Things were different after that. Wren wasn’t by any means friendly. He still growled and snapped his teeth as he pleased, but it was without the usual sense of intended violence.

His wings healed beautifully over the next couple of days. Mallow gave him a healing booster that Wren said tasted like absolute ass.”

She was completely stunned a week later when she found him sunbathing in the yard.

He was shirtless, which was distracting enough, but his wings were healed and spread out. The iridescence of his feathers reflected the light in a dazzling display of color. His body was lax, his eyes closed, as he enjoyed himself.

He rather looked like a cat napping in a sunbeam.

He was healing, and Mallow was honored to witness it. She was also grateful not to be alone anymore.

He made himself more known in the house as the weeks progressed. He was in her space as she cooked, asking questions about what she was using and what she was doing. He went out and explored the woods.

The best part was that he stopped acting hostile towards her magic. After healing his wings, she didn’t bother locking away her magic again. She tried to keep it restrained a little, so it wasn’t overbearing.

The first time she woke up and couldn’t find Wren, she sent a tentative probe of magic to locate him. He sent a harsher nudge back. She was overjoyed to feel her magic against his.

—--------------------------------

It was early in the morning, but Mallow wasn’t able to sleep. She gave up around 2 am and resigned herself to an early start. She was digging through the cabinets for a raspberry tea she knew she had.

She had checked the usual coffee and tea cupboard above the coffee maker, but couldn't find it. So now she was searching the top cabinets for the missing tea. There was a large variety of teas shoved in the cabinet. There was also a concerning amount of dust on the top of the cabinets. She should probably start cleaning better.

“What manner of nonsense is this?”

She startled and grabbed hold of the cabinet door to keep from falling.

She hadn’t heard Wren come into the kitchen. His hair and feathers were ruffled from sleep. He was shirtless again.

She really needed to make sure he had enough shirts.

His head was cocked to the side as he looked up at her.

“I’m looking for tea.”

He gave her an unamused look. “Why are you standing on the counter?”

“Because I’m short.” She gestured to her body in case he hadn’t noticed.

“You’re a prat.” He shook his head at her as he made his way over to stand in front of her.

She wasn’t accustomed to looking down at him. It gave her a nice view of his face. The gauntness that he carried from captivity was gone. The scales on his face shimmered in the kitchen light. Her eyes traced the sharp cut of his cheekbones down to his jaw. He had a slight bend to his nose that she wanted to feel with her fingers.

He gave her a pointed look, and she shrugged. She couldn’t help but stare.

Wren leaned forward and wrapped his arm around the back of her legs, and in one fluid movement, had her flipped over his shoulder.

She yelped and got a face full of feathers. They smelled of the forest, the earthy scent of moss and mint. She tried to focus on the smell rather than the warm and firm grip he had across her thighs.

She felt his body shift as he carried her. “Idiotic witch. If you fall and break your neck, your damn bear will blame it on me.”

Her world shifted again as he bent down and unceremoniously plopped her on the kitchen island. “I did not survive this long, only to be eaten by your pet bear.”

He had little crinkles in the corners of his eyes. It was the closest to a smile she had seen from him.

“Ursa won’t eat you. The feathers would get stuck in her teeth.” She said with a cheeky grin.

He smacked her in the face with his wing as he turned.

He was absolutely charming.

He reached the top cabinet with minimal reaching, which was unfair. He also found the raspberry tea after moving a couple of boxes.

He took her cow print teapot off the stove and filled it with water. Wren gave the stovetop a critical look before turning on the right burner. His wings did a little flutter when it lit.

Mallow felt warm with joy when she realized he was making her tea. Her joy grew when she saw him inspecting the mugs in the cabinet before selecting two. He was making them both tea.

He had obviously been paying attention when Mallow made tea previously because he knew exactly where the tea strainers were. It was odd to see his clawed hands gently scoop and pour the loose tea into the small strainers and place them in their cups.

She watched him watch the teapot carefully as he waited for it to boil.

She wondered if this would be the moment she looked back and realized she had started to fall in love.