Page 36 of Temple

She looked up at him, and his stellar eyes were blazing. He went in as far as he could and then smiled. “Doing okay, sweet?”

She nodded.

He kissed her sweetly before he lifted his head, biting her shoulder. She felt heat spilling into her with a feeling of pressure, but the rush of energy through her body made her shiver and twitch as her control over her limbs was gone.

Symo crooned to her as he raised his head. “The bite is healing, and I can feel you taking in the nanites. How do you feel?”

“Full. How far did you get?”

He grinned. “More than half, less than I want, enough to give me hope it won’t take much longer.”

She smiled, and he withdrew carefully. She blinked. “Is that normal?”

He laughed. “Yes. When it runs out of you, your body is fully repaired and suited for me. That is the point where we will wait for your first receptivity.”

“So, you want kids right away?”

“I want them when you are comfortable, which is why we will discuss it as you are coming into season.”

“Oh. So, you can hold back a little?”

“I can hold back for a decade. That said, when you say you are ready, I will be on you.” He smiled and rubbed his nose against hers.

She blinked and giggled. The joy in his mind spilled into hers. She paused. “Wait. Is that... that’s you.”

He nodded. “Yes, I linked in with the bite.”

“I did not peg you for a giggler.”

He smiled. “We will discuss pegging later.”

Her eyes went wide, and she laughed until she felt the tears moving down her cheeks, and the laughter turned to loss, and he held her while she grieved the life she had lost and the family that was taken.

Symo held her close and wrapped her in his wings. When the storm ended, he took her to the shower and rinsed her off before setting her on her feet and having her reach up for the handles built into the shower. He scrubbed her back, held her head, and massaged her hair as he washed it.

Bailey smiled. This wasn’t something she had experience with, and it felt nice.

He pulled her against him and kissed the top of her head. “Are you ready to head home, Bailey?”

“Yes. I... yes.”

He tilted her head back and kissed her softly. “Good.”

“May I say goodbye to Sage?”

He cocked his head, and his eyes got distant. “Let’s get you dressed and have a meal with the matron. They need some time.”

Bailey smiled and stroked his chest. “How long?”

“Two hours. Perhaps three. They have been together before, but this time, he is doing it with the intent to mate. It makes things different.”

“Different?”

He smiled and escorted her to the airdrying column. “Oh, yes. Different.”

She stood and watched his wings fluffing dry and his very naked self. “When did you disrobe?”

“When my mouth was on you.”

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