20. Hidden Past
Hidden Past
Rez
As I walk out with Knots, I finally take notice of the setting sun.
“How long were we in there?” I ask, feeling bad that everyone wasted so much time on me, and that they are still willing to take care of my mother’s body.
“It doesn’t matter as long as you have closure.” He raises an eyebrow. “Do you have closure?”
As he continues to walk me over to the waterfall, I take a moment to search for how I feel. I had already buried mom once, but this time it does seem different, and I think it’s because I know the real her. The sacrifice she made for me and what she was part of.
“Yeah,” I say, smiling up at Knots. “I do. Thank you.”
We stop at the waterfall, and I lean against Knots as I take in the tranquil spot.
“I came here before but didn’t really take in the waterfall part,” I admit with a snort.
“I wasn’t in the mood to be soothed if I remember correctly.
I had just realized that mom, or I guess Jillian, had lied to me for years,” I tell him, finding that it doesn’t sting as much as before.
“So you didn’t really check out the healing waters behind the waterfall either?” Knots questions.
“Healing waters?” I peer up at him in question.
He chuckles.
“Come on.” Taking my hand, he leads me up a small, wet, rocky path back behind the waterfall.
As soon as we clear the spray of water, I immediately take a step back as my breath falters, taking in the space.
“Wow.”
I’ve read about and seen movies where there’s a cave behind waterfalls that are dark and dingy, only lit by the light of lanterns, but this is something else.
There are small gems or jewels embedded in the stone at random heights and intervals, reflecting the different lights to the back of the cave, giving it an ethereal appearance.
Knots gently coaxes me into moving deeper into the cave, but my head is on a swivel as I continue to take in the different jewels embedded into the stone walls. They look as if they grew out of there, not put there by supes. Reading my mind, Knots answers.
“It’s rumored this is one of the healing waters that appeared when a Fate was wounded and needed help to heal herself,” he tells me.
“The cave appeared out of the ground, hidden behind the waterfall, because her enemy couldn’t cross the water, and the gems acted as another power source to hide her signature.
” He chuckles to himself. “I don’t know how true that is, though. ”
I step closer to one of the gems and slide my hand over it. There’s a slight warmth that pulses from it even though the cave has a slight chill, so there might be some truth to it despite Knots’ doubts. In this world, anything could happen.
Hell, I just buried my mother for the second time today. So anything is possible.
We reach the waters, and the first thing I notice is the calming smell of lavender and cedarwood.
The pool is set into the ground and appears almost clear in some sections, but becomes darker the further you go toward the back.
On the back wall, there’s a small trickle of water emptying into the pool, and on the far side of the pool is a grassy area set up with food for a picnic.
Turning towards Knots, I arch an eyebrow in question, and I bite my lip when I catch his blush.
“I—um… I wanted you to have a place to relax, and I wanted to make sure you didn’t want for anything,” he explains, running his hand through his brunette hair, looking flustered.
I reach up and gently grab his jaw between my hands and guide him down to me.
“This is perfect. Thank you,” I tell him before I gently kiss him.
He hesitates for a moment before he kisses me back, but it's as if I’m coming back home once he wraps his arms around me and pulls me against him, deepening the kiss. I pull away slightly as I smile against his lips, and he frowns.
“I’m sorry. Did I do something wrong?” he questions, and I slowly shake my head as I back up and bite my lip.
“No, I’m just curious,” I tell him as I start to unbutton my jeans, and his eyes go molten.
“Did they ever say what the healing waters healed? Is there a limit on what it heals? Physical, emotional, mental, spiritual injuries? More than one?” I ask as I kick off my sandals, step out of my pants, and lose my shirt, leaving me in my bra and panties.
Knots doesn’t even unbutton his shirt; he just rips it open, sending the buttons scattering across the rocky floor, and the sound causes my pussy to contract around nothing.
“I don’t know,” his voice turns husky. “But I’m willing to find out,” he admits.
I watch as his pants tent considerably, and he rolls his shoulders, attempting to take off his shirt artfully, but the sleeves get stuck.
I step out of my panties and slip into the warm waters, and it instantly starts to bubble around me, feeling like miniature jets in a hot tub.
The tiny bubbles glide over my skin as if they are penetrating deeper into me and cleansing me from the inside out.
I have never experienced a pool of water like this before, and I find myself moaning as my muscles go slack.
“Oh holy Fates, this feels amazing.” I groan as I sink into the water, releasing my breasts from my bra and throwing that onto the rocky shore.
“Ugh. You’re killing me, Rez,” Knots groans as he slips out of his clothes and laser focuses on me.
“Guess you shouldn’t have dressed up,” I tease before taking a breath and dunking under the water.
I don’t know if I believe these are true healing waters, but I do wonder if I would need to use them multiple times if they are.
For now though, they at least make me feel better at this moment.
I don’t feel nauseated, nor weighted down spiritually or emotionally.
I feel like all my worries in the world are nonessential and trivial; my pain and the worrying over the absence of my magic are gone.
Things will work out as they should. The words filter through my mind of their own accord, calming my soul.
After only a few moments of being underneath, arms grab me and yank me back up into the cooler air.
“Just for that, you should be punished,” Knots says, nibbling along my neck.
“Do you feel the healing effects of the waters?” I ask, hoping I’m not the only one noticing the tingling feeling along my skin.
“Yes, I can feel my wings mending already,” he mumbles against my skin. “I guess the rumors are true.”
I chuckle, turning around in his embrace to face him and sliding my arms around his neck.
His hands slowly run down my naked back to grab my ass and lift, prompting me to wrap my legs around his slender waist, trapping his firm cock between us.
I’m so tempted to either lift up and let him slip in or grab him myself and guide him in, but before I can do anything, the decision is taken away from me.
“Not going to happen. I told you, I’m here to take care of you, and you’ve just gone through some emotional traumas recently, Rez. You need to heal to be ready for tomorrow and the week following,” Knots says as he walks us deeper into the water until it’s mid-chest.
“Huh?” I give him a bewildered look. “I thought sex cured everything.”
He chuckles.
“You would think that, but no. I brought you to the healing waters for a reason. Bathing in the healing baths should renew you and strengthen what’s damaged within you,” he tells me as we reach the back wall, and he sets me down on a small rock bench that’s protruding underwater, bringing the water back down to my waist.
He reaches for a bar of soap from his S.I.N. box and begins to lather it into his hands as he looks down at my toes.
“May I?” he asks, looking sincere.
“Sure,” I say, trying to keep the disappointment out of my voice. But it’s Knots, and he picks up on it easily.
“I don’t mean to disappoint.” He gives me a sly smile. “I’ll tell you what, you can ask me any question, and I’ll answer it without complaint if you let me just wash you like I want. Deal?” he offers as he moves to my other foot.
I have to admit his hands are miracle workers as they work through some deep tissue issues on my soles, and I bite my lip to keep from moaning. So, I nod, agreeing to his request.
“Thank you.” His smile is infectious as he moves up my legs and hits my calves, massaging the sore and tired muscles as he goes. I lean up against the back wall and let the warm water gently run over me as I think of any questions I want answered by my Door Knight.
There are so many. Out of all of my mates, he’s the most mysterious, especially lately with Cain. The thought of my so-called brother causes my muscles to tense up, and Knots pauses as he studies me.
“You know what you want to ask,” he says, not a question.
I bite my lip, suddenly feeling nervous as to how he will take it.
“Go ahead. I told you I would answer honestly.”
Taking a breath, I just blurt out my question, hoping I don’t ruin what we’re building between us, once more.
“What’s your relationship with Cain? What was he hinting at last night?” I ask, feeling shameful now that the words are out.
Knots doesn’t tense up, make a face, or change what he’s doing. He just continues to clean and massage me as he tells his story.
“You saw my last memory of Angelette saying goodbye to me, correct?” Knots starts, but he doesn’t wait for my answer before continuing.
“That wasn’t our last time meeting. Granted, I didn’t know who she was that time, nor did I know who she was our last time either.
” He takes in a deep breath and twists my body to the side so he can wash my back.
“It wasn’t quite a year, but long enough for me to forget the woman in the woods when I came across her cabin one winter in a storm.
I got lost and found her home. Angel is what I called her because she looked like one when she opened the door and saved me from certain death.
I was greeted, clothed, and allowed shelter.
I played with her children and stayed with them for a while.
The storm came and went, and spring was on us, and I decided to help them for their hospitality. ”
Knots begins to rub my shoulders and work the muscles in my arms, but it’s my stomach that's having problems. Lead has landed in it, and it is churning like a broken washer trying to work on the spin cycle.
“I was out one afternoon chopping wood when Gabriel screamed about wolves, and I dropped everything to help. Wolves weren’t known to be prevalent in the area,” Knots says, before moving onto my hair.
He starts to run his hands through my wet curls, just massaging my head, and I close my eyes, picturing the cabin I’ve seen in his prior memories.
“Once I came out of the woods, I saw them. Three massive wolves that Angel was handling quite well on her own, but it was the men on the other side of the woods that I was focusing on. Two of them darted out of the trees, and I quickly cut them down, but I didn’t see the one that got the drop on me from behind.
I was hit in the head, making my world tilt and spin as I fell to the ground. ”
Knowing what was going to come out of his mouth next, I can’t not see him. I turn around and face Knots, draping my legs over his and looking up at him. His deep, soulful eyes find mine as they take on a sheen of their own.
“The next thing I saw coming out of the crop of trees was a red glowing sigil on a man. Even with my memory wiped, I somehow remembered who Cain was. Everyone knew who Cain was. The walking plague. Death himself.” Knots moves a piece of hair behind my ear as his vision wavers to the past once again.
“He crouched down, looked me over, and smiled before addressing me. ‘I see they decided to allow you to live. I guess that’s something we have in common, right Kanotiel? I guess I might as well make you regret that decision, it’s the least I could do,’ Cain said before standing up and bringing down his boot on my head.
That was the last time I saw my family. When I got up, everything was either burnt or still a roaring inferno,” he admits.
Tears burn as they trail down my cheeks, and I wrap my body around Knots’ body as I hug him to me.
“I am so sorry,” I whisper against his chest.
“He’s an abomination that should not be,” he says, his words hard yet empty of emotion.
“Maybe these healing waters are for you as much as they are for me,” I tell him, resting my head against his chest. The strong thump, thump, thump of his heart soothes a part of me.
“Maybe,” he agrees, pausing. “I think that day really messed with me, not just here.” He points to his chest, and I lift my head.
“But here as well.” He points to his head.
“I failed, and that’s not possible; it was unheard of in my old profession, and since it’s in my core, it’s like asking me to breathe without air.
” He meets my gaze and seeks something within my gray eyes, gently cupping my face.
“But I’m trying. I’m trying to do so for you. ”
Guilt racks me as I finally understand where I went wrong. I guess both of us were in the wrong, but I jumped the gun like I tend to do, and… well, it doesn’t matter. Trail in Hell and all, and we’re back here. I don’t want to waste any time away from my angel. I’ve missed him.
“You don’t have to change Knots. I love you for you, and I’m sorry for not understanding your basic drive before. I would love to see if we can heal together, though,” I say, wiggling in his lap, and he lets out a bark of laughter.
“You’re insatiable.”
“I know,” I say, leaning up and nibbling on his lower lip before pulling him in for a full kiss.