Chapter Twenty-One
I reach the side of the roadway and notice that Forsythia has fallen asleep in my arms.
Concern and gratitude rush through me.
I truly am worried that my mate may have expended too much of herself. Her exhaustion is so thick, it almost feels as though it’s passing between us.
But the fact that she feels so comfortable, so at ease in my arms, that she can let go…
I’ve never felt something quite so delicate before.
Gravel crunches under my boots and startles me for a second.
Wow. I truly must be far more exhausted than I originally thought. I had not even realized I made it all the way to the parking lot. Blake waves at me from ahead and jogs closer.
“Hey man, I got us a room at the end. Away from most of the humans. Need me to take her?”
He reaches forward and I curl her against me, barely suppressing a growl. Blake quirks an eyebrow at me in response.
I relax a little, but still keep a firm hold on our mate.
“It’s alright. We are almost there already.”
I hide my face a little, ashamed at my initial reaction.
Blake gestures for me to follow him and we head across the lot to the door of a unit at the end of the long building. He opens the door, and it is everything I have come to expect from human dwellings.
Flat gray carpet covers the floor. At least it appears to be clean. I know that cleanliness can be a problem for some humans. And I do not mean earthly dirt. Humans generate their own sort of… filth.
A single large bed dominates the space and I consider setting Forsythia down on the darker gray blanket, but when I glance down, I realize that a bath would be the smarter course of action.
Blake comes up to us and strokes his fingers down Forsythia’s cheek before whispering into her ear. “Hey there little nymph. It’s time to wake up. We have a nice hot shower just waiting for you.”
A smile crosses her lips as her eyes flutter open. She holds my gaze for just a moment before turning her head to Blake.
“A shower sounds heavenly.”
I set her down and she stretches before walking heavily towards the bathroom.
Blake nudges my shoulder and I nearly jump again.
Why am I so easily startled all of the sudden?
“Come on big guy. There is plenty of room for all of us in that massive shower.”
I follow behind him and am surprised by the spaciousness. It’s all white tiles, which I expected, but the glass-walled shower is probably the largest I have ever seen.
When my gaze travels upward, I spot the mechanisms on the ceiling.
A tiny trill of excitement rushes through me.
The one human thing I am most familiar with is plumbing.
I enjoy learning the way they work and planning out ways in my mind for how a magickal could perfect them and alter them to be efficient.
These units rain down like waterfalls.
Blake turns the nobs and water begins to fall. He turns and looks at us with a huge smile.
“This is probably the best shower ever. I love these multiple shower heads.”
Multiple shower heads?
That is not quite accurate, since it is more like one large piece, but I do not want to make my brother feel awkward in case plumbing is not something he is incredibly knowledgeable about.
He clasps his hands together and walks past us.
“Alright, you two go ahead and get started. I am going to order some food delivery. Anyone have allergies or preferences?”
I shake my head and Forsythia tilts her head a little in thought.
“Please don’t get meat. Humans do weird things to their meat. A cauliflower crust would be lovely though.”
Forsythia pulls her shirt over her head and Blake nods, leaving us alone.
“Oh! And mushrooms! Lots of mushrooms please!” Forsythia calls out and I hear Blake chuckling in the other room.
I would join them, but my attention has been completely consumed by my mate’s exposed skin.
Or rather, the array of cuts and bruises covering her.
Why is she not healing?
“Lucian?” She closes the distance between us and lifts my chin with her fingers. “What’s wrong?”
“You are injured,” I barely manage to croak. I stand still, keeping my hands to my sides, afraid that my touch may cause her pain.
She looks down between us and surveys her own body.
“That’s strange.” She pokes one of the bruises, then another. “I don’t feel them at all.”
She looks back up at me and offers a small smile. “I’m sure my body is just healing and these are all just superficial.” She rises up on her toes, so I bend over and let her capture my lips in a far too abrupt kiss.
Forsythia steps back and pulls down her pants.
Why does everything feel so odd? Even that kiss felt–
My thoughts turn to lava as my mate sheds the last bits of clothing and her naked body stands before me.
I long to reach out and touch her, but when I see the injuries still evident on her skin, all I can think about is taking care of her.
She opens the door to the showering area and steps in. I take the opportunity to quickly undress, before joining her.
I barely move under the deliciously warm water before Blake slides in behind me.
I know that my mate needs attention, but I steal a brief selfish moment for myself.
This water feels glorious, and I know the others feel the same as we all groan in unison.
I make a mental note that the home we make for ourselves will include a shower–and also a bathing tub– big enough to accommodate all of us together.
My thoughts drift away like the dirty water floating down the drain.
Hot showers feel wondrous on my tired body.
It is odd that I am still feeling a little… chilled…