Night had already claimed the Skyrover Chateau by the time silence finally returned to Farrynelle's chambers.
Moonlight spilled through the tall windows, brushing over the bed where tangled sheets barely did their but wrapped together in linen and warmth and the faint, lingering trace of pheromones that refused to fully fade. They had started in the morning. They hadn't stopped until the sun had dipped, climbed again, and finally surrendered to nightfall.
Farrynelle lay on her side with one leg draped lazily over Xander's hip and her head resting against his chest. His arm was heavy around her shoulders. His thumb was moving in slow, absent circles against her skin like he was afraid to stop touching her in case she vanished.
"I don't want to leave."
Xander didn't hesitate. "Then don't."
She tilted her head just enough to look up at him.
"You're serious."
His hand slid up to tuck a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.
"We stopped the Krepsuna surge. The barriers took damage but the counter fields held so right now, we have no immediate threats. You don't have to run back to the front the second you arrive home."
Her chest tightened at the word home. She never thought of the chateau as her home but...
"You're saying this now when I'm too comfortable to argue."
"That's strategy."
She laughed and shifted slightly. The sheets rustled as her body pressed closer to his.
"Xander?"
"Yes?"
"Do you want more women?"
His eyes opened immediately.
"What?"
She shrugged lightly, feigning casualness even though she was watching him closely.
"You're a Fedres. I wouldn't be shocked if someone of your standing suggested it, especially since you're stronger than all women in your Dynasty."
He stared at her for a moment, then snorted.
"Absolutely not."
"That fast?"
"For several reasons," he said calmly. "First you would kill them."
"Correct."
"Second, I'm not Veneri."
That earned him a quiet laugh from her. She traced patterns across his chest as she spoke.
"Fair enough. He's… strange. His Boon and Love Divinity are strong enough to charm anyone he wants. He could easily have the world and yet he doesn't."
Xander hummed in agreement. "He holds back. A lot. And even then, look at what he ended up with. He managed to get the most beautiful High Elf of the Third Generation, the strongest Divine of the Third Generation, a Progenitor Dragon who used to be a Krepsuna Phantasm, an Omniscient and Adelasta. That's not just luck. That's a ridiculous package deal."
Farrynelle snorted. "When you say it like that, it sounds illegal."
She shifted again, propping herself slightly on his chest.
"What about you, then?"
He looked down at her.
"I managed to seduce the most beautiful Thunderbird in all of Spheraphase."
She blinked and then laughed. She was pleased and a little smug.
"Yeah," she said, leaning down to kiss him. "That's good enough."
They lingered there, trading quiet kisses. Xander pulled the sheets higher around her shoulders when he felt her shiver, then reached for a cloth and gently cleaned her hands, her wrist and, her neck. Apparently, she didn't take another shower when she got back and her pheromones were still in high concentration.
"You don't have to—"
"I want to."
She returned the favor with her fingers brushing over faint scars along his ribs. For a moment, things almost tipped again. Her leg slid higher and his grip tightened instinctively.
"You are a dangerous woman."
"You started it."
"Absolutely not."
She kissed his jaw anyway, then settled back down with her cheek against his chest.
"So, what do we do now? We are currently free and with us getting some time for ourselves, we need to relax after the Divinity loss."
Xander didn't answer immediately. His gaze had drifted to the ceiling, After a moment, he spoke.
"We find Eldrigan and Peroncerea."
Her brow creased slightly as she lifted her head to look at him. "That fast?"
"They're already dealing with escaped Krepsunas of Wisterix and the World Prison. Whatever those prisons released wasn't contained to one place."
Farrynelle exhaled through her nose. "Of course it wasn't."
"They can use some help. And if Insignia said they'd roam the continent, then we don't need to worry about them."
That earned a soft scoff from her. She shifted, rolling partly onto her side, propping her chin on her palm.
"Figures. Leave the chaos tour to someone else. We could go back to the Richinaria Palace and regroup. We can get updates."
Xander's arm tightened around her waist.
"No."
"No?"
"My intuition says it's a bad idea."
That made her silent for a while. She trusted his intuition more than most people trusted prophecy.
"Why?"
"They're not there. At least that's what it tells me."
Farrynelle studied his face, searching for signs of doubt or exaggeration, and found neither.
"Alright. Then we don't."
She relaxed again, but only for a moment before her nose wrinkled slightly.
"Ugh..."
Xander glanced down. "What?"
"My pheromones."
He frowned. "What about them?"
"I'm trying to control it. I thought they'd be dulled after half a day but no. They're still strong. I can intensify it but I can't completely stop it. Still, it shouldn't be this troublesome."
As if to prove her point, the subtle sweetness was dense enough to be noticeable. She groaned and buried her face in his chest.
"This is ridiculous. I should ask Peroncerea. She's a succubus. We'll know how to suppress it."
Xander watched her for a moment, then said calmly,
"I know a way."
She lifted her head slowly. "You do?"
"Yes."
Before she could ask anything else, his hand slid up her back. His fingers pressed lightly but precisely along a spot just below her shoulder blades. The reaction was immediate.
Farrynelle jolted sharply as her wings nearly manifested on instinct.
"Xander!"
The scent in the air softened almost instantly. The sweetness receded.
"What did you just do?"
He withdrew his hand. "Applied pressure."
"Applied pressure where?"
"Your transformation locus."
She stared at him.
"How do you know that?"
"You're my wife."
That only made her more suspicious. "That does not answer the question."
"There are things I know about you that you don't."
"Explain. Now."
"All Therianthropes release pheromones when they're close to their beloved. Or when lust is involved."
"I know that part."
"The Fedres of the past studied it. They learned that applying controlled pressure near the transformation point lowers pheromone output."
"And for Thunderbirds?"
"It's the back."
She stared at him in silence. Then—
"That did not help."
"What?"
"Because now I'm ready to destroy you."
He scoffed. "Please."
She moved to retaliate and instead, her strength suddenly faded.
"Wait."
Her limbs grew heavy. Her eyelids drooped.
"You... what did you do?"
Xander caught her easily as she fell against him.
"Relax."
"You…"
She fought it for all of three seconds before sleep claimed her.
"I'm going to get you back for this..." she murmured, already half gone.
He smiled faintly as she fell fully asleep against his chest. Carefully, he adjusted the sheets around her, tucking her in with the same precision he used to ready his armor. He pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"Goodnight, Farrynelle."
His thumb brushed once over her temple.
There were secrets he would never reveal to her. Not because he didn't trust her but because she absolutely, without hesitation, would use them against him and enjoy every second of it. Even though Farrynelle never cared about dominance in a relationship, that didn't mean the chances were zero.
"I should contact Eldrigan and tell him that we're coming to help. Let's just hope he's fine."