Chapter Text
The wind is sweet on your tongue, the mist of the morning not yet dissipated and leaving a cool sheen of moisture over you. Your lips curve into a smile, widening as you take in the sight next to you.
Jake.
His ionar (ikran rider’s visor) sits boldly over his brow, accentuating the fierceness of his eyes. He pins you with a glare, his mouth lifting in a grin to give you a peek of his canines. Your stomach drops, and Vineya screeches beneath you at the feeling. Your thighs burn as you waver in the sky, her wings tilting to the side at your mistake.
“Shhh, girl.” You soothe, reaching a hand down her warm neck, feeling her smooth hide on your palm. “Forgive me. I’m still new at this,” she trills, the reverberation pushing into your hand and up your arm.
Two powerful cries pull your ears forward, neck turning toward your husband. He meets your gaze and tilts his head to the right, a signal to land. He lifts a muscular arm to point at one of the floating rocks above Ranteng Utralti (Metkayina spirit tree). It was wide enough for both your ikran’s. You nod and duck low as Vineya tilts her wings to the right in a steep curve. With one powerful beat of her wings, you whoosh past Jake.
“Race you!”
You do not wait to see his reaction, willing Vineya to go as fast as she pleased to beat Jake and Bob. She rises to the challenge with vigor, her powerful breaths beating against your heels.
You can’t see him, but the wind carries his deep chuckle. The sound curls warmth over your heart and in your belly, and you’re unable to keep your laugh at bay.
This is what you had fought for. Moments like this, where the light peeks from the sky like an old friend and the air is cold on your face, numbing it just a little but not enough to keep you from feeling.
Your mount screeches, her claws reaching for the rock eagerly as she lands. It staggers your breathing, heart beating strong in your chest. Your leg and right side sting at the stretch of skin, the wounds not yet healed. It aches, but you pay it no mind.
Bob lands beside you, accompanied by Jake’s yips. It pushes a gust of wind over you, chilling you to the bone as the sweat cools on your skin. The sensation… would you ever get used to it? It was so unlike the current of the waters that glide over your skin like the softest hides. The sky brought with it a freedom altogether unknown.
“You’re getting better.” Jake compliments with a huff as he lands on the ground, his sinewy thighs and arms tensing at the action.
“Good enough to beat you.” Your jest is breathless and playful. You land next to him, the stone and moss unyielding beneath your soles, much like the sharp look Jake sends your way.
You turn, if only to hide the grin you cannot contain. His footsteps are light behind you, and you sense his presence nearing. The skin along your back warms in anticipation, a tingling sensation heightening every sense. Your ears flick back, head turning to your left to peek at your husband.
Strong arms wrap around your shoulders and hook over them. You bring your palms to his forearms and lean against the strength of his chest. It was one of those rare moments where you could close your eyes and release. Like water meeting the shore, you fall into Jake, heading resting against his shoulder.
He hums deep in his throat, mouth somewhere near your right ear.
“I’m not really thinking about who’s the better flyer right now,” his voice hits you like stormy seas battering against stone. You swallow, mouth going dry. This side of him was still new to you.
“What is it you are thinking of, my husband?” You’re sure he can hear the edge of pride in your tone at the recent name you created for him. None of it felt real, yet. Not the marriage, or your place by his side. But here he was, as immovable as a mountain against your back. Alive.
“I think you know, baby.” The low, gritty cadence that he spoke in curled something pleasant in your stomach, traveling like fire along your body. Every breath becomes measured, felt with an awareness that had you wondering if you’d ever get used to the feeling of being known so intimately.
You struggle to respond, though the desire was there to retort something playful in return. But nothing came to mind. His calloused hands moved across your arms, pulling your hands from his forearms to lace his fingers through yours, and the sensation crackled in your bones like lightning. His palms are hot against the back of your hands, much like his breath hovering in puffs over your neck. Your head moves, baring the skin so you were at his mercy, a silent submission.
He kisses the skin, firm yet gentle, and your lips part at the feeling. Your breathing grows deeper, desperate. You feel nothing but him. Smell nothing but the earthy, masculine aroma coming from his skin. The memory of his taste lingers on your tongue, and your fingers squeeze his, overcome with emotion.
Had it not been three weeks ago that all of you had almost died?
“Jake.” You whisper his name for no reason in particular. Perhaps to remind yourself that he was here with you. Breathing.
“I know, baby, I know.” He soothes. “Come ‘ere.”
Jake guides you farther from your ikran’s, leaving them to roost wherever they please. The floating islands above Ranteng Utralti were craggy and jagged beneath your soles, so different from the sands of your childhood. But there were spots on the ground where moss and ferns sprouted up.
Your eyes trail over the strength of Jake, how the morning haze made his skin more robust, deepening the already rich hues of blue. Perspiration trails down his sinewy muscles. His hair was down, a few strands loose in front of his ears while the rest streamed down his back. Your gaze flits to your hand intertwined with his. Safe. You were safe here with him.
He looks back to you, the sides of his mouth tilted in that calm smile again. His eyes soften and wrinkle at the sides, their amber color blazing like twin suns. It hits you like liquid light, pouring affection straight into your heart. You see the expression of a man that had searched for peace and found this instead. What existed between you, the love and light, was fought for and bought with blood. He knew he could rest here with you. And you could do the same with him.
Thank you, Great Mother. Thank you for choosing him. And for leading him to me.