The reason she didn’t believe it was a good idea to reach out to her sister now was that, yes, Kai would listen, but when Kai heard that someone attacked her and that some scary wolfish man was eyeing her like a fox in the hen house, her big sister would tell her to come back.Or worse, rush here to save her.
A chuckle bubbled up as she thought about Kai bringing Aodh’s big-ass sword and cleaving Minsi’s head from her shoulders.
If Kai could lift it long enough to attack.Morlie shook her head.
However, she didn’t need Kai to save her, as she always did.She needed to save herself by planning and figuring out how to take down Minsi.
She sighed and closed the door behind her.The bathroom was lovely.It was smaller than the one she had in the Drahk’s territory, but it was homier.There were light-blue rugs on the floor before the sink and bathtub.The color patterns on the shower curtain and towels were a mix of light blue, gold, and white.
Morlie wondered which one of the women decorated the space.Chanin’s living room and kitchen were very masculine in décor.She hoped he would allow her to put a little of her touch on things.
At the sink, she turned on both the faucet handles.Unlike the dragon’s single-fixture plumbing, she stared at the two knobs and prayed that hot water would come from one.Placing her fingers under the running water, she felt a hint of warmth and sighed with relief.As she waited, giving the water time to heat a little more, she did what she’d been avoiding doing: looking into the mirror at her face.
It didn’t surprise her to see her short hair was matted and needed a wash and some steady finger-detangling or that a few layers of dirt still covered her face.There were muddy streaks where tears had sprung out of her eyes from the impact and pain of being hit so damn hard.However, what shocked her was the sight of her mouth.
She had imagined seeing one if not two, swollen lips and a busted bottom lip.However, besides the streak of dried blood caked with mud along the side of her chin, there wasn’t a single outward sign of Minsi striking her.Reaching up, she touched her face and expected there would still be the same level of soreness that she’d felt downstairs, but now only a slight tenderness remained.
How is that possible?
But even as the words filled her mind, she recalled the method by which her hands had healed earlier.She held her hands out and saw that nothing of her injuries existed on her palms.It didn’t take much for that train of thought to remember the kiss Chanin had given her.At the time, she had thought of it as passionate and his way of showing claim over her to those gathered, but as she analyzed it now, it had been more than that.He’d kissed her deep, swept his tongue along hers, and followed a seductive path behind her bottom lip and over the seam of her mouth.When he'd drawn her bottom lip into his mouth and suckled, she’d winced at the pain but hadn’t pulled away.After what had happened with Minsi, she’d wanted him near.Needed his reassuring touch and the possession of a kiss.
Her blood had heated from the desire filling her, and she struggled to think of anything else but him.When he’d said ‘Mine,’ her heart had soared.
Now, staring at her mended face, she understood his reason for the kiss.It had less to do with his desire for her and more about him healing her.
Even knowing that, she still shivered at the frisson of heat zipping into her core from the memory of his touch.She exhaled and glanced down at the water.The steam rising from the water flow made her smile for the first time since they walked from the field.
Not wanting to take more time than necessary to clean herself up, Morlie picked up the soap filled with petals and herbs in the dish at the sink.She rubbed the bar between her hands to the running faucet and felt her body relax from the scent of lavender and mint.Quickly, she attacked her arms, then her face and neck.Those areas were as clean as she could make them, but she stared down at her dusty shirt and skirt and wished she could shower and change into something different.
If she had known she would run, she would have packed a change of clothing or two.She used the towel on the hook by the sink with nothing else to do but dry her damp face and hands and then left the bathroom.
She could hear the chatter and laughter of the two women and followed it to the kitchen on the other side of the living room.Weekly, her family played board games when she was little, and besides that, twice cheered along the sidelines for Eilidh and her friends as they played a game of catch.The ball came at her too fast to see or catch it, so Morlie had been happy on the sidelines, but other than those types of games, there hadn’t been much in her past, so she wasn’t interested in seeing a game room right now.
When Morlie entered the kitchen, she saw Lovel fed Amira a piece of toasted cubed bread from a tray beside the stove.Her hand was against the other woman’s waist, holding her close.
Amira, who stood a foot shorter than Lovel, took the bread in her mouth and the other woman’s finger with it.
Lovel’s hot gaze stayed fixed on the short, plump woman’s mouth as she watched Amira slowly drag her finger out.
Morlie felt she was intruding on an intimate moment and didn’t know if she should go into the living room and give them privacy or clear her throat to let them know she was present.Even though Morlie didn’t have much experience witnessing same-sex couples behind the Wall because the government sent out multiple notices reminding those in the district about the laws that it was illegal and punishable by death, she could see the strong affection between them.
Does Bleddyn know his mates share such an attraction for each other?
It didn’t make Morlie uncomfortable, but she wondered how it all worked with the Beta and the two women.
“Did you find everything you needed?”A flushed-cheeked Amira ran a hand through her short, pixie-cut blonde hair as she chewed the small piece of bread and turned to Morlie.
“Ehm...yes.Yes, thank you.”She pointed to her clothes.“Sorry, this was the best I could do to clean up.I don’t have anything else.”
“It’s fine.”Lovel scraped the chunks of bread into a bowl filled with vegetables and shredded meat.
Morlie sniffed but could not identify the smell.The dragons ate a lot of goat meat, but whatever the game animal was that topped the leafy greens, she didn’t have a clue.
“We can eat in the kitchen,” Lovel carried the bowl to the round six-person table before the window.
The curtains rested along the sides of the windows and allowed the view of the trees and the pale-purple sky behind the house.Morlie would have preferred to eat outdoors in the fresh air.However, she wouldn’t fuss when the two women offered her warm-hearted hospitality.
“Anywhere is fine.”She glanced over at Amira, who was fixing a sandwich at the counter.“May I help do something?”
