15. Brinley
Chapter 15
Brinley
C ool air brushed Brinley’s back as Gabriel worked the laces free. Before she was completely naked, Brighid returned with a vial and a covered tray. The food, she set on the nightstand. She brought the vial to them and handed it to Gabriel then glanced at Brinley, as if wondering if she should stay. Brinley could practically see the debate in her gray eyes.
“We’re all right,” Gabriel said. “You don’t need to stay. I’ll help her.”
The woman narrowed her gaze as she looked back and forth between the two of them. Brinley honestly didn’t know if it was because she didn’t trust her or because of the impropriety of the situation. Though, she couldn’t imagine it was the latter. From what she’d learned over the years, the DeLoup were much more open when it came to these matters. She’d heard that while the wolves believed that the moon goddess granted them one true mate, it wasn’t uncommon for them to have experiences with multiple partners before finding them—if they ever did. According to the stories, some even enjoyed the company of multiple partners at one time. The DeLoup were very expressive in their desires, apparently. There had even been rumors that some packs had celebrations under the stars that turned into giant sex parties.
Her cheeks heated at the thought.
Perhaps Brighid just didn’t trust Brinley with her alpha. Maybe she was worried about him.
Brinley smiled before catching herself. As if she could be a true danger to him, especially in this state. She still didn’t know how to access her magic. Using it to save his life had been a miracle. That buzzing she’d felt before was completely gone.
The healer huffed and left them alone, closing the doors on her way out.
“Shall I continue?” Gabriel asked, and she nodded, hoping he didn’t see her cheeks redden at his nearness. At the way his fingers skimmed her bare back as he lowered her dress and chemise, sending shivers down her spine.
When she was naked, he helped her step into the full tub, careful to keep his hands on her arm and waist. She also noticed him looking straight ahead at the wall again. Biting her bottom lip, she lowered into the water. It immediately warmed her to the core. Bubbles covered the surface, giving her some semblance of privacy.
Gabriel knelt beside her with the vial and a fresh cloth. He uncorked the pain tonic, and she downed it without hesitation. She grimaced at the bitter taste, despite having ingested it more than a few times last week.
“That’s horrid,” she said, choking.
“Sorry.” He didn’t seem like it. Not with the smirk appearing on his lips. Dipping the cloth into the water, he brought it up to her cheek.
She winced at the touch, the sting from a wound she didn’t remember gaining.
“Hold on.” He draped the cloth over the edge of the porcelain tub and stood. Once he left the room, she closed her eyes. Her head still pounded. She couldn’t remember ever having felt this exhausted.
Leaning back, she relaxed in the warm water. This village might have been her prison, but this tub was her haven. Her home in West Trillor didn’t have anything like this, neither did the small village before that. Chateau des Reines did though. She remembered its opulent rooms, with electric lights and running water, the servants who brought them anything their hearts desired. But it had been over a decade since she last lived there. It had been six years since she’d even visited her grandmother’s home—what was supposed to have been her future home.
“Brinley?” Gabriel’s soft voice startled her back into the present, and she realized she was crying.
She turned her face away from him, but he took his spot beside the tub once more and reached for her chin. He opened his mouth then shut it, as if debating on what to say. She could see it warring in his dark gaze—whether he should ask what was wrong or just ignore it. Making the decision for him, she asked, “What did you bring?”
Gabriel hesitated before nodding. He held up a small tin and opened it, showing her a pale-yellow salve within. “You used too much magic earlier to heal yourself right now. That cut on your cheek isn’t deep enough for stitches, but this will keep infection away until then.”
He scooped out a small amount with his finger and applied it to the scrape. Or rather, he tried to. She pulled away as it burned. “Ow!”
“Hold still.”
“No.” She lifted a hand from the water, grabbing his wrist. As if she had the strength to stop him.
“Brinley,” he growled. His low timbre sent another shiver through her, and heat pooled deep in her stomach. “You saved my fucking life; let me protect you from a damned fever.”
Before she could protest, he’d set the tin on the floor and grabbed her chin with his now-free hand. Gritting her teeth, she refused to react to the stinging of the salve. Gabriel’s fingers were uncharacteristically gentle as he coated the slice.
“You saved my life too,” she whispered.
“Then, I guess we’re even.” He finished putting the medicine on her cheek then wiped his finger on his dirty pants. That was when she realized he was still shirtless and wearing blood-stained pants. He closed the tin and set it up on the sink. “I’ll leave this in here for you just in case.”
Her attention was caught on the tattoos covering his arms. His strong, muscular arms, which had carried her multiple times now. She traced the patterns with her eyes up to his shoulder then let her gaze wander down his defined chest.
He cleared his throat, and she snapped her eyes up to his. Her cheeks heated again.
“Thanks,” she said, trying to sound nonchalant. The salve was tingling along her cheek, and she knew she could use more. She had cuts and scrapes on her arms and ankles, but those would need to wait until she was out of the bath.
She was definitely not about to tell him that she had no idea how to heal herself from any of this.
Gabriel shifted to sit with his back against the wall near her feet.
“What are you doing? You don’t need to stay; I’m fine now.”
“I need to know how much you heard.”
“Now? Can’t we talk about this when I’m dressed? Maybe tomorrow, after we’ve slept off the exhaustion of nearly dying.”
He crossed his arms, silently refusing to move.
She sighed. “Fine. I heard you and Joel talking, but I missed most of it. He mentioned something about a night in the past.”
She left out the part about him mentioning that he knew Gabriel would never love him. It had been a personal confession she shouldn’t have heard.
“Joel’s a good friend,” Gabriel said in a hushed tone, more to himself than her.
“Seems like more than a friend.” The words were out before she could stop them.
He met her gaze and nodded once. “It’s… complicated. We’re not in love, but we have fun. Or rather, we did . We’re done with that.”
“Why?” It was like she couldn’t help herself from asking. As his piercing blue eyes continued to bore into her, she shifted uncomfortably. Maybe she didn’t want that answer. Especially if it was related to what she’d heard earlier about his plan to bed her. “You’re done but still friends?”
“Yes.” Gabriel exhaled, seeming almost relieved that she moved on too. “He’s always there when I need anything.”
“And you?” she asked.
“What?”
Scrubbing at her arms beneath the water, she shrugged. “That sounds pretty one sided. He’s there for you, but are you there for him?”
His eyes widened. “I… Yes, I’m there for him.”
She nodded, unsure why she wanted to know.
A hint of amusement laced his next words, and the corner of his mouth curled up. “Neither of us were committed to each other, or anyone. We’ve both been with other people over the years. The DeLoup aren’t as prudish as you witches have made the rest of the queendom.”
“Seriously? You think we’re all tight-laced prudes?” It was somewhat true, but it was like a deep-seeded need to keep questioning him. She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands atop the high edge of the tub.
“You’re not?” He leaned closer too with a smirk, resting an elbow next to hers.
She shook her head, unable to form any words. Something was shifting between them, and she didn’t like it. Thinking about what she’d overheard before all this, she said, “It’s not going to happen.”
“What?” His brow furrowed.
“Whatever you think is happening here.” She sat up a little straighter, needing some distance, and crossed an arm over her breasts. Not that she could go far in this tub. Her anger returned. “Why do you think I left?”
“You went to the one place I forbid and then ran away because I told you to get out?”
Brinley narrowed her eyes. “Well, I wouldn’t have even gone exploring the house if I hadn’t heard you?—”
She snapped her mouth shut.
“What?” he repeated.
“You talking to Paxton about how you’ll just… bed me to convince me to work with you. Did you seriously think that would make me forget that you and your people have been killing witches for the last century?”
Gabriel’s face lost some of its color.
“Even if I wasn’t disgusted by you monsters, you’re right. We witches aren’t as… open as you. I haven’t slept with everyone who crosses my path.” She tilted her head to the side. “Tell me, how many women have you kidnapped just to screw around with? When you’re done with me, are you going to lock me up in an attic too?”
He jerked away as if she’d slapped him. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Because you won’t tell me!” She splashed the water at him, not caring if it was childish.
“Because I can’t,” he shouted. “I physically cannot talk about certain things, Brinley. Your people made sure of that.”
It was her turn to be shocked. They sat in silence for a long couple of minutes. Somewhere in the distance, she heard a clock ticking, as well as a door shutting. Neither moved.
She thought about everything that had happened today… tonight in the forest. “Give me your hand.”
“Why?” He held one out, despite the quiet question and doubt in his tone.
Guiding it to the edge of the tub, she laid hers beside it. “You can’t openly speak about it, and by your comment on my people, I assume magic is involved. But what most don’t know is there is usually a way around a speech-binding spell—a loophole. So, we’re going to try something else.” Returning her gaze to his, she said, “I’m going to talk and ask questions. If I’m on the right track or the answer is yes, tap my hand. Understand?”
Instead of replying, the side of his hand bumped hers.
“Good,” she said. Except, she had no idea where to start. After a moment, it came to her. “Is the girl upstairs a witch prisoner too?”
He let out a breath, and his hand didn’t move. She was about to ask more, but he interrupted. “She’s not fully part of… what I can’t talk about, but I won’t talk about her with you. I don’t trust you enough. That’s why I asked you not to go up there.”
“That’s putting it nicely,” Brinley mumbled. To him though, she said, “So, it’s someone you care about.”
He visibly clenched his jaw.
“If she’s not a prisoner or a witch, does that make her a friend? Someone else you keep around to?—”
“Déesse above,” he cut her off. “She’s my sister, all right? She’s not a prisoner; she loves the solarium, so I let her turn it into her bedroom after our father died.”
Brinley stared at him with her jaw dropped. His sister? He had a sister? Brinley had been here for two weeks now. Why hadn’t she seen her or heard of the girl before?
She saw the frustration in his dark gaze. When he started pulling his arm away, seemingly done with this conversation, she grabbed his hand. “All right. I won’t ask about her.”
With a sigh, he nodded and settled back in. He snatched a hand towel from the counter on his other side and wiped the dripping water from his chest.
Which was not distracting at all.
Refocusing on the wall above him, she continued her questions. “After you stopped the other wolves in the forest and passed out, Paxton wouldn’t shift into his human form until we returned. Can you not shift outside the village walls?”
Gabriel bumped his hand into hers. So, she was on the right track again.
“But the night you took me from my home, you were in human form,” she said.
“That’s not a yes-or-no question.” He tossed the towel back up to the sink.
Brinley thought through it, trying to figure out what to ask. “You can’t shift outside of the walls, but you did that night. Was there something special about…” She trailed off, already knowing he would nudge her hand. “Because of my birthday?”
He didn’t move.
“Because of the solstice?” she asked.
Still, he didn’t touch her.
She pursed her lips. Shaking her head, she moved on. “Is it a… curse?”
Gabriel’s hand covered hers, and she looked at the contact. It was such a simple move, but it made her heart flutter. Despite hating this man and his people, his mere presence did something to her she couldn’t explain. She brushed it off as physical attraction. Their mutual dislike of each other created a ridiculous amount of tension. That had to be it.
“Are all DeLoup cursed or just your village?”
He tilted his head with a look of annoyance, and she rolled her eyes.
“Are all DeLoup cursed?” she asked again, making it a yes-or-no question.
Gabriel released her hand.
“Just your pack?”
His hand returned to hers, enveloping it in warmth.
She rested her head on her other arm, no longer caring to cover herself. Her headache had mostly faded, but the fatigue was hitting hard now that her muscles had relaxed from the warm water. Though, it was getting colder by the second.
His thumb brushed over her knuckles. The soothing notion nearly lulled her to sleep. Letting go of her, he pushed to his feet.
“Where are you going?” She watched him walk across the room, but he didn’t leave.
“Let’s get you out of there before you freeze to death or fall asleep and drown.” He brought over a large towel. When he held it open, she hesitated. Rolling his eyes, he turned his head. “I’ve already seen everything.”
Brinley stood, purposefully splashing him again. He growled, but he didn’t look at her. She stepped out of the tub, taking the towel to wrap around her body. While he went to drain the tub, she looked down at her clothes on the ground with a groan.
“My clothes are ruined,” she said, snatching the garments up. The dress wasn’t just stained with blood; it had tears and small holes from when she’d run through the forest. As did the pantalettes. The chemise seemed in better condition at least.
Gabriel grabbed all of it from her. “I’ll have the chemise washed for you, but I don’t think there’s any saving the dress.”
She nodded and went into the bedroom to search through the small bundle of clothes she’d been given a couple weeks ago. All that remained, however, was a thick gray dress and a dark brown one. There weren’t any more undergarments. “That’s my only one, and I don’t have any other…”
She pointed to the pantalettes.
“I will bring you more to wear.” Clearing his throat, he crossed the room to the wardrobe. He pulled out one of his tunics and a pair of soft-looking pants and held them out toward her. “For tonight, you can sleep in these. It’ll be better than a full heavy dress, I’m guessing.”
It would be, but still, she hesitated.
“Just take it,” he said. “I’ll have the rest waiting for you in the morning.”
When she didn’t move, he grumbled something under his breath about her stubbornness. He set the other clothes over the footboard of the bed and stood in front of her. She stared up at him in confusion. And then, he pulled the shirt over her head.
“Put your arms through.” His hushed tone made her toes curl, even as she wanted to slap him for being so controlling.
She obeyed though, letting the towel fall as the shirt lowered over her body. The hem reached mid-thigh, and she fought the urge to hide her exposed legs. Especially with the way he looked down at them.
“Sit on the bed,” he said, heading back to the bathroom.
This time, she didn’t argue or question him. She knew he’d seen the small cuts along her ankles. Sure enough, he returned with the salve in hand. He knelt before her and opened the tin.
As he put it on her injured legs, she chewed on the inside of her cheek. Not because of the stinging sensation. No, it was because of the way this beast of a man gently held her foot and cared for her, despite hating her.
The way he looked up at her once done, his gaze darkening with the same reluctant desire she knew was in hers.
She loathed him, and yet, she couldn’t deny how her pulse raced when he neared, nor how heat pooled low in her stomach when he growled at her. Those weren’t the right reactions, she knew that. She blamed it on his perfectly dark and rugged appearance. Maybe a little bit on how protective he was, how tender he could be in these strange, rare moments when they weren’t arguing.
“Where else?” he asked.
Brinley held out her hand to show him where a thorn had snagged at her forearm, and he tended to it with the same care. When she confirmed that was the last spot, he closed the tin and stood, wiping his hand on her ruined dress.
But he didn’t leave right away.
“Thank you,” he whispered. “For bringing me back and for healing me.”
“Thank you for saving me,” she said in an equally quiet tone. She meant it, but that didn’t mean she forgave him for everything else. He had helped destroy her people, and he’d taken her prisoner. At least, that was what she kept telling herself. She refused to consider the alternative when it went against everything she was ever taught. “This doesn’t change anything.”
Instead of looking angry, the corner of his mouth curved down as if saddened. But why was he sad? And why did it make her feel worse, not better? A soft knock sounded on the door, and he glanced toward it before facing her once more. Inclining his head, he scooped up her soiled clothes. “Goodnight, Brinley.”
He was already almost out the door when she whispered, “Goodnight, Gabriel.”