Arrowan

This day started so beautifully. I wanted to hit rewind, to go back to breakfast in bed, before we came across another Unseelie and discovered this place that looked so peaceful but which was apparently wrapped up in the war, too. Or if I couldn't rewind, I wanted to yank Luin back home and forget we had ever come here.

That wasn't what we were going to do, though, for so many reasons. Luin had a friend here, and he was enamored with the place, anyway. Even without those facts drawing us in, it seemed stupid to bury our heads in the sand instead of collecting what information we could about the war. I had heard rumblings about one approaching back when I was in Alterra, and I knew the Seelie were gearing up too. If the fey who lived here in Faerie were meeting about it, then there was a very real chance whatever was going down with the war might impact us on Earth. I had really been hoping both sides would have the decency to keep their conflict in Alterra, but maybe that was a fool's hope.

Luin raised a brow at me and I nodded. We followed Nuala and a growing stream of other people through the winding streets of Faerie until we reached a large open amphitheater. There were a few people standing on a raised platform in the middle, talking amongst themselves, as crowds streamed in through the six entryways. Nuala led us toward the front of our section, where a light-haired Unseelie with alarmingly red eyes waved her down with an easy grin.

"Hey! Who are your friends?" he asked.

"You'll never believe it – this is Luin and his bond mate, Arrowan!" she said, gesturing at us with a broad grin.

The Unseelie man stood and offered Luin his hand, then mine. "I'm Carlon, Nuala's bond mate."

Once Carlon had clasped both of our hands, we all sat down and Luin chatted with Nuala while I watched dozens and dozens of fae streaming into the amphitheater. Several great rings of seating filled quickly, and within half an hour, the crowd was settling down with a hush of expectation. The low rumble of whispers and murmurs carried on until a Seelie woman walked up to a podium in the center and cleared her throat. A microphone ensured the sound carried easily.

"That's Elaina. She's something of an honorary leader around here," Nuala whispered.

Elaina looked around at the crowd that had gathered here and said, "War is coming." She paused, though I couldn't tell whether it was for drama or for emphasis, then continued. "Skirmishes are breaking out across Alterra even now, and it is yet unclear which way the scales will tip. Whichever side emerges victorious, one thing is certain: our people will continue to lose."

A rush of muttering broke out across the crowd and Elaina was the picture of patience as she waited until it silenced again. "I am here to call for change. This war is an opportunity. We are even now devising a course of action that might cut both the Seelie and Unseelie at the knees, with the goal of establishing an Alterra that looks more like Faerie. Let us put an end to the discrimination within our kind."

Elaine paused while a cheer erupted all around us. "Let us heal the rift between Seelie and Unseelie." Another cheer went round the stadium, and I could almost feel the anticipation as they quieted quicker this time and waited for her next words. "Let us be as one people!"

And the crowd went absolutely nuts.

What had Luin and I stumbled into?

As Elaine continued to speak, and then stepped away to let someone else take over, I started to have a hard time listening. I tried to focus, but I was overwhelmed with dread. Luin and I deserved a break, didn't we? Sure, these people had a point – no matter how this Unseelie vs. Seelie war turned out, the victor would not make life easier for us. Bonds like mine and Luin's would still be forbidden and we would still be either hunted or ripped away from our families if we chose to pursue them.

I wanted a change... but that didn't mean I was responsible for helping to make that happen. Or, so I was trying to convince myself, but it wasn't sitting right.

I went back to wishing for a rewind button instead.

--

It was late when we finally went home and collapsed on the bed in our clothes. Luin was literally lit up with excitement, though I didn't know what he was most excited about: seeing Nuala, finding Faerie, or the idea that there were people who were going to try and revolutionize Alterra.

The assembly had lasted for maybe an hour, ending with instructions for how to join the war effort. More meetings would be held after the organizers had an idea of who was interested in helping and what their talents were. I'd had enough of violence and danger and was ready to settle into a cozy home life with Luin away from all that. I was afraid to ask what Luin wanted. He wasn't much of a fighter, but that hadn't stopped him from getting involved with his wolf pack's conflicts or from helping me with my Unseelie issues.

I shut my eyes and relaxed on the bed, clearing my mind of all that. It really had been a long day, and I was exhausted.

"Roll over," Luin said. I didn't bother asking why, I just did as I was told and groaned in appreciation when Luin's fingers began to knead the tense muscles in my back.

My eyes drifted shut and I let the feel of Luin's surprisingly skillful massage lull me to a half-waking state. Then he abruptly undid all of his relaxing work in an instant when, several interminable minutes later, he paused and straddled my back. Those talented fingers got right back to work, but it felt entirely different now. I was awake, alert to Luin's every touch.

He had to know what he was doing, right? Or was it just my imagination, that his hands were drifting lower and lower? Luin's thumbs rubbed circles into my lower back while his fingers wrapped around my hips and I locked myself into place, too afraid to make a sudden move and shatter the moment.

But maybe this moment wasn't as fragile as I thought, since Luin's next move was to slide his fingers into the waistband of my pants. It was hard not to buck my hips into the mattress, but I managed. How much further did he intend to take this?

Luin tugged at my hips, indicating I should roll over onto my back, and as soon as I had, his hands were back on me. His fingers were teasing, brushing just a little bit higher than where I was starting to feel strained and needy for him. He kept that up even as he bent down and kissed me. Every so often, he would slide a hand over me where I was hard and aching, and I bit my lip to keep from asking for more. Just when I was sure I would lose that battle, Luin withdrew entirely.

"Your turn," he said.

"For what?" I asked, half distracted by the enticing sight of his kiss-reddened lips.

"To touch me," he said boldly. Luin managed to hold my gaze for all of three seconds before his cheeks darkened and he bashfully looked down. His eyes settled on my crotch, which I was sure made obvious what his teasing caresses had done to me, and Luin jerked his gaze up to the ceiling, blushing even harder than before.

Just like it always did, Luin's contradictory bravery and shyness in the bedroom drew me in. I reached for him and kissed him thoroughly as a distraction while my fingers blindly went to work unbuttoning his shirt. As soon as the last button was undone, Luin eased himself onto my lap, deepening the kiss. My tongue tangled with his while I eased his shirt off, and soon his hands were tugging at the hem of my own shirt. We went on like that, kissing as we stripped ourselves and each other down, until we were both bare to each other.

This kind of physical intimacy still felt new between us, and it felt precarious. I didn't want to push Luin too far, so I hesitated, but he had no such qualms. Luin's eyes were bright and eager on mine, and he gave me a heart-wrenching smile as he gently eased himself back onto the bed. His hands reached for me and he pulled me down over him. He looked raw and vulnerable, but he pushed through the nerves I could feel through our bond and said, "Sleep with me?"

There was only one answer I could give. "God, yes."

We smiled at each other – both a little dazed, I think. I knew I could hardly believe this was happening. What a long, bizarre day this was, I thought with a brief wave of amusement that quickly died out from the sheer intensity of his gaze and the yearning it stirred deep in my chest.

From there, everything was beyond natural; it all felt inevitable. Our hands and tongues explored each other's bodies, drawing gasps and little noises of pleasure from both sides. Gradually as we moved together, Luin's stress eased away and he melted into the bed. Each time he relaxed, I let my hands grow bolder until he was open for me and squirming for more. By that time, I was so eager to be joined with him that it almost hurt and I poised myself over him, slicked and ready to make the final moves that would join us together for the first time.

"Ready?" I asked in a whisper. Night had fallen since we arrived here and neither of us had turned on a light. I regretted it now, since I could only just make out his features and couldn't see the details anymore. It wasn't worth getting up to fix, though. That might break the spell that had fallen over us.

Luin reached a palm up to cup my face. I could have sworn his eyes were brighter than the rest of him, since I could see them clearly and they seemed to almost glow in the darkness. There was a tenderness there that made my heart ache and I wanted more than ever to be inside him.

"I'm ready," Luin whispered, like he was just as afraid as I was of disrupting the moment we were sharing. I pressed a tender kiss to his warm lips and started sliding into him. Luin hissed and I paused, though I shook with the effort it took to restrain myself. It was slow, but Luin and I worked together until finally, finally, I was inside him.

We moved together carefully – I was afraid of hurting him and he was sweetly tentative at first, uncertain and innocent. Gradually, as pleasure took him over and built, the way he rose up to meet me grew less restrained. Luin's skin shimmered gently in the dark room and I couldn't keep my hands off him while I rocked in and out of his body.

Then, the most enticing thing started happening; as Luin's pleasure grew, he lit up brighter and brighter until my eyes were almost watering from looking at him, but I couldn't look away. A whimper escaped his lips and he sank his teeth into the lower lip, throwing an arm wantonly over his eyes. It made a beautiful picture, but I wanted to see him.

"Look at me," I said. I meant the words to be gentle, but they came out like a demand and suddenly, Luin's mercury eyes were fixed on me... only, he didn't look at my eyes. No, his attention was focused lower, where our bodies joined and moved together in the darkness. Luin moaned again, deeper this time, and the need in it had me jerking inside him.

A feeling was building up in me unlike anything I had ever experienced before. Part of it was my impending climax, but even stronger was the bond that had come alive between us. I could feel it expanding and strengthening until it felt unbreakable. Vital.

"Luin," I gasped.

"I feel it too," he said, sounding breathless.

Luin's hips lifted up to meet me, and the immensity of feelings – emotional, physical, and spiritual through the bond – tipped me over the edge. Luin followed, and we rode our climaxes out together, shuddering in each other's arms until we were both limp and sated. I laid down next to him and lazily peppered kisses on his neck while Luin caught his breath.

"I love you," I said softly. Soft, because anything else would be out of place in such a beautiful moment.

Luin rolled to face me and pressed our foreheads together with aching tenderness. "I love you too," he said.

We laid together a while longer, until we both slipped into sleep.