Chapter Seventeen
T rekking through the woods for most of the day, we finally decide to stop around dinner time.
We found the most beautiful spot beside a glittering lake.
Of course, that posed some issues right off from the start.
“What if I just hold it out of the water? Oh! Or… I can cast an air shield around it? Then it won’t get wet at all!” Blake’s voice is becoming a bit erratic.
In his defense, he is part water shifter and has been held captive for weeks without proper access to water. Now that he is right beside it, he is being told he can’t just jump in like a crazy child on a hot summer day.
“No. It is too risky. If it gets wet, the body will reject it.” Lucian says for the millionth time since we settled in at this spot. His tone is passive, and his arms are crossed at his chest, but I know he understands Blake’s struggle.
Suddenly an idea pops into my head. “Actually, I have some spare clothes,” I rustle something around in my pack and discover a set of sweatpants and an additional t-shirt. “I have enough for you, too, Orobas.” I can’t bring myself to call him ‘father.’ It’s too soon, and the word feels foreign in my own head, let alone on my tongue.
Blake stops whining and gives me his full attention. After I hand the clothes to Orobas, who thanks me and moves off into the woods a bit, presumably to wash and change, I offer the same to Blake. “I have a piece of cloth. It won’t be the same, but I can help you wash up and change into some fresh clothes, at least.”
Lucian opens his mouth, but I stop him before he can shoot the idea down.
“I promise to keep the cloth and all water droplets far from his hand. He can wash it tomorrow when the skin is fully in place.”
Lucian releases his arms to his sides and nods. “I will see to a meal,” he adds before heading off in a different direction than Orobas, and away from the lake.
Okay then. Now that is all settled.
I look back at Blake, and he has such a huge grumpy look on his face that I nearly bust out laughing. Taking pity on the guy, I try to offer some reassurance.
“It’s just one day, and I promise to let the water run down your back as much as you want.”
A small smile plays on his lips, and he offers his good hand to me. I grab his clothes and the cloth, then grab his hand in mine, and we make our way to the lakeshore.
We come out at a rocky beach, with several larger rocks sticking up out of the water. I find a spot where the rocks are flat and pull Blake over to them. He plops down, but before I can stop him, he dunks his feet straight into the water.
His reaction mimics melting butter.
I know that a lack of shoes must be uncomfortable, and I’m sure the cool water is helping ease those small pains.
But this is more than that. He was cut-off so much from an element that is ingrained in his very essence.
“Well? My back is certainly not going to wash itself here,” he says in what is possibly the snarkiest tone ever.
I sigh heavily and lean into his back, offering him a warning. “There will come a time when I can dunk you into that water, and it will be glorious.”
He grumbles low and shocks me with his response. “Oh yes, little nymph. You, soaking wet, with your hands on me, does sound glorious.”
My mouth gapes open, and my thighs clench together. How this man can go from zero to one-hundred in a single second is beyond me. And, of course, now I can’t stop thinking about the fact that my hands are about to be on his body, and this is really not the time for any of that kind of fun.
I take a deep breath and put my hands into the water, then wipe them across my face.
There. Nice and cool. Sure.
Taking out my blade, I cut his shirt off of him. It’s completely trashed anyways, so there is no point in fighting to get it off nicely. With his top half fully exposed, I glance down at his jean-clad butt.
“Uhmm… I need your pants off,” I say before thinking about my words.
He winks at me and leans back, daring me to undress him.
Alright, that’s it.
Two can play this game.
I move around him until I’m sitting on my knees between his legs. I move my hands up his thighs, touching so lightly I bet it’s impossible for him to actually feel it under the denim. When I reach the button, I flick it open and pull down the zipper. I look at Blake from behind my eyelashes and see him panting, struggling for composure. Good. I tuck a few fingers against his skin and under the top of his jeans, and he sucks in a breath.
I pull them down a little, and he arches his butt off the rock with his good arm so that I can get them down the rest of the way. They reach the tops of his thighs, and I can’t stop myself from licking my lips in anticipation of seeing him exposed. I’ve seen him naked before, but I was occupied with other things at the time and didn’t notice…well…
Leaning back, I tug a little on his pants, but they are being difficult. I yank a little harder, and they give, except the momentum flings me backward and I land in the shallow lake water with a splash.
There is a pair of jeans in my hands, sans one pant leg that is still holding onto Blake’s left foot for dear life. My feet are now up in the air a bit and still on the rock.
But the rest of me?
Fully dunked in the lake water.
And it’s springtime, so while we have been getting spurts of summer-ish weather, it is not enough to heat up the lake waters.
Not for my liking, at least.
Blake is clenching his stomach with his good arm and sounds as if he is about to pass out from a lack of oxygen… due to laughter.
What an asshole.
No, really. I’m fine. Please don’t worry about me at all, darling mate. I’m just soaked, freezing, and my butt is sore now. But I wouldn’t want to interrupt your ‘death by laughter’ session to worry about my huge splash into the lake.
That thought causes a brief panic. “Your hand!” I yell.
He stops laughing and looks down. “It’s okay. Still completely dry. The splashes didn’t even make it all the way to me. Just a few drops on my feet.”
Oh good. I didn’t even want to think about facing the wrath of Lucian after breaking that promise.
I huff out a breath and push the few loose strands of wet hair off my face. Looking up at Blake from this angle, I can’t get a clear sight of anything good. When my eyes meet his, he waggles his eyebrows.
Oh, he totally caught me looking. I raise my chin a little. I will not apologize for wanting to scope out the merchandise. My merchandise.
I push myself up out of the water and trudge my way back to shore.
Once I get there, I am greeted by a fresh pair of clothes, Lucian’s raised brow, and a smirk.
“Don’t ask,” I tell him as I snatch the clothes.
He says nothing, just shakes his head a little and walks away. I glance at Blake and see that Lucian must have given him the cloth so that he can take care of more personal areas while I get myself straightened out.
Once I’m dry- ish again and in the new clothes, I make my way over to Blake. He seems to have finished his lower half and is already wearing clean briefs and jeans. He looks up at me when I walk over and lets out a sound of frustration.
“Can you help me with these damn things? I am officially over only having access to one hand.” He looks down at the one secured to his chest, and I see a bit of awe in his eyes. It truly was some magnificent magick. The skin is almost to the base of his fingers now. And the new growth doesn’t even look different.
“Lucian did a really great job,” I say to him. While the jeans slide up easily, buttoning them is proving to be a bit of a chore.
I have never had to dress someone else before, so this process is a bit awkward. Much like everything else I do and say. No wonder I need two mates. It would take two just to balance out a little of the hot mess that is me.
“Yeah, he did. I won’t ever be able to thank him enough for this.”
I feel the same way.
After a small struggle, I manage to get the jeans fully fastened. Blake groans when I give in to my urge to run a finger through his treasure trail. He snatches my hand and brings it to his lips.
The sun is lowering in the sky, and the air is getting colder as the night approaches. I reluctantly pull my hand away and turn Blake around. Using the cloth I help him get cleaned a little quicker than I originally intended. When I am finished, though, I hesitate to help him get the clean shirt on.
I enjoy the skin show and all, but the real issue is his immobilizing wrap. I’m not quite sure how to navigate around it. I finally decide that the best course of action is to let Lucian help him, and when I mention it to Blake, he reluctantly agrees.
When we make it back to camp, Lucian is rotating several fish on a skewer over a fire.
“Hey, Lucian,” I say. “We need your help getting Blake’s new shirt on. We didn’t want to cause any damage by messing with the wrapping.”
He stands and walks over to us.
“Yes,” he says and immediately gets to work untying the wrapping. “Dinner is almost done,” he adds as I walk over to the fire and sit across from my father.
I am not sure what to say to him, and he seems too so exhausted from the day and the onslaught of emotions that we simply sit in companionable silence.
Lucian returns and inspects the fish while Blake plops down on the ground next to me. He subtly tucks his hand around my ankle. The act seems to ground him, and, after the fear of my death, I suppose the reassurance of physical connection would help.
Speaking of which, I need to fill Blake in on that information. No time like the present.
Lucian passes out the skewers of fish and sits on my other side before taking a small bite. I see the steam rising from the missing bit and decide that I have no rush to burn my mouth with the hot food and let the skewer rest on my lap.
I take a deep breath and push forward, hoping that Blake will let me finish before he freaks out.
It’s always a good idea to hope for the best, right?