Page 48 of Simon

Simon pulled out a book from behind his back and lifted it toward me. “What is this?” I asked, my curiosity piqued when I flipped through the pages. They were empty.

“You had a book that you wrote in when you were with your group. I don’t know where it went, but I have this empty one.” He nodded toward it. The cover was thick leather, decorated with intricate designs. “I want you happy. Will this book make you happy?”

I let out a puff of air. “It does make me happy, Simon.”

He made me happy. To be honest with myself, I didn’t think I’d ever been this… free. For the first time in my life, I’ve gotten my hands truly dirty, enjoyed desires I’d never felt, and had a connection that went far beyond anything I have ever encountered.

I needed to drop the social standards I had learned and stop shunning the unknown. I had this feeling inside me that I was not sure of, but it was telling me to embrace whatever Simon and I had.

Could I do that?

What if I wasn’t his mate? I’d be so disappointed, but what if I never felt sexual desires again? This could be my only chance, just to have him for a little while.

Was this worth the heartbreak?

Simon beamed and sat beside me. He held up the roots that he had washed and offered me one.

I couldn’t get any more immersive than this, traveling around a forest with a faun who no one knew existed.

I took the root from his hand and sniffed. It smelled like cinnamon and sugar. He urged me to take a bite, and I tentatively bit down on it. An eruption of flavor burst on my tongue.

It tasted like a churro.

“What’s this called?”

Simon shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. Orcs don’t eat it. They don’t know about it because it is in the ground. I could smell how sweet it was myself.” He sat up straight. “My nose is better than an orc’s.”

I stifled a laugh and took another bite. I opened the notebook, saw a pencil on the side, ready for me to use, and began to draw the roots, giving details on its taste and smell. I also put a brief note beside it that only a faun could sniff out the sweet-tasting roots.

Chapter Seventeen

Lucy

AssoonasIfinished sketching out the roots, I took another bite. I was surprised by how sweet it tasted coming straight from the ground. I expected it to be something bitter and more earthy in taste.

Can I say earthy?

Bergarian-y?

I put the notebook down and saw Simon washing more roots. My interest piqued, and I leaned over his shoulder. “Where did you get them?”

Simon sat back on his legs; his hands rubbed down his soft thighs. An imagery flashed in my mind: my hands running through the soft fur as I dug my nails into the muscle. My insides fluttered.

Would he make whimpering sounds like he did the last time we touched?

Did he want to touch me again after that? I could be too much trouble now that we had that stupid ogre after us.

“The roots?” He broke me out of my thoughts.

I nodded eagerly. “Where do you get them? What plant do you look for, and where do you dig them up?”

Simon eyed me and tilted his head. “Why do you need to know? Whenever you want them, I’ll get them for you. You don’t have to search for food. It is my job to provide for you.”

He puffed out his chest to appear larger. Instead of looking big and tough, it made my emotional wall drop for him. He was so innocent and was trying so hard.

“No, silly. I want to know how I can find them so I can write it down in this book.” I pointed to the book sitting by itself on the rock. “You see, the whole point of me being here is to gather information about the Wood and send it back to the Cerulean Moon Kingdom. There aren’t that many people who know about the Monktona Wood, and most fear what is inside of it. Especially when there are nothing but ogres and orcs inside. I’m trying to give everyone an insight of what it’s like inside.”

Simon tilted his head and chewed the remaining root in his mouth. His thoughtful face was utterly adorable, and I wanted to squish his face together and say, “Who’s a cute wittle faun?”

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