Alastair tugs on my sleeve. I tear my gaze away from the dancing revelers to look at him. He jerks his head slightly – as much as one tends to do when they have horns jutting out of their head that can injure someone. I raise an eyebrow and follow him away from the bonfires, the howlers, the witches trying to teach the drunk vampires their social dances. Alastair takes me over to the wooden tables where had our November Feast to celebrate another successful Halloween. All of the scraps had been cleaned up by the little dragons long time now. We are alone here, the woods to our back. The light from two full moons above us lit Alastair in a silvery glow. Small fairies left lazy trails of lights as they weaved in and out of the branches. Oh so romantic.

“So…” I begin, leaning on the counter, thrilled to be alone with him – finally.
Alastair looks at me and smiles. “I don’t know if you can tell, but ever since you got those tattoos with your latest evolution, you just look so unbelievably stunning that I keep staring at you?”
I blush. Only Alastair makes me show my emotion so easily. “I noticed a little,” I admit. “I don’t look weird?” I ask, holding out my arms.
“No, I love your hands black,” Alastair murmurs, taking my hand and kissing the back of it. His charcoal hair falls in a curtain around his face, tickling my wrist and arm. “Honestly, when I look at you, I am mostly just stumped that you stuck around to love someone like me.”
I scoff. “Don’t give me that nonsense.”
“No, I’m serious.” Alastair insists. “I hadn’t realized that I was putting on the personality people expected from me. They all know me, who my dad is, who we are, and they want me to live up to that expectation. You just stuck around for three years, loving me hard enough to teach me that I could be the demon I really wanted. I am so very lucky to have your affection.”
“Aww Alastair,” I sigh, pressing my hands over my robes, over my heart. I swallowed the lump in my throat. I open my mouth to say more but he put a hand up.
“At least let me say I love you,” I insist.
His face softens. “I will never tire of hearing that.”
Seeing him let his sarcastic, cocky guard down is such a rare thing that it makes my heart swell. “Alastair…”
“I uh,” he pats the pockets of his long coat nervously, the metal decorations jingling. “I just -um, don’t think I really show you enough that I care.” He takes something out of his pocket and thrusts it out to me with both hands. “I want you to have this.”
My hands fly to my mouth as I gasp. “Alastair, I can’t take that!”
Alastair looks at the jar holding the sliver of moon, shakes his head, and sets it on a wooden table. “Taking or not, that’s not the right word. It’s yours, Saphrael. You were coveting the prize since the Counsil announced it yesterday. Looking at it all love’sick. Honestly, you should have won it. You found that stray soul I could not. I wouldn’t have found it before the barrier closed for another year. I know you didn’t say anything to avoid embarrassing me, but you should have won it. Plus, it would make me happy knowing it was cherished.”
My chest hitches and I gently pick up the bottle with both hands, the pointed tips of my nails clinking against the glass. In it, the sliver of moon sparkled and shone. I sigh deeply. It’s truly beautiful. Rare as a meteor. As long as I kept it in the sun, it would never lose its glow. A symbol of love if there ever was once. I tuck it in my robe pocket over my heart and brush tears out of my eyes with my sleeve. “Thank you Alastair.”
“You are welcome.” He sighs in relief and wraps his arms around me. I lift my wings so he could get around my back. I press myself up against him, enjoying the sensation of the hard glass between us. Alastair, all six and a half feet of him, feels like a strong tree against me. He kisses the top of my head. “There is something else too…”
I nuzzle his collarbone, enjoying the faint smokey scent clinging to him. “Hm? What is it?”
He begins to pet my wing distractedly. “I think I finally have the courage to ask my father if he would approve me mating with you. But I have to ask you first, duh.”
I pull back from him and stare at him with giant eyes. “Alastair Mephistopheles, are you spinning elven yarns?” The sight of him nervous and stammering and flushed at the base of his horns makes my knees weak.
“No, I’m not – I, I – I want you,” he whimpers. “I want you to rule next to me, and to give you eggs that you always wanted and-”
I can’t help it. I throw my arms around him and press my lips against his hard, trying to burn my love into him like a brand. Tears stream down my face. “Yes, Alastair, a thousand seas, yes!”
He coughs out a laugh of relief and releases the air he was holding in his chest. “Holy hell, I thought I was going to faint asking you that!”
“I’m – I’m in shock you did!” I squeak.
Alastair pushes his hair over the side of his head, making it go everywhere. "It wasn’t until I actually said it out loud did I actually convince myself I did the right thing. I don’t know why I find it so easy to lead in the bedroom, but I am so scared of fucking up our relationship.”
I kiss him again. “Oh don’t you worry. You are doing everything right.”
“Oh, that’s good,” he chuckles. “Cause I still might faint.” He quickly brushes tears away from his eyes. “Now just to just tell my dad…”
I take his hand. “We’ll do it together.”
Alastair looks relieved. “Thank god.”

A deep howl punctuates the air. Dawn is an hour away. “I think you have to go officiate the closing ceremonies soon,” I note.
Alastair sighs. “I don’t want to officiate again this year. Why do they always make me do it?”
“Cause you look super hot up there orating and making fire come out of your hands?”
Alastair gives me a look. “You are biased. Any demon chick or baby orc can do that.”
“I’m sitll right,” I insist.
He chuckles. “So biased. What I really want to be doing is to take you to my chambers, make you that tea you like, and make love to you from dawn to dusk.”
I raise my wings a little in interest; goosebumps break out everywhere. “I would like that. Especially since I’m wearing that pretty bit of metal you got for my birthday this year…”
That gets his attention. “What? You are? Like right now? You’ve been wearing the ring this entire time?”
“Yes,” I say non-chalantly.
“You mean while you were collecting?”
The corner of my mouth lifts and I shrug. “Being a bit aroused makes my senses heightened. My powers weaken a little when I cross the barrier. It keeps me strong.”

Alastair’s eyes glow like embers. “Fuck, that is just unbelievably sexy.” His hand gathers my robe at my thigh and pushes it up so he can slide it under. “I think they can wait a little longer.” Alastair dips his head and begins to kiss my neck as he grabs my ass and pulls me against him. I put a hand on his horn and thrust back against him. “Y-yeah,” I stammer as the bottle presses into my ribs. “They will have to wait. Dawn’s a while out yet. “Mmm goodness you are hard in your breaches.” The scent of burning cedar fills the air, which by now, gets me randy automatically. I’m pretty sure what we are about to do will be brief. Alastair will want to take his time with me later, and I am fine with that. I don’t want to wait to celebrate becoming his!

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Captions are fictional. Oh yes, m-preg, I went there.