Chapter 7: Page 7

Meria lifted her head off Fidgen’s chest, startled by the sound of two Wolves howling. For a moment, she forgot what day it was, afraid she had somehow lost consciousness during the Frenzy. She sat up and looked around, but relaxed once she realized she was in her cottage and Fidgen was with her.

The television was still on, the sound on low, and the menu for the movie was up on the screen. They must have fallen asleep before the end. She rubbed her hands over her face before picking up the remote and turning off the DVD player and the television.

“Is everything okay, pretty bird?” Fidgen stretched his arms over his head and then rubbed his hand along Meria’s thigh, enjoying how soft her skin was. She was wearing a pair of loose knit shorts and a baggy shirt, having showered and changed before the movie. He wanted nothing more than to slip his hands under her shirt and weigh her breasts in his palms.

“Yeah. Some Wolves were howling, scared me for a moment. Thought I was out during the Frenzy and had been knocked unconscious or somehow lost consciousness.” After dropping the remote on the table, she laid back down, snuggled against Fidgen.

“Did that happen to you?”

“My first Frenzy was a little scary. I had a run-in with some of the other Sparrows. I was lucky Daddy was nearby. He saved me. After that, I usually went about with a friend, well, mainly Daddy until he died.” Her father had taught her to fight after that, both offensively and defensively, but he still went about with her, insisted. She hadn’t minded, loving being around her father.

“He didn’t stay with your mother?”

“Because it was an arranged mating, they never went into their half-state, so were still under the influence of the New Moon. At least I think so. If not, they didn’t like each other by the time I was affected and so they did their own things.”

“Since it was arranged, I assume they still went through the Bonding Rites ceremony?” Fidgen started playing with her hair, twirling bits around his index finger.

“Yes. Why do you ask?”

“Curious I guess. The Bonding Rites is a mystical ceremony and I would assume that it would keep a Wair couple from being affected by the Frenzy since it’s supposed to keep a couple, especially the male, from heeding the call of an in season female who was not his mate.”

“That could explain why Daddy kept his head during the Frenzy.”

“So you think your parents might have cared about one another in the beginning?”

“Daddy used to keep a picture from their Bonding Day in the studio. He would tell me how beautiful Mother was when they first mated, that he had truly cared about her, but fame had changed her. I guess that was another reason I didn’t become a singer, I was afraid I might become like her.”

“I don’t think you could.”

Meria sighed. “I couldn’t be sure. I didn’t want to chance it.” She pulled herself closer against Fidgen’s side. “Why are you so perfect?”

“I’m not perfect, pretty bird. I’m sure we’ll each find something that’s annoying about the other as we get to know each other more.”

“But you’re so understanding.”

“I want you to be comfortable. I want your first time to be what it should be, and I want it to be your choice. I could offer seduction, but that’s not… That’s the easy way. It would be great, fantastic even, but how would I know if you were really ready.”

“I want you though. So if you seduced me…”

“But would you really be ready or would it be the seduction talking? I’m not making any sense. I just want you to want me so much that you grab my dick and pull me to your room, instead of my kissing and touching you into allowing me inside you.”

“So you want me to seduce you?”

“I want you to have the courage to take charge. It’ll make it hotter for us both.”

Meria lifted up on her elbow and looked at Fidgen. “Do you prefer it when women take charge in sex, instead of you taking charge?”

“Oh, I can take charge, pretty bird,” he grinned, “and I do enjoy it quite a bit, but there is something extra thrilling about a woman when she knows what she wants and takes it, especially the first time.”

“Like grabbing you by the dick, dragging you to my room, and having my way with you?”

“Sweet Mother, yes!” His voice came out in a hoarse exclamation. “If you do that, I would be your slave.”

Meria snuggled against him once more. “I like the sound of that.”

“I hope so, because just the thought of you doing that… almost made me come in my pants.” He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her tight against his side.

She smiled and rubbed her cheek on his chest. “How do you suppose my mother found out about us? I know Greffen wouldn’t say anything to her, he wouldn’t do that to me.”

“Maybe Aphenia? It would be something she would do.”

“But, how?”

“Well, she heard your last name and she heard Greffen mention your mother’s first name. She also heard that you didn’t want him to say anything. If she were to do a search on the internet for a Fernia Chirptrue, she just might come up with Fernia Trillnote who is the widow of Terndo Chirptrue who was the band mate of Greffen Warblesong.”

“That would be available on the internet?”

“Oh sure. Do you have a computer hooked up to the internet?”

“Yeah. I have one of those new wireless cards in my laptop. I’ll go get it.” Meria reluctantly got up from the couch and retrieved the computer from her office. Returning, she handed it to Fidgen, who had sat up, and then sat next to him.

“Nice. I have a similar one that I use for my art.” Fidgen opened the laptop and turned it on. He looked at Meria when she touched his mohawk. “What? Is it crooked?”

She snickered as she tried to straighten it. “It’s flopping it two different directions.”

“It does that when I forget about it. You should see it after a night on a pillow.” He dipped down and kissed her quickly on the lips. “What would you think if I cut it off?”

“You don’t like your mohawk?”

“I like it fine, but I’ve had it for a couple of years now and I think it’s time for a change. I used to have hair down to the middle of my back.”

“Ooh, I bet that was nice.” Meria touched the mohawk again.

“It had its moments. If I get rid of this thing, I would stop bleaching it and my goatee too, maybe go back to my natural color.”

“Which is?”

“Black.” Seeing that the computer was booted up, he logged onto the internet and punched up Wairhoo. Typing in Fernia Chirptrue, he hit return and waited for the search results. “There you go. The first two entries are about Fernia Trillnote and Terndo Chirptrue. Let’s see what I get if I search for Meria Chirptrue.”

“Wow, I didn’t know I was in there. That’s an old picture of Daddy and me.” She touched the picture of her father; she still missed him, would always miss him. “He tried to keep me out of the spotlight, but Mother…she kept dragging me into it.”

“I would have loved to meet him.”

“He would’ve liked you, I’m sure of it.” Meria kissed his cheek. “So Aphenia finds out who my mother is and calls her, lets her know what her daughter is doing?”

“I wouldn’t put it past her.”

“But… You broke up with her so long ago, why can’t she let go? What are you, Elf royalty, some secret prince?”

Fidgen snorted. “No. My dad’s a banker and my mom’s a dressmaker. The closest thing to royalty in my family tree is my Great Uncle Nebin. He’s a Count of some sort and I’m not his heir—he’s got twenty kids of his own who would inherit. Not to mention, I’m second to the youngest out of thirty kids.”

“Thirty kids?” Meria swallowed. “Oh boy.”

“They’ll love you. Maybe not as much as I do, but they’ll love you nonetheless. I know it.”

“Fidgen, I’m an only child, I don’t know how to deal with large families.”

“Don’t you have cousins, aunts, uncles?”

“The Chirptrues are a small family. Daddy said we used to be bigger, but an epidemic of Flu wiped us out at one point; it’s what Daddy died from. I have two cousins and Daddy’s brother. There may be more since I last checked, but we’re an endangered clan.”

“I hope then that we can add to the numbers.” He kissed her again, then shut off the computer. “I should head home.”

“Stay, unless… It was so nice sleeping next to you, but if it’s too much… I don’t want you to… Dammit, Fidgen, I want you to stay, but I don’t want you to be frustrated. I hear blue balls is painful.”

Fidgen started laughing, loving the way his girl just blurted things out. He pulled Meria onto his lap and nuzzled her neck. “Blue balls is very unpleasant, but if you let me take a cold shower before I crawl into bed next to you, I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive, pretty bird. I want to wake up next to you whether we make love or not.”

Meria threw her arms around his neck. “Oh, Fidgen, I love you.”

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