Secrets and Peanuts

Veltar and Jess only lasted until they felt they had gone far enough to where lingering eyes would be upon them.

A soon as their eyes met, they went in for a hot and heavy kiss. The brunette male dropped the satchel as his arms came around his cobalt blue haired mate that he had desired to be alone with for days upon days.

Jess returned his feelings as her feet sprung her upwards into his lips and mimicked his moves of attraction with her own. He smelled so good, and each kiss and grasp from his finger tips dipping into her flesh felt like sparks trickling in her nerves and veins. It was a feeling she had never felt before, and something she was positive could not be replicated in any way other than feeling her mate's touch.

He had technically been denied when Syrana accepted another even though she thought he was dead - and Jess had never had anyone, not even a crush to be interested in. The emptiness they both had felt for too long was finally being filled with stars and sparkles of fire that made the darkness dissipate away.

Veltar ran his fingers through her hair as his lips rubbed against hers as kiss after kiss was shared.

The magic between them lasted just a little longer until they realized what they had both been doing and parted quickly.

Jessie's cheeks were a ripe red, and Veltar's nose and ears had lit up with some warm pink tone.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself...." Veltar said and then cleared his throat.

"M-Me too," Jessie admitted and turned her back to him. She felt so guilty for moving in on the male so quickly after his prior mate had died. Regardless of the fact they had been parted, she still felt wrong and weird.

"I don't want to ruin my brother's relationship with his mate.... Joss found Jyriah before I found you - and... well.. he seems really protective of his sisters. I don't want to upset Jyriah and cause tension. I'd feel terrible... but I also want to be with you so badly. I thought I was doomed to be alone," Jessie answered and hugged herself around her torso.

"I..." Veltar started with his gentle, deep voice that had that beautiful soft accent to it. He had been separated from Syrana for so long, that it started to feel as though he had been alone for a long time, too (...which, he had).

"Jessie, I have been isolated from everyone, including Syrana. I think Jyriah would understand. If not, he's the one with the problem," Veltar tried to console her and naturally came behind her in order to hug her from behind.

"I want to be with you, and I don't think your brother would want you to be miserable. You have been the only comfort I've had in decades. Please, don't reject me..." he followed up.

"Joss is afraid it would upset Jyriah. It's why he wanted to come with you. I'm stuck between the duty of being a twin, and wanting to be with my mate," she replied with sad conflict in her voice.

"What about his duty as a twin to you?" Veltar asked and couldn't help as he descended his head into her hair where he took a soft inhale of her scent.

"I...I can't ruin his relationship with Jyriah." Jessie said with finality. "I would feel destroyed forever if I took away his happiness. How about we just keep it our little secret for now? Only for now..."

"As long as I can call you mine in my heart, and you aren't telling me to leave, I will wait for you to be comfortable," he said tenderly and ran his hands over her arms, and then over her small fingers where he laced his into hers.

"I am not denying you, Veltar. I want you by my side. Let's just - not let Jyriah know, or really anyone if we can help it for now. I don't expect you to wait forever, and I don't think it would be fair for him to never let you move on. Some time is just needed," she leaned back into his chest and let him hold her. It was so nice to feel apart of someone, and not just a lone light in the dark looking for another.

"I am okay with that, as long as you promise it won't be forever," he replied with ease and hinted to her to turn around with gentle pressure from his fingertips.

She complied with his hints and did turn. Once she did, he could looked down to her beautiful, sunny-orange eyes and begged her for more kisses by planting the first against her plump lips.

Jessie didn't need to be convinced, and she pushed herself up towards the taller male to accept his invitation to exchange passionate affection.

******

It had gotten a bit later in the night, and while everyone else had been doing what they set out to, Jessie and Veltar had not returned. At first, no one was worried, but then as the moon rose higher their fears began to rise.

That was, until Metas mused out nonchalantly, "I suspect there is far less game to hunt. We're having to compete with enemies now. Give them some time, I'm sure they'll return with something good."

"I wish you had just let me go out with her, Myranda," Joss said with blatant frusration. "Do you think teaching me a lesson was worth losing my sister?"

"First of all - don't talk to me like that. Second of all - your sister is fine. You don't know Veltar like Jyriah and I do. He's recovered a lot of his muscle mass and health recently, and he's not someone to scrap with," the Luna began with more control in her voice than ever.

As she sat next to Metas, she felt stronger and more capable of presenting her authority. Furthermore, she wasn't going to be accused of something that wasn't even proven to be remotely true.

"Secondly, don't underestimate your sister. She held up against Silas on her own - and revealed nothing. Sounds like she's also a tough wolf on her own. Thirdly, it's nighttime. Do you think it is easy to find herbs at night? It's not. Like peanuts, they're hard to find without patience and thick nails," Myranda finished as she stared right into Joss' eyes as a form of dominance.

She learned from Metas not to be the one to break eye contact anymore, especially when she felt in the right, and most importantly - when it was the truth. The one who looks away first was the one who felt wrong.

The Luna was not wrong. Metas even joined her and stared to Joss as though waiting for a reply, but Jyriah piped up and caused Joss' attention to move to him.

"Peanuts?"

Metas seemed pleased as he looked over to Myranda and nodded with a soft smile.

Goddess, his smile it was so warm, plus, his support, and his lessons were all making her feel like the real female who had been hiding within her all along. All of his actions and his dashing looks comforted her and encouraged her to keep going.

"No, I'm not making peanut butter, Jyriah. I don't have anything to make it with..." Myranda replied flatly, and looked at him with an unimpressed expression.

"Why did you talk about peanuts then?" he asked incredulously.

"I was giving an example of something - what...? Were you even listening?" she retorted with a twisted mouth.

"Half-way, I guess? I'm sorry that I'm starving and my brain isn't working well. I'm thinking of food, and then you said peanuts," he answered. His stomach came with the assistance of a growl to follow up his words.

"You absolutely infuriate me sometimes when it comes to your obsession with peanut butter," she glared and then crossed her arms.

"What is peanut butter?" Lara asked with a raised brow.

Jyriah's head seemed to slowly turn towards the white-haired female with a shocked, serious look. "...What do you mean 'what is peanut butter?'.."

"We don't have anything like that up in the caves. Is it a well-kept secret?" Ajax asked with interest.

"No... I just think it never made it big up there with the older crowd, so they never exposed you guys to it I guess? It's the best treat in the entire world," Jyriah explained with glassy eyes of nostalgia as he remembered the taste of the creamy, crunchy mix of peanut, honey, and sugar.

"Mandy, if I got you the right things, could you make some?" Metas asked with the same eyes that lit up like her older brother's.

"You, too?" she replied as though he had betrayed her.

"Please?" Metas asked with a grin, as he too remembered the delicious spread he had put on bread weeks ago. It really was so very good.

The Luna sat stunned for a moment, and then looked around her company which all had eyes of desire, saved for Joss who was avoiding looking at her at all costs.

"Well, sorry everyone - I've got no peanuts! Ah dang it, they're so hard to find in the dark, too..." she feigned her disappointment over-dramatically.

"If only I had any peanuts - oh gee - oh golly. Too bad!" she layered on thicker.

"You're a cruel, cruel Luna, baby sister. Cruel and evil," Jyriah replied and began to fake cry into the crux of his arm.

It really lightened the mood that had been so tense and down lately - even for Myranda and Jyriah who were still deep in grief.

"In all seriousness, we should make a trek for water and cooking supplies to be ready to cook whatever the duo brings back," Myranda replied and stuck her tongue out at her brother briefly.

"If we got water, and I could find some - would you possibly consider washing some peanu-" Jyriah didn't get to finish.

"No. Unless peanuts magically appear - I'm not making peanut butter!" Myranda insisted with frustration.

Not five minute later, just as they were delegating tasks did Veltar and Jessie return with a nicely sized buck.

"Hey everyone - sorry it took so long. Look what Jessie caught us," Veltar said with a grin as he held the buck around his shoulders as though it were a mere scarf.

Myranda clapped with the others in appreciation and awe, until Jessie followed up with:

"He carried it back for me, so I figured I could carry the satchel for him -it's not as heavy as the mushrooms and peanuts he found," she said so casually.

....

"Peanuts?" Myranda asked with an eye twitch.

Jyriah, Metas, and Ajax all burst with laughter at the unfortunate timing, and Lara covered her mouth so she wouldn't add to the insult, but it was clear she was laughing, too.

Veltar and Jessie exchanged confused glances before the alchemist asked in worry, "did...did we do something wrong?"