Page 44 of Simon

It was the animalistic side of me. Thoughts of rutting her into the soft nest, slipping inside while she slept, painted beautiful pictures in my head.

I could not do that. I was not an animal.

I squeezed my eyes shut and took a deep breath, trying to regain control of myself. I was the protector of my mate, and she needed me strong. But my body had other ideas. My shaft throbbed insistently, threatening to spill my seed if I didn’t take care of it soon.

Did she want to touch me?

The thought of her soft hands gripping my shaft, staring at me with lust, would be my undoing. I grunted while I stared at her and stroked myself. The veins in my shaft enlarged, my body went rigid, and the idea of having Lucy lick my shaft while I licked her brought a newfound vigor to my strokes.

With a hoarse cry, I came, spilling my seed beside the nest.

Exhausted but satisfied, I took a moment to breathe before turning my attention back to Lucy.

Kneeling beside her, I heard a soft sound coming from her and looked down to see her moving slightly beneath the cotton blanket. Instantly worried that she was cold or uncomfortable, I draped the extra cotton over her exposed breast to keep her warm and covered as much as possible.

“Lucy,” I whispered softly to her, “my Lucy.”

I licked her cheek, feeling her body tremble ever so slightly in response. It was enough to reassure me that she wanted me.

Stroking her hair away from her face, I watched over her intently as I planned to find what we needed to get through this illness. But first things first, we needed food: fresh berries, vegetables, roots, or anything edible nearby would do the trick for now.

I straightened my back. I could not afford to be weak when she needed me most. I carefully stepped over the branches that leddown to the forest floor, keeping a vigilant eye out for danger. Time was of the essence. I would not have Lucy become sick because of my negligence.

I quickly raced back to the cave. I knew I had herbs that could help her.

Since being alone and no longer roaming meadows and lands outside of the Wood often, I had gathered many plants and roots and dried them in case I became ill. I couldn’t depend on Calliope and her mate to take care of me. They had each other, and I was alone.

My preparation was a blessing. Now, she will see me as a fit male.

Upon returning to the cave, I found it was not as destroyed as I had imagined. The scent of my mate's arousal lingered on the blankets, which had caused the bed to be shredded to pieces. Large rocks and boulders still sat in the cave, but I could remove them. The corner still held my preparation area for food and the spot where I kept my herbs for healing.

I sighed in relief and grabbed a leather satchel and put as many herbs as I could inside. For sickness, sleep, taste for food, and the most important of all, the yellowcress to keep our scent suppressed to a minimum.

My seed would keep the ogre away for now, but if Lucy wanted my body, I would not deny her. I would make sure she was protected, and then she would see what a fit male I was and let me claim her.

I grabbed a kettle and cups, as much as I could carry, and slung the satchel over my back. I would need to make a fire at the base of the tree to prepare her a tea that would be absorbed easier into her body, to reduce the fever.

When I returned to our nest, tears of pride filled my eyes as Lucy stirred and mumbled in her sleep for me. She unconsciously shifted closer to my warmth when I approached. I carefully lifted her body, whispering her name, but she did not wake, and my brows furrowed.

Was she sicker than I realized? Panic engulfed me as I held the iron cup filled with the herb tea, that was now cool enough for her to drink. I tickled her lips with my finger so she would part them and tried to tip the liquid into her mouth. She sputtered, and it fell down her chin.

A grunt escaped my lips as I set the cup down; the sticky sweetness of the spilled herb was already clinging to her chin as I wiped it away. She wasn’t swallowing.

I scratched my head and looked around for an answer, but I knew I would not receive one.

I sighed and cupped her face. There was one way I could get it into her mouth.

I took a sip and placed my thumb on her bottom lip to help part them. Her breath was warm when I pressed her lips to hers. She swallowed and let out a hum in contentment.

My shaft rose once again, and I cursed myself.

He came out at the wrong time, every time.

My lips lingered, even after the drink had left me. I picked up the cup and drank more, just to have an excuse to place more of the drink into her mouth.

My fingers threaded through her hair, pulling her closer to my body. Reluctantly, I let go of her lips and placed my forehead on hers.

“You will be my undoing.”

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