With the fire long dead, Nova opened her eyes to a crisp, cold morning, but the warmth of her body and Hollis's snuggled together under the comforter was enough to chase the chill away. Not that she minded, especially with this view. She watched Hollis, his sleeping face, void of any conflict. She remembered admiring his sparkling freckles before, but now…it was different.
Now she gazed at the face of her mate.
Nova knew mates existed, but she never believed there'd be one for her. She supposed that, technically, just because they were biologically compatible, didn't mean they had to have children. She supposed they hadn't had that conversation yet…but it could wait. She didn't dare ruin this moment. The bit of genuine joy she'd felt in months.
Sighing softly, Nova carefully rolled off the edge of the bed and placed her feet on the cold floor. She'd shuddered and picked up the quilt from last night. With it draped around her shoulders, she padded to the fireplace and sparked a quick flame, urging it to life with her breath, and laid another log on top. Creeping through the cabin, she went to the bathroom and started the shower. It might take some time to heat up from out here, but she needed to get the gold luster dust Mor had liberally applied to her yesterday.
Reaching for the water, it was beginning to warm, so she stepped beneath its spray. It occurred to her then that she didn't have any clothes that weren't her gold gown, and she would not be going back to the palace wearing that well after the ball. Nova scrubbed herself raw with the soap provided, sighing in relief as the texture beneath came through. She repeated the process three times before turning the knob, shivering as she toweled herself off and promptly wrapped herself in the quilt again.
By the time she returned to the main room, the fire had warmed the space, and Hollis was sitting up in bed. His unruly hair looked especially fluffed from the pillow. Giggling, Nova plopped herself on the bed.
"Good morning."
Hollis grinned and didn't hesitate to crawl across the bed. He leaned around her shoulder and pressed a kiss against her ear. "Good morning..." The rasp in his voice sent a chill down her spine, and she turned her head, catching his lips in a kiss.
She never wanted it to end when her stomach lurched with a growl. She ignored it, rotating her torso to gain better access, but Hollis chuckled and said, "I'll go get some food and bring it back."
Smiling, she nodded, "Hm…what would you like to do when you get back?" She asked.
"I might have a few ideas. You?"
With a subtle shrug, Nova moved swiftly and, in an instant, straddled his hips as her hands pinned his wrists above his head. Sucking in a sharp breath, Hollis gaped up at her with wide eyes, but an adventurous grin.
"Oh?"
"Mhm…" She leaned down, hovering just above his lips, before connecting them once again.
By the time they'd managed to pull apart and Hollis finished her shower, Nova was comfortably wrapped in her quilt, rocking in the chair by the fire. It wasn't big enough to pull her legs in, but at least it was warm. Hollis soon emerged, freshly showered with a new energy. He slipped on a pair of his clothes, which he kept in a small wardrobe in the corner.
"You can wear anything you'd like," he said as he approached her, biting his lower lip as he watched her rock, "But I'll go gather some more clothes too. Any requests?"
"Hmmm…coffee."
Hollis grinned and leaned down, nose inches from hers, "I meant clothes."
"Funny how you think I'll be wearing them anyway," she retorted.
Chuckling, he kissed her nose, "Well, I won't argue with that."
One last kiss and Hollis pulled away, reluctantly, and walked toward the door only to winnow his way to the palace—specifically, the kitchen. Everyone else would be in the dining room at this point, or sleeping in, depending on how their night went. He'd be safe to travel the halls from the kitchen.
But Hollis froze in place as he arrived in what he thought would be an empty kitchen table, where Cassian, Azriel, and Emerie sat, slowly sipping their mug of coffee as they stared him down. Eira, glancing between them, mimicked Azriel's scowl and crossed her arms as she stared at Hollis despite not knowing why the tension was high.
The sudden realization hit him hard. It was the Solstice…his parents closed the dining room on the morning of the Solstice and held a feast in the evening instead.
Ana moved out of the corner of the counter where she'd been buttering her toast. She approached him, removed a duffel bag from one of the cabinets, and offered it to him. She batted her hand at the table and said, "Don't mind them." She handed him a platter of food and an entire pot of steaming coffee.
Though his skin was flushed red, he smiled sheepishly and said, "Thanks…" Clearing his throat, he glanced at the table members, who sat silently, still sipping their coffee. Nodding awkwardly, he winnowed away.
As soon as he was gone, Ana put her hands on her hips and turned to them, "Behave, all of you." She scolded.
Eira put her hands on her hips too and stood on her chair, "Behave!"
"You, too." Ana leaned forward, scrunching her face playfully, which earned a squeal of laughter from her as she leaned back, fingers against her teeth, giggling.
The cabin, now warm, was filled with the scent of Nova, and he could have collapsed to his knees. He watched her rock back and forth, looking at him over her quilt. He might not have been able to see her lips, but he knew she was smiling. The sparkle in her eyes was unmistakable.
"That was fast. Did you run into anybody?" She asked, pulling the fabric down.
Hollis nodded and pursed his lips, "Uhm…yes."
Raising a brow, she bit her lip, "Do you think they knew?"
"Oh, they knew." He chuckled, holding up the duffle. "From Ana." He set the spread of food on the coffee table and said, "Also from Ana…" He set the coffee pot down with matching mugs. "Ana."
Nova shook her head and grinned, "She would…" She moved to sit next to the table, smiling as Hollis joined her.
"Oh, I forgot," he murmured, holding her hand, "Happy Solstice. Also, there will be a feast tonight. Maybe not in the usual way, but I don't imagine my parents will give up the tradition."
Nova raised her brows, "Happy Solstice…that will be interesting."
"Hm, well, if it's anything like the greeting I had in the kitchen, it certainly will be."
"Azriel?"
"And Cassian. And Emerie. Eira looked ready to fight, too."
Nova snorted and shook her head, "Don't worry about them. Ana will keep them in line." She laughed.
"Oh, I don't doubt that."
Helping themselves to bagels and cream cheese, strawberries and blueberries, but it was the coffee that made Nova moan. The steam curled around her, and she breathed it in with a happy sigh. With her feet resting in Hollis's lap, she smiled as he glided his fingers lightly along her calves and ankles.
"You know…we have officially consummated the marriage," Nova said, tearing a piece off her bagel to pop in her mouth. "Do you think, now that we have, things might get better?"
Hollis smiled grimly, "I don't know, but at the very least, it will hopefully keep Tamlin's mouth shut," but then his smile morphed into something genuine, "I'm just glad we were able to do things on our terms. I suppose it's never simple, but it felt…right."
She couldn't agree more. Their emotions had guided them, not a piece of paper. And it did feel right…so right. She'd be lying if she said she didn't feel some guilt for loving Hollis not long after Peter's death. She shouldn't, she knew that, but it was still there.
Gnawing on her bottom lip, she set her bagel aside and let the quilt fall off her shoulders. She smirked as Hollis dropped his strawberry. It skipped off his chest and onto the floor. With another wave of confidence, she crawled forward, leaving her quilt behind as she straddled his hips and leaned down. Dragging her tongue across the sticky-sweet spot on his chest, she shivered at his moan and kissed up his neck.
They'd both gone so long without affection that it was like guzzling water after spending days in a desert.
Nova's eyes rolled back in her head as his fingers slid up her stomach and caressed the curve of her breast. She ground her hips against his and caught his gasping groan with her mouth, happily devouring it.
"I think we're going to be late for dinner…" Hollis murmured breathlessly.
Giggling, Nova shook her head, "That's hours from now."
"I know."
They were late to dinner.