Elchanan
some melt stars for crowns
El has always had an excess of confidence, but he is not entirely a fool. He knows he is at a disadvantage here; the hospital is Samaira’s territory, not the even plane of that dance upon the lake. He knows that he should be watching his back and that to let his guard down completely would be a mistake, even if he does not quite believe Sam could ever be angry with him—after all, there must be other Terrastellans here.
It is this prickling sense of watchfulness that turns his head to the hallway behind her. And there—caught half in the shadows—is the sight that he has been waiting for and dreading.
A scowling, feathered face, and the glint of two beady animal eyes, staring back at him from a half-darkness. Elchanan’s eyes widen briefly, then narrow, scrutinizing the heron as closely as he can without bringing attention to his discomfort.
She has a companion. But of course; bondeds are for those too delicate the handle the world on their own, or that’s what the archpriest has always thought. Complications abound. What does a man have to do for a sip of blood around here?
Elchanan licks his teeth without thinking, and feels the brief, sharp sting of a canine against his tongue; its bright pain plunges him back to the world of the living. He drags his gaze away from the heron, thinking: watchfulness means nothing.
The nagging feeling of caution finally subsides. And in the next heartbeat, the priest is back to his old self again—meeting Samaira’s shining gaze with ease, pricking his ears forward as though he is really listening, smiling with all the grace and charm of an actor on the silver screen.
Behind that mask of enthusiasm, he soothes himself with a silent laugh. It’s a bird. If I needed to, I could step on it.
“A while,” El repeats grandly, “is far too long to go without you.” The fine planes of his face split into an easy, warm grin, and gently he reaches out to brush his mouth against Samaira’s dark cheek, where her skin smells like rich soil and flowers. “I only came to rectify that. Would you show me around? I would like to see this place as you do.”
And he is careful—oh so careful—to keep his expression sincere, even as the iron smell of blood so close threatens to overwhelm him.
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