Page 23 (1/2)
"And you think a romance would be an interruption"
"Wouldn’t it?" I smirked at her "After twelve years of repression and denial, once we began, ould we stop?"
She chuckled softly "That’s a fair point Two people who can replenish their strength froes of extended friction? It would be Hohed at this, and she dissolved into giggles I rested my forehead for a moment in the crook of her elbow and enjoyed the release of tension Then, as we both wound down, I planted a soft kiss high up on her shoulder She quieted and a question forer?" I asked "For your sake and mine?"
"Yes," she said Despite reen of her eyes Then she turned away and added, "Sensei," and I shook myself and continued to bind her to the earth
A ods or men, ere past the merely painful part and into the part where a side dish of excite with the pain I’d faithfully stabbed every point of Gaia’s knotwork all the way up Granuaile’s side, past the curve of her breast, up to the top of her shoulder like a soldier’s braid, and then it began to fall to the shape-shifting loops around the biceps
A Druid’s animal for the process of the binding, Gaia gradually gets to know the Druid and determines for herself which forms would be most suitable The first band at the very top of the biceps is always the human shape--necessary so that we can shift back to huets a hoofed ani form, and an aquatic form Gaia doesn’t say ahead of time what the forms will be, so we both had to wait for the tattoos to take shape before we could tell what Granuaile could shift to
She asked for updates about every three an the second band on her arm
"Can you tell what it is yet?" she asked
"No, sorry"
"How about now?"
"Not yet A little anxious, are we?"
"Maybe a little Can’t you at least guess?"
"You’ll have hooves"
"I hate you"
I sht"
Gradually it beca into a shape "It looks like it’s a horse," I said
"A horse! What kind? An Appaloosa? An Arabian?"
"A fast one"
"Probably a red one Chestnut coat, you know Super gorgeous"
"Without doubt," I said, and continued my work as Granuaile’s eyes lost focus and she drea faster than she ever could as a huan her predator stripe It was a particularly dark one, requiring lots of ink and ti to be a dark coat," I said, and that kept her guessing for the rest of the day It wasn’t until the day after that I could discern with any certainty what the creature represented
"Huh It’s a black cat," I said
"A black cat?" Mild outrage colored her tone
"A big one Not a kitty cat Won’t know if you’re a leopard or a jaguar until you shift"
"Oh! That’s better, then"
"I’ll say It’s pretty badass"
"What about a panther?"
"Black panthers are really black leopards They’re not a different species It’s just a recessive gene for s to say the words black leopard"
"Herous in the dark, I suppose Your flying tattoo will probably leave rooh to differentiate species fro to be alike that, aer birds Gaia never puts you very far down the food chain"
Once her flying stripe was finished, I could tell Granuaile would be a raptor of sole I did not know She wasn’t going to be an owl like me
Granuaile’s aquatic form was probably her weakest; it was a sea lion, and while she would be desperately cute, she wouldn’t have the manual dexterity I had as a sea otter She’d be a far better swimmer, however
It took another week and a half to finish her forearm, which would allow her to shift planes, and the circle on the back of her hand, which would give her control over her own healing On the last day in mid-afternoon, she sat up to watchher best to hold back any noises that would betray how thrilled she was I was pretty thrilled too; I’d healed fully by then and looked like rowth
When I inked the final bit and Gaia’s glow faded froht and fro with exciteratulations, Granuaile MacTiernan," I said "You are the first new Druid on this earth in rinned at her, relieved that it was finally over, and she laughed onder and a good hed with her and then watched as a strange demolition took place on her expression, as if so up her smile Her lower lip trembled and she sniffled "I can’t believe it’s finally done," she said, exa away tears with the heel of her left "Twelve long years"
"Oh, nonsense They flew by!" I said
"Yeah, whatever" She sniffed one final tirin returned, but this time it was mischievous "So this means you’re not ht Well, I’ve waited long enough" She grabbed me by the back of the neck and pulled me to her mouth "Come here"
I went there
Chapter 21
"Okay, for the record, what you’re doing is nothing like dogs barking, and I object to the whole bow-chicka-bo meme in principle"
Oberon, please This is not the time
"This is the perfect time! It’s the first time you and Granuaile have participated in this bow-chicka-bo behavior"
It’s notseventies’ funk raphic videos, specifically the bass line May we have soo away?"
Well, just don’t stare at us! I didn’t sit and watch and ivin’ the dog a bone and such?
"Fine But hu habits are stupid"
Chapter 22
We did stop eventually, but only because Oberon threatened to chew off his leg as the sun set for the third ti a watchdog, especially since I have to watch you two be grody together"
Now, hold on! First, you didn’t have to watch, because I specifically suggested that you not do so, and, second, it wasn’t grody It was the stuff Al Green sings about
"You were the one who told ie: "Grody is in the eye of the beholder""
No, Oberon, that was beauty
"Whatever It works for grody too"
Nothing could ruin hed and admitted he had a point
How about a hunt, Oberon? Would that suit you?