Page 57 of Earth-Bound

His arms around my waist tightened, crushing me to him. My mate was strong and the way he tried to pull us closer together seemed almost desperate. I just gently stroked his hairand let him crush us close. After being so long without a mate, and especially after I’d been afraid he’d leave me forever, I was happy to sacrifice the ability to breathe if it meant being with Joe.

At last he loosened his arms and pulled away. “Sorry, didn’t mean to get all emotional on you.”

He brushed a hand across his face and I noticed his eyes were wet.

“It’s my pleasure to be here for you.”

He gave a gruff laugh. “You’re the only man I’ve ever met who thinks that.”

Ah. That reminded me. I gathered my courage and spoke. “I, um, have something else I need to tell you.”

A little flint of wariness entered his eyes again. “What is it?”

“I’m not actually a man.”

His eyes dropped to my crotch, obviously remembering that – physically – I was very much male.

“Ok,” he said. “You identify as something else?”

“I’m an earth spirit.”

“What’s that?”

“A spirit. From the earth. We’re a race of creatures, just like dragons and dryad.”

“Ok. Is there anything I need to know about that right now? Anything you want me to do? Pronouns I should call you?”

“No, everything is just as before. Only… now you know.”

“Are you magic?”

“Yes. All earth spirits are magic.”

“What can you do?”

“Well, I’m not very powerful at the moment. I’m recovering from… an illness. I can sense things that touch the earth, and I can communicate with animals and trees, in a way—”

“That’s what you were doing the other day. In the clearing.”

“Yes.”

He shrugged. “That’s fine.”

“You’re taking this very well.”

To my surprise, a laugh burst out of him. It seemed to take him by surprise just as much as me, and he laughed long and loud. “I don’t care, now that I know I’m not mad. Before, when I thought I was just weird, I minded that. And when I thought you’d somehow found out about it and were mocking me, I minded that. But not now.”

I pressed my palm to his cheek. His beard was soft against my skin and I stroked a finger down the blonde hairs.

“I have never mocked you. And you are not mad, or weird.”

From behind me, where I had actually forgotten about her, Dee said, “You’re a bit weird, not going to lie. We just like it that way.” She gave a little shimmy where she was wrapped in Arram’s arms. They had let their dryad retreat and their skin was smooth once again, only the ground was covered in tiny pink petals.

I smiled. Where the dryad shed their petals, the ground was blessed. This was going to be a blessed place and Joe and I would live here all our lives.

Chapter 24: Joe

My head was buzzing with so many new thoughts that I couldn’t concentrate on them. I was so relieved that I wasn’t mad. Or weird.

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