A/N: Shorty for today. I'm glad you guys are liking Tinúviel!


Chapter 9

Carina looked down at Aldric. He lay on his back in their bed, eyes closed, still breathing hard. She still held him inside of her, having brought him to his peak only moments ago.

His fingers idly caressed her thighs on either side of his hips. Smiling, she leaned down for a kiss. The stubble on his chin scratched at her gently. His kiss deepened, but she pulled back with a gasp when he bit her lower lip sharply.

Aldric's pale blue eyes frowned up at her. Carina didn't know how many times she had told him she hated it when he used his teeth, but he managed to frequently forget.

"Sorry."

She kissed the tip of his nose. "You're forgiven." Leaning forward, she allowed him to slip out of her, and then she settled herself on his hips again. "How long will you be away?"

His eyes traced her hip, following the path his hand was taking. "Two weeks, three weeks. Perhaps more."

Carina wasn't sure how to voice her worries without insulting him. "And… you will return whole?"

Aldric gave a laugh that sounded like a scoff, and he squeezed her hip. "Yes, sweet thing. I can't say the same for the rest of them, but I will come back whole."

"Good." She pouted down at him. "Don't get killed trying to be a hero."

He glanced at her. "Of course."

None of his journals ever mentioned what his life had been like before she had met him three years ago, but she had caught many little snippets and half-finished thoughts referring to something big. Carina had pieced together the notion that somehow, some way, Aldric had been a figure of great importance to many people.

What that had been, exactly, she did not know. They never talked about it, and Aldric never entertained any conversation about his past. So she had given up trying to get anything from him.

The entire rest of the town proved useless as well, when it came to information. Not a single person she pumped for details would speak of it. It was like they had all banded together for him, something that frustrated her to no end.

He must have known that she had found his journals, because he hadn't written anything in them for at least a year. She didn't mind, because she was tired of reading about the woman in his dreams. A ghost didn't threaten Carina, but she still hated the anonymous woman.

"Do you have to go?" She couldn't resist.

He lifted her off of him, settling her gently in the bed next to him. She drew the sheets up over herself as she rolled on her side to face him.

"I want to go."

"Why?" she asked. "Don't leave me."

"Carina," he warned.

She lowered her eyes to the mattress. "I'm sorry, it's only… you've never been gone before. I'll miss you."

When she peeked up, she saw that his face had softened. "Open the drawer behind you."

She perked up. "A present?"

He snorted. "Open the drawer and find out."

Excitedly, she rose up on her knees, letting the sheet strategically fall down her naked body. The table on the right side of the bed, the side he normally slept on, was where he kept a collection of jewelry—necklaces, rings, circlets. Pulling the drawer open, however, she was confronted with a nearly empty space. Only a small item wrapped in cloth rested inside.

"What is it?"

Aldric rolled his eyes. "Do you understand surprises?"

Her fingers pulled the linen aside, and when it fell open, she stared down at the amulet in her hand. Gold inlaid with turquoise gems winked up at her, catching the candlelight.

Aldric was watching her carefully. "Do you like it?"

"It's…" she swallowed, not wanting her voice to squeak. "An Amulet of Mara."

"It is."

Carina couldn't find the words to speak. They had only spoken about this once, just after she moved into Breezehome with him. She tried not to think about that conversation, since it was the first time he had raised his voice with her.

"When I return from the ruin," he began slowly, looking at the amulet and then at her, "we can travel to Riften, if you would like."

She blinked at him. "Why not right now?"

A gravelly chuckle rolled from his chest. "I leave tomorrow with Twigs, Carina."

She looked down at the amulet, still clasped in her palm like it was the most fragile, precious thing she'd ever seen. In a way, it was. "What made you change your mind?"

Aldric picked the necklace up, releasing the catch. "After you overheard me talking with Brynjolf, something he said made me think very deeply about my life."

Carina turned, drawing her curls up to bare her neck for him. Gently, he draped the amulet around her, his rough fingers against her collarbone eliciting a shiver from her.

"I know that I should be the one to display this," he murmured against the side of her throat, "but I won't be able to wear this in the ruin."

She giggled. "Are you not worried about all the men at the inn that will see it and fall under the wrong impression?"

"They wouldn't dare." He grabbed her by the waist and lifted her up to lie on top of him, pinching her sides playfully.

"And the herbs?" she asked him, lowering her voice to whisper in sultry tones. "I can stop brewing the tea?"

He hesitated for a brief moment, and she moved her hips, rubbing herself against him. He began to harden, pressed against her leg, and a little thrill of victory surged through her when he nodded his head.

Children from him, at last. She had already consumed the daily drink needed to prevent his seed from taking root inside of her, but as she allowed him to roll her over, his mouth all over her throat and breasts, Carina couldn't help but hope that this time would be different.