NOVEL NEXT Chapter 154 – A Set
[2009 – October]
Opening the door to Elijah's and her home, Jean stepped inside with a smile as she already felt Elijah's presence. She was still wearing the tight workout clothes that she always wore when meeting Emma for a training session, and that was exactly where she was coming from.
Her mood was rather good as she was not only excited about Cordelia's birthday party this evening, but she had also made great progress during her session with Emma.
From now on, she wouldn't need Elijah's help to shield her mind and stop her telepathy from passively reading the thoughts of others.
It was a big step for her considering that just a few months ago she had thought that she would never be able to free herself from this torturous assault on her sanity.
Before meeting Elijah, Jean had simply thought that such a thing was impossible. So now, she naturally couldn't wait to share this news with her love.
To be honest though, she was also a tiny bit reluctant to give up his protection as it made her feel warm and cared for. As if Elijah was always by her side, watching over her with his beautiful eyes, his presence alone banishing all pain and nightmares.
This wasn't a big deal though as she was sure that her love would not mind keeping up his barrier around her mind, even though it was no longer necessary. He loved her very much, after all.
“Elijah- … “, Jean called out as she walked into the living room, though she quietened down abruptly, her eyes settling on the black leopard that lay curled up the large leather armchair, its tail wrapped around a tiny black owlet.
Her eyes couldn't help but glitter and soften a bit as she saw the beautiful feline resting so peacefully on the soft cushion.
Approaching with quiet steps, Jean knelt down next to the armchair, her hands coming up to lightly brush through the soft dark fur on the sides of its face, her fingers lightly tracing the path from atop its nose up to its head and ears, and over its back.
Almost immediately, she felt his purrs, the sensation being transmitted to her hands through light vibrations while her ears also took note of them.
"Wake up, my love.", Jean whispered softly, deep love shining in her eyes, her ministrations fueled with incredible tenderness as she saw the leopard's eyes open slowly, two feline pupils looking at her sleepily, "We have to get ready for your sister's party."
Elijah seemed to have a different opinion though as he just closed his eyes and moved his paws up to cover his ears and eyes.
Jean couldn't help but the soft laugh that escaped her lips at seeing her love act so adorably.
Gently prying away the paws, she leaned down a placed a kiss on the black feline's nose as she whispered temptingly: "We don't have much time to play now but we do have time for a shower together."
Her words had the desired effect as she saw the look in her love's slitted pupils narrow a bit under the half-closed eyelids, desire and hunger inside them.
Jean though wasn't scared while being looked at like this, instead, a light tingling sensation ran down her spine as she shuddered in sensual anticipation.
Rising to her feet, she kept her gaze locked on the black leopard's for a few moments before abruptly turning around and running into the bedroom, laughing due to a mixture of excitement and playfulness as she heard movement from behind her.
Jean knew that she had just marked herself as prey with her words and actions, and yet, she could hardly stop herself from slowing in her tracks and letting herself be caught, knowing how much she was going to enjoy being 'devoured'.
Still, in the end, she ran as fast as she could, having complete trust that her love was going to catch her either way.
Reality proved her right as Jean hardly made it halfway through the bedroom when two strong arms caught her from behind, making her cry out in surprise while soft lips fell on her neck, leaving behind marks of love and intimacy as Elijah carried her into her bathroom, his hands peeling off her clothes on the way.
…
Finishing the tie knot, I made sure to adjust the position of the black tie perfectly before folding down the collar of my black button-down shirt.
Emma had told me that while Cordelia's birthday parties were always rather wild, the guests were in no way ordinary. They were still young people but all of them had important backgrounds and/or were her close friends which meant that casual wear was out of the question.
In truth though, while all these people were undoubtedly rich, they had no real power or influence, at least not on a level that mattered. But even if they had, I couldn't care less about them. My power dictated the way that I looked at the world, and being a Realm Lord, any 'mortal' authority or influence was pretty much useless in my eyes.
Still, I had no plans to behave inappropriately or rudely. I was attending this party not only for Cordelia but also as a Frost after all, not to mention that Jean also was pretty excited about it.
As such, I had opted to wear an all-black suit including a vest, all of it tailor-made and rather expensive. It was a rather nice look and somewhat fitting considering that I was the Lord of Darkforce.
“Elijah, can you come in here and help me with my dress?”, Jean's voice sounded out, calling for me from the bathroom.
She hadn't wanted me to see her dress beforehand, so I was a bit eager as I hadn't cheated and snuck a peek at her with my Farsight, even though the temptation was great. Thankfully, I was a rather patient individual, which made this moment when I was about to see her in her dress all the more exciting.
Pushing open the door of the bathroom, I couldn't even take half a step before I froze in my movements, my heart skipping a beat at the enchanting scene in front of me.
Jean stood with her back facing the door, holding onto her braided hair with one hand as she looked over her shoulder to meet my gaze, her delicate back bare.
Her cheeks had a slightly rosy sheen while her beautiful eyes shone with shy love and tender anticipation.
The dress that she wore was black with a high collar and long sleeves, and while most of it was just of a simple design, the sleeves were decorated with black embroidery on near-transparent black silk.
In short, she looked absolutely gorgeous, her pure beauty one of a kind.
Shaking off my daze, I slowly walked up to her and placed my hands on her hips. Lowering my head, I pressed my lips against the back of her neck as one of my hands slowly moved around her waist while the other took hold of her zipper.
"You look absolutely stunning, Firefly.", I whispered as I pulled up the zipper, making sure that my thumb caressed the bare skin of her back as I did so.
Jean's response was a light tremble that went through her whole form while her free hand moved atop the one I had placed around her waist, holding onto it tightly.
Once I was done, I lowered my hand back down to her hip and gently forced her to turn around.
Her hands came to rest on my chest as she did so, and she gently rearranged my tie a bit before moving down to button up my vest. We didn't speak while she busied herself for a moment but once she was done, Jean raised her head and looked at me with incredibly loving eyes, a quiet smile on her rosy lips.
“You look very handsome too, my love.”, she complimented softly.
“Just handsome?”, I questioned with soft mischief.
“And sexy.”, Jean added, her tone barely a whisper as a red hue rose to her cheeks.
“Just handsome and sexy?”, I questioned again playfully.
Biting her lower lip, she gave a soft slap to my chest as she looked up at me with an adorably wronged expression.
Laughing lightly, I leaned down to apologize with a tender kiss on her lips before moving back half a step and presenting her my palm, on which lay a small box.
“What is that?”, Jean asked quietly.
I didn't answer and just opened the box, inside it, fastened to a small cushion, lay a pair of silver earrings with emeralds and diamonds that were arranged in a rhombus shape. But that wasn't all as there was also a simple tie clip inside, made out of silver with a small rhombus-shaped emerald embedded in it.
It was obvious that these accessories were a set, and Jean naturally realized that too as she looked up at me with slightly watery and widened eyes.
A mixture of surprise, love, and belonging colored her beautiful, vulnerable gaze, and I knew that my present had the desired effect.
Taking the tie clip, I held it out for her and asked simply: “Would you help me with that?”
The answer was a kiss to my lips as she tiptoed, before taking the clip and gently fastening my black tie to my shirt with it.
Then without a word, she leaned her head sideways and brushed back the few strands of her flaming hair that were not tied into her braid, exposing her ear to me in a rather obvious gesture.
I didn't let her wait as I helped her put on the earrings, leaving a light kiss behind both her ears that made her hum and tremble ever so slightly.
After which she buried herself into my embrace for a few long moments as I just caressed her back and held her softly. Before long though, we separated again as we didn't want to be late.
Moving into the bedroom, I went to place a tiny dark-green bow around Arya's neck while Jean slipped into her heels, and after we both grabbed our coats, our little family of three was ready for Cordelia's party.