A Dream of Flame and Shadow: An MM+ Monster Romance by L Eveland

Author:L Eveland [Eveland, L]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Grimm Cat Press
Published: 2023-05-17T16:00:00+00:00

Twenty-Five

Hellion

So these are Skaags . I frowned at the tall, ugly creatures moving about the camp. They weren’t much to look at, but they appeared capable soldiers, at least. Some of them even appeared to have rudimentary magic. I spotted them sparring in a sand pit nearby and casually guided us toward it to see what they were doing.

Nevahn’s gaze grew heavy on me again. He’d been stealing glances at me all morning, the curious expression familiar. I had seen it enough times to know what he was thinking. Westerners were rather attached to their binary ideas about sex and gender. Humans especially seemed to have a simple understanding of the world. At least he was attempting to be polite. Some people just blurted whatever they were thinking.

I smirked to myself and slowed my pace. “If you keep staring at me like that, people might talk.”

Nevahn’s face flushed, and he turned away, muttering, “Sorry. I wasn’t trying to be rude. I just…”

“You’re trying to figure me out. What I am.”

He gave me a strange look. “When I return, people are going to ask me about what I saw here. I was just trying to figure out how to describe you. Do I use handsome or beautiful?”

I laughed. “I never expected you to be such a charmer.”

His face flushed a brighter shade of red and he stopped, turning to face me with more bravery than most. “I’m a blacksmith’s apprentice, not a wordsmith. Every day since I’ve arrived, my understanding of the world gets flipped on its head. It’s not easy to grasp any of this. Maybe I’m just stupid.”

“You are not stupid,” I said firmly. “Few I have encountered outside my people truly understand. Even Cian had to learn, and he is more open-minded than most.”

He sighed. “I wouldn’t even ask except… Well, it feels like if we’re going to continue to flirt as we have been, I should know exactly what language to use.”

“I think you will find I do not offend easily, but very well.” I seated myself on a large rock and gestured to the sky. “Consider the sky. When it is clear, and the weather is pleasant, we say it is a beautiful day, yes? No one stops to consider the sky’s genitals.”

“The sky doesn’t really have genitals,” he replied.

“And yet no one argues against its existence. We all understand it is there. It is seen. It is admired, worshipped even. Though it may appear different here than in the human lands, you agree it is there. Whether it is bright blue and clear, or gray and cloudy. Whether rain falls from it, or it is hidden behind thunder and lightning, you know the sky is there, and you can admire it.” I lowered my hand. “Beauty is the sky. It has no attachment to sex or gender, and it may look different to everyone who gazes upon it, but no one doubts it when they see it. Personally, I find it a failure of language and culture that such terms should be associated with gender or sex presentation at all.

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