Chapter 12
Gil
Patience has never been something I’m good at.
I’ve been a shameless flirt, invited her to meet my family, and now, I’ve agreed to stay the night.
So, why haven’t I been able to tell her the truth?
As much as I hate to admit it, it seems Magnus is right.
I worry waiting any longer will create complications…
I crave the cool embrace of the springs, but can’t stand the thought of leaving her, not when she asked me to stay. But this terribly awful, old couch sticks to my glamoured skin and tests my resolve. The humidity only makes it worse.
My gaze falls on the open bathroom door; the white enamel tub inside is small, but more tempting by the second, especially compared to this lumpy sack of fake leather I’m literally stuck to. I told her I’d stay put, but getting a little more comfortable doesn’t count as breaking a promise.
I roll off the couch, quietly padding across the room to the bathroom, twisting the tap until it screeches. Water loudly rushes through the old pipes of the small cabin, and I bite my lip, hoping I haven’t woken Marina.
Keeping my glamour firmly in place, I move from the bathroom to the cracked door of her bedroom.
The word “stalker” lingers in my mind from my conversation with Magnus, but the thing I can’t risk is surprising her in my true form.
I need to know that she’s asleep before I change.
I stand in the doorway, and my heart lurches at the sight of her.
Marina looks like an angel, a halo of pink hair spread across the pillow like watercolors on a canvas. She stirs, scratching at the skin of her elbows before curling up beneath her crumpled comforter. In the dim light of the moon, I note the red scaly marks across her skin…
That must be why she’s been wearing all those layers in this heat.
No one back home would dare tease her about something so … trivial. I can’t say for certain, but it appears similar to “scale rash.” Most Gillarians go through it a few times in their lives. I don’t want to pry, but if she’ll allow me, there’s some cream at my place that could give her relief.
It’s a damn shame the pain it’s caused seems equally as emotional as it is physical. There’s an urge building the longer I look; I want to soothe the broken skin and kiss every spot that she’s ever been made to feel ashamed about.
Humans and faeries alike can be cruel. Being from a world that borders both, I’m not a stranger to any of it—sure, my kind aren’t immune to flaws, but they’d undoubtedly accept her.
I pull my gaze from her, assured she’s fast asleep. I head over to the bathroom, lay my glamour on the edge of the tub, and relax when the buzz of magic leaves me.
There’s a small bottle of bubble bath on the side of the tub. Curiosity gets the better of me and I uncork it, pouring a small amount into the running water. The tropical scent of her seeps into the room—it’s sweet like vanilla and coconut.
Sweet like Marina.
As I slip into the water, the cool frothy bubbles coat my body. Worry washes right down the drain. A heaviness falls over me and I tip my head back, resting my neck on the edge of the tub. I let my eyes close.
Tomorrow, rain or shine, I’ll tell her everything.