Chapter 11
After the Snow Fall
Kerensa did not know how long he was gone, but she was beginning to get concerned about what had happened to Heath. Snow had started to fall outside, and it was now coming down faster than she had ever seen it before.
When the door opened, the young woman nearly sprang off of the bed, “I was so worried!”
Heath looked at her like she was a new species, “You were worried about an ice dragon in the snow?”
“Oh, well, you. I didn’t know where you went. You could have gone anywhere and done something reckless.”
“I think you are mistaking my actions with your own. I’ve never barreled into a situation without thinking.” Heath moved to the fire and began to put it out. “Speaking of thinking, have you made your decision?”
“What decision?” The young woman couldn’t keep up with the change in conversation as she was still stuck on Heath’s disappearance after trying to rush her.
Heath’s eyes were like the ice outside, lovely cold as they bore into hers, “About Chadwick. It is clear you still love him, no matter how much you try to convince yourself you don’t.”
“What?” Kerensa looked at the shifter like he was speaking another language. “I don’t understand.”
Heath sighed, then moved over to her just as he had done so many times before during their lessons. “You told me that story yesterday. After you two kissed. It is obvious you still love him, but you are trying to hide it from yourself because you don’t think it will work. And if something is impossible, you don’t think it is worth trying. But I am telling you that it is not impossible. You just need to open up and let yourself believe that everything will be alright. I can assure you that it will be. You have the brains to make it work, no matter the obstacles.”
“Where did you get this idea?” Kerensa could not follow the shifter’s train of thought. It explained some of what he had said earlier, but she had no idea what Heath was trying to do.
Heath sighed as if the entire thing was a pain, “When I first met you, I thought you wanted to be a man. It seemed obvious to me that you felt more like a man than a woman. You would not be the first woman whom I have encountered who felt that way. I tried to help and support you so that you could become the man I thought you wanted to be. After yesterday, I realized that you wanted to be more, to do more, so that you could find a way to be with Chadwick.”
Kerensa pressed her eyes closed and opened them, thinking that she would wake from a bizarre dream. “Is that why you insisted on calling me he and him, no matter who was around?”
Heath nodded.
“And now you are convinced that I am in love with Chadwick?”
Heath simply looked at the young woman.
Kerensa scratched her head trying to untangle her thoughts and feelings. “If you believe that I am in love with Chadwick, why did last night happen?”
“You had so many words to convince yourself that love was not worth it. The physical aspect of love is critical for lovers to be together. You needed to learn about the beauty of being physical so that you would stop fighting it.”
Kerensa simply stared at him.
Heath watched her for a moment before continuing, “Of course, it is nothing like what it will be when you are with Chadwick next. It will just help you be comfortable and warm with him. I can assure you that if you take the same passion and desire into your next encounter-”
Kerensa cut him off, “I can’t!”
“See? You are already saying you can’t instead of trying.” He took her hand in his, “Promise me that you will try.”
“Absolutely not!’ She pulled her hand out of his, “I am not in love with Chadwick!”
Heath sighed, “Why do you keep denying it? You are only going to hurt yourself.”
Kerensa stood up quickly as she protested, “I am going to deny feelings I do not have.” Her leg hurt, causing her to stumble.
Before she knew it, Heath’s arms were around her keeping her from falling. He was stroking her hair, his voice melancholic, “Please. I need you to be happy.”
Kerensa gripped his arms, “I am happy.”
“Stop fighting what you feel. I don’t want you to hurt anymore.”
“I am not fighting my feelings, nor am I hurting. I am right where I want to be.”
Heath’s hand stopped moving.
Kerensa felt her hands tighten around the shifter’s arm as she asked, “Why does my happiness matter so much to you?”
The handsome shifter’s voice was almost too low to hear as he whispered, “Because I love you.”
Kerensa couldn’t help but laugh, “Then stop fighting what you are feeling.”
Her teacher pushed her out to arm’s length, “Why are you making fun of me?”
“I’m told it is what you do to the person you love.”
“What?” His expression was hopeful and fearful at the same time.
“I love you Heath. Almost since the moment you started talking to me. You have been everything I never thought possible in a living creature. You are kind and cool, affectionate and firm, intelligent and dear. I love you Heath. Even if you are a bit slow to-”
Kerensa was not allowed to finish talking as Heath’s arms pulled her into him and began to kiss her. A minute later as he pulled away from her, he murmured, “Enough words.”
Kerensa gave him a sly smile, “Please Heath.”
The shifter moaned and lifted her off the floor faster than she could have anticipated. By the time she was on the bed, all of her clothes had been removed. Heath’s mouth was near her ear, “Again.”
Kerensa smiled as she arched into him, “Please Heath. I want you. I want to be physically full of you.”
“Looks like I won’t have much to teach you when it comes to words. But what about actions.” He cupped her breast in his cool hand, and Kerensa responded automatically. As soon as her nipple began to harden in response to the cool, she felt his tongue gently playing with it.
“Oh gods!” She ran her hands through his hair as he began to cup her other breast.
“Try again,” Heath pulled his body away from hers.
“Please Heath. Oh gods, please!”
She felt him slide between her legs and penetrate her as he continued to play with her breast. Immediately her body tensed and she pulled him to her as she peaked.
“Again,” he said. Kerensa began to speak, but felt him plunge into her again. The only sounds she could manage were of pleasure as she peaked again.
Heath let up a little, playing with her body as she panted under him but as soon as she seemed to catch her breath, he ran his cool hands up her sides, causing her to shiver. As her body responded to his touch, he roughly thrust into her again. Each time was a slightly different experience, but after 15 minutes, Kerensa was sweating and panting as if she had just run several miles.
“I-oh gods-I” she arched up into him as Heath smiled down at her. He was intentionally distracting her from getting a thought out of her head. As she moaned and pressed her body into his, the shifter slid his arms under her shoulders. Putting his mouth near her ear, he whispered, “You have thought enough with words. Today I will teach you how to think with your body.”
“Yes! Yes!” She ran her fingers through his hair, and began to kiss his forehead. Kerensa kissed everything she could until he finally covered her mouth with his own.
She had no idea how much time had passed, but at some point Heath seemed to slow a little.
“Is the lesson over?” She asked, holding him to her. Though he was still inside of her, she could feel that he was a little softer than he had been.
“I think you will find that even I get tired after so many days of activity and worry.”
Kerensa tried to roll on top of Heath, but ended up sending both of them over the side of the bed. Reaching up she pulled a pillow down and placed it under his head. “Then I think it is time for me to advance to a slightly harder level of learning to think with my body.” She slid down, gently caressing him with her warmth and wetness. To her delight, he closed his eyes and moaned. Two more times and he was hard enough that she was able to easily slide him into her.
She looked down at him and watched his reactions to each of her movements. Leaning forward, she allowed her breast to be a few inches from his chest. Suddenly, he leaned forward and began to suck on one of them. The unexpected pleasure caused her to tense and press further into him.
Heath groaned and arced his back. Kerensa watched and felt the pleasure of him harden more inside of her. As he peaked, she repeatedly pulsed against him as she matched his tension.
Heath pulled her down and they kissed, even after both of their bodies had relaxed.
Without any warning, Heath stood and picked her up. Throwing her on the bed, he lay down on top of her, pushing her legs apart.
Kerensa began to protest, “I really-really don’t think I can-”
“Don’t worry. I can’t either. Right now.”
Gently he kissed her and let his hand roam over her body. It was arousing, but so soft that Kerensa was content to let him explore without pressing for more.
As he kissed her neck, she finally asked, “Don’t you have something you need to do?”
“I’m doing it.”
Running her hand through his hair, the young woman could not suppress a smile. “I mean you had a reason for being on the ship. Don’t you need to see it through.”
“I do, but they are not expecting me for weeks.”
“Weeks!” she exclaimed.
He stopped toying with her body and looked into her eyes, his showing concern and disappointment, “Does that not work for your schedule?”
For a brief moment, Kerensa had no idea what to say. Then her lips spread into a wide grin, “Well, I do have to let me family know that I am alright. How about a few days?”
Heath looked down at her with a sly smile, “I guess that will do for a start.”
With that, and to Kerensa’s surprise, he began to press into her again. With a grin on her face, she looked into his beautiful eyes, “I love you, Heath.” She continued to murmur his name as he threaded his fingers in her and held her arms above her head.
“I love you too, Kerensa.” They did not need any more words as their bodies merged.
The End
Noely’s Dragon
By: Lisa Daniels
Chapter 1
Chance Encounter
Noely placed her basket to the side and began fighting with her curly blonde hair, which had managed to come out of the tie much faster than usual. It really wasn’t a surprise given how far into the woods she had gone. The branches and twigs left little room for moving about, and even when it was tied back, her hair stuck out. Most women were too afraid to venture into the furthest part of the forest behind the palace without assistance, but it wasn’t like the woman had much of a choice given her nature. At only 22, she felt an extreme sense of responsibility toward others and she had no fear of the woods. Since she knew this part of the forest well, she was able to use the safest paths to quickly collect everything she needed. In fact, she had finished locating the items required to complete the chore some time ago and had decided to just enjoy being away from the palace for a while. The problem was that she really didn’t want anyone back at the palace to know about the area, so she needed to come up with a plausible lie in case there were any questions about how she was able to find everything without incident. Lying was something she knew how to do, but it bothered her.
As an employee of the palace, in theory the people at her level didn’t have much choice in what they got to do. Noely had always been a little different, though. Of course, she did have a job working at the castle, but so far she had moved from the stables to the kitchen based on her own decisions. It was an improvement, although it was not exactly the kind of job where she was likely to make an adequate living, not unless she found someone who would help her open an inn. Suddenly the young woman was shaking her head, reminding herself that marriage really was not an option for her, even when she was ready to leave the palace. Noely knew perfectly well that she was good-looking enough to get a man. She was rarely the prettiest woman in any room, but there was a charm to her still youngish-looking face that caught more than one man’s eye. Her figure was nice as well. It was relatively evenly proportioned so that anyone who looked at her could tell that childbirth would not be a problem. The cumulative effect of her appearance was to leave a longing in the men who had seen her, but nothing so pronounced that they would pursue her relentlessly. This could likely be attributed to the fact that Noely was a bit odd for a woman.
The first hurdle for anyone who took an interest in her was the young woman’s lack of interest in progressing through the ranks of the palace. That meant the man would have to spend time going to the kitchens to see the young woman, something that few men who lived in or around the palace would do. Though her pleasing figure was obvious despite the unflattering dresses worn by the kitchen staff, it could have been highlighted by advancing to be one of the serving girls. The unflattering clothes were all part of being a woman in the kitchen – or anyone employed to work within the hot confines of the kitchen. The clothing was made for practicality, not appeal. When she was dressed for work, as she was at that moment, the outfit was entirely unflattering, but it still looked good on her. The women who served in the dining areas were dressed with a lot more attention to appearance, but Noely had turned down the offer to be a server on two separate occasions. While it certainly had a lot of promise, it was exactly the kind of promise that Noely never wanted. It was true that serving women got a lot of attention from men, but attention from men was not something that Noely sought. The ill will that some of the other kitchen staff had felt toward the young woman after she had turned it down soon dissipated as they realized that she had not changed. Of course, they thought there was something wrong with her, and the other young women shunned Noely when they didn’t need anything from her, but the foreigner had no reason to care what they thought. The young woman had refused to get involved with anyone because of her own personal situation and some very complicated concerns. As a result of her own circumstances, Noely had always made sure to stay away from any situation that would compromise her body. It had not been easy, particularly in the palace, but she had learned how to avoid the worst potential issues.
As she tried to bring her hair into some semblance of order, movement off to the side caught her attention. It was with a relatively muted sigh that the young woman looked in the direction of the movement in case it was something threatening. Though she could not fully make out what she was seeing, Noely could tell a few things about the figure moving along the boundary between the wood and the mountain. It was a shifter, a male shifter, and he was clearly injured, something that she could tell even from her current distance. He was trying with moderate success to be stealthy, but anyone as familiar with the woods as Noely was would not miss the movements. It was true that while he was failing to be invisible, the man was incredibly silent. Despite the obvious seriousness of the situation, she was impressed by the way he was able to silence everything around him, even with the clearly painful movements it required.
Tilting her head to the side, Noely picked up her basket and headed toward the figure. Her surprise at his silence became more pronounced as she moved toward him because she could tell that the wounds were incredibly serious, and her concern grew the closer she got to him. Looking around, Noely decided to follow him to see what he was doing. There was no way she was going to leave him to bleed to death, particularly if he was being hunted, and that was a very real possibility. It did not take her long to realize that he was looking for somewhere to hide. The young woman may not have known exactly what kind of shifter he was, but the desperation of trying to hide somewhere in his current state definitely narrowed down the type that he could be. Most shifters would simply move in their animal forms when injured, unless they were being hunted, or their shifter form was substantially larger than their human one. The fact that she had neither encountered nor heard anyone while she was out suggested that the shifter was one of the larger creatures. Also, there would be no reason to sneak around in human form if the man was an animal that people might hunt. No one would take an interest in an injured human, unless they were part of the palace guard. Noely had a certain bias for the larger shifters, so she knew what she had to do.
Stepping out of the woods with the basket draped over her arm, Noely caught his attention. “If you need somewhere to rest, there’s a cave not too far away.”
The shifter’s initial reaction was one of surprise as he quickly turned around and looked at her. Despite his wounds, the shifter was unbelievably agile, and his slight stumble at her voice was almost imperceptible. Noely made sure that both of her hands were visible so that he would know she was no threat. It worked. Following his shock, the shifter immediately relaxed a little, although only a few people like her would have been able to see it. The man was clearly used to being on his guard. Most shifters were around Yuezhi, particularly near its capital, Antakya.
“I can show you where, but it may be a bit of a walk.” Noely found that her mouth was able to keep going, just as she had learned at the castle. With a vague smile, she tried to make sure he remained relaxed – it would have been bad for the shifter’s heart rate to go up in his current state. While her face and voice worked to set him more at ease, the young woman could not help but notice how the man looked. The gashes on his arms and legs indicated that he had been attacked by several soldiers, and judging by the size of the marks, the shifter’s form must have been substantially larger than the most common types of shifters. His hair was a beautiful black that from some angles seemed to shimmer a dark blue, but it appeared that some of it had been cut. If she had to guess, his hair was likely cut during whatever fight he had been in before she found him. Noely had never heard of a shifter walking around with such uneven hair – at least not one who clearly tended to take care of his appearance. If she had met him five years ago, his startling bluish-grey eyes would have made her forget how to talk. That was before she learned how to cope with her shyness. Still, even now she could easily have gotten lost in his extraordinary eyes if habit had not kicked in. It was only in her frequent chatter at the castle that she had gotten accustomed to talking as her mind assessed her surroundings.
The shifter gave no indication that he was going to follow, or even speak, but from the amount of blood he had lost, he was going to need to rest soon. Shifters could heal much faster than humans, but they healed at different rates, and blood loss could be a serious problem for those who did not heal fast, especially with wounds like his. It was clear that this one needed to lie down as soon as possible because he was going to keep sacrificing blood loss for stealth. Foolish as it was, Noely could easily understand why a shifter would emphasize caution here. After all, it would be no better to be less careful and give away his hiding place than to die in peace while searching for a place to hide. That was a very common way of thinking for shifters.
She didn’t want to scare him, so she kept her back to him as she moved toward the cave. Figuring that she would need to explain a little, Noely said over her shoulder, “It will be a bit of a walk, but we shouldn’t have to climb too much.” This would be important because it was clear his arms were badly injured, likely rendering climbing next to impossible.
Finally, a firm, deep voice behind her caught up to her, and Noely found that she closed her eyes at the beautiful sound. “How do I know that you aren’t going to turn me in?” A slight shiver went through her body at his words, and her mind immediately went to the ocean and memories of growing up along the beach.
Turning slowly, she gave him a calming smile. “The castle is over there.” She pointed slowly in the opposite direction than they were going. “I am actually supposed to go back there tonight, but I don’t think they expect me to return at all.”
The man’s delicate features were incredibly well-defined as he looked at her with confusion.
She gave a little laugh. “They sent me out here to collect.” She held up the basket with a number of different herbs, flowers, and other things that could only be found in the wild. “Actually, I volunteered when it became obvious that no one else was going to do it. While others may have been okay with letting things run their course, I am not really capable of sitting idle when there is someone in need. You see, there are some sick children who need a few of these to get better, and I wasn’t about to leave them to die because others are afraid of the woods. It isn’t exactly my job, but it isn’t too much of a stretch since I work in the kitchen.” She shrugged when the man gave her a quizzical look. It was clear he had more questions, but she didn’t want him to spend too much time thinking and not enough time moving. To silence him, the young woman kept talking. “With the sun setting, it would probably be better for me to stay in the cave with you than to keep going. I’m clearly too distracted now to be safe in the woods when it starts to get dark. Normally I should have noticed you far earlier, although you were incredibly quiet. Someone with injuries as serious as yours should not have been able to be so unbelievably quiet. Still, your movements made it pretty easy to spot you from the right angles. Well, for someone like me anyway. That’s probably one of the reasons I am not afraid out in the forest – because I pretty much always see or hear anything long before it can sneak up on me. Or perhaps it is that the monsters out here are far less concerning. That’s the lesson I think I’ve learned working at the palace for so many years, nearly a decade now. You start to feel safer out in nature with the obvious monsters than in the castle with the human-shaped monsters.”
The man gave a little laugh.
“Good,” she said. “I can guarantee you that the cave is safe. I live there on and off, depending on the time of year, so I can tend to you. They won’t be expecting me back tonight, or like I said, ever, so I can ensure you are safe and your wounds treated. You are welcome to stay as long as you like, too. I am currently staying in the city, so after tonight you will have the place to yourself.”
“Why?” His voice wavered a bit, and Noely knew that he had lost too much blood.
Quickly she moved back to him, reaching him just as he stumbled. When he tried to move away, the young woman held up both hands. “I can let you walk on your own, but it is a bit of a distance, and I don’t know that you will be able to make it before passing out. While I can help you walk a little faster, I am going to have trouble carrying you if you black out.”
“Why?” His beautiful eyes were like a storm as the concern shone in them. “Why are you helping me?”
“Why am I helping the children? I don’t turn my back on people in need. Even if they have been fighting with the guards.” She felt him tense up as she put his arm around her shoulder. It was obvious that he wanted to move away from her, but his eyes closed for a moment. Deciding it was best for him to keep his mind moving, Noely continued to explain as she helped him take a few steps forward, “I guess if you really want an honest answer, it’s because I am partial to shifters.” The man stumbled at the word. “It’s okay, I’m not going to try to kill you or turn you into an aphrodisiac. I don’t even know what kind of shifter you are. I can say you aren’t a bear, wolf, or one of the more common types. I admit to being a bit curious, but you don’t have to say anything. And in case you were wondering, I know Sir Gwavas. Well, I know about him. I don’t actually know him. I have never met him or communicated with him, but still, I know his work. So please just focus on making it to the cave. You are in no danger from me.”
At the mention of one of the most renowned men on the planet, the shifter sighed. Noely smiled as she felt him press into her, clearly at ease. Not many people outside of a couple particular circles knew the man’s name, so it acted like a safe word for certain species, particularly shifters. Though he didn’t look it, the man was remarkably well built. His thin frame was incredibly sinewy, and she could feel a lot more muscle than bone, which was surprising. Her initial assessment that he had been starving was clearly wrong. The young woman knew that she was holding up an incredibly rare and agile shifter. Again, her mind pondered what kind of shifter he could be to have such a deceptively lean physique. He looked like he would never be able to win in a fight, but feeling the way his muscles moved, Noely suspected that this particular shifter likely was not accustomed to losing.
To keep herself from blurting out any of her thoughts, Noely kept talking about basic things. “I'm Noely. As I told you, I work in the kitchens at the palace and live in the city. I’m not from around here though. I actually grew up on the shores of the Tethys in a tiny town called Kanza. It was washed away when I was young. Well, it wasn’t really washed away, but that was the story that was told about it after everyone disappeared. I was one of two living creatures who know that the people who lived there had decided that they would rather drown than be burned by the government. My parents sent me away, but I refused to go too far when they made the march into the water. I cried. My guardian held me that night, he didn’t even try to take me away. He just let me cry. When the military showed up the next day, they found that everyone was gone. Not that they knew where or even cared where the people of the town had gone. Since everything was left behind, the soldiers did what soldiers do best and started to spook themselves with speculation about what happened. One said that he had heard the town had been cursed, so they were pretty scared after that. I can kind of understand since you don’t usually find a town in good working order with everything showing signs of life, but no actual life anywhere around. It must have been pretty creepy for them, so I can kind of understand what they did. They didn’t think it necessary to burn our homes, or more likely they were too afraid if they did that their souls would be trapped there, so they just knocked all of the houses over and desecrated them. As soon as they started to push over our neighbors’ home, my guardian took me away, but I learned later what they did once I moved here. I suppose I’ve never quite forgiven them, even though they now employ me. Sort of.”
The man was looking at her like she was a strange kind of creature, and it was clear the questions were accumulating in his mind, but she left him no opportunity to talk. Not that she thought he would speak much in his current state. There was something in his eyes that let the young woman know that there was far more going on in his mind that he was holding back. Though Noely was curious to know what he was thinking, she knew that it was more important to get him to sleep. That would be far more difficult if they started conversing. For a brief moment, she wondered what it would have been like to encounter him when he was not in such a dire situation. Something told her that his personality was adjusted to match his surroundings, and it made her curious to know more about the man. The thought passed as she realized that there would be no time to get to know him better since she would need to be at work for most of the next week, leaving her no time after that night to talk with him. Though his wounds were serious, experience had taught her that even the slowest healing shifters were able to heal much faster than humans, and it was very likely that this shifter would be able to move on within a week. It was a shame as it was the first time in years where she had taken any interest in another adult humanoid. Pressing forward, she kept talking about growing up with her guardian and being relatively happy, even though they didn’t have much. When her guardian had suddenly disappeared with only a short, vague note, she had tried to find him. She explained how his trail disappeared in the city, and how the funds she had would not allow her to track her guardian any further. In the end the only way to continue was to take a position to earn money, so at age 14 she had taken a job in the stalls because she was much better at dealing with the animals than the people. Of course, it was only meant to be a short-term job until she got enough to leave, but it soon became obvious that she could do a lot of good in the city. By the time she had enough to move on, a couple of years had passed, and Noely no longer felt confident enough that she could find her guardian. But here in the city she could accomplish things without having to put herself in too much danger. Everywhere around her, Noely saw people who were so much poorer than she had ever been. Not that she had more money growing up, but she and her guardian had been better able to stay fed and clothed in the country. There was always something to hunt, growing food was easy enough, and her guardian had been a master at making and adjusting clothing. All of this she had learned to do before his disappearance. They were skills she had never really appreciated until she had reached the city.
“I was only 14 years old at the time. It was rather difficult, but back then I looked more like a boy. That was probably my real saving grace, because few men bothered me until I had learned about the kinds of things they try on women. I would have fallen for it when I was young, despite my guardian’s warnings because it sounded so… sweet. Like the guys actually cared about the women they were seducing. And that is exactly what they want you to think, but I didn’t exactly believe it at first. The girls always seemed so happy after talking to them that I kind of hoped it would happen to me. It was only after I saw several of my acquaintances end up pregnant that I decided that I wasn’t going to fall for it. Yeah, it took several instances because I didn’t exactly grow up around other people. My guardian didn’t really talk much about other people because I don’t think he meant for me to live with so many other people. Not that I have any way of knowing what he intended since he disappeared. Anyway, given enough time, I evolved into the creature you see before you today. An odd-ball who spends more time taking care of people I barely know and turning down promotions that will put me in front of men who will want to use me. And here we are.” Noely smiled at the man, who had been watching her intently. He was a bit taller than her, and his hair was mingled in hers as he watched her. It was obvious that he hadn’t noticed, and at the moment she didn’t mind. As long as their hair didn’t get tangled it would be fine.
“Don’t worry. It’s a lot more comfortable than it looks. Now let’s get you to bed so that you can start to heal.” Slowly they made their way into the cave. “The bed’s just over here. In the morning I’ll show you around a little bit more,” her mouth continued to ramble as her mind considered the man. He had been quiet for a while, and she knew that only a fraction of what she was saying at this point was going to make sense to him. There had been far too much blood loss. Helping him onto the bed, she decided there was no more reason to talk. The shifter’s eyes closed as soon as his head touched the pillow.
Making sure to be careful as she sat back up, Noely’s head hitched a little. Reaching her hand out, she gently cradled the shifter’s head and began to separate their hair. She felt relief that the man seemed to be asleep, or nearly so, because this would have been incredibly embarrassing if he had been awake to see her trying to get her hair to be a bit less wild. As she separated the last few strands, Noely’s eyes went to the stranger’s face. He looked so peaceful, like a sleeping angel. On instinct, one of her hands went out to his face and she felt for a fever. She hadn’t expected for a fever to set in with his wounds still bleeding, so there was no surprise that he did not feel warm. Thinking that he felt a bit too cool, the young woman decided that it was probably an indicator that he had lost too much blood and that she needed to get to work tending to his wounds.
Without a word, Noely moved over to her supplies and pulled out some healing medicines and ingredients. She gently pressed against the two worst wounds, her mind too engrossed on the work for her to notice as the shifter flinched almost imperceptibly.
The young woman worked for a while, stemming the flow of blood and making sure that the lesser wounds would not get infected. Once she finished, the young woman put everything into a bucket to throw out later. She could always get more rags for the cave later, there was no point trying to get the blood out. Without thinking, her face turned back to the shifter’s, and her eyes took in his exquisite appearance. Her hand went out to his face, and she gently pushed his hair behind his ear. Instead of pulling her hand back, the young woman let her hand rest gently against his face.
There was no warning when a hand shot up and took her hand as she looked into his peaceful features. The shifter did not open his eyes, but he pressed her hand against his face. Another hand wrapped around her waist and pulled her down beside him. Noely was taken completely by surprise, but she did not resist. Her mind was racing in many different directions as she tried to understand what was happening. His eyes still closed, the shifter pressed her head against his chest.
As she tried to figure out what to do, Noely was soothed by the gentle flow of words that she could hear through the man’s chest. “Thank you. I will repay your kindness. You have had a long day. Please, sleep.” One of his hands gently stroked her head, and the young woman could not help but close her eyes in response.
Noely wanted to argue or at least to put up some kind of resistance, but she found that she wanted to stay where she was. Giving a gentle nod, she placed a hand on the shifter’s chest. The way the man’s arm flexed as he held her to him made Noely feel that everything would be alright. Pushing herself against him in response, Noely’s mind took in every aspect of the shifter and the way his body felt. Her heart skipped a beat as she tried to calm her excitement.
The gentle voice spoke again, “You don’t need to fear me. I swear nothing will happen to you while I am here.”
Noely gave a little nod. Though it took a bit, she was finally able to still her thoughts and she drifted off into her first dreamless sleep since she had watched her parents walk off into the ocean so many years ago.