Chapter 3
Varum blew out a frustrated breath as he stared down at the female curled on her side with her head on his boot and one arm wrapped around his ankle.
He had taken a chance giving her the thalorine to dull her pain as she healed—only a tiny drop of paste in each of her wounds.
Seeing her as she was now made him glad he hadn’t given her more.
He couldn’t leave her on the floor. Once more, he cradled the woman in his arms as he carried her back to his bed. For the last two nights, he had slept on the couch. He wanted his bed back, but it looked like he had at least one more night on the uncomfortable furniture.
The female weighed nothing. He wasn’t sure she’d even come to his chest when she stood.
He placed her on the bed and checked the wound at her hairline, liking the healing he saw.
Then, he carefully felt around the broad serynth leaf on her side.
The naturally occurring adhesive film not only sealed the skin but also released natural antiseptic oil.
It was working well to heal her injury. Even better than he had expected.
Varum covered her with the blanket and sat on the edge of the bed.
Her hair, once dried, had become a riot of curls as dark and rich as kelp roots.
Her eyes, however, had startled him. He’d seen every color the ocean could birth, but never had he glimpsed brown laced with copper, gleaming like the heart of a shell.
Even though he knew what he would find, as he had already looked several times before, he gently moved aside her hair to see the back of her ear.
There was still no sign of any gills on either side, yet he knew what he had seen.
He moved his hand away, only to have a curl wrap around his finger.
He froze, his eyes glued to the thick strand.
Something about the sight of it held him captivated. Slowly, he slid his finger loose.
He returned his attention to her and stared for a long time, taking in her oval face, high cheekbones, and dark brows.
Her skin was the color of sun-warmed sand.
She had rushed to help the humans seemingly out of nowhere.
Who was she? How could she breathe in the water?
And why had she been out in the ocean alone?
His gaze dropped to her mouth, and he recalled the way she had smiled while staring at the ceiling. The sight of the grin had been so unexpected that it had disarmed him. He didn’t want to be surprised by her or her actions. She was a means to an end.
Varum turned his head away and spotted the wide leather belt he had removed from her waist and discarded while tending to her wounds. She wore simple, bleached gray garments—the kind of clothes favored by those who worked the land. Or the sea.
Sighing, he leaned his forearms on his knees and stared at the floor.
Was Nirav right? Had he made a mistake? When he made the decision to bring the human to Tarangarh, it had seemed like the right thing to do, regardless of the consequences.
He’d heard Nirav’s arguments and still believed his actions would be worth the risk in the long run.
Varum surged to his feet and raked his hand through his hair, shoving the long strands away from his face.
There were things he needed to see to, but he was hesitant to leave his quarters should the human wake again while he was out.
She hadn’t made it far from the bed this time, but the thalorine would wear off soon, and it would be better for everybody if he were the one here instead of Nirav when it did.
He looked around his room before striding into the living area.
His home might be where he lay his head and rested, but he didn’t usually spend much time here.
He plopped down on the chair at the head of the two couches and stretched his back.
Not only were the sofas uncomfortable, but he was also tired of having his legs hang over the arm.
His gaze was drawn through the open bedroom door.
The woman was tiny enough that she could fit on the sofa without issue.
He shook his head and leaned back in the chair.
As tempting as that sounded, he couldn’t.
For the moment, he could shut the door to his room and keep anyone from seeing who was inside.
It would be problematic to move her should someone knock on his door.
And they would.
His absence was bound to raise eyebrows soon. He toyed with the idea of asking Nirav to sit with the human, but that meant putting him at risk. Nirav would do it without question, though. That was just the kind of elf he was.
The silence threatened to do Varum in. He was a doer, someone who rarely stayed still.
Sitting idly was the worst kind of torture.
He shot another quick look toward the human.
It was really too bad that she was still out of it from the pain reliever.
If she weren’t, he could be getting the information he needed. Unfortunately, he had to wait.
He slid lower in the chair and stretched out his legs. After a moment, he laced his hands over his stomach and closed his eyes.