Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Ellery
Despite our exhaustion, most of the amsirah with us gathered their things and trudged toward the river when we returned to the encampment. Ryker led me through the woods to a bend in the river.
With his arms folded over his chest, he stood guard in the middle of the icy water to shield me from any bathers who might wander too close. My teeth chattered as I scrubbed my hair and skin with soap before handing the bar to him.
When he took it, his fingers lingered on mine before moving away. Unable to stand the freezing current anymore, I waded out of the water. Covered in goose bumps, I stumbled toward my towel.
I dried myself before lifting the heavy wool blanket from where I’d placed it on the shore and pulled it around my shoulders. My shivering didn’t ease much as my wet hair clung to my face.
I loved everything about these woods, except for the freezing baths. There was talk of building a bath house with fires to warm the water and the building, but unfortunately, it was pretty far down on the list of priorities.
Turning, I watched as the water sluiced down Ryker’s chiseled form while he bathed. My blinking was a little more rapid than normal as exhaustion kept trying to pull my burning eyes closed.
I wanted to sleep where I stood, but I couldn’t help admiring the view as tendrils of sunlight caressed him. He truly was magnificent as his large, powerful muscles rippled with his movements.
The scars on his chest, back, and legs only added to his magnificence. They were a testament to what he’d endured and survived, and all of them had made him stronger as they forged him into the man I loved more than anything in this world.
I was going to spend an eternity with this man, and I’d never stop admiring him. I was freezing and so tired, but desire stirred in my belly; it was impossible not to crave him.
While I’d love to lose myself in his arms for a little while, I wasn’t sure I had the energy to do anything more than breathe. Maybe after a few days or years of sleep, I’d feel different.
When Ryker trudged out of the water, he joined me on the shore to towel himself off. He gathered our discarded clothes and tucked them under his arm.
My nose wrinkled at the smoky stench wafting from the bundle. I was too tired to wash them right now, and clothes were too much of a precious commodity to throw them away. However, they wouldn’t be coming into our tree house until I scrubbed them.
I held the blanket open for him, but he shook his head and tugged it closed around my shoulders again. “You mu… st be free… freezing,” I protested through my chattering teeth.
“It’s invigorating.”
“Ryker—”
“I’m fine. Let’s get you back to the camp.”
“You’re na… naked.”
“I am.”
This was apparently perfectly fine for him; it wasn’t for me. I didn’t want anyone else seeing him like this.
Before I could say anything more, he draped his arm around my shoulders, tucked me against his side, and started walking back toward the encampment.
I glimpsed some of the other amsirah moving through the woods, but no one approached us, and I didn’t think they could see him; I still didn’t like it.