I grinned as a thought popped into my head.

“Well, I sure hope you brushed your fangs after eating my ass last night,” I joked, feeling much too smug when Cair paused mid-slice of pancake, peering up at me with one eyebrow raised. I probably should have known better than to think I’d ever win in a contest of wits against a Fae, but I was a little delusional at six a.m.

“Considering your penchant for riding my mouth after I’ve come inside you, sweetheart, I’d say it’s a little late to act squeamish about such things. Wouldn’t you agree?”

The instantaneous blush that heated my cheeks spread all the way down my chest.

Welp, he had me there, and since no clapback to that very rhetorical question was forthcoming, I kept quiet and opened my mouth for the next bite.

Cair obliged with a chuckle, alternating between feeding me and himself until both plates were clean. I blew out a breath and reclined against the headboard, rubbing circles over my stomach. Cair set the tray on the bedside table before scooching closer to comb his fingers through my hair.

If I were a cat, I’d have been purring.

“Do you need anything else?” he asked.

I shook my head. “No, I’m good. Think I’m going to need a nap now.”

“I’ll be in my office most of the day, though it pains me to leave your side.”

“That’s okay. I was going to check on my patch of nathrach, anyway. They’re starting to bloom. I might do some reading in my nook, too.” During one of my visits back to the human realm, Alex had given me the idea of finding a hobby when I’d expressed my discomfort with being idle. ‘Working’ wasn’t a possibility for me here, and it was rare to find someone willing to let me help out. Mrs. Loris sometimes gave me vegetables to peel when I showed her my best sad-puppy eyes—and only when there was no one else in the kitchens—so I’d come up with the idea of gardening.

I loved plants. They soothed me somehow, with all their unique shapes, scents and patterns, and though I wasn’t always perfect at nurturing them—as Teighan would attest to—it was something I found joy in and was willing to improve on.