Chapter 13
Linh scouted the beach in search of more seashells, wanting to add them to the collection she started over the last four days. When she picked up a new one, she placed it in Nathair’s cupped palms.
The sun was bright, the wind light but growing warmer with each day. The sand was coarse against her bare feet, but she adored the way it felt between her toes. It abraded her, and she wished it would score her mind and heart so she could feel better.
Ever since Nathair had figured out why Linh had reacted so strongly and then placed her in his nest, they’d not spoken about it again. If he truly wanted to, he could have pestered her about it, but never did.
A nauseating, dark part of her had worried he wouldn’t want to be near her anymore. That once he discovered what had happened, he’d no longer want to be her friend, or even... want something more.
She knew what happened wasn’t her fault, but that didn’t stop other people from being fucking stupid.
She’d worried Nathair would change.
And he did.
Her smile grew when he used his nose hole to huff away sand that clung to the shells in his palms. He meticulously cleaned each one for her, brushing them off and showing he cared about the task she’d taken on.
In the four days since she’d asked him to hold her after crying her heart out, Nathair had been even more attentive.
Not once did he try to touch her intimately, but he often caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers. The few times she waited for her hair to dry so she could restyle it, he’d sit her on a coil of his tail and comb his claws through the strands until it was untangled and glossy. He even just simply held her hand... and his thick thumb brushing over the back of her daintier one made her heart weep from its gentleness.
He’d carefully yanked his nest to a spot of the cave where a streak of sunlight hit the middle, allowing her to have brightness. He’d also managed to find more cloth from somewhere else within his tunnel system so he could cushion it better for her.
Each day, they came to the beach to collect shells. Or she would create sandcastles or dig a hole – only for him to help until it became a massive crater in the sand. I kind of like that we’re leaving our mark in the world. Maybe they could dig all the way through the earth and find themselves on a different land.
Her mind directed back to the day before.
After they’d dug, a part of the hole’s wall had collapsed and half buried Nathair. So, Linh had pushed more and more onto him until all that remained was his head.
“Now you know how I feel every night,” she’d said, until she kicked sand on his face – knowing it wouldn’t bother him due to the fact he didn’t have eyes like a human.
His roar had been playful and instantly had Linh squealing as she ran.
He didn’t grab at her, he never did, but he shot forward to block her path. Before she knew it, she’d been circled, and she’d burst into a fit of giggles.
I really like the beach.
It was separated from her old life. Nothing here could remind her of home, of what happened, and it allowed her to remain in the present.
Like most days, Nathair would hunt for all manner of sea creatures for her to eat. Oysters, prawns, and he’d even once tried to gift her a small shark – she told him to put it back since it was too big. She only knew what they were due to old books detailing animals that had been seen before the Demons arrived.
At some point, she planned to ask him to take her to his pond so she could forage. She’d been putting it off, worried he’d abandon her there.
I’ll have to get over that at some point. She’d been struggling to forgive him for trying to get rid of her.
They also had not spoken of his desire, or her own, which was growing. In some ways, despite all its unpleasantness, she was thankful the other day had transpired. Knowing she wasn’t the only one growing attached, and beginning to long for more, was reassuring.
She wanted more, wanted to touch him, to do more than just hold his hand, or cuddle in the security that was all of him.
Linh knew she’d first clung to Nathair for all the wrong reasons. But the longer they spent together, and the more she got to know him, the deeper her feelings evolved. I like him.
She liked his waterlily-and-moonflower scent. It was so gentle and refreshing, and often made her mind hum in its pleasantness.
She liked his scales and the way they felt inside her palms, against the tops of her feet, and against her face. She was beginning to want her pants or sleeves to ride up so she could feel them against her calves and forearms. She thought they would feel nice against her thighs, sides, and stomach – but she wasn’t brave enough to do anything about that, even if it was just for an innocent caress.
I like his skull a lot. She’d never been particularly frightened of it, nor had she ever been disgusted by it.
Her mother was her mentor when it came to work, and they’d both often held skeletons out of fascination. Understanding the biology of creatures, humans included, often aided their capabilities with their medicine.
The longer she gazed at his ethereal face, the more she wanted to cuddle his skull in her arms. It was Nathair’s face. It was who he was, and that’s what made it beautiful. Everything about him was magnificent, especially the mesmerising way his black scales gleamed with rainbows.
She had a funny feeling that he’d added her to his riches, but he didn’t seem to realise he was the most breathtaking thing in his home. He took up the entire cavern with just his mere presence.
How can someone who’s never spoken a word have such a loud personality?
Just as Nathair picked her up to climb the boulders of the cave alcove where the sunken ship was, she thought, his body is also really handsome.
She flushed at her thoughts, but only due to the way her heart shyly fluttered in response. His shoulders were broad, his chest firm, his biceps and stomach muscles pronounced. He was a very big boy, with a massive hand that spanned her entire waist as he carted her to the top ledge so she didn’t trip again.
I like the way his hands feel touching me.Of course, that was only over her clothing, but their strength and size was impossible to mistake, even with a barrier between their flesh. How would that feel touching more delicate places on her body? Would his gentleness give way to needy roughness?
He placed her on her feet, and they made their way up the tunnel in the dark.
Every day, her trust in him grew, as did her fondness for him. It also brought on doubt.
Paranoid thoughts nagged at the back of her mind.
He’d shown he wanted her, but she feared all this extra kindness was just an act. He was being patient currently. What if he grew tired of waiting for Linh to figure out what she wanted, and then, more importantly, if she would act on it?
What would he do when his patience ran out? Take away her choice, or give up and cast her away like he’d tried to before?
She had no idea what she was doing.
A human and a Duskwalker living together under some strange truce was odd. But... love? Lust? Some kind of relationship or bond? Was that too farfetched?
Was it... too wrong, even in the skewed reality she was choosing to live in?
And yet, all these pangs kept clenching around her heart whenever he did something nice for her. Each platonic touch to her hair, or even the nape of her neck, had her shivering for more. His claws tickling any part of her felt dangerous, but she associated that danger with Nathair, which meant safe, exotic, and heart-stuttering.
I’m scared of touching him, she thought, her stomach knotting. She bit her bottom lip and shoved her crossed arms – hands still clutching the seashells – against her abdomen when it twisted.
If she let a moment of heat take over, she was scared something would remind her of the horrible past. She didn’t want to lock up in the moment, causing Nathair to think it was his fault and she was rejecting him, when she was the one who had instigated it. She also didn’t want him to be so deep in his own desire that he didn’t realise she’d lost her voice, her ability to speak out, and unwittingly betrayed her by not stopping.
She wanted to try.
However, the moment she felt her nipples bud or her pussy grow slick because he was coiled around her and his tail felt nice between her thighs, her damn throat squeezed. Her hands would shake, and she’d need him to release her before she hyperventilated.
I’m scared of my own desire. Because of what it meant, what it could lead to, and how much something going wrong could damage how she felt towards him.
The fantasy of touching him buzzed in her mind, and the idea of him brushing his hand over her naked body had her wanting to combust with need. Making it real, where she couldn’t control what happened, made the unknown and unpredictable frightful.
She wanted control.
As much as she wanted to trust him fully, he was still... a male. He had his own needs, his own wants. Humans could be rather selfish, so how would a Duskwalker, who appeared more creature than person, be able to restrain himself?
It was selfish to only consider her desires, but if she didn’t think of him as safe, then Linh was... fucked. If he became a source of pain and betrayal, then her only option was to leave and face the Demons.
She’d be dead within a week – she knew it.
She couldn’t go back to her village without help.
What if travellers find me?What if they ended up being just as vile as the bandits?
Linh was willingly trapped here and was putting all her faith in another being.
She felt pitiful, weak, and vulnerable.
In the darkness of the tunnel, a strong limb coiled around her and lifted her into the air. Before she knew it, she was placed into one of Nathair’s arms, and he carted her up the mild incline.
Did he realise I was feeling anxious? He’d brought her closer, as if he’d been able to see it in her face, her body language. Maybe she’d even smelt lightly of fear.
She pressed her face against his exposed ribcage for comfort, thankful he’d reached out. It’s okay. He won’t hurt me. A-and if he wanted me gone, he would have done it by now. She felt he was trying to convey that with just a simple action.
She adored him for it.
When they reached the main cave, Nathair put her down to get the fire restarted. Linh headed over to his nest when he dived into the freshwater lake to rinse himself of the ocean.
She placed the smaller shells next to it, rearranging them so they went from smallest to largest. She took the one really big shell she’d found and placed it next to the two others she’d put on the wide rim of his nest.
Since it was only the middle of the day, streaks of light brightened his home. The one hitting the centre of his nest made all his riches sparkle, and they reflected rainbows against the rocky ceiling above.
Linh was under the impression that Nathair hadn’t thought to move his nest here before, nor did he know the shiny objects would reflect the light in the way they did. She could tell he was very excited by this discovery after moving it, as he often looked up at the ceiling or stared at his treasures as if enthralled by their glitter.
He kind of reminds me of fable tales of dragons.She laughed a little. I wish he breathed fire.
She gasped when a large set of hands spanned around her waist. He turned her, and made her sit on the edge of the circular wall of his nest. She didn’t miss how he tried to slip between her knees.
Dripping wet, he pointed to the lake. Then, with his hands flat and downward facing, he placed one on top of the other and wiggled them up and down towards her.
Linh purposefully pouted her lips and drew her gaze to the side.
“I don’t want to,” she grumbled.
Nathair gingerly cupped her jaw and brought her eyes back to his skull. He nodded and then put his hands together to wave them up and down.
“It’s cold.”
He answered her with a growl and pointed at the lake again – only to clutch his throat and make gurgling sounds before pointing at her.
Nathair was being rather pushy about teaching her how to swim. Considering he was an aquatic creature, and he’d already had to save her from... drowning. It’s not like I tried to go swimming on purpose.
Humans rarely lived near any body of water. Learning how to swim was a rarity, and generally not necessary. However, Linh now lived in a home that was seventy-five percent water, and it was startlingly deep.
“I know I almost drowned, but the water is cold,” she grumbled, arguing with him. “I also don’t have anything else to wear.”
With a huff, he turned from her, slithered over to her bag, and pulled out her pink dress. He waved it at her, likely calling her a liar in his head.
Shame prickled the back of her neck as she looked down to fidget with the seam of her lavender garment. “I-I don’t want to wear it.”
His orbs shifted to a darker shade of orange, and she’d already figured out what this meant: guilt. She felt awful that he felt bad, considering it was obvious she didn’t want to wear it because of what happened between them.
It wasn’t him, but her need to not feel so exposed.
He directed his skull away and brushed one of his hands over the top of it. Linh bit her lips and considered apologising and explaining her reasons. Before she could, he let out a sigh, nodded, and placed it back into her bag.
“Fine,” he gestured with his hand.
Linh was beginning to understand his hand signing. He had his own language, one she wasn’t familiar with. When she’d offered to teach him Austrális signing, he’d gotten annoyed with her. He’d eventually written against a rock: Learn mine. Nathair speak.
So, that was what she’d been trying to do, and what took up a fair amount of their time in the last four days. They’d also been bonding over it, especially as she was taking her lessons very seriously... while seated on the very lap of his lengthy tail. Of course, she found that distracting for the most titillating reasons.
Nathair came closer and picked her up before she could register it.
“Don’t you dare!” she screamed as he carted her towards the lake.
He tossed her, and her scream was swallowed up by water. Linh kicked, her legs going outwards as she clawed to get to the surface. She heard the crash of Nathair’s body joining her before ripples swayed her to the side and pushed her further under.
Hands grabbed her hips and yanked her to the surface. Linh sputtered icy water when she sucked in a breath, goosebumps prickling across her flesh and tightening her scalp.
Since he was right in front of her, she bashed on his shoulders.
“How dare you! I said no!”
Ignoring her, Nathair pushed her away and released her, and Linh instantly began to sink. Her legs kicked outwards while her arms flailed, and her panicked breaths didn’t help when she let them out under the water.
Within seconds, his hands were on her hips. This time, she didn’t fight him. She clung onto his shoulders for dear life while shivering.
Opening her clenched eyes, her gaze landed on Nathair’s skull. He tapped against the side of his empty eye holes. “See?”
“O-okay, I get it. I can’t swim,” she answered, her teeth chattering as she spoke. “B-but it’s really cold.”
He pointed at her, then put his hand straight up and made it fall backwards. He cupped his throat and gurgled.
“I w-won’t fall in again, I promise.”
He rolled his head.
They both knew that wasn’t true. Linh had clumsy feet. She’d tripped, fallen, and stumbled multiple times.
Nathair pointed to himself. He put his hand up next to his skull with his fingers hooked and splayed, made his orbs white, then turned his hand back and forth with his claws pointing towards his temple. He’s saying if he goes into a trance... He pointed to her, cupped his throat, and then made his head fall to the side with his tongue out. I’ll drown and die.
He slipped in and out of trances at random, and Linh was always incapable of drawing him out of them. He never hurt her, although often brought her inside his wrappings like he wanted to hug her like a teddy bear.
A chattering sigh fell out of her.
“Okay. I get it, you’re right.” Annoyingly, she’d suffer the cold if it would put him at ease.
He pushed her back. Despite how much she clung onto him, he eventually ducked beneath the water. As soon as she was no longer supported, she tried to stay afloat.
She gasped when his hands shoved her legs together, but thankfully he pushed her up so her head stayed above the water. He let go, and she uselessly kicked like before. He shoved her thighs together.
Keep my legs together? She did that, and he released her.
She immediately found it easier to keep her head above the surface. He put her hands together near her chest, and then forced them outward underneath the surface. She tried to mimic him, although her mind told her that in order to breathe, she needed to claw at the surface of the water, rather than have her arms submerged.
Every time she kicked like a frog, he shoved her thighs together.
He’s been under there for ages. If he’d been human, or didn’t have gills, he would have drowned by now.
The moment she started to get the hang of it, she realised the chill of the water had started to fade. Her movements were warming her, and she wasn’t shivering so hard. It also stopped her from fretting.
I’m doing it!Thank goodness. Hopefully he’d let her get out now.
When she attempted to swim towards the shore, she put everything out of whack. She realised she’d only learned how to stay afloat, but not how to move. Even now, she was growing tired. If he went into a trance for hours, she’d give up and sink.
“Eeek,” she rasped when his hand pressed against her stomach.
Nathair finally breached the surface with his skull and forced her to lie on her stomach. When she just lay there, breathing, he tapped at the water. “Swim.”
She let out a false cry and kicked her stupid legs. He supported her abdomen with one hand and grabbed one of her wrists with the other. He made her do that arm swiping thing, but against the surface.
I hate you so much right now, you overgrown water snake.