be able to identify easily, though the ones that mattered would know it instantly: a pair of crossed rapiers with a thorn-vine binding them midway and was surrounded by violet lightening in a tribalized pattern.

He left the Mark alone as she shivered from just that one light touch and had to smile as he pulled the furs higher up over her to keep her warm. She amazed him over and over, even after the time they’d been together so far.

He knew that taking his Mark had been painful for her yet she’d taken the pain and had even seemed to thrive on it. And they still had the wedding to plan…

He shifted his shoulder a bit, fully able to feel her Mark still spreading over his skin and trying to decide on a single design. Trust his Princess to not know what she wanted him to be Marked with… But as he thought that last bit, he could feel the Mark finally settling into place as a tribalized version of the crown she now wore, as well as the crown she had a right to wear as his wife, Mate, and chosen Consort.

Before his eyes, the Mark she bore also shifted, but with each rapier now seeming to carry a matched set of stylized crowns at their tips. That last bit made him give a tender smile, knowing that it was a mark of his fathers’ acceptance of Lily as his Consort. Now, whenever they paid a visit to his family, she would have her own seat between his and his fathers’ throne.

But the thought of Lily’s acceptance by his father also brought his mind to his nieces, Esabel and Ilea, and their place there. It was something he’d worried about a lot before taking the risk of allowing them to live and even aiding them in actually thriving in their lives. His father hadn’t said much about them the last time he’d visited and that worried him.

What he didn’t know was that his father had already assured Lily on just that point during their last visit, though neither had said anything to him about it. Both girls had been assured of a place on visits, not just after their deaths. Lily had been assured on a lot of points during that visit in her talks with his father, even as she’d won the older god over by simply being herself.

Yes… His Princess constantly amazed him and he found himself looking forward to many more years of it.

He finally slid from the bed and moved into the main room then the kitchenette where he collected a small surprise for her and returned to the bed with it, setting it on the nightstand before he slid under the warm furs with her and pulled her in close to him again so that he could place a light kiss to her Mark before he settled in to sleep behind her.

When she finally did wake up, she’d find one of the delicate-yet-strong SnowLilly’s that had grown wild and untamed around his home. The fact that he was leaving one for her now was yet another sign that he always noticed the little things that mattered to her and was always looking for a way to make her smile, even as he slept…

Nalyne walked up behind her and placed a light kiss over the Mark he'd given her, sliding his arms around her waist with a small pleased sound, "Thank the gods you can cook, Princess. If we had to wait for me to do so, we'd starve. I'm just lucky that we've managed with the kitchens sending us food until now," he said softly, his voice slightly husky from sleep but still filled with humor.

He held her chair for her and finally moved around to his own once she was seated and offered her a small smile, "I have to admit that I don't think I fully appreciated the pet you had when I met you. I think we need another one. Or at least someone that'll keep me out of the kitchen," he added before he dug into the food.

Through their Marks, it was easy to tell that he found the breakfast delicious. He silently admitted that he didn't appreciate Dancer's skills when he'd first met Lily and found that he regretted it. He also knew that Lily needed someone to take care of the rooms as well as a secretary to help her with the paperwork she hated to do. He did his best to help with the paperwork side of things, but he wasn't the leader of the Re...

He resolutely pulled his mind back from its wandering and found his focus on Lily and smiled as he watched her eat. He was effectively distracted instantly. She was his new favorite obsession and he had no desire to be freed from it. He loved watching her do anything: eating, doing her paperwork, talking with the guards, laughing with Esabel and Morrigan, reading a book... She was especially beautiful when she was sleeping or caught in the throes of passion...

Ah, hell, who was he kidding? He was hooked on everything she did and he knew it. He'd fallen for her hard and fast and was hopelessly lost to her many charms.

He just hoped that she never regretted being with him...