Chapter Text
Astan hadn’t been able to shake the jittery feeling for a few days. He knew he should be soaking in the post-marriage glow, blissfully unaware of anything except Saudade. And he was, but every so often, his skin would start to crawl. A nagging feeling that something bad was coming.
Lying on his back in bed, he stared at the ceiling, trying to force the feeling away. The soft glow of the morning sun filtered through the gauzy curtains over the window, the pattern on the curtains dappling faint shadows across his bare chest and Saudade’s bare back. The startling contrast of her inky hair against her pearly skin always mesmerized him, and he soaked in the view of his wife, feeling the jittery feeling begin to dissipate.
As his nerves ceased their jangling, a new need arose. Rolling, he slid his arm around Saudade and buried his face in her hair, breathing deeply. She roused with a sleepy chuckle. “Couldn’t keep your hands off, hm?” she mumbled into her pillow, her voice cracking a little with morning sleepiness.
“Of you? Never,” he purred. He felt the little shot of her shiver whisk through her body and began tracing delicate shapes on her skin.
She rolled in his arms, pressing her bare breasts against his chest and hooking her leg over his hip as her eyes slid open. A hungry gleam in her eyes answered his own, and she pulled him down for a long, languorous kiss.
Their lovemaking trailed into the late morning as Astan savored his ability to tease and coax every bit of pleasure from Saudade that she could stand. When they’d both had their fill of each other, they relaxed into a snuggled position, her head on his chest and her arm thrown across his stomach. After several long minutes like that, she stirred and prodded his side.
“Food, Astan. I’m starving.”
“Right,” he said with a chuckle. “Me too.” Placing a kiss on the top of her head, he rolled out from under her arm and stood.
“Mmm,” his wife purred. He glanced back at her to see her shamelessly absorbing the view of him. She also returned the favor, stretching luxuriously under his eyes. The sight of her delicate curves and iridescent scales nearly dragged him right back to the bed, but she laughed and released him from the spell as she sat up and tossed a pair of pants at him. “Food first, more of that later.”
He laughed and tugged the pants on, padding into the kitchen to begin preparing a meal for both of them. He could hear her rise and move around the room, doubtless getting dressed herself and preparing to join him.
The sounds he made as he pulled dishes and pans from the cupboards nearly masked the muted thump and clipped gasp from the bedroom. Dropping the pan with a loud clatter, Astan whipped around and crossed the living area in a few steps, the feeling of foreboding back in full force and making every hair on his body stand up, his tail fluffed out. He came around the corner to see a tall, brawny Garlean clutching his wife, one hand over her mouth and the other arm wrapped around her to pin her in place. Saudade’s eyes met his, fear crackling in her gaze. The man had a lascivious sneer that made Astan both sick to his stomach and boiling with rage.
Before his eyes, the teleportation spell activated, and the man disappeared, Saudade blinking out of existence with him.
“Hello, boy,” a menacing voice said from behind him. Before Astan could turn, he felt a blow to the back of his head and knew nothing more.