The fact was she’d have to tell him sooner or later… better sooner… but she was inclined toward later. Completely out of cowardice of course… she had no better reason than that. She was afraid of what he’d say… or do. That he would be upset, or unhappy with the news. She liked to think that he would be his usual calm and reasonable self, but then she’d thought that about her fa… no… this wasn’t the same…
Perhaps not today then… but soon. It couldn’t be put off too long. Once she’d found out a little more about his views on the subject it might be easier. She could find a way to ask, subtly of course, and then she’d know better what she was getting into.
She looked down to see her hands on top of his. She couldn’t decide if his added size made his look bigger or hers smaller. At the moment, it felt like the later, though she knew it was only her perspective playing tricks on her.
Why are you so much bigger than usual?”
“Not that much bigger… a foot or two at most.”
“It seems like more than that.”
He didn’t answer, but she smiled as she felt his mouth against the back of her bare shoulder. “You have had a great deal to take in, everything probably seems like more than it is. I imagine this is all somewhat overwhelming.”
She couldn’t argue with that. “I have to admit,” she considered aloud, “I’m relieved to hear you say that. I… I’m feeling a little lost at the moment, and it’s comforting to know that you aren’t blind to it.”
“No, I’m not. I’m sorry for what happened in the hall, I shouldn’t have left you alone.” His mouth was now grazing her ear. She felt what she knew to be one of his fangs brushing against her neck, just below her earlobe and shuddered. It definitely wasn’t fear that caused the tremor this time though. “And to answer your question, I like to make sure they remember that I can choose to be this size or that… and that I can become much larger if I need to. So I keep them on their toes by constantly changing. It’s a thinly veiled threat.”
She smiled at the admission. “Can’t they do the same?”
“No. Well… one of my sisters can shift forms… but it’s not all that common. It’s not something we inherited from our father.”
When he refrained from saying more, she offered another thought. “You seem… seemed different as well… not just your size… perhaps that effected my perceptions as well.”
“Perhaps.” He didn’t deny it, but he didn’t confirm it either.
“Can I assume that it wasn’t for my benefit?”
“You may. But we’re not so dissimilar in that regard I think, you and I. What we are with others isn’t what we are when we’re alone.”
“Or when we’re with each other, it would seem.” She agreed, remembering his sister’s observations… and Thelios’s own private comments to the contrary.
“That’s what I meant by alone, Calliope.”
She shifted in his lap, turning sideways to see his face. It was still sterner than normal… his brow slightly troubled, but nothing she wasn’t familiar with. It was the look he’d get when he was trying to decide which pasture to take the sheep, when what he wanted was to take them east to avoid the winds on a blustery day, but knew the exposed fields nearer the water needed to be rotated in to avoid over-grazing, and soon. It was the same mildly irritated look of chagrin she’d seen a dozen times before. It meant something was bothering him, but nothing she couldn’t handle.
“What is it?” she asked, curiously. He lifted a brow, and then smirked.
“It’s nothing.” She watched his face a moment longer then decided she’d accept the answer and leaned into him. He responded by pulling her legs up over his other thigh and pulling her tighter in against him. She felt his hand slide under the hem of her dress near her ankle and winced.
“No, no, no.” She pulled her calf out of his hand… or tried to, but his grip only tightened.
He looked amused. “No?”
“I… they… leave my legs alone.” She tried to cover them and push his hand off at the same time. It didn’t work. “I haven’t had time to…” She winced as his hand climbed up her calf. She’d been on a ship in close quarters with almost a dozen men… there had been no place or time to make herself presentable. He grinned and chuckled, making her blush.
“Because of your prickly legs?”
She blushed harder and tried in vain to pull away. “If you’ll let me go, I’ll go clean myself up.”
He didn’t. He laughed, and his hand climbed up over her bent knee and back down her thigh. She instinctively held her breath as his hand approached and cupped her sex, despite her best efforts to squeeze off his access. It was no use, so she gave up and relaxed a little in his grip… though her face was no less pink and burned no less hotly. His thumb lightly brushed over her mons, making her grit her teeth. She tried to keep herself covered, but his arm was making it all but impossible. He only made it worse by sliding the other hand up to reach around her and threatened to tease one of her breasts as well.
“What if someone comes in” She breathed.
“Then I’ll tell them to leave… unless you want them to watch…”
“No!”
He laughed softly at her response. She let out her own nervous laugh, but still kept pushing at his hands. Pointlessly, as she was still also attempting to hold herself up and her own hand was so much smaller than his.
“Not an exhibitionist then?”
She flushed and tried to wriggle out of his grip… equally pointless. “Perhaps we should go to your rooms?” she offered feebly.
“These are my rooms.” His fingers were now tugging at the fabric of her dress, and inching his fingers toward the pin fastened at the shoulder to hold the material together.
“Here as well?” He murmured.
“Where?” She asked in confusion, still making a valiant effort at remaining at least partially clothed.
The hand between her thighs squeezed, causing one or two fingers to dig into her sex. “Here.”
She swallowed a gasp and was about to repeat her offer to remove the offending hair, but he cut her off before she could. “Why?”