Page 39 of Sweetling
It gave him great pleasure to give her beautiful things.
His Molly was more reticent than he’d expected. Still, she was slowly beginning to accept his gifts. Flowers were nothing to what he could and would give her, but it was a start.
Filling her room with bright, beautiful flowers, taking care of her, offering her a fine home—well, a home that would be fine one day soon—fulfilled his most basic needs as a male fae.
Although the males of his kind were large and physically imposing compared to the females, it was the latter who led them. Blessed with a magic more intrinsic than the males, it was female fae who ruled and governed—they were the monarchs, the scholars, the healers, the politicians. To be sure, there were male academics and male physicians. Males outnumbered females almost two to one, so there were many roles they had to fill.
For the fae, though, it was a matriarchal society. Females were to be cherished, valued, worshipped even. They were life-bringers, magic-singers. If a male desired a female and was blessed with her favor,it was his duty and his honor to take care of her every need, to protect her with life and limb, and to ensure she knew only comfort and happiness.
It was what he wanted to give Molly, if only she’d let him.
Finding his way down into the kitchen, the house creaked as if waking itself from slumber.
“Yes, good morning,” he greeted. “Nothing of note happened while I was asleep?”
The top half of the split kitchen door opened with an ominous creak.
Allarion’s attention snapped, his senses sharpening. “What’s happened?”
The house fell silent, so that Allarion could clearly hear the pounding stomps of hisazaicoming downstairs to join them.
Although the house’s warning unnerved him, he donned a smile to hide it, expecting a wary greeting from Molly.
What he got was an angry hellcat.
Molly burst into the kitchen in a plume of petals and snapping, angry eyes. She slammed the vase of flowers down on the butcher block, turning that glare onto him. The force of it nearly sent Allarion back a step.
“You!” she shrieked.
“Good—”
“What inall the hellsis this?”
Allarion looked between her and the flowers, now missing many of their petals. “Sunflowers. I’m the one who has left you flowers in the mornings.”
He knew immediately that wasn’t what she wanted to hear, the red of her cheeks deepening to an alarming shade and her eyes flashing dangerously.
“Iknow that,Allarion. What I mean is—where were you?”
Ah. He’d failed to warn her of his upcoming sleep. In his defense, he was unsure, given her wariness of him still, just how much to tell her of his nature. He worried one misplaced fact would have her barricading herself in her bedchamber again.
“You must forgive me, Molly, I—”
“I don’t have to do anything—you’re the one who needs to explain!”
“Yes, I’m trying. Fae do not sleep every night like humans. Instead, every few days, we take the long sleep.”
“The long sleep,” she repeated, her voice rising to a rather unpleasant pitch. “And in this long sleep, you just, what, are dead to the world for a whole day?”
“That is what it looks like to those not sleeping, yes. Depending on what has occurred, the sleep can last longer than that. We need the restorative time. Little can wake us.”
Something like horror passed over her expressive human face, and Allarion hurried to reassure her. “I take it you must have seen me in my sleep. Please don’t worry yourself, I didn’t wake because I sensed no threat from you.” He would have intrinsically known her to be hisazai,evendead to the world,as she put it.
Once again that morning, he was proven utterly wrong. What was meant to comfort and soothe her only elicited another screech of frustration.
“Allarion—” He wanted to enjoy it when she said his name, but honestly, he didn’t in that tone, scolding and furious “—you can’t just do that to me! We’re almost out of food. I didn’t know when you would—I thought you weredead!I thought I was going to starve. Andhim—”
She pointed an accusing finger at the kitchen door. Bellarand had put his head through the open top half, peering inside with interest.
