The Pretty Shop Across the Sidra (Elriel) - Chapter 4
Summary: Elain makes a uncharacteristically risqué purchase to encourage the affections of a certain shadowsinger. Ooh la la!
You can read it on AO3 here.
Previously in The Pretty Shop Across the Sidra:
Elain turned in his arms and pressed her lips into his. “Az, I want you,” she said between breathless kisses.
She began to undress him, removing his jacket and expertly unclasping the buckles of his leathers with deft fingers. As she pulled his shirt off, she caught Azriel’s amused surprise and said, “What else was there to think about on all those quiet afternoons?”
He tipped his head back and laughed, realizing the doe-eyed gardener wasn’t quite so innocent as everyone assumed. He scooped her into his arms, the soft lace caressing his chest as her body nestled perfectly against his. “I love you, El,” he whispered in her ear and carried her inside.
It was the sound of the sea that pulled Elain from her deep sleep. She wasn’t used to hearing the gentle rhythm of the tide, yet it flowed in through the open window. Still between dreams and waking, she breathed in the scent of the salt air mingled with … midnight chilled mist and cedar. So lovely, she thought.
A soft breeze caressed the skin of her exposed shoulder. Elain normally slept in a nightgown, yet she realized she wasn’t cold. In fact, she felt warm and utterly safe, almost like she was in a cocoon of the softest leather.
Morning light was just beginning to flood the room and revealed Elain was nestled in the embrace of a huge, taloned wing. She felt a pleasant flush ripple through her as she grasped whose arms — and wings — she was in. This is real, she mused. After so many months of dreaming.
The strong arms around her tightened, and the evening before came rushing back in flashes of ripped lace, sweat-slicked bodies and breathless pleadings. She glanced around the bedroom, trying to find a place they hadn’t been together. Elain would have to thank Feyre for the tip about fae male stamina. Indeed.
As gently as she could, Elain turned to face the still-sleeping male who held her.
