Chapter 16 #2
Tomas turned that information over in his mind, pondering it, wondering what it meant. Luiz and Solange and Sarika. What of Jubal?
Jubal was always a question mark in Tomas’ mind.
He wasn’t Carpathian, yet he knew every aspect of Carpathian life.
He knew the language. He knew the prince.
He fought alongside the Carpathians against any and all enemies.
He was fiercely jaguar, protecting Jasmine and Sandrine.
He knew the ways of the jaguar people, yet he had come into his own quite late.
His mother had tried to murder him because he was a jaguar male.
And he was human. He’d grown up in that world and was equally at ease there as he was anywhere.
Tomas liked him. How could he not? He respected him and knew Jubal was the kind of man to always have his back in a fight.
Jubal keeps his own counsel, Luiz said.
Can you read him? Tomas asked, suddenly curious. Jubal seemed to have some kind of built-in protection that prevented even an in-depth scan from reading him. Tomas had no doubt he could push past the shields, but it wouldn’t be easy and might cause harm if Jubal fought it.
The prince himself aided Jubal in protecting himself.
Tomas and his brothers traveled the world. Luiz mostly stayed in the rainforest, away from others. How did he get the information he always seemed to have?
I have several brothers. They never mind their own business. Don’t say I didn’t warn you when they come around asking what appear to be innocent questions but aren’t.
Tomas found it interesting that Sarika was correct in that Luiz had a sense of humor; he just didn’t acknowledge it.
That had to be the way of the Carpathian ancients.
He had noticed when his brothers weren’t sharing Sarika’s emotions, they had a touch of humor in them, but it was suppressed and deep. Hidden from them.
The brothers had spent a great deal of time deliberately ensuring they would remember as much as possible. They explored the idea of color, trying to reach back into their memories to find various colors and what they appeared to be like.
Having had colors restored to him, Tomas could testify that they’d had it all wrong.
The dull, lifeless grayish colors they had tried to remember were nothing like the real thing.
Especially in the rainforest. He had spent most of his life in various jungles, and never once did he notice the vibrant shades of green, so many, some subtle, some vivid, but all in amazing shades.
Then there was simply the bark on the trees.
Every color of brown, black and ash mixed with rich caramels and soft tans.
Who knew there were so many shades of color that made up the trunks of trees?
And that was without even counting the flowers winding their way up the trunks, or the tree frogs, lizards and snakes.
That didn’t even count the birds with their brilliant colors.
Sarika had given that to him. He was able to share it with his brothers. Real, bold, larger-than-life colors.
He didn’t want to admit that he often had to mute the colors because they were too much for him after centuries without, but there were moments he would just stare in awe, taking the jungle in for its unrivaled beauty.
The sounds of the night were soothing to him.
Music played through the trees brought by the slight breeze that was always in the canopy but often didn’t reach the forest floor.
Bats dipped and wheeled, performing an aerial ballet while catching insects.
Fruit bats swooped down on the night-blooming dragon fruit, epiphytic cacti, plants that used other structures for support rather than growing in the soil.
The bats loved the fruit and descended on the plant in record numbers when the fruit was ripe.
He wanted Sarika to feel the magic of the night, view it the way he did. He wanted her to see the beauty that was there and feel peace and serenity in the familiar sounds and colors of the night. If she could view that time as he did, she wouldn’t miss the day so much.
Tomas watched as she sighed and leaned over the rail to look down at what appeared to be steps of fungus leading up to the tree house.
She rubbed at her temples, and he immediately caught the beginnings of the nagging headache that wouldn’t quite leave her alone.
He could go to her and take it away, but he sensed she wasn’t quite ready to talk to him about the very important things they needed to discuss.
He had never thought much about the human ritual of bathing.
Of soaking in a hot tub. As a Carpathian, there was never a need for it.
But if there was one thing he knew for certain Sarika enjoyed, it was her bath.
She took one every night. He was pretty sure she often took one in the morning as well.
The more he considered taking part in her ritual, the more he liked the idea of it.
Tomas had always been the leader in accepting new ideas. He was a conservationist. An environmentalist. He wanted to preserve the animals and their habitats for future generations. He believed that there were many lifesaving and disease-altering plants in the rainforest as yet to be discovered.
So he was going to learn every ritual his woman enjoyed, and he’d do his best to make it even more enjoyable. He filled the deep tub with hot water and laid out the products Sarika liked to use. The flames on the candles he set around the room flickered and jumped, and fragrance filled the room.
He found the thick bath towels folded neatly on a shelf. He studied them, ensuring he would know how to manufacture them for his lifemate each time she wanted to take a bath. He hoped they would establish their own ritual.
“Sarika.” He walked out onto the porch and held out his hand to her. “I’ve run your bath.”
Her face lit up. That alone was worth the time he’d spent deciding her bathing ritual would be a good idea to share.
She slipped her hand into his, and his heart clenched.
It was such a simple gesture. One he’d never considered.
Like most ancients, he’d observed a multitude of relationships down through the ages, but he didn’t understand until that moment why that simple connection was so important.
Tomas drew her against his side, her smaller hand in his, the feeling of intimacy nearly overwhelming. He liked being with her. No matter the circumstance, when they were together, a sense of peace stole over him. Not just peace, belonging.
“I know you aren’t aware of it, Sarika, but you’ve given me so much already.” He led her into the dim bathroom, lit only by the flames of the candles.
She looked around her and then tilted her face up to his. “Thank you, this was so thoughtful of you. I use the bathtub to relax. Sometimes my mind is very chaotic, trying to piece together puzzles, and I have to shut it down. This is the only way I’ve found to do it.”
He found himself smiling down at her as he reached for the hem of her shirt. “Let me consider other ways that might help you relax. In the meantime, I’d like to wash your hair and give you a massage. It will be a first for me. You’ve given me quite a few already, but this is important to me.”
She let him pull her shirt over her head. Next, she kicked off her shoes and dropped her hands to the cargo pants she was wearing.
“Let me.” He nudged her hands aside gently and found the waistband of the cargo pants.
“You want to undress me?”
It wasn’t exactly a protest, but there was trepidation in her voice.
“Yes. I would like that privilege. I want to savor every single thing about your bath ritual and share it with you. If this is something you love, we will need to incorporate it into our daily life. Just preparing the room and bath for you gave me tremendous and unexpected pleasure. Undressing you would be a gift.”
“But you can take off clothes with just a thought, can’t you?”
“Yes, but I am discovering that your ways have value. This is one of those times when I believe it is important for me to experience every aspect of this ritual, including taking your clothes off. It is a powerful aphrodisiac even thinking about it, let alone doing it.” He made the confession sincerely, hoping she understood she was safe with him. That this meant a great deal to him.
She studied him from under her lashes, her expression thoughtful, and then she nodded slowly.
He bent his head to brush a kiss along her temple before he pushed the cargo pants over her hips.
His fingers trailed over her bare skin, lingering.
Taking her into his mind, absorbing the way all that soft skin felt under his palm, the pads of his fingers, he knew he would never forget this first time.
He felt the small tremor that went through her as he removed her bra. “You’re safe with me, Sarika. I’m not going to push you any faster than you want to go.”
He led her to the tub and helped her step in. The water was deep and steaming. Because the room was lit with candles, the surface took on a glow, but beneath that layer, there was a purple effect, much like the color of midnight.
Sarika made a small sound of content. “This is heaven.”
He picked up the handheld sprayer, checked the temperature of the water and instructed her to lie back against the wall of the tub. He thoroughly rinsed her hair before pouring a small amount of the shampoo into his hands so he could massage it into her hair.
Tomas allowed himself to read her thoughts. She was relaxed, enjoying herself, eyes closed and hopeful he would massage her scalp. He did so, taking his time, tuning to her every reaction.