13. Bitter Hag
Bitter Hag
Cerise
“Backpacks are ready,” Emberly said, rising from where she knelt on the ground over our supplies.
Using her magical specialty of enchantments, she had spelled our packs to render them waterproof, protecting our supplies from the frequent sudden rains we were sure to encounter on our upcoming journey.
We were leaving on an excursion to the nearby mountains to study a rare species of microsnake who lived in a remote part of the jungle near a secluded waterfall.
It would take us several days to get there and we’d stay a couple of nights before returning to our camp with specimens and our observations.
“All right, team,” Rosenshield said. “Everyone retrieve your supplies and let’s be off. Chop chop!” He clapped his hands.
Minutes later, we’d all donned our backpacks and plunged into the jungle.
Emberly nudged me as we began our trek. “You and Doctor Pendragon seem to be having fun together,” she whispered.
I glanced at my friend. “I suppose we are.”
“May I say something?” Emberly asked as she adjusted the straps of her bag.
“Of course.”
“You’ve been different on this trip.” She eyed me closely.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re more relaxed. You’re smiling regularly. I haven’t heard you mention sticking to your schedule since the day we arrived. You aren’t upset that you can’t maintain your established routine. You’re not even obsessing over how much sleep you’re getting, CeCe.”
I mulled over her words, lifting a low branch for her to pass beneath. “I do feel lighter,” I admitted. “It’s probably because I don’t have to worry about grading papers, or keeping my office organized. Or deadlines.”
Emberly leaned in. “Or it’s because Liam’s bringing that out in you.”
I shook my head, but felt the heat of embarrassment creep up my neck. “That’s preposterous. It’s because I’m free from the confines of the university walls.”
At least, that’s what I was telling myself.
It had been a few days since Liam’s ridiculous idea to prank our leader, and though I was reluctant to admit it, I enjoyed his company tremendously. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d laughed so much and actually had fun with someone…let alone a man.
And I had to admit, I was attracted to him. The way his eyes lit up when he smiled; his broad shoulders; the way he winked at me, which initially irritated me, but now I secretly liked; that unruly white hair I wanted to run my fingers through…
“What are you two whispering about?” Liam came up behind us, touching the small of my back, his thumb swiping a couple of times before pulling his hand away.
I found I didn’t want him to pull his hand away, and toyed with my braid to try and distract myself from how that one little touch had made me feel.
“None of your concern,” I said, giving Emberly a look that said ‘don’t you dare say anything.’
Emberly gave me a sly grin, but kept quiet.
We continued winding our way through the trees as we delved deeper into the jungle. Rosenshield remained up front with Ivan, pointing out plants as we moved along. The two graduate students followed while Liam, Emberly and I stayed in the back.
“Have any more pranks up your sleeve, Doctor Pendragon?” Emberly asked.
“You told her?”
“Of course I did. She won’t say anything.”
Emberly smiled. “I definitely won’t.”
Liam sighed. “No more pranks right now. I’m taking a page out of Doctor Thornheart’s book and I’m going to be professional on this little trek.”
“Sure you are,” I chided.
And in that moment I realized I didn’t want him to be professional. That I was enjoying his little quirks and pranks. I was having fun. Perhaps Emberly was right. Perhaps it was Liam bringing that out in me…helping me relax.
We continued for miles, hiking through lush thickets. Ivan had to cut through countless thick vines blocking the way and we often had to climb over fallen trees and large roots bursting from the ground. It wasn’t an easy journey and I was drenched in sweat from the humidity thick in the air.
The path had become so narrow, the trees and shrubs denser, we were now walking single file. I followed Emberly and Liam brought up the rear.
“How are you doing up there, sunshine?” Liam asked.
“Marvelous,” I replied sarcastically.
“Are you drowning in your sweat too?”
“You could build a small pool with the amount of perspiration on my body.”
Liam chuckled. “You’re actually funny sometimes. What a delight.”
“Well, now I can rest easy knowing Liam Pendragon thinks I’m a delight. My life goal is fulfilled.”
“Were you this sarcastic with all your other boyfriends?”
Other boyfriends? What a strange thing to say.
“Unlike you, I don’t have an endless list of former suitors.”
The path widened and Liam caught up, now walking next to me. “My list is not as long as you seem to think, Cerise,” he said with a serious undertone. “You’ve been judging me based on what you’ve heard since day one. I thought we agreed not to judge each other.”
“We did. But you can’t tell me you didn’t do the same with me. Doctor Thornheart, the dour professor who expects perfection from everyone. The bitter hag who will always be alone because her ego is too big to let anyone else in.”
The moment those words came out of my mouth, I winced. I hadn’t meant to say that out loud.
“Whoa,” Liam said. “That’s not what I think. And that’s not what people say about you either. Where did that come from?”
I didn’t speak and focused on the path before me, stepping over a branch.
“Ambrose,” Emberly said from in front of us.
Irritation flared at Emberly mentioning my ex, but I didn’t deny it.
Liam had mentioned before that he believed Ambrose had been emotionally abusive.
I’d never thought about it that way but I supposed he was right.
He often belittled and chastised me, telling me I’d never find anyone and I would be alone forever.
It’s part of why it took me so long to end the relationship.
When you hear something frequently enough, you start to believe it, and for a long time, I felt as though I couldn’t do any better.
“He was really awful to you, wasn’t he?” Liam asked.
“He was.”
“How long ago did you end the relationship?”
“About six months ago. But please, I really don’t want to—”
I was cut off by shouts up ahead. Picking up speed, I scrambled to catch up to the remainder of our group, not noticing they had fanned out and were avoiding something on the path. As I was about to take another step, strong hands grasped my hips and pulled me aside.
“Don’t move,” Liam said from behind me, his hands lingering with a squeeze for a moment before letting go.
“What?”
He pointed in front of me. “Quicksand.”
I hadn’t even noticed. Hadn’t paid attention and was about to step right in it. Right next to where Aaric was struggling, the muck up to his knees.
“Umm, can someone help me please?” he asked, voice panicked as he tried yanking one of his feet out which only caused him to sink faster.
“You can’t move around like that. It’ll make it worse,” said Ivan.
Aaric stopped, breathing heavily, but he was still sinking, the muck now reaching mid-thigh. “Help! What do I do?”
“Remain calm,” Rosenshield urged.
“Get me sticks and branches,” Ivan said to the rest of us, then to Aaric, “Stay still and hold tight. We’ll get you out in a minute.”
Aaric groaned. “Am I going to get sucked under?”
Bending over to gather several fallen limbs, I said, “It’s probably not deep enough to pull you under, Aaric. The biggest risk is you succumbing to the elements because you’re stuck there. Or perhaps being injured by the pressure and force of the sand.”
“Oh gods!” Aaric said. “Hurry.”
Liam knelt beside me, helping me lift a long branch. “Your lessons don’t really bring calm to the chaos, sunshine,” he murmured.
“What?”
“First with the jungle cat, now the quicksand. Giving facts while we’re in the middle of peril isn’t exactly helpful.”
“Oh. Oh gods, I’m sorry. You’re right. I wasn’t thinking.” I stood and looked at Aaric. “Don’t worry, Aaric. You’re going to be just fine.”
He gave me a wan smile.
“Hand the branches to me,” Ivan said, laying them down behind Aaric.
Still embarrassed by my faux pas, I said to Liam, “I didn’t mean to scare him. I thought I was helping by explaining how it actually worked. I feel terrible that I upset people.”
Liam’s hand moved to the back of my arm as he stood beside me, watching Ivan coach Aaric through how to lean back on the debris and slowly wiggle his legs out.
“It didn’t upset me,” he whispered, his thumb slipping beneath my rolled up sleeve and stroking my flesh. “I actually think it’s quite endearing.”
Heat radiated from that point of contact. “Is that so?”
“There are a lot of things I’m learning about you that I find endearing, sunshine,” he said, squeezing my arm gently before letting go.
Cheers interrupted the moment as Ivan helped Aaric pull the last of himself out from the muddy trap. Aaric collapsed to the solid ground with relief and exhaustion.
I was comforted by the fact that my student was safe, but I couldn’t get Liam’s words out of my head.
Endearing? No one had ever called me endearing before.
We made camp several hours later, a small fire in the center of our tents in a clearing, surrounded by towering trees and tendrils of vines. Thunder sounded in the distance, a storm building. A cool breeze caused me to shiver, brought by the distant weather.
Being caught in the middle of the jungle during heavy rains could be quite dangerous. Hopefully it was just a small downpour and would be over fast.
“We should arrive the day after tomorrow,” said Ivan, roasting a fish over the fire. “There’s a storm headed our way. I’ll monitor it and let you know if we need to move to higher ground. But from the looks of it, it doesn’t seem like a large one.”
How could he even discern that? Especially in the dark. I couldn’t shake the anxiety brewing as fears of flooding spun in my mind.
Liam took a seat beside me and handed me a piece of bread, fingers brushing mine ever so slightly, seemingly on purpose. He even sat closer than usual, our thighs nearly touching.
He had begun to get a little touchy with me over the last few days.
Sometimes he’d put a hand on my shoulder or lower back when he came up behind me to talk, or he’d brush his fingers over mine if we were close to each other.
Or the way his hands had squeezed my hips earlier today after pulling me away from the quicksand.
How he held my arm when he called my habits endearing.
I had to admit, it didn’t bother me. In fact, I liked it. And I couldn’t stop thinking about the night of the prank, when he’d silenced me with his hand over my mouth. The way his voice dipped low, the shivers that had traveled over my flesh, the warmth in my core.
It was obviously just lust. I hadn’t been intimate with anyone since Ambrose and, to be honest, sex with him was boring.
I rarely found release and he never cared enough to ensure I did.
I’d never really had great sex. The men I’d been with were selfish and bland.
Done within minutes. Maybe they thought that’s how I liked it.
I was so boring in my everyday life, maybe they thought I liked boring sex too.
But I had unexpectedly liked the dominant way Liam told me to be quiet, the feel of his hand gripping my face, and I wasn’t sure what that meant. Would he be commanding in the bedroom? Would he take charge? And why did that arouse me?
My face flushed in embarrassment at the idea of him bossing me around. I was Cerise Thornheart. An uptight workaholic who had to control everything in her life. There was no way I would be able to let go in that way.
…Right?