Chapter Fifteen
“Oh my God,” Kate whispered, wrapping her arms around herself. “Oh my God—I can’t believe this!”
Rone found it pretty unbelievable himself. It wasn’t that he minded being someplace where he had to spend time with his mate—in fact, there was nothing he would rather do. But he objected to being forced into it and he didn’t like anything that made Kate feel uncomfortable—which she clearly was.
“What are we going to do?” she asked, looking up at him. “This is crazy, Rone! She didn’t even tell us how long we’d be stuck here.”
“Yes, she did,” he growled. “She said we’d stay here until we regained our lost harmony—whatever that means.”
“It means we’re trapped,” Kate said softly. “For now, at least. So what are we going to do?”
“I don’t know about you, but I want to get cleaned up.” Rone looked down at himself distastefully. He wasn’t as completely coated in the black slime as Kate was, but he still had enough of it on him that he was making black boot prints on the floor. He took a moment to pull the boots off and leave them by the door and then padded barefoot into the closed area of the bubble which he hoped was the bathing and fresher area.
Sure enough, there was a freestanding tub, a large shower, and a sink and toilet in this area. Good.
Rone turned the tap on the sink, half expecting there to be no water since he wasn’t “cooperating” with Kate to turn it on. But to his surprise and pleasure, a clear stream of water came rushing out of the faucet and into the basin. He stuck his large hands under the flow but though he felt the clear water rushing over his skin, nothing happened. Frowning, he rubbed at the slime with no result. He could feel the water but it wasn’t doing him any good.
Thinking that he needed hotter water to get the job done, Rone twisted the hot tap until clouds of steam were rising from the sink. But though he got the water hot enough to feel like it was peeling the flesh off his bones, it didn’t melt even the tiniest bit of the slime off his skin. Using soap didn’t help either. Nothing he did removed even a fraction of the gooey black stuff.
Desperately, Rone grabbed for one of the hand towels on a rack by the sink and rubbed—with no result. His hands seemed to be permanently stained.
“Damn it!” he heard Kate’s voice say from the other room, as he turned off the taps in defeat. He walked out to see her standing at the kitchen sink, scrubbing her hands with a brush that was clearly meant for cleaning pots and pans.
“Kate, be careful.” He went to her quickly. “You’ll hurt yourself—the bristles on that damn thing aren’t for using on your skin. You’ll scrape yourself raw!”
She looked up at him and he saw tears of frustration standing in her clear green eyes.
“It won’t come off. No matter what I do. It won’t come off.”
Rone sighed. “I know what you mean—I had the same problem.” He held out his hands, still covered in the thick black slime.
“I hate this—I hate to be dirty like this,” she exploded. “I feel so…so disgusting.”
Rone thought she had never looked lovelier. Though she was coated from head to foot in the black stuff, she was naked under it. She was still clutching her discarded clothes against her chest but he could still see most of her. Her petite body had full curves he longed to caress again but he knew she wouldn’t be comfortable with letting him touch her that way. Still, maybe there was something he could do since she no longer feared his hands on her.
“Let me try,” he said gently, stepping up beside her at the sink and holding out his hands.
“Try what?” She drew away from him mistrustfully.
“Just washing your hands,” Rone said, trying to make his voice soft and non-threatening. “That’s all, baby, I swear. Remember, Madam Shadow said no hand but mine would get you clean.”
“I…guess it’s worth a try.” Hesitantly, she put down the scrub brush she’d been using and stretched out her hands to him.
Rone took her small hands in his and brought them under the water rushing into the kitchen sink. At first nothing happened but then, when he began to rub her hands, the slime slowly began to wash away.
“Look—it’s working!” Kate sounded excited. “Keep going!”
“I’m not stopping until you’re all clean,” Rone promised. “Look—it’s coming off my hands too wherever you’re touching me.”
“Here—let’s use some soap.” Kate squirted a dollop of dish soap from the bottle that stood on the edge of the sink and began rubbing it in. Rone used some on her as well and before they knew it, their hands were a soapy tangle—a clean tangle, Rone saw, smiling a little at the sight. It was good to have some of the black slime off of him—and even better to touch his mate again.
“That’s better—a little bit, anyway,” Kate said when they finally turned off the water and dried their hands with some paper towels which hung in a roll over the sink. “At least I can touch my face without feeling like I’m spreading it all over.” She pushed some of her red, springy curls—the few that had escaped the gooey slime of the pool—off her forehead. “Now maybe I can get a glass and wash this taste out of my mouth.”
She began searching the cabinets and soon enough, found a few plain glass cups. Going back to the kitchen sink, she filled one with cold water and attempted to take a drink.
The water ran down her chin.
“What the—?” Kate frowned and tried again with the same result. Though she tried and tried from all different angles, she couldn’t get any of the water to go into her mouth.
“Kate…” Rone was trying not to laugh but she really did look ridiculous.
“It’s not funny!” she exclaimed. “That stuff from the pool got in my mouth and it tastes horrible.”
Rone was instantly contrite. “I’m sorry—here, let me try. She said we wouldn’t be able to drink except from each other’s hands, remember?” Taking the glass from her, he dumped out the water she had drawn and got a fresh glass. Then he held it out to her. “Here.”
“Thank you.” Kate took it from him and prepared to take a big drink…but again the water ran down her chin. “What’s wrong this time?” She exclaimed in irritation. “I took the glass from your hand, didn’t I?”
“Maybe I have to be holding it for you to drink from it?” Rone guessed. “Here—let me hold it for you.”
He took the glass from her again and placed it against her lips. Kate tried again to get a mouthful of water…and yet again, the water ran right down her chin. She was still clutching her bundle of discarded clothes to her chest but by now they were soaking wet.
“What’s going on?” Kate looked ready to cry. “I’m so thirsty and who knows when that horrible Shadow Madam is coming back. She made some kind of mistake and we’re going to die of thirst in this stupid place!”
“I don’t think there’s any mistake,” Rone said, frowning. “This is on purpose—all of it. We just have to figure it out, that’s all.”
Kate sighed and leaned against the sink. “Can we figure it out before I become completely dehydrated? God, why did we come here in the first place?”
“To get the fear toxins out of you for one thing,” Rone pointed out. “The pool did that, at least. Even if it was about to drown you to accomplish the rest of its mission.”
“About that…” Kate looked down at her freshly washed hands. They looked like white gloves on the ends of her arms, which were still coated in the black slime. “I never said thank you—for saving my life, I mean. So, well…thanks.” She looked up at him. “Thanks for jumping into that awful gook and saving me, Rone. I really would have died if you hadn’t.”
His heart swelled and he longed to take her in his arms but he knew he couldn’t do that—not yet.
“Of course, Lalli,” he said gently. “I’ll always be there for you, to protect you and save you. You know that.”
“Actually, I don’t.” She cleared her throat and looked away. “But…I’m beginning to.”
“A beginning is better than nothing,” Rone said. “And I think I have an idea about your drinking problem.”
A surprised laugh burst from her lips.
“My drinking problem? It’s not like I’m dying to hit the bottle—I just want some water.”
“And I think I know how you can get some.”
Rone turned the cold tap again. When the water rushed out, he cupped his hands together and caught as much as he could in his palms. Then he nodded at Kate. “Go ahead—drink.”
“What? From your hands?” She looked at him uncertainly.
“Well, Madam Shadow did say we wouldn’t be able to drink unless from our…” Rone cleared his throat. “From our lover’s hands. Maybe she was being literal.”
“That is pretty literal.” Kate looked somewhat uncomfortable but Rone thought she might be just thirsty enough to try it. “All right,” she said at last. “Um…here goes.”
She leaned over the sink and Rone brought his hands up to her mouth. It was a little awkward but she managed to reach the water and take a deep sip.
Rone saw her eyes widen and she looked up at him excitedly.
“It works—it really works! Quick—get some more!”
Rone obliged her, catching more water from the faucet in his cupped palms. Kate drank thirstily and he filled his hands for her again and again until she stood back with a sigh.
“Ah…that was so good. I don’t remember the last time I was that thirsty. Thank you.”
“You’re more than welcome, baby.” Rone smiled at her. God, it felt so good to be close to her again without her jumping away. Even touching her in such a small way made him feel better—fed a small part of the hunger that was growing inside him. Of course, in order to truly satiate that ever burgeoning appetite, much more intimate touching would be required, but he tried to put that out of his mind. For now, he was just glad to be here with Kate.
“Um…” She looked at him uncertainly. “Are you thirsty too? Would you…would you like a drink? I mean, my hands aren’t as big as yours but…”
“I’d love one,” Rone said softly, looking into her eyes. “If you don’t mind.”
“Of course not. Um…” She shuffled the clothing in her arms uncertainly, trying to find a way to hold it without exposing herself and still get her hands to the sink so he could drink.
“Just put it down,” Rone advised, nodding at the bundle of soaked and stained clothes.
Kate bit her lip.
“But I’m naked.”
“I know but I really can’t see anything past all that black slime we’re both still covered in,” Rone lied. Actually, her lovely, curvy shape was quite apparent but it wouldn’t do to tell her that. “And I won’t be looking anyway—I’m going to be bent over the sink drinking from your hands, remember?”
“Well…” He could see Kate deliberating. She always had been shy and self-conscious about her body, he remembered, especially the scars on her back. After they’d been together a few years and he had showed her over and over how lovely every part of her was to him, she had finally begun to loosen up. But now they were back to the beginning and he would just have to be patient with her about it.
“It’s okay, baby,” he said softly. “Look—would it make you feel better if I promised not to look at you?”
Kate nodded. “I guess, maybe it would.”
“Okay then—not looking. Absolutely not looking.” Rone closed his eyes tightly though he really wanted to see her. At least he was close enough to smell her sweet scent, under the bitter odor of the black slime. He heard water rushing into Kate’s small hands and then she said,
“All right. I’m ready.”
Rone kept his eyes closed and moved towards the sound of her voice. He had to duck low to get down to her small hands and he missed several times, making Kate giggle.
“No, down here,” she said, sounding happy for the first time in ages, Rone thought. “Further down—way down.”
“I’m trying to find you,” he said, laughing himself. At last he managed to press his mouth to her cupped hands. Her little palms held barely a mouthful for him so she had to refill them again and again.
Rone drank thirstily but more than the cold water, he felt refreshed by the feel of his mate’s skin touching his, even just a little bit. At last he finished and looked up at her, daring to open his eyes.
“Thank you, Kate,” he said softly. “That was perfect.”
“Oh…” She looked at him uncertainly, her small hands still held out, dripping with water.
Taking a chance, Rone leaned over her one more time and placed a gentle kiss to the center of her right palm. “Perfect,” he whispered again.
“You…you’re welcome.” She pulled her hands back and he noticed that she squeezed the right one into a tight fist. “Well…” She picked up her pile of wet clothes and took a step back, holding them to her chest. “Now that we’ve solved one problem, I guess we need to solve another.”
“Which is?” Rone raised an eyebrow at her.
Kate took a deep breath. “How to get all this slime off the rest of us.”
* * * * *
Kate couldn’t believe she was saying this—couldn’t believe she was addressing this problem when she knew perfectly well the only solution was to let the big Kindred wash her. But she couldn’t stand being dirty—she’d never liked to feel even the least bit grimy or sweaty and here she was, covered in black slime. It was awful.
“Kate…” Rone was looking at her as she clutched her clothing to her chest. “I think we both know the only way we’re going to get the slime off,” he said softly. “We’re going to have to take a shower and you’re going to have to let me scrub you—scrub you everywhere. Are you ready for that?”
“I don’t know,” Kate admitted. “I mean, I don’t panic when we touch anymore but to me it still feels like I just met you a couple of days ago. And I’m not the kind of girl who just hops in the shower with a guy I just met. Sorry.”
“I know how modest you are,” Rone said gently. “Even after we were Joined, it took you at least a year to let me see you completely naked.”
“It did?” Kate felt the heat rising to her cheeks. “Uh, that sounds about right, I guess.”
“You’re always so unsure of your own beauty,” the big Kindred said softly. “It’s one of the things that makes you so devastatingly beautiful, Kate.”
“Um…” She looked down at her hands—almost the only clean part of her body—uncertain of what to say.
The big Kindred sighed. “Sorry if I made you uncomfortable. It’s just—we’ve had this conversation before. You never believe how gorgeous you are even though I’ve tried to show you over and over.”
“Maybe I was comparing myself to you,” Kate said candidly. “I mean, look at you. You’re all big and rugged and muscular and you have those amazing eyes. They’re so blue they almost glow.”
“They do glow,” Rone said smiling. “It’s a Wulven trait. We have excellent vision. In fact, all of our senses are more finely tuned than those of a human. Which only allows me to see your beauty more clearly.”
“See—you’re like superhuman,” Kate said, ignoring his compliment because it made her want to blush again. “Or superKindred or whatever. What made you want to…to be with me in the first place?”
“Your beauty…your persistence…your courage.” Rone shrugged. “I could go on but that’s what comes to mind first.”
Kate gave a dry little laugh.
“Ha—well I’m sure you’re disappointed in the courage part this time around since I’ve done nothing but run from you from the first minute I saw you.”
“Not true,” Rone said seriously. “You came with me to the Mother Ship even though you were so full of fear toxins the least brush of my hand sent you into a panic attack. That takes a vast amount of courage, Kate.”
“I don’t feel very brave around you,” she admitted. “I feel little and weird and I just don’t understand how we got together in the first place. It’s like some kind of joke, we’re so mismatched.”
“It’s no joke to me, baby,” he said softly. “We may look mismatched on the outside—mainly because I’m so big and you’re so tiny—but inside we’re the perfect fit.” He sighed. “I know you don’t see that right now but I hope you will in time.”
“Well…” There was an awkward pause in the conversation and Kate looked down at her hands again. They looked so white against the goopy black slime that still clung to her arms and the rest of her body. Suddenly she realized how horribly uncomfortable she was and it wasn’t just the intimate talk she’d been having with the big Kindred.
“Kate,” he began.
“I’m sorry.” She held up a hand to stop him. “I know you probably want to discuss our, uh, past relationship more but can we please get cleaned up first? Being coated in this gook is just killing me.”
“Of course.” He smiled. “You always were what you call a ‘neat-freak.’ I know how much you hate being dirty.”
Which is the only reason I’m willing to let a guy who still feels like a casual acquaintance run his hands all over my naked body in the shower, Kate thought. But she didn’t want to hurt Rone’s feelings so aloud she said, “I do hate it. So how are we going to fix this?”
He spread his hands. “How do you want to fix it? I think a shower would be the easiest way. I’ve seen the fresher and the shower stall is big enough for two.”
“Even if one of them is as big as you?” Kate asked before she could stop herself.
Rone smiled, clearly not offended. “As long as the other is as little as you, sure.”
“Well then…” Kate took a deep breath. “Let’s do it. We’re not getting any younger and this slime isn’t going to wash itself off.”
“True.” He nodded. “All right—come on.”
Kate followed him into the fresher, still clutching her discarded clothes to her chest. She doubted if they would be wearable after she got out of the shower. For one thing they were spotted with the black slime which seemed to spread all over the place, even if it never actually came off her skin. And for another, they were soaking wet from her “drinking problem” earlier. Still, it made her feel more comfortable to be at least marginally covered around the big Kindred.
Well you’d going to have to get comfortable with the idea of being uncovered in a minute, whispered a snarky little voice in her brain. Not to mention comfortable with the idea of letting Rone run those big hands of his all over your naked body.
Stop it! Kate tried to push the voice out of her head but it was true and she knew it. By the time Rone had gotten the shower spray nice and hot she was feeling almost panicky again at the thought of him seeing her and touching her everywhere. Not to mention the fact that you have to see and touch him too, whispered the little voice which she seemed unable to banish.
“All right—the water’s ready. If you want to—”
Rone turned to face her as he spoke. Some of the trepidation she was feeling must have shown on her face because he stopped talking and frowned.
“Hey, you don’t really want to do this, do you?”
“Of…of course I do,” Kate lied bravely. “I’m fine. I just—”
“You’re just really damn uncomfortable and you’re trying not to show it. Don’t lie to me Kate—I know you.”
“Well I don’t know you,” Kate burst out before she could stop herself. “And I can’t help it—I’m shy. I mean, you’re going to be…be looking at me and touching me…and…and…” She trailed off, feeling miserable.
“Well, I can’t do anything about the touching part,” Rone said thoughtfully. “We already found out the hard way that’s the only way to get the slime off. But I can keep from looking.”
“You’re going to keep your eyes closed the entire time we’re in the shower?” Kate asked skeptically. “Don’t you think that’s going to be a little hard to manage? Especially in a strange place where you don’t know where anything is? I mean, you’ll bump into something and open your eyes on reflex—you won’t be able to help it.”
“You have a point,” he acknowledged. “Let me see…” He left the fresher for a moment and then came back with a long black strip of cloth.
Kate frowned. “What’s that and where did you get it?”
“The belt to a robe. It was hanging in a closet by the sleeping platform along with several other pieces of clothing. It looks like they intend for us to stay for a while. Anyway, I thought it would make a good blindfold.” He held it up to his eyes to show her.
“Um…really?” Kate was still surprised he would do this for her.
“Sure.” He nodded gravely. “Whatever makes you more comfortable, Kate. Do you think this will help?”
“I do actually.” She still wasn’t looking forward to letting him touch her all over—it made her feel strange and scared and uncomfortable. But a big part of her insecurity about herself had always been how her body looked—especially the ugly scars on her back. Knowing that the big Kindred couldn’t see her would go a long way towards making her feel more comfortable.
“Good.” He held it out to her. “Do you want to put it on me so you can be certain it’s tight enough?”
“No. No—I trust you.” Kate gave him a small smile. “Um, thank you for doing this for me. I know it must seem silly to you since we’ve been together already for three years.”
“Three years you don’t remember,” he said gravely, wrapping the black belt around his eyes and tying it firmly in the back of his head. “I do remember, though, how long it took you to feel comfortable with letting me see you and touch you.”
“And now you’re back to square one.” She shook her head even though she knew he couldn’t see her. “I’m sorry—that must be so frustrating for you.”
It’s okay, baby,” he said softly. “I can be patient—you’re worth waiting for.”
Kate felt a flutter in her stomach at his deep, quiet words. For the first time since she’d met the big Kindred, she felt a strange certainty about him. This man loves me. How or why he had come to feel so much for her, she didn’t know but she was certain of it and for a moment her heart ached because she couldn’t return the emotion.
Can’t or won’t? whispered that voice in her head. Why are you so afraid, Kate? Why can’t you trust?
It was a question she’d been asking herself all her life. Had she somehow answered it and overcome her issues in the three years she and Rone had been together? Kate wished she could remember but her past was still shrouded—maybe never to be revealed.
What needs to be revealed is your skin—you need to let go of that bundle of clothes, get naked and get in the shower, she told herself practically. And now that she knew the big Kindred couldn’t see her, she found it much easier to do that.
“Okay,” she told him, putting her bundle of clothes on top of the counter by the sink. “I’m ready.”
“Well, I’m not.” He shifted a little. “I mean, I need to get the rest of my clothes off before I get in.”
“Oh, you do? I mean…of course you do.” Kate cleared her throat. “I was, uh, wondering earlier if the pool goop got into your, uh, britches.”
“So that’s why you were looking at me earlier.” He laughed softly. “I wondered about that. But yes, unfortunately, it did. So…do you mind?” He stood there waiting and Kate realized he was asking her permission to strip.
“Oh. Of course, please—go ahead,” she said, trying to be polite.
“Thanks.” Without further ceremony, Rone unfastened his black leather trousers and shucked them down along with the black underbriefs he’d been wearing.
Kate sucked in a breath at the sight of him naked. He’d been right when he said the goop had gotten everywhere—it didn’t coat the bottom half of him as thoroughly as the top half but streaks of black still ran down the flat planes of his belly and the long length of his muscular thighs. Some of it had also gotten on his crotch, she couldn’t help noticing. Most noticeably, there were streaks of black running down his very impressive shaft.
At least he’s not hard, she thought, feeling uncomfortable all over again. But if he’s this big soft, I’d hate to see what happens when he does get hard!
“Kate?” he asked and she realized he was just standing there, waiting.
“Uh—yes?” Her voice came out in a squeak and she had to try again. “Yes?” she asked.
“Could you lead me into the shower?” he asked, holding out a hand. “I really can’t see a damn thing.”
“Oh—sure.” She took him by the hand and led him into the shower stall, which was a large one, enclosed with glass walls and a frosted glass door. As she closed it behind her, Kate lifted her chin.
Well—here we go. No turning back now!