Chapter 24
KATANA
K atana made her way to the hot springs to soothe her achy, tired knees and ankles. She’d gone running to condition her mortal body with Thane and Leif the last couple days. They went easy on her, but she felt like a baby deer on new legs. For someone who healed fast, it wasn’t nearly fast enough.
The steam rose off the water under the light of the half-moon.
The dark clouds left openings to the sparkling sky.
She stripped her dress and dipped her toes in, testing the water, and finding it perfectly hot.
She moved down the stone steps leading in.
The water reached her hips when she spotted male clothing hanging from a branch.
Her eyes drifted to the grass below where a pair of boots, two shiny swords and a weapons belt waited. Those swords were familiar…
Someone cleared their throat, and she whipped her head to the shadows on the far side.
Long dark hair draped over fair skin, green eyes, bright even at night.
Katana gasped and quickly sank into the water to cover her nakedness.
Last time she’d been in this pool she at least had on her bralette and underwear. Now she was completely nude.
“Um, hello. I did not see you, Thane. I thought I was alone.”
He pressed his lips together to keep from smiling. “I figured. Although, you looked right in this direction when you arrived.”
“I guess I need to be more observant.”
“You do,” he agreed. “I could have been someone who’d want to hurt you.”
“But you are not.”
He chuckled. “No. Are you sore?”
“We ran five miles just today. Half of it was uphill. I have a new appreciation for mortals.” Before she could run and dance endlessly and not tire.
“I used to run ten miles every day when I was younger. Still do from time to time.”
“Do you want a prize?” she teased, settling in on the opposite side of the pool, making sure there was plenty of space between them.
“I have a crown. That’s better.”
Katana smiled and they fell into silence. An owl quietly cooed in the canopy of trees above. Crickets chirped in the grass around them. The heat of the water warmed her face, and was it that or him that made the air feel charged? “You have not said anything about me being naked,” she mused.
He tried not to smile. “Should I have?”
“Many males would at least try to peer through the water or make lewd comments about me so casually disrobing in front of them.”
“Ah, well, the water looks black from here so it’s not as if I could see anything if I wanted to.” He lifted a shoulder. “I doubt you’d appreciate lewd comments or me leering. I do have morals and manners, goddess.”
“But you did watch me walk down the steps.”
He smiled now. “I did. I’m afraid I have weaknesses. Admiring beauty like yours when it’s on display is one of them.”
She suddenly had the burning desire to know if he had any undergarments on. Not that it would matter, she wouldn’t be moving from her spot, and he looked content to stay where he was at.
A strange tingling sensation ran through her, recognizing a familiar presence. She swore she even smelled the sea in the air. Her stomach plummeted and her heart raced. If he saw her naked in a pool with another male…
“I should probably head back inside,” Katana whispered. “I did not realize the hour.”
“You can stay. I’ll go.” His hand splashed through the water as he gestured toward the steps.
“No,” she said, panic rising. Atlanta could be near watching them even now.
He would kill Thane. It was better that she get out and face him…
Or, All Mother above, maybe she was paranoid and allowed the demons of her past to get to her head again.
How would he find her here? How could he even know she was alive?
He slowly waded through the water, drawing closer to her. “What’s wrong?”
The shadows around them seemed to take form.
The creak of the trees above made her jump.
The crickets and rattling in the bushes sounded louder.
She pressed her hands to the sides of her head and slammed her eyes shut.
The moving shadows were only in her mind.
There was nothing out there to get her. Synick was locked up.
Atlanta was in another realm—and yet she felt him close.
“Hey.” Thane’s voice was gentle. A soft hand touched her shoulder, and she flinched curling her arms in on herself. “Katana, I won’t hurt you. Open your eyes.”
His face was close, and the soft expression eased the tension coiled in her body. Gently, he wrapped his hands around her wrists and slowly lowered them down into the water. “It’s alright. You’re here in Palenor, and no one is going to hurt you.”
She slipped her hands into his and squeezed like he was her anchor to this world.
“Alright,” she whispered. She leaned forward and pressed her cheek against his wet, bare chest. She had a difficult time trusting people, males especially, but there was something about him that was different.
She hoped her instinct didn’t betray her. “I think he is here.”
“Who?”
“Atlanta.”
Thane tensed and placed a hand on her upper back and looked over the landscape. “He’s never going to raise a hand to you again.”
“He is a primordial. He could hurt you if you try to stop him.” Her heart still raced. It felt like beating drums in her chest.
“I’m not afraid. You don’t need to worry about me.”
“What if he tries to take me?”
“He can try, but he won’t. He not only has me standing in the way but your sister too, and when she’s angry, she’s—frightening.” He chuckled and the sound and vibration of it seemed to magically slow her rapid heart. Even her breathing came easier.
“She really is.” And that made her smile. She only wished she was as brave as her. Assassins attacked the castle, and all Katana did was cower in the corner while her sister killed them all and saved everyone.
As suddenly as the presence of her old husband appeared like a hand clenching her heart, it vanished.
The weight of his briny sea magic lifted.
She listened to the leaves flutter in the wind and peered out into the darkness.
Maybe he was never even here, and it was her paranoia.
There was only she and Thane, and she became acutely aware of her nakedness and his, and how close they stood together.
She lifted her chin. “Thank you for not judging me.”
“We all have our demons, Katana. Some of us are just better at hiding them.”
Slowly pushing backward, she said, “I think clothes would be a good idea. Unless you want to go to your side of the pool, where I can continue to admire you from afar.” Atlanta would not ruin her new chance at life, even the fear of him.
“Admiring, were you?” he teased.
“Certainly. You are a work of art. I think your soul is beautiful too.”
“You don’t know some of the things I’ve done or the violence that I am capable of. My soul isn’t beautiful.”
Her brows tugged. “Oh, but it is.” She had only known him a short while, but he was good.
She could see it in his aura even if he could not.
Thane’s aura was bright and warm, a very light shade of green intermixing with amber and gold.
The green would mean he was connected to nature and had high empathy for those around him.
The bright gold was usually a sign of responsibility, compassion, and harmony.
It made her smile, harmony for someone who’d been named War.
There were some faint swirls of red which showed that side, and of course the deep gray around his heart when Valeen was near. But that wasn’t there tonight.
The reason why she was so surprised by Fennan and Piper’s dislike of Hel was because she had seen his aura, and it was not dark or black.
Hel had flecks of gold about him, but was mostly a cool blue with shades of gray.
Blue was a sign of loyalty, passion, thoughtfulness, and an even temper.
Someone with his color would not lash out without thinking.
He was also a planner. The gray in him was different from Thane’s.
It wasn’t sadness, it represented some less-than-moral things, but it wasn’t his dominant color.
Her sister was the most complex she’d ever come across. She had a warm brightness overall with a mixture of purples that melted into maroon and red. The purple would be courageous, sensitive, confident, and creative; the red shades were for a fiery temper and strong will and often stubbornness.
“How could you know that?” Thane said, interrupting her from her thoughts.
“It is a gift. You are beautiful inside, but I see you can have the potential for a brutal side in battle.”
He chuckled. “I am the god of war.”
“Yes, but you are much more than that. And I can see how deeply you care because you loved my sister, but you are not angry with her for choosing someone else. Hurt maybe but not angry.”
He dipped his hands into the water and splashed his face. “You see too much.”
“You would prefer I did not?”
“I don’t know.” His throat bobbed as he watched her carefully. “And I mean this in the most respectful way, but could you please get lower under the water?”
She didn’t realize she had stood taller, and half her breasts were out in the open. Rather than do as he asked, she smiled and arched a brow. “Do you ask that because my immodesty bothers you or because you like what you see?”
He groaned and scrubbed his hand down his face. “Katana, you know why. I may be composed but I’m not a saint. I’m very much a male who is very much attracted to you, and it’s been a while since…”
“Since what?”
“I’m getting out.” His voice was husky. “It’s much too hot in here.”
He slowly waded through the water, drawing closer to her.
Was he going to turn toward the steps and get out or…
Her heart beat faster when he kept his eyes on her, not taking the turn she expected.
Warmth pooled between her thighs and her stomach tightened.
She swallowed hard, and watched the tenseness on his face soften to something more sensual.
It would be so easy to explore the god of war’s body. But she wasn’t ready to give her heart to anyone yet and neither was he. Unless this could be something casual without heartstrings attached.
She’d been with a few others before she married Atlanta, but those relationships happened from courtship and commitment.
She’d never had sex with someone she wasn’t in an exclusive relationship with, but the flutter in her belly made her want to try.
It would be so freeing, a defiance to the caged bird she’d been.
No, it was the night air, the hot water on bare skin that was making them both heady.
Add their mutual loneliness and it was a recipe for trouble.
Time and sunlight would prove if it was something she wanted.
Would Valeen even be fine with this? Her sister didn’t want Thane in a romantic way anymore, but she’d still loved him once. Was it a betrayal?
“I’ll get out,” he whispered as if he had to talk himself into it.
Breathless, she nodded. “Yes, you said that.”
Reading his expression was impossible. It was as if he was waiting for her permission to touch her, and yet begging her not to give it.
“I’ll see you in the morning,” she said, knowing that’s what he truly wanted her to say. Even if he was tempting and her body craved intimacy she hadn’t had in too long.
Without another word he made his way up the steps, water cascaded down his muscular back, over his firm, round, bare buttocks. He turned slightly, making his desire for her quite evident. To say he was well-endowed was almost an understatement.
With a towel that had hung on the tree branch, he dried off and dressed while she stayed in the steamy water, waiting for him to leave.
But he didn’t go anywhere. He leaned against the tree and said, “I’m going to walk you back and make sure you get inside safely.
Because even if I want to do ungentlemanly things to you right now, I am still a gentleman. ”