Chapter Thirty-Six
ABBY
KIE TURNS TOWARD me. “Come on. You’re lagging behind.”
That’s fully intentional. My nerves keep my legs moving slowly. Mason huffs, stepping behind us, and Kie takes the front. We’re walking in a single-file line again, which I far from trust.
I hesitate for a long minute before following Kie. I could try to fight, but I don’t see the point. Besides, I need water. My mouth and throat are so dry, it hurts, and I’m sure my face is sunken from dehydration.
I probably look an awful lot like Lill right about now.
A sharp pain works its way down my chest at the thought of her, at the thought of how thoroughly I’m failing her. All I wanted was to save her, to get her some damn delysum so she could live a long, healthy life.
I’ve instead gotten myself captured by the faerie prince and his shifter boyfriend—excuse me, forked mate —and soon, I’ll be gifted to a goddess to help save the realm Lill was so desperate to escape from. If she were here to see this, I bet she’d be alongside Mason trying to kill me.
Those two would be plotting my death at this very moment.
At least Lill would make it quick. She’d kill me lovingly.
It’s about ten minutes of walking before I hear running water. It’s loud, but it’s not nearly as aggressive-sounding as the river. That water was trying to kill me. We continue forward, passing the final trees separating us from the spring. I press my lips together, taking it in.
The water travels downhill from my right, cascading over a series of wide rock ledges before settling in a large pool. Bright-green grass covers each side of the bank, visibly soft and lush. It’s beautiful—that goes without saying—but I struggle to enjoy it.
Kie drops his bags onto the ground before making his way to the rock ledges. I walk toward the nearest bank, carefully keeping a significant amount of space between us. I also keep my eyes and ears peeled for Mason. I don’t trust the shifter not to attack me from behind.
Kie drops to his knees at the edge of the bank and cups his hands under the water, and I wait until he gulps down several handfuls before pulling off my gloves and doing the same. He and Mason may choose to do everything with their gloves on, but I still find it most comfortable to go without.
The gloves are nice, but there’s something comforting about feeling things with my bare skin.
The water is cold, so cold, I can practically taste the crispness before it hits my tongue. It looks clean, and I let my eyes flutter shut as I pull up my first handful. The second the water hits my lips and slides down my throat, I’m in heaven. This is a thousand times better than my stale nut water, and I resist the urge to moan as I desperately dip my hands back under the water and gulp down another mouthful.
I do this twice before giving in and bringing myself closer to the water. This is quicker, and I squeeze my eyes shut as I dip my face in and drink straight from the stream.
My throat aches, and the constant dehydration hasn’t helped. This does, though. I forget my discomfort as I practically throw my upper body into the spring.
Kie laughs. “Breathe, Abby.”
He sounds close, too close, and I yank my face out of the water and turn to see where exactly he is.
He’s returned to his bag, crouching low as he rifles through the center pocket. I hold my breath, waiting to see what he does, and stiffen as he pulls out two of his soap bars. My heart skips a beat, and a cold shiver works up my spine as Kie tosses one in my direction.
“You stink,” he says.
I don’t care.
I let the soap bounce off my shoulder and land in the grass beside me, not bothering to catch it. I’m not bathing, not of my own free will. I’ll meet Zaha sweaty and covered in thick mud. Maybe it’ll be enough to turn her off.
Kie sucks his cheeks into his mouth, watching the soapy cloth fall beside my thigh, before shrugging and pulling off his gloves. I turn away, but I keep him in my peripheral vision as he strips, grabs his soap, and walks into the water.
Up until now, it’s been Mason who strips like the world is his oyster and his dick is God’s gift to the world, but now it seems Kie is joining the club. Lucky me . He walks confidently into the water, continuing forward until it’s up to his waist and his penis has, thankfully, disappeared beneath the water.
I try my best to ignore the fact that he’s bathing in the water I’m drinking as I force down several more deep gulps.
“Is the human not going to clean herself?”
I shift, ensuring Mason and Kie are in my sight. I don’t trust either of them around water, and I hate the sweat that’s already accumulating along the back of my neck and my underarms. I’m scared.
“It doesn’t seem so,” Kie says.
Mason spares me a glance before following Kie’s lead. He digs a soap bar from Kie’s backpack before stripping and walking into the water.
I’m annoyed they’re dirtying my drinking water, but I’m too thirsty to do much about it.
“She smells,” Mason points out.
Kie shrugs. “I’m aware.”
“Zaha won’t like that.”
“Nope.” Kie dunks his head underneath the surface before popping back up. “But she’ll want Abby regardless. If Abby wants to send the impression that she’s a rowdy human in need of taming, that’s on her.”
I pretend I don’t notice them talking about me as I catch my reflection in the water. I’m covered in a thick, cracked layer of mud, and Mason wasn’t kidding about the tree branches having scratched my face.
I look like a mess. Will Zaha genuinely think I need taming ? What does that even mean? I don’t like the sound of it, that’s for sure. I spare a quick glance up, eyeing the two princes bathing several feet away.
They’re probably just saying that to scare me, to manipulate my fear until I do what they want. It’s they who want to make a good impression on Zaha, not me. Maybe she won't want me if she thinks I’m a rowdy human.
Or she’ll try to tame me. Or her brothers will claim me, and Mason will follow through on his decision to do the humane thing.
I squeeze my eyes shut, hating the tears that fill my waterline. I refuse to cry, to let these men see how fucking scared I am. To let them see how defeated I am.
My hands shake as I scoop up water and wash my face, clearing it of mud. I don’t want to be tamed. I don’t want any of this.
I feel disgusting, particularly between my thighs and all the areas on my body that contain crevices. I’m surprised I don’t already have a yeast infection. Mason would most definitely have smelled it and pointed it out by now if I did.
The princes continue cleaning themselves, the two close enough to talk without me overhearing but far enough away that there’s no risk of bumping into one another. They seem comfortable with one another’s nudity.
I don’t think Kie’s lying when he says they aren’t a couple, but I can tell the question irritates Mason. He doesn’t love it when I insinuate that they could be in a sexual relationship, which only makes me want to do it more.
It’s the small things that bring me joy.
I finish cleaning my face, using the soap Kie threw at me, before tugging off my sweatshirt and scrubbing my arms. Mason and Kie don’t pay me any attention, and I even risk lifting my shirt slightly to clean my torso.
It doesn’t work very well, and after a long, drawn-out internal debate, I pull off my shoes and socks and walk into the river. My clothes grow heavy as the water saturates them, but I’ll be damned if I voluntarily remove my clothing in front of Kie and Mason.
Never.
I walk to the deepest water near the rock ledges, careful not to get too close to the naked men in the center. The water only comes up to my waist, and I crouch low before beginning to clean myself. Kie and Mason are unclothed, so I know they aren’t going to approach me. The risk of their bare skin touching mine is too high, and I repeat that to myself as I roughly scrub my skin.