Chapter 11 The Lake
THE LAKE
As become our new habit, the three of us walk in silence for a while after that.
The forest no longer feels so hostile. Even without the glamour to shield me, we’ve entered a stretch where no one attacks us, thank the gods (even if I can’t thank my fae companion).
Thane says it’s because the two bandits he battled would’ve warned any other locals to give us a wide berth.
Even the monsters in the woods settle down as evening falls so we should be safe once we settle down for the night.
That’s coming soon, once Thane finds a spot that he trusts. I’m ready to settle down again, but as we go on, I just can’t shake the awareness of dried blood on my skin. It itches. Smells weird; almost metallic. It flakes off, and I use my claw to get rid of some of it, but nowhere near enough.
As if I needed another reminder that I’m not home. In Sombra, shadow magic would’ve already cleaned it away. Even though I don’t have two forms, I’m made up of enough of them to freshen up without taking a bath.
Here, it clings. I’m sure I stink from all of the walking, and there’s a slight tear in my skirts from where I snagged it on a branch.
I’d give anything to be indoors—except sacrifice Rafe.
That means, until I find him, I’m stuck following a fae bandit, and that means I have to make other sacrifices.
But bathing? That’s not one of them.
“I need to wash,” I say finally.
Thane glances at me. “There’s no bathhouse nearby.”
After sleeping outside last night and watching him kill a goldcap and a troll, I wasn’t expecting anything like that. Luckily, when it comes to bathing outside, that’s something I’m used to. “I don’t need a bathhouse.”
That gets a smile out of him. “I know a place.”
The Noctavara lake reveals itself without warning, a silvered bowl cradled by dark trees that lean inward as if to guard it.
Moonlight—or sunlight, I’m not sure in the Shadowed Woods—spills across the water in a slow, steady sheen, turning the surface into glass.
It’s still without a single ripple to mar it.
More than that, it feels old, and that’s saying something coming from a Sombra demon.
I slow without meaning to, my boots sinking slightly into the damp earth at the shore. The air is cool here, beaded with moisture, carrying the faint mineral scent of stone and water. My shadows loosen around my ankles, drifting lazily as if even they are relieved to have found a place to rest.
Binx hops down from my shoulder, padding to the edge to peer at his reflection, white eyes glowing faintly in the dark.
“I need to get clean,” I say, more to the lake than to Thane. Between the road dust, the blood, and the lingering grit of travel, my skin feels too tight, too dirty.
Thane hums softly somewhere behind me, the sound thoughtful. “You couldn’t find a better spot in the woods than here.”
I glance back at him. While I approached the lake with Binx, he hung at the entrance to the clearing.
“I’m going to make sure it’s clear,” he says, answering my wordless question. “Go on, Alana. I’ll be right back.”
I don’t know if I should be offended or grateful that Thane found an excuse to allow me to strip out of my boots and my dress without an audience. As my mate, he should want to see me naked; as a male, he should take the excuse if I was willing to let him. Was I? I… don’t know.
Still, he’s giving me some privacy, and desperate as I am to scrub up, I take it.
I shuck off my dress, folding it neatly and leaving it near Binx.
The ungez immediately adopts a guarding position, plopping his furry butt on top of my bodice.
I kick my boots next to him, careful not to disturb Binx, then wade into the lake.
Compared to the lava pools, the lake is filled with ice.
I don’t mind it. I’ve been feeling a little flushed since I watched Thane’s skill with his sword up close and personal, and if I use the excuse of the fae bandit’s blood splashes across my face to dunk under the surface, that’s okay. Hey. I really did need to get clean.
So consumed with using my claws to get rid of the blood spray, I don’t realize that Thane’s returned until Binx yowls, catching my attention.
I glance up to see that Thane’s already unfastening his sword belt, his movements easy, practiced, like a male who has bathed in strange places more times than he can count.
He’s still dressed, but as our eyes meet, I know instantly that he plans on taking advantage of our trip to the lake to wash up himself.
I’m treading the water, letting it come up to my breasts. All Thane can see is my damp hair, my horns, and a slightly stunned expression as I watch him with my lips parted.
My mate is getting undressed.
My mate is getting naked.
My mate—
I dunk a little lower, hoping the cool water will do something—anything—to cool me off.
The first time I saw a male naked, it was Rafe. Of course it was. We were still spawn, barely a handful of years old, and I was amazed by what he had hanging between his legs. I squealed, asked if all males had handles, and grabbed it before he could get out of my reach.
Rafe cried and ran to Kennedy to snitch on me. When she finally understood what had her son so upset, she snickered and went right to my house to share the story with Mom. Needless to say, I didn’t get in trouble trouble, though Mom did remind me that good halflings kept their claws to themselves.
Much later, when I realized that I’d basically tried to yank poor Rafe’s cock off before I knew better, I was so humiliated. Rafe, being Rafe, just looked at me hopefully and asked if I wanted to try again.
Males.
Now, I know there are plenty in Nuit who suspect that, one day, Rafe and I will open our eyes and realize that we were meant for each other.
Look past our friendship and decide to deepen it into something more.
Mom would be thrilled; so would Kennedy.
But that never was going to happen even before Rafe fell head over horn for Katrin, or I met Thane and realized that I was meant for him.
And, unless I figure out a way to stop him, I’m about to see what Thane Aurex looks like naked.
Only… do I want to stop him?
I should. I know I should. And, yet, the most I can do is call out an offer: “If you want, I can turn my back until you’re in the lake.”
Thane snorts. “We’ve been traveling in close quarters. Eventually, you’ll see me out of my clothes.” Even from the distance, I can see the way his eyes gleam. “Besides, I already saw you.”
My cheeks flame. “A good and honorable male wouldn’t remind me of that.”
His grin is wicked as he slips off his cloak. In the next moment, his top is gone, silver moonlight kissing bare golden skin, giving me a perfect view of lean muscle and quiet strength. “Ah, but I’m a bandit, Alana of Sombra. And bandits aren’t known for being honorable, are they?”
Though they’re under the water, I cross my arms over my breasts. “So why should I continue to let you accompany Binx and me on our hunt for Rafe?”
Besides the fact that, if I hadn’t, I’d be dead countless times over already. The goldcaps, the troll… they weren’t trying to capture me. Oh, no. They wanted to end my existence, killing me before the second prophecy has the chance.
“Because I’d just follow behind you anyway,” is his answer as he kicks off one boot, then the other. “Understand this, demoness. I’m not doing this out of the kindness of my heart. While you’re in the Shadowed Woods, you’re a target. My fellow bandits will come after you the same way I did.”
I suck in a breath as Thane briskly shoves his pants down, adding them to the pile of his discarded clothing.
Unaware of how he’s affecting me, Thane steps into the water, the lake parting around him.
I keep my eyes carefully fixed on the far bank, trying not to peek at his delectable body any more than I already have.
But, well, I’m only (part) human. I can’t help myself, and my mouth goes dry as I take in the golden cock dangling invitingly between his legs.
As though he can sense my hungry stare from halfway across the lake, he takes his time before plunging into the water. When he resurfaces, he shakes his head, sending the water flying everywhere, his dark curls plastered to his forehead.
I swallow the nervous lump lodged in my throat. “So this is all about gold?”
Thane chuckles, the sound carrying all the way to me. “It’s always about gold.”
Of course. Well, that explains why he hasn’t left my side yet. Not because he feels the same pull toward me that I feel for him, but he cause he’s a mercenary deep down in his shadowed heart.
Worse, he’s a charming bandit who is oblivious to the fact that I’m mere demon’s lengths away, and I’m naked…
I try not to let my disappointment show.
It’s become clear to me that Thane is like the humans of Earth: he has no idea that he’s meant to be the one true mate of a halfling demoness.
And, well, I’m not about to tell him. Not yet.
Not until I’ve saved Rafe and I can look at what my future will be like after that.
Besides, Stevie and Corbin have known they are mates for three gold moons now. If they’ve managed to hold off on bonding for that long, I can wait until Rafe is safe and back in Sombra.
And who’s to say that I want to take a fae bandit as my mate?
The gods have given him to me, but if they’ve made a mistake, I can accept that and move on myself.
Sure, I wouldn’t have that elusive fated mate to hope for as we only get one, but there are plenty of males in Sombra who might suit me better.
All I have to do is share my essence with him, then finalize a bond through mating, and I would be his for eternity as he would be mine.