#madja x oc
Part 4
*I want to preface this by saying I know absolutely nothing about medical stuff sooo
*Also this chapter contains some content that might not be suitable for young readers. Read at your own risk**
The surgery lasted hours. Shvan wiped sweat from her brow with her forearm and called Madja over.
“I need you to reconnect a few nerves. Your hands are steadier than mine.”
“I’ll do my best.” Madja took up the tools. “What about the tendons?”
“I have the left wing almost done.”
She paused. “Do you… will this really work?”
Shvan smiled. “I have done this once before, on a young girl. She still flies to this day. But…” Her smile faded. “She fled the camps before they could clip them again, or worse. I’m afraid that dear Marlee may have to do the same.”
“Ares will keep her safe. I will keep her safe.”
“I know.”
It was three more hours before they were finished. Madja was so exhausted, she wasn’t sure she could see straight, but she bathed in the wealth of knowledge she had learned. She gave Marlee careful instructions to not move the wings for several weeks, as they need to heal. The girl cried through it all after the anesthesia faded.
Heavy on her feet, Madja returned to the dining hall to find it empty, save for servants cleaning up dinner. One paused. “I can send a plate up for you so you can rest,” he said.
“Thank you,” Madja murmured, and braved the stairs.
Once she reached the top, exhaustion took over. She collapsed onto the bed, too lazy to change from her blood stained clothes. When she opened her eyes again, the room was lit by candles, and a plate of steaming stew lay on the nightstand. She dove into it hungrily, grateful that someone had kept it hot.
As she scraped the bottom of the bowl, the door opened, bringing Ares with it. She set the bowl aside, chewing a bit of potato slowly.
He wordlessly passed her a nightgown that she quickly changed into before climbing back into bed.
“How’d it go?” he asked her.
“Pretty well, I hope. Only time will tell.”
Ares put a knee on the bed, leaning in to give her a swift kiss. “I’ll never get to thank you enough for what you did.”
“I would do it for anyone.” She cupped his face. “Plus, Illyrian wings are absolutely fascinating.”
“Really? How so?”
“Well.” She sat up, reaching a hand towards his wing. “There’s a tendon right here.” She traced just along the inner top edge. “It leads directly into the back of your thigh. And here, that goes up your shoulder.”
He shuddered as she traced that one too.
“Really, most of your wing movement comes directly from the muscles of your back and legs. Are you… are you okay?”
His face was flushed, eyes closed. “Yeah. Just… um.”
Her brows furrowed. “What is it? Did I hurt you?”
“No. Er. I don’t know if you know this, but Illyrian wings are very sensitive.”
“Of course they are. There are so many nerve endings, especially along the inside.” She flattened her hand over the thin skin. “I assume it helps in sensing airflow and temperature.”
“Yes, but not that kind of sensitive.” He caught her hand, pressing a kiss to her wrist.
“I’m not sure I catch your meaning.”
He leaned his brow against her wrist, letting out a low laugh. “How do I say this? Many males can… find completion just from having their wings touched.”
“Completion? You mean…” She trailed off as her cheeks began to burn. “Oh. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. Come; you need to rest.” He tugged her down onto the bed, drawing her against his chest, and whispered, “You can touch my wings anytime you like.”
*****
Madja awoke the next morning to the impression of Ares laying on the center of her chest. The position made it a little difficult to breathe, but she relished his weight. His head was pillowed on her breasts, his wings splayed across the bed and dipping off the sides.
Madja lifted a hand slowly, careful not to jostle him. She ran her fingertips lightly over the top edge of his wing, feeling the texture of the bone beneath paper-thin skin.
Ares shifted at that, nuzzling his face into her breast. “Mmm, don’t stop.”
She smiled, brushing her fingertips back down to the joint between wing and back. She traced a vein there, one that feathered out across the expanse of the webbing.
Ares groaned, his arms tightening around her. “Feels so good.” His voice was rough, his stubble stretching at the sensitive skin on her chest.
Heat shot through her as she felt his hips shift between her knees. “Are… are you…”
He ground into the mattress again, nodding.
Madja laughed, raising her other hand to run it through the soft locks of his hair. “Shameless.”
“Only for you.” He lifted his head, dragging himself up the bed to kiss her lips lightly. “How does a bath sound before breakfast?”
“Amazing,” she whispered, her body tingling.
Ares grinned, scooping her up in one swift movement, gripping the bottom of her thighs. She reached up as he carried her, dragging her palm up the bone to drag his talon a little closer to her. “These really are fascin—”
Ares pushed her hard against the wall next to the door, cursing.
Madja ignored him, thumbing at the skin just beneath his talon. “Are these a defensive tool or is it more of a dominance thing? Kind of like an elk’s horns.”
“Fuck, don’t talk science to me.” He kissed her throat, biting softly at the skin there.
She grinned, tightening her legs around his waist. “I think that they’re mostly just an accessory that never evolved out. You don’t use them much.”
Ares let out a series of unintelligible sounds as she wrapped her hand around the bone beside the talon. She blushed as she felt a certain hardness pushing against her center when he ground his hips into hers.
“You’re trying to ruin my plans,” Ares groaned.
Madja laughed, sliding her hand away from his talon to press against the webbing just beneath. “What plans?”
He gathered himself enough to pull his head back, snatching her hand away from his wing. He breathed hard for a few seconds, leaving her biting her lip to hide a grin. He kissed the inside of her wrist. “I was planning on taking you away for a week or so and going to a mountain retreat so we could be alone.”
“Alone for what?”
Molten gold eyes lifted to hers. “Hopefully for our mating ceremony.”
“Oh.” She’d forgotten about that.
“If that’s something you want to do.”
“Hmm.” She smoothed her hand over his chest. “Do you promise to be a good mate?”
“I promise to be an extraordinary one.”
She gave him a smile. “Then I do too.”
He swung her around, making her squeal. “We’ll leave today after breakfast.”
“Today? What about my responsibilities? Yours?”
Ares shook his head as he walked them into the bathroom. “Shvan won’t mind, and she can watch over Marlee. I couldn’t care less what else I have to do here—they can handle me being gone for a while.”
“How irresponsible of you.”
“I want to do so many irresponsible things.” He set her on the counter, kissing her softly. “The only thing we have to do now is hold out until we get there.”
“I think you can manage,” she said against his lips.
“I don’t know. Having you naked in the bath… with me, naked in the bath.”
“Well, I have a solution for that.”
“Oh?”
“Mhmm. Step back.”
He obeyed as she hopped off of the counter. She took another step, forcing him back until the backs of his knees hit the edge of the tub.
“What are you—”
She planted her hands on his shoulders and shoved him into the tub. Water splashed everywhere as his wings tried and failed to catch his fall. He stared up at her from where he splayed in the tub, the water soaking into his clothes.
Madja caught the gaping look on his face, and laughed.
Ares tried to glare at her but his own lips wouldn’t turn down. “Why you…” He moved too quickly for her to follow, leaning forward to snatch her around the waist.
She squealed, scrambling to get out of his grip, but he was relentless as he dragged her into the water with him.
For good measure, Ares also grabbed the pitcher, filling it all the way before he dumped it on her head.
She glared at him, wiping the water from her eyes. “That was unnecessary.”
They both stared at each other for a long moment before breaking into laughter. Ares’ laugh was a healthy boom that came from deep within his chest, rumbling through her. His face completely changed— the harsh lines of the warrior she’d met in that tent melting with mirth into the man she’d come to know.
As the laughter faded, his face remained like that, lines creasing the sides of his eyes as he grinned at her.
Madja cupped his cheek, drawing him down for a kiss, but paused. “I can’t kiss you properly if you’re smiling like a drunk fool.”
“I can’t help it.” He leaned against the back of the tub, pulling her into his lap. “You make me forget what it’s like to frown.”
Her own smile softened at that. “You got all of the water out of the tub.”
“OhIdid that?” But he switched on the faucet, shaking his head. “You’ve made a massive mess on the floor. The people below us are likely going to think it’s raining.”
“I’ve solved your problem.”
“Yes, because now we are both fully clothed in the bathtub, rather than naked. As I was hoping.” He tugged on her nightgown, giving her a pout.
Seeing her opportunity, she kissed that jutting lip, making him smile again. “Then take them off.”
“More like peel,” he muttered, but indeed lifted the garment over her head.
She helped him out of his own clothes, tossing them from the tub with a wet slap. “We’ll be gone before they can complain about the mess.”
“How noble of you.” But he was running his hands up and down her waist, his eyes clearly not on her face. He leaned his head back against the tub, humming. “I really don’t want to wait until we get there.”
Madja’s cheeks heated. “You can be patient.” She didn’t want to be patient, but she wasn’t about to tell him that. “The faster we get clean, the faster we leave.”
She laughed again as he lunged for the soap.
*****
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