by Melissa Haag
“Great. Try to keep up,” Fenris said, walking his girls to their cherry red convertible that had the white top up against the cold.
“Let’s drive together,” I said to Ashlyn. “I’ll drop you off here so you can get your car then follow you home.”
“Thank you,” she said, walking with me to my car. “I’m so excited for this. I’ve heard of the caves, but I’ve never seen them.”
We got in, and I quickly pulled out to follow the wolf-mobile.
“You do know that they don’t have swimsuits, right?” I asked.
“Oh. I wasn’t thinking of that.”
“I’m sure Fenris was. Just keep your bra and panties on, and you’ll be fine.”
“What about you?”
“I don’t plan on swimming,” I said.
“You sure? You could use a little relaxing.”
“If I relax, so does my control.”
“Oh.”
“Don’t worry about it. You’ll be fine.”
“I was more thinking of you.”
During the rest of the drive, we avoided talking about the spell I wanted the druids to do the next day. Instead, we talked about clothes, the other humans and their schedules, and the next batch of desserts Ashlyn wanted to make. I appreciated that they were all chocolate-based.
Before long, the convertible turned off onto a wooded road that ended in trees just like the cabin road. The lights from town didn’t reach this far, and once the convertible’s lights went out, it was a lot darker and more secluded than Ashlyn was used to. I could tell from the hint of fear that drifted from her.
“We can turn around,” I said, pulling up behind the convertible.
“Nope. I want to do this.”
“You can change your mind at any time.”
“I know.”
Fenris’s group was out of the car before I parked. He opened Ashlyn’s door and leaned down.
“It’d be better if I carried you to the caves,” he said. “We’re in werewolf territory, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything wandering around.”
She glanced at me.
“I trust Fenris to behave with you,” I said. “Just don’t fall for any lines about needing affection.”
He laughed, and Ashlyn blushed when he picked her up.
Leaving the vehicles, we started through the trees. Fenris and his girls moved with quiet grace, leaving the night undisturbed, whereas I sounded like a parade. I didn’t mind the walk, though. The cold nipped at my exposed skin, but it wasn’t terrible. And my toes were fairly warm, thanks to wearing my sensible flats again. However, Ashlyn’s teeth started chattering before we reached the caves.
“Almost there,” Fenris said softly.
Snow started to fall. It was more of a crystalline glitter rather than large flakes.
“Pretty,” Ashlyn said.
“It’s from the springs,” Jenna said.
The girls stopped walking at the edge of a clearing and started stripping in the snow. Ahead, I saw a mound of rocks around a small cave opening. Steam rolled out of the entrance and drifted upward only to turn into sparkly snow.
I looked at the small gap with a frown. That was the hot springs? It didn’t seem like much.
Fenris set Ashlyn down.
“I’d recommend removing what you can here. Everything you bring inside the cave will get damp because of the humidity.”
Ashlyn glanced at me, and I grinned at her uncertainty. I’d warned her. She made a face then took off her shirt. I averted my gaze as she set it on the ground and stood on it after she removed her shoes.
“You, too, Eliana,” Fenris said.
“I wasn’t planning on swimming,” I said quickly.
“Unless you planned on sitting out here and freezing the entire time, you’re going to want to strip. It’s not fun walking back to the car in wet jeans.”
He reached for his fly, and I quickly turned around, ignoring his knowing smirk.
A shirt landed at my feet.
“You can stand on that.”
I removed my shoes and socks, using his shirt to keep my toes from freezing. Then, I shimmied out of my jeans.
“I’m taking Ashlyn in,” Jenna said. “Her lips are turning blue.”
“We’ll be right behind you,” Fenris said.
When I glanced over my shoulder, he and I were the only ones in the clearing. And he was wearing boxers.
“You wear underwear?” I asked before I could stop myself.
He grinned widely.
“Only on special occasions. When the girls brought this up, I planned on asking you to come with us. I knew you’d rather I have something to leave on.”
“Thank you,” I said, really meaning it.
My hunger still liked the sight of him in his underwear, though, and I struggled to tear my gaze from his muscled torso.
Facing away from him once more, I removed my button-up shirt then started pulling the t-shirt over my head. The bright glow of Piepen’s thin line of brownie batter stopped me. I tugged it back into place and turned toward Fenris.
“I’ll go in this.”
“Okay.” He was beside me in two steps. “Come on.” He picked me up without warning.
My eyes went black at all the skin to skin contact.
“Fenris, put me down.”
“Two seconds. You can do it.”
I opened my mouth to argue, and he was already setting me on my feet at the rocky opening.
“The ground is warmer here,” he said. “Your cute little piggies would have squealed if you’d tried walking.” He gestured toward the opening. “Go ahead. I’ll bring up the rear.”
I stared at him for a moment, trying to decide if I should still scold him. He knew what the contact did to me, but his intent had been sweet.
Shaking my head at his knowing grin, I bent down and entered the cave. The cooling mist immediately coated my skin, and I was glad I’d removed my jeans.
The floor sloped steeply for the first few yards then eased to a gentle decline. We gained headspace quickly, but it wasn’t easy to see anything beyond the light of the opening. My steps slowed as soon as that faded.
Fenris’s hand gripped my hip and nudged me forward.
“Keep going. You’ll see light ahead soon.”
He steered me with light touches until my heart was racing painfully in my chest. Just when I thought I wouldn’t be able to take any more, the air grew even warmer and a light appeared ahead.
I brushed his hand away and hurried forward to an opening in the tunnel. Torchlight glinted off steamy pools of water. The air was heavy with warmth and moisture.
Ashlyn waved from one of the pools, surrounded by Fenris’s girls. Jenna lifted an arm from the water and waved, the move proving that not everyone had shared Fenris’s consideration about underclothes.
My cheeks, already warm, heated further as I waved in return then started studying the nearest wall.
“Since Eliana doesn’t want to swim with the group, I’m going to show her the rest of the pools,” Fenris said. “We’ll be back in a minute.”
Chapter Sixteen
Was it smart to go off alone with Fenris? Probably not. But I knew it wouldn’t be smart to stay with the others, either.
I followed him deeper into the cave system through another tight opening. Again, the light faded, and I had to reach out to keep my hand lightly on Fenris’s back.
Touching him was a little easier than him touching me. But only because I was keeping the contact to a bare minimum. We walked a long while. In the dark, my hearing was more acute. The scrape of our feet along the path was the loudest noise for a while. And my breathing. Then, I heard the burble of water. That sound grew, along with the heat, then both faded again.
Twice more, we passed pools before Fenris stopped.
“Stay right there,” Fenris said.
I waited until another torch flamed to life.
“How do they light when everything is so wet in he
re?” I asked.
“We got special torches from some druids. They always light and never burn down.”
I looked around this smaller opening in the cave. Right alongside the path, there was a pool big enough for about four people.
“Get in,” he said.
“What? No way. I really don’t want to swim.”
He grinned and walked to the edge of the pool, lowering himself into the water. I watched him extend his arms along the edges so he was taking up a third of the space.
“There’s not enough room to swim. This is soaking with a purpose. The waters are hot and full of minerals. Good for the body and the mind. If you were any more stressed out, you’d supernova.”
The water tempted me. A lot. I glanced back at the way we’d come. The tunnel was dark.
“You’re far enough away from Ashlyn that you won’t sense her.”
I looked at him.
“And we’ve already established that I’m mostly immune to you.”
“Mostly?”
“I didn’t want it to sound like a challenge if I said I was fully immune to you.”
I grinned, considering him. He’d proven I could trust him. Sure, he did some things that worried me occasionally, but he respected my wishes whenever I voiced them. And, he was right. He did seem to be mostly immune to me.
“What if you’re not?” I asked, tempted but still too worried to risk him.
“What if getting into this water is just the thing you need to melt away everything troubling you? What if this is the soak that changes your life for the better?”
I snorted a laugh at his hopeful thinking. He was right, though, about the “what ifs.” There were so many possibilities it was impossible to know what might be. Fearing the unknown was holding me back from what I really wanted in this moment. And that was relaxing in the pool.
Taking a calming breath, I stepped to the edge of the pool and stuck my foot in the water. It was hot. Almost uncomfortably so. But once the sting faded, it felt wonderful.
Fenris watched me lower myself into the water, a crooked grin tugging his lips.
Settling with a sigh, I let my legs float in the vacant space beneath me and leaned my head against the ledge to anchor myself.
“This is amazing,” I said, feeling all of my tension melt away.
With the humidity and heavy minerals, it was hard to smell Fenris’s typical lust-laced scent. Which meant no temptation. I closed my eyes and just relaxed.
Everything from the last few days faded. My mind didn’t wander, it just went blank.
“I love this place,” I said.
“Me, too.”
Fenris’s tone stroked the hunger in my stomach.
“No talking,” I said.
He chuckled. My hunger still stirred, and I wrinkled my nose. Instead of saying anything, I lifted a foot to poke him in the ribs with a toe.
He caught my foot and started rubbing it. I groaned, feeling real bliss. I never wanted to leave. I wanted to live in the hot springs forever. If I stayed long enough, maybe everyone would think I was a cave troll and not a succubus. Then, they would leave me alone.
I smiled at the thought.
“I like it when you smile,” Fenris said. “Give me the other foot.”
I willingly surrendered it.
“I like it when you’re relaxed, too,” he added.
His fingers kneaded the arch of my foot then worked their way to the ankle. When he started in on my calf, I sighed contentedly.
“I think we might need to take a break,” he said, rubbing behind my knee.
I made a sad face without opening my eyes.
“You need to stop thinking so much,” I said.
He chuckled, and his fingers touched my cheek.
“Now I know you’ve had enough. Come on, linguine, let’s get you out of the water before you go past al dente.”
I snickered at his joke and wrapped my arms around his neck when he picked me up.
“Open your eyes, Eliana.”
Listening, I looked up at him as he stepped out of the pool with me. There was a tender look in his brown eyes. I liked seeing it there. For me. It told me that he really cared. Not the pretend kind of caring that Adira and Mrs. Quill had. Or the forceful caring that Mom had. Fenris didn’t want to see me hurt or suffering.
I reached up and placed my hand on his cheek.
“Thank you for caring,” I said.
“Always, beautiful. Let’s cool you off a little.”
He set me on the smooth stone path and sat beside me. The rock began to leech away the water’s warmth and breathing got a little easier. My face started sweating, though. Grabbing the end of my shirt, I lifted it up to wipe away the sweat.
“What is that?” Fenris said.
His fingers touched my stomach and traced their way to the edge of my underwear.
I glanced down, seeing his tanned fingers on my pale skin rather than the glowing line. My insides went molten, and hunger surged forward. I turned to Fenris.
Lightning fast, I had him on the floor and was straddling his torso. With one hand braced on his chest to pin him in place, I took his hand and flattened it over my stomach.
“That is yours,” I said. “If you dare to take it.”
I found myself pinned underneath him. He had my hands restrained against the floor over my head with his legs weighing down mine. I tried to pull myself free, but I couldn’t.
“Don’t fight, Eliana,” he said. “Breathe. Feel the stone under you. The coolness of it.”
It was his earnest expression along with the temperature of the smooth rock underneath me that brought back a semblance of clarity.
I blinked my eyes, pushing back the hunger.
The crooked, teasing smile returned to its usual place on his lips, melting away his worry. But I’d seen it. His fear. I closed my eyes and turned my head.
“Please get off me,” I said, struggling not to cry.
“Hey, no being mad at yourself,” he said.
“Mad?” I snorted. “I’m disgusted with myself. You were being nice, and I—”
I swallowed hard, and a tear escaped from the corner of my eye.
“Don’t cry,” he said.
His weight lifted, and he grabbed me, settling me in his lap before I could get away. Tucked against his chest, I focused on the beat of his heart and tried not to give in to all the tears fighting to get free.
“You didn’t do anything wrong,” he said, resting his chin on top of my head. “I only stopped you because I thought you’d be upset if you went through with it.”
I jerked my head up and stared at him.
“You think?”
His crooked grin looked a little tormented.
“There was no right move for me back there. I went with the option I thought you’d want once you cooled off.”
He’d been thinking of me. Again.
“You did make the best choice. I’m just sorry you had to make any choice.” I climbed off his lap and tugged my shirt back into place. “I shouldn’t have come here.”
“I disagree.”
He patted the spot beside him.
“Let’s give you more time to cool off before we join the others.”
He was right. I could still feel the hunger crawling under my skin. The last thing I wanted to do was unintentionally tempt Ashlyn. I sat beside him, shifting around to find a comfortable spot on the rocks.
“So, about that glowing stripe down your middle. Want to tell me about it?” he asked.
“Not really.”
“It smells like the brownie.”
“Because it’s from the brownie.”
He tilted his head at me, his grin widening.
“His explosion? His very first magic dust that marked you for life?”
I groaned.
“I’m just repeating what Marshal said. I didn’t fully understand the conversation in the marshes, but now I do. It’s cute.”
“Cute’s th
e last thing it is,” I said.
“Show me again.”
“No. My mark of shame will remain forever hidden.”
Fenris snorted a laugh.
“Mark of shame? It’s not your shame but his. He obviously missed by a long shot because the line starts under your bra.”
“I really hope it’s not there for life.”
“I really hope the smell fades.”
I groaned again and made a pained face.
“It’s not that bad, I promise.”
Fenris’s name faintly echoed down the tunnel.
“Come on. I think the girls are done.”
He extinguished the torch, and his fingers laced through mine.
I followed him through the dark, appreciating the irony of the moment. Without Fenris, I would have been lost.
I used every kind of body wash I owned the next morning to try to scrub Piepen’s mark from my skin. It didn’t fade. Not even a little. I hoped all the washing would at least help with whatever Fenris could smell.
While wrapped in nothing but a towel, I walked from my bathroom, enjoying the freedom of dressing not only in private but also in whatever I wanted. After last night’s chilly walk through the trees, I wasn’t in the mood for any type of skirt.
Dressed in jeans and a brightly colored top, I slipped on a neutral pair of flats then returned to the bathroom. I took the time to style my hair in soft curls but skipped the makeup. It’d be nice to have a normal day at school. Well, semi-normal.
A cool breeze tickled my skin, and I saw the bathroom window was cracked open just a bit. With Piepen around, most of my windows had been opened at one point or another. I closed it, remembering all that had happened yesterday.
Taking a last look at myself, I weighed the wisdom of my decision to use the druids to remove my mom. It was rash and dangerous. But, mostly, just for me. And that’s exactly why I needed to do it. Adira and Mom thought I was incapable of embracing the non-human side of my nature. Having the druids cast a spell to get my mom out of Uttira was me embracing my succubus side in the way I was willing to embrace it. None of that made the decision any easier. I loved my mom. If only she didn’t have to be so…her.
I left my room and knocked on Mom’s door. I couldn’t cast her out without saying goodbye. However, there was no answer. Easing it open, I glanced at the bodies that lay in sprawled tangles on the bed and floor.