Taming the Queen of Beasts

Aaryn was back. Impossibly, the Creator made a way—a path through the traverse. Aaryn said it was now nothing more than a cave, an empty space that smelled like the WildWood. He\'d only been able to find it in his wolf.

Gar knew the guards had searched the cave when the portals were closed, and they hadn\'t found any way through. Elreth, too.

But Aaryn pointed out that he was a Protector. And his beast form seemed… different.

"I\'m still myself," he\'d whispered in his brother\'s ear when they were discussing which guards to send to what might now be a security risk they thought they\'d never have to face again. "I\'m still in my head when I\'m a wolf."

Gar tipped his head and looked hard at his brother whom he\'d thought might only be inexperienced. But now, after some investigation with Aaryn and a handful of other protectors, it looked like there was some difference in the ways they shifted and the forms they took.

So, they\'d sent their best trackers, along with four full fists of guards to hold the cave and clearing until the others were done with their investigations.

They would not return until they understood exactly who could cross, and how.

All of this occurred while he\'d watched his sister, joy alight in her eyes again, completely unwilling to let Aaryn out of her sight—out of her touch. She\'d held his hand, his arm, whatever was within reach while he discussed the issue with the Security Council—and Behryn.

Another wonder. Behryn and Hollhye weren\'t dead. They were there, healthy, and ready to work. More importantly, not leaving. They\'d returned to the Tree City and at Elreth and Gar\'s insistence, were moving into his parent\'s tree.

It had been such an amazing day, and yet when the decisions were made and the conversations finished, Gar found himself completely overwhelmed.

He\'d shifted to return to the Tree, walked into the house, and dropped into the couch like it was arms to catch him.

When Rika returned, she found him sprawled there, his head tipped back on the back of the couch, and his eyes shining.

"Are you okay?"

He nodded, though he wasn\'t certain it was true. He wasn\'t certain what he was feeling. There was so much good in it, and yet underlying it all… sadness, fear…

"Gar?" Rika said quietly, coming to sit next to him on the couch, one hand squeezing his thigh.

"I just need a break," he breathed, staring at the ceiling, blinking away tears that wanted to come.

"Okay. I understand. I\'ll go see if—"

"No!" he said hurriedly, lifting his head and grabbing her hand that she\'d just removed from his thigh. "Not from you, Rika. Never from you. I meant… I needed to get out of the… the noise."

She\'d blinked at him suddenly as if what he\'d said was shocking.

Gar quickly scanned back through the words but could see nothing traumatic in them. What had he done?

"Rika? Are you okay? I wasn\'t—"

"When you need to be away from the world… you still want me there?" Even her whisper was high and thin.

Gar frowned slightly. "Of course. You\'re my safe place."

It was like watching water pour over her. Something happened. Her eyes widened. Her posture shifted. She leaned closer, staring at him as if he was something precious she\'d never seen before.

"Truly, Gar?"

"Truly. Rika, I don\'t understand, I\'ve told you before I always want you there. That I\'m not—"

"I know. But you\'re so strong and you\'ve never… I\'ve never seen you want to get away from everything before. I know how that feels, Gar."

He nodded.

Then she swallowed. "Lately I\'ve… I\'ve wanted you in that place too."

Gar sat up. "Why didn\'t you say anything? Yesterday when you got upset by the conflicts, you told me to leave you alone when you needed some space! If you\'d told me—"

"I didn\'t want to put that on you," she said. "I didn\'t want you to be responsible for fixing me."

Gar stared at her, his heart half-full of her changing needs for him, and half-weeping for all the ways she saw him that weren\'t true.

"Rika… I want to be with you. All the time. I want to help. It\'s… as much for me as it is for you. Can\'t you see?"

She clapped a hand to her mouth, stifling tears. Then she threw herself at him, whispering "I\'m so sorry!" as she took his face in her hands.

Gar was stunned, still uncertain what was happening to her, but her kiss was frantic and her whispers desperate. She pulled him into the kiss and even though it was salty with her tears, it also threatened to make him roar because she was… everything.

Then, her kiss deep and whimpering, she started pulling at his belt.

He loved how eager she was with him—it had led to more than one spontaneous joining out in the WildWood and even a sneaky jaunt into Elreth\'s bathing pools.

But he\'d felt for a while that while their lovemaking was joyous and frenetic, their desire had… overwhelmed their hearts.

So, as she whimpered and rocked in his lap, teasing his lip with her teeth, her hands hurrying to undress him, he took her by the shoulders and held her gently away from his chest.

She froze, staring at him. "Sorry, sorry," she said after a moment, her cheeks going up in flames. "It\'s not the time. I know. I\'m sorry. I just felt so close to you—"

"No, Rika," he rumbled, his voice gruff and deep. "It\'s definitely the time. I just… Just let me," he murmured, stroking her cheeks with his thumbs.

She blinked. "Let you what?"

"Let me show you," he whispered. Then he leaned forward again, taking her mouth slowly. So slowly. Rika\'s breath stopped entirely, though her heart raced ahead.

Gar held her eyes then kissed her again, so gently. And she was lost.