Tobias could feel the uptick in his heartbeat as he carefully slid Tessa out of her dress, it was impossible not to be affected by seeing and feeling his mate's bare body - no matter how many times he experienced it. Every single time was exciting to him as the very first time. He'd never grow tired of her.

The softly glowing amber brown swirl of his eyes were full of love, lust, and passion as she gently dragged his face up from her neck so that their eyes could meet. His breath hitched softly at the soft ferocity of her voice.

"Always." Tobias agreed softly, but no less fiercely, as their lips touched. One hand moved up to tangle lightly in her hair as he met her once more in a gentle, loving kiss. Her hands traveling over his heated skin drew a whimpered groan from the wolf. Gods but Tessa could boil the blood in his veins with a simple touch. He loved every quiet sound of pleasure or desire that came from her, and the way her body arched into his when he kissed or touched just the right spots.

"Growing impatient there darlin'?" The wolf asked as he broke the kiss, voice coming out in a low, husky country drawl. His eyes were glinting down at her as he shifted his hips teasingly at the way she had tugged at his trousers. Tobias slid his body down, getting his pants out of her reach as he moved his mouth down once more, giving a soft nip, then a soothing nip to his wife's throat before turning his attention even further down, trailing a path from her throat to her breasts, breath hot and tongue exploring unhurriedly.

There was something so satisfying knowing just how much he could affect his mate. It was also nice to know that Tessa was just as reactive to him as he was to her. Tobias hummed softly as she pulled him down and he allowed just a tiny amount of his weight to rest against her body, keeping her pinned lightly to the bed beneath him.

"You took care of me earlier, and who says you aren't still taking care of me?" Every moment with her was being taken care of by his wife. It wasn't as if they didn't both reap the rewards of these passionate moments. "Besides, we'll take care of each other."

Tobias tilted his head down so that he could capture Tessa's lips in another kiss. This one was no less searing, but it was slower, more tender, as his hands moved over her body to gently begin undressing her so that his hands smoothed over her bare skin. His mouth moved down to run slowly over her throat, sucking and nipping softly.

Tobias dove into the kiss, taking advantage immediately as he felt her lips part against his, tongue moving hotly against hers as he groaned. His hands ran down her back before gripping her hips and quickly turning them so that he had Tessa pressed against the bed, still kissing her with a primal passion.

When he pulled his mouth away, panting out a soft groan, he looked down at her with eyes almost equally brown and gold, an intensity about the gaze. Tobias lifted himself up and pulled his shirt over his head so that he could drop it to the floor.

"I'm not going to strain myself doing this, Tessa. I promise." He knew she had been very worried about it earlier in the bath, and he knew she would worry about him now too.

Gold seeped into the brown of his eyes as lust darkened them. It didn't matter in the slightest.that her delivery of the invitation was fumbling. Tobias loved the way her cheeks flushed, it caused his own blood to run hot. Tessa could try to hide her face, but there was no hiding from the wolf.

"Look at me." Tobias cupped her face with one hand, gently pulling her towards him as he leaned down to meet her part way, his other hand gently grabbing one of her wrists and pulling the hand away from her face until he could press a heated kiss against her lips with a soft growl. He held her in place, deepening the kiss and pulling her tighter against him. By the time he broke the kiss he felt a little breathless. Gently pressing his forehead against hers and staring into her eyes, his voice was low and husky. "I'm not sleepy."

"I love getting to call you my darlin'" Tobias murmured in reply, his eyes closed and expression content as he kept his lips softly against her neck. After he had turned, once he had come back from the darkness and knew what he was...

As a werewolf he had resigned himself to an empty, lonely life. Who would want someone as cursed as him? How could he even ask a woman to be with someone suffering from his affliction? He couldn't - not until her. Tessa hadn't needed him to ask, she had just accepted what he was and decided that any risk or hardship they might face because of him being a wolf was worth it if it meant they could be together.

"Mm. Just looking at you gives me ideas all the time darlin'." Tobias rumbled softly, giving a quick nip against the tender skin of his mate's throat before sighing and pulling his face away. He flashed her a sheepish half-smile. "You're probably right, but that don't make it less tempting."

"Me too." They were both going to dearly miss Della and her family when it was time for them to leave Ketra, but staying in the city wasn't really a great option - not with her father so close and neither of them having the means to obtain a house in the city. Staying in the city they had both experienced so much suffering the past months was also unappealing.

Tobias hummed softly, arms wrapping around his mate's waist, pulling her into his lap against his chest. He smiled and nuzzled into her hair with a happy sigh.

"Whatever you want, darlin'. Whatever you want." His voice was low and he ran his hands up and down Tessa's back slowly, enjoying holding her close as he breathed in her soothing scent. He tipped his head down so that he could kiss and nuzzle at her neck.

"Good night. Dinner was really nice." Tobias smiled at Della and Jon before letting Tessa lead him back to their bedroom. He brought his tea with him as well, and gently set it on the bedside table as soon as he got close enough.

"I'm glad we decided to eat with them tonight. Maybe we'll start having dinner with them more now that I've gotten well enough." It would be nice having meals with the whole family every day, at least as long as neither of them exhausted themselves before supper - and for as long as they remained living with Della's family. He wasn't sure how long that would actually be.

"C'mere love." Tobias said as he sat on the edge of the bed, arms open to Tessa.

Their reactions to Della's strong recommendation was very different. Tobias smiled fondly at Della as she told them they should get some rest, but he simply shook his head as Tessa laughed and protested. He chuckled softly at his strong-willed mate being compared to a mule on stubbornness.

"I don't know, darlin'. Bed actually doesn't sound like a bad idea to me." Tobias hummed softly, wrapping one arm around her waist and leaning his head against her shoulder with his eyes closed. It had been nice joining the family for dinner, but the idea of absconding to bed with his wife was certainly appealing. He wouldn't say he was worn out but snuggling up with Tessa in bed would be nice, even if they didn't sleep right away.

"But I'm your ridiculous man." Tobias smirked at Tessa, eyes twinkling mischievously as she pulled away shaking her head. His mate was so adorable when she pouted, the gesture made him want to kiss her cute, pouting lips. He squeezed her hand back before lacing his fingers through hers.

"Hey now, I try." He shot Della his own pout. Why was she including him? He had done almost nothing but rest and eat! How much more taking care of himself was he supposed to accomplish?

"As much as I like your house, getting out of it for a little bit might be good for me. I'm feeling stronger every day, so I think it's a good idea if you don't mind having us along." Tobias didn't have money to spend at the market, but just stretching his legs and walking around the markets would be invigorating. It wasn't a long run through the woods, but it was definitely a good start.

Tobias was still smiling gently at his wife as Della spoke up, he didn't shift his gaze away from Tessa as his mate responded with a laugh.Other emotions crept into the gentle expression, sorrow and regret. He turned his gaze away from Tessa, not wanting her to see the subtle shift.

It was obvious to him that she hadn't taken care of herself in his absence. She had been so thin and worn that day. Her state was impossible to miss. Tobias also didn't want to bring it up, knowing that Tessa didn't want to talk about it. They had been through quite enough and he didn't want to upset his mate with the touchy subject. He felt enough guilt for his inability to take care of her for those months as it was.

"Don't worry Della, she knows if she doesn't eat, rest, and take her tonic that I don't eat or rest either. She can be stubborn alright, but I know how to get her to take care of herself." Tobias turned his eyes back to Tessa, the brown were full of love and a bit of teasing.

"I had literally just gotten into town when I ran into you and your buddy last night, so no, not staying anywhere in particular. We can figure out where to stay after we make this contact, and yes we, because if you recall I get violently ill when you're too far away because of these stupid things." Joss grumpily waved his sigil-decorated palm at Calen with a sigh. Anywhere one of them went, the other was just going to have to follow.

This was going to be all kinds of irritating, but what could you do?

"Maybe, but you need rest so maybe we can sit and talk after you wake up?" Mikhail looked up at Theo, a frown creasing his brow as he looked the elf up and down with concern. "Let's go, I'll try to keep quiet until we camp so I don't distract you more. Okay? Maybe when we're both rested we can practice talking while walking, without all the stopping."

His face smoothed gently and he tucked his hand into Theo's much larger one, smiling a little at the prospect of getting to hold the elf's hand. Of course having an arm around him was also great, but maybe it would be easier for him not to cause them to stop this way.

Mikhail was vaguely aware that he had caused them to stop multiple times, and he hated to think that he was slowing Theo down, but he wasn't fully thinking of such practicalities. He just wanted to enjoy being with him.

A small shiver went through him as Theo spoke in that quiet rumble. It was very nice. Mikhail liked it a lot when the elf spoke like that. It gave him chills. Good chills.

"I'm sorry. I keep making us stop." That wasn't his intention, but at least he became aware of the fact that they were once again just standing in the forest hugging. "I just really like talking to you. And hugging you."

Mikhail felt his chest instinctively tighten when Theo started pulling back, a flash of panic overcoming him as he thought that he'd said the wrong thing. It was hard not to notice just how red in the face his friend had become. Then the elf was tightening his arm, holding him even closer and he felt his heart start to ease back out of his throat.

Theoden was painfully awkward, but he didn't mind if his elf was not the most eloquent of men. There were other, far more important qualities that Theo did possess. He turned his body enough that he could wrap his arms around the hunter's waist in a hug. It made him happy when Theo called him Misha.

"I'm really glad I found you, Theo." Mikhail sighed softly, nuzzling into the warmth of the very large elf.

Mikhail remained quiet, just listening to Theo answer his question, then seem to nervously try to explain and justify his answer. He didn't look up at him, keeping his head down, watching his feet as they stepped through the uneven forest floor.

"Oh." A brief pause. "I see."

Silence returned as Mikhail allowed himself to process the fumbling words. Theoden obviously very much enjoyed solitude. It made him consider how much his presence might burden the hunter. Then again, it also made him a little sad for the elf. Was he really not lonely or had he convinced himself that he didn't get lonely?

Seeking companionship was a very natural thing for most humanoids. They were social in nature.

"I don't want to make things harder for you, Theo. You're a very nice person and I want to repay you for what you've done for me, and I like you. I haven't really had friends but I want to be yours, but only if it isn't going to burden you. If you really like being alone I don't want to annoy you, but also I don't want you to be lonely. I know you said you don't get lonely, but if you're always alone how would you really know?" Mikhail knew he was rambling at this point, but he really couldn't stop himself. "Maybe if you kept me around for a little while you'd decide you like that too."

"Nice hands?" Joss arched an eyebrow at Calen. That was definitely not a compliment he heard often. Or ever. Then again, his thorny demeanor didn't lend itself to earning many compliments from anyone, but still. Who complimented someone's hands?

"Of course he's not local. Why would it be that easy?" A heavy sigh escaped Joss as he ran his fingers through his hair, messing it up more than it already was. "Well it isn't like I've got something more important to do right now. I'm no stranger to traveling, so whatever. Let's find this Dain and see if he's got anything that can help."

Mikhail ducked his head a little and smiled as he felt himself being gently pulled more tightly into Theo's side. The elf was clearly extremely awkward, but he liked that his new friend seemed to enjoy the affectionate contact as much as he did - even if he had a little bit of a hard time expressing himself.

The sounds of the forest were peaceful. He didn't normally get to just listen to the music of nature, you couldn't appreciate such things when you could never relax. Mikhail leaned his head against Theo's side and enjoyed the other man's company in silence for a little while.

"Hey Theo? Are you always out hunting alone? Do you ever get lonely?" Maybe the silence was nice, but he couldn't contain his curiosity about his companion. Mikhail wanted to know all about Theo.

"Wow, you really aren't even listening to me, are ya? My hand that interesting?" Joss had really thought that Calen would give some kind of reaction to that. In the very brief time they'd known each other, well the demon hunter had to admit he had a temper and was rather callous. Not that he would apologize for it, but he could recognize that he was kind of a shitty person most of the time.

"Oh yeah? Well let's go then, the sooner we fix this the better." He pulled his hand from Calen's grip, flexing his fingers gingerly. Joss hated to admit that the cooling touch had helped a little.

Joss stopped short when Calen was suddenly in front of him, a by now very familiar look of annoyance flashed across his face. Despite feeling more than a little aggravated by recent events, he didn't lash out at the mage. He watched Calen take his hand and felt the cold start soothing the pain.

"Nosy is one way to put it." Joss grumbled before sighing and closing his eyes. "She's useful. I'll replace her eventually. They all get replaced eventually. Good contacts just don't last forever. Also might be a very ironic person to apologize to for overreacting."

Mikhail didn't answer that, just dropped his gaze to the ground. He knew that Theo'd gotten really upset when he'd caught him with Garen. Clearly that was not a topic to really get into. It wasn't like he'd ever felt ashamed of what he did - it was just how things were - but the elf actually made him feel self-conscious about it.

When Theo stopped, so did Mikhail, and he looked up at him in confusion for a moment before smiling as he felt that warm, strong arm again. He sighed softly, closing his eyes with a smile. "I promise I'll tell you if I don't like something, Theo."