A Queen Among Snakes: Chapter Eighteen - Chris

I pull back a little and prop myself up on my elbows so I can look at her; curiosity shining brightly in her eyes. Everyone else takes the things around them for granted, but Mei makes me see the world differently. She has such excitement and curiosity for the smallest things because she’s lived a life deprived of them. She makes me appreciate everything around me so much more, and I feel truly blessed to have such an opportunity.

“It’s a universal language, even more universal than English. You can go to Australia and find several English words we have here in the United States, but over there they’re spelt differently. But it doesn’t matter what country you’re in or what species you are, two plus two will always equal four. Maths has rhyme and reason, it makes sense, and we can learn so much about the world around us through maths. Maths doesn’t hate people, criticize them and it’s not prejudiced, it just… is.”

She blinks up at me and gives me the most radiant smile imaginable. “Chris… that was so beautiful. You even make maths sound romantic,” she giggles. I chuckle with her.

“Even I’m impressed. That was wonderfully put,” I hear Axel say.

“So you’re going to take an interest in maths now?”

He snorts, “I’m a wolf that lives in your head, when will I ever have a need for maths?”

“Good point.”

“What’s Axel saying?” Mei asks as her dainty fingers glide through my hair. It’s a bit matted from her fisting it last night. Worth it though.

“That you are the most beautiful being in creation,” I say slyly. She laughs while her cheeks flush red. Gosh, I love her sweet, innocent blushes.

“I mean, I obviously didn’t say that, but I think it all the time, so I can get behind this. You’re a good wingman as far as humans go,” Axels nods in approval.

“Thanks? I think,” I say with uncertainty.

“You’re very welcome.”

“Let’s go have a bath!” Mei suggests happily.

A free opportunity to be naked with my woman and have my hands all over her? Dreams really do come true! I’m out of bed quicker than the Flash – much to Mei’s amusement – and in the bathroom running a nice warm bath for two.

“Do you want bubbles?” I ask. I don’t have to yell out, she can hear me just fine – advanced hearing is a blessing to the vocal cords.

“No bubbles please,” she says, her voice travelling. I pick up her scent moving closer. I look up to see her standing in the doorway with her pale yellow robe on. Her hair is an absolute mess from last night’s events, and I positively love it. “I’d need to hose off all the bubbles or else I’d spend the day feeling soapy.”

“No bubbles then. How about essential oils?” I ask, enjoying watching her blush as her eyes roam over my body. She does it a lot, but I don’t even think she’s aware of it. I don’t care, my body is for her eyes only, and I love that she likes looking at me. I never call her out on it though, I don’t want her to clam up and feel embarrassed.

“Those are okay,” she says brightly.

I grab lavender oil and jojoba oil from the built-in shelf in the wall next to the tub and add a few drops of each. I read that both are good for anxiety, so I add them to her baths to help relax her. I don’t know if it works or not, but no harm in trying and when I first found her I was willing to try any and everything to help her with her recovery.

Ultimately there’s no scent more soothing than the scent of your soulmate. If I could bottle up my scent for her to have with her always to calm herself when she needed it, I would gladly do it. I wonder if a makkari can do that. That’s actually worth looking into.

Once done I reach out and tug her close and breathe in her floral and fruity scent. I admit I am highly addicted to it and make no plans to change this. I untie her robe and slide it off her shoulders letting it drop to the floor. I wait for her to cover herself with her arms like she always does, but to my surprise, it doesn’t happen.

She is the most exquisite creature on this earth. Smooth, creamy skin still flushed from last night’s events; toned thighs and stomach, with the most pert ass that always fits in the palms of my hands. Her breasts are small, but perky with the cutest and most delicious light brown dollar nipples that never fail to respond to my touch and are currently standing at attention making my dick ready to stand at attention with them. I wish I could spend the entire day just drinking in the sight of her.

I can’t keep the astonishment off my face as I look at her. This is the first time she’s ever not tried to hide herself from me with her arms, blankets, or darkness – though darkness doesn’t impede my vision, but it relaxes her.

I cup her face delicately in my hands, looking deeply into her chocolate orbs, “I am so, so proud of you,” I say reverently, as I capture her lips in a deep, long kiss. I feel her melt against me, returning my kiss as her arms wrap around my neck. I scoop her up in my arms and step into the tub and slowly lower us both in, with her on my lap.

“Can I wash you?” She asks as her lips brush against mine.

“Is that a trick question?” I ask with a smirk. She chuckles and bites her lip, her features looking torn as I feel uncertainty bubble up inside her. “What’s wrong? You know you can tell me anything,” I calmly tell her, tucking her hair behind her ear.

“I… well, it’s just… I haven’t… given much time to Axel lately,” she says reticently, her face turning bright as can be while she avoids eye contact. Axel is alert in my mind, curious as I am to what she’s trying to say.

“You don’t have to feel guilty for that, he would never hold that against you,” I reassure her. She continues to chew on her lip, and I worry she’ll chew right through. I try to think what she might be trying to tell me, and I think I’ve figured it out. “Mei, were you wanting to bathe with Axel?” I gently ask lifting her chin to look at me.

“Oh, now this idea I like!” Axel says excitedly.

“I’m not trying to push you away, I swear. I don’t want you to think I don’t want to be with you or that–” I place my finger over her lips to silence her. Her poor heart is thudding rapidly against her ribcage.

“I don’t think any of that,” I tell her, lowering my finger and kissing her lips. “Axel is your soulmate too, if you want to spend some time bonding with him all you have to do is ask. It won’t make me feel unwanted or pushed aside, I promise,” I tell her with a gentle smile. She looks at me, assessing me to make sure I’m telling the truth, which I am.

Realising Mei didn’t have a spirit animal was quite the surprise and at first, I felt sorry for Axel, and I know he initially felt a little sad that he wouldn’t have a wolf to bond with, but he got over it super-fast. He loves Mei and she loves him and so for all our sakes we’ve learned to get better at sharing forms. Typically I’m always in control of my human form, Axel would only sometimes take over like when we first shifted and were still getting used to our respective forms or whenever he’s furious, like the day we met Mei.

I thought letting Axel control my body and be with Mei would be gross, or weird or just extremely uncomfortable and that I would be insanely jealous, but none of that ended up happening.

Axel has been with me since I was in the womb. He’s not just my best friend, he’s a part of me and just like me, he wouldn’t survive without Mei. There have been plenty of times he let me take over his wolf form, so it seems only fair he get to take over my human form, especially if it means he gets to bond or be intimate with Mei since he doesn’t have a wolf to mate to frolic with.

“Are you really sure?” Mei asks, uncertainty clear in her eyes.

“Do I feel unsure?” She thinks for a moment then shakes her head. “Then trust our bond; trust that what ties us together will always tell you the truth. So, if you want to spend some time with Axel, I can make that happen,” I say as I peck her cheek.

She smiles and nods, “Yes, I would like to be close to Axel for a bit,” she tells me with a little more confidence in her voice.