“Drying you, tiny female. Will you allow this?”
I sigh, realizing that I can’t do it myself, and I’m so tired I have almost nothing left in my tank. Maybe if I think of him like a doctor, it won’t be so bad.
“Fine.”
I keep my eyes on the wall of the kradi, ignoring his hum of approval. He’s quick and methodical, patting the cloth along my body while keeping it mostly wrapped around me. He starts at my legs and moves his way up, making sure to dry the insides of my thighs. I wince as the cloth swipes over my chafing.
“I know, Ellie. I have more salve, but for now, we must make sure it is dry.”
By the time he makes his way up to my breasts, butterflies are having a party in my stomach, and my nipples are hard, poking through the cloth.
He curses, low and rough, and heat sweeps up my cheeks.
“You are gorgeous.”
I drop my eyes to his, stunned, and his eyes are dark as he looks up at me. I bite my lip, and his gaze immediately lowers to my mouth.
He seems to shake himself and gets to his feet, moving back toward the fire and then returning with a huge piece of fur.
“I will find you clothes in the morning, but for now, we can wrap this around you,” he says.
He helps me into it, and I attempt to ignore the feel of his hands dancing over my body. They’re strong and sure, warm and gentle. I sway closer to him, wanting nothing more than to curl up against his hard chest, and he ties the fur so that I can at least take small steps.
“Poor, tired female,” he says. “Soon you can sleep.”
My eyes widen, and I catch myself taking a step back as he leans over and picks up a jar I’ve seen before.
The scary paste that Moni used. The one that made me feel like my arm was being broken all over again before it finally went numb.
I narrow my eyes at Terex. “Moni already did that.”
“And she told me to make sure we reapplied it before you went to sleep. Be brave, tiny female. It’s for your own good.”
I grind my teeth at his patronizing tone, but there’s no denying the fact that while it hurts like a bitch, whatever is in that magic paste has also massively decreased the swelling and even briefly numbed my elbow before I started moving it while trying to get unchanged.
“Fine.”
Terex steps aside and gestures for me to move in front of the fire. I sit on one of the large cushions close enough that I can feel the heat of the fire on my face. My eyes instantly attempt to slide closed.
“Ah, Jesus Christ, give a girl some warning!”
My arm erupts in fire, and tears spring to my eyes, but Terex holds my wrist, jaw firm. Within moments, my injury is blissfully numb once more, but I scowl up at him anyway.
He grins at whatever he sees on my face and leans down, pushing my damp hair off my face. “There, all finished. Now you can have your reward.”
The heat in his eyes leaves no doubt as to the kind of reward he’d like to offer, but he moves away before returning with a comb in his hand. He helps me back into my sling and then positions his huge body behind me, encouraging me to lean against him while he begins working the knots from my hair.
I can’t help but ask. “Did you really want to brush my hair when you first saw me?”
He pauses and then resumes his brushing. “I don’t lie, tiny female. And never to you.”
Chapter Six
Ellie
I wake with a jolt. Where am I? I’m warm and cozy, but my elbow is howling at me, not pleased by my sudden movement.
“Relax, tiny female. You are safe.”
Safe.
I mouth the word to myself while I frown. I’m lying next to Terex, his warm body at my back and the warmth of the fire at my front. I’m leaning against a mound of pillows, and my heart flips as I look around. Terex has created a cocoon for me, making sure I’m sitting up slightly and pushing pillows up against either side of me so I wouldn’t roll onto my arm in the night.
Aw.
My stomach is screaming at me. My last memory is the feel of Terex brushing my hair, and he must have figured it was better to let me sleep. I could definitely roll over and sleep for a few more hours, but I’m so hungry I feel nauseous, and my stomach growls loudly at the thought of food.
Terex sits up and raises an eyebrow at me, obviously amused. “Such a fierce sound for one so small,” he says, and I glower at him.
“Feed me, and I’ll let you live.”
He tilts his head back and laughs, and I stare at him, stunned. It’s not fair that this guy is so gorgeous.
I attempt to keep my eyes off his chest, but that lasts about three seconds. Within moments, my eyes drift back to the play of muscles, which flex and roll as he moves. He’s not wearing a shirt, and the blue scales along his shoulders glint in the light of the fire. I open my mouth to ask him about them, but he’s already moving, and a choked sound escapes me as I get an up close look at his toned butt.
“Put on some pants!”
Terex sends me an amused look over his shoulder, and if I didn’t know better, I’d think he was posing for me. I grab the pants he wore yesterday from the floor next to the bed and throw them at him with my good arm, instantly squeezing my eyes shut as he turns to catch them.
Okay, I may have cracked one eye open, but so would any red-blooded woman.
It turns out his huge sword wasn’t overcompensating for anything.
I force my eyes shut for real this time, waiting until I hear him pull on his pants before I open them again.
“Are you a virgin?” he asks suddenly, voice curious.
“No, I’m not a virgin, thank you very much.”
But to be honest, sex hasn’t been much to write home about.
“Ah. So just shy. Soon you will learn not to be shy with me.”
No, I won’t.
Terex hands me a plate, and I begin inhaling my food as if he’s going to take it away. His eyes light with pleasure as he watches me, and he hands me a cup of water before reaching for a plate himself.
I groan as I bite into a piece of something resembling bread. It has the perfect crust on the outside, and it’s still soft on the inside. I try a range of fruits and nuts, finding that I like the green fruits that taste similar to cherries.
“There will be meat at the morning meal,” Terex says, and I nod, stuffing my face until my stomach no longer aches.
“Wow,” I say finally. “I demolished that. I was starving, thank you.”
“It pleases me to feed you.”
I don’t know what to say to that, so I nod, blushing as I turn back to the fire. “When can we look for Charlie?”
“When your arm is healed.”
My mouth drops open, and I whip my head around, meeting Terex’s eyes. “That’s not what we agreed on.”
He frowns at me. “Did you think I would allow you to travel for days while in pain? What kind of male would I be to allow such a thing?”
“Okay, buddy, we’re going to need to talk about the a-word. You don’t allow me to do anything.”
Now that I have food in my belly and I’m no longer actively fearing for my life, I feel a little more confident doing battle with this huge warrior. Even when he narrows his eyes at me.
“I am bigger than you and stronger than you.” He shrugs. “I know how to ride a mishua, and you do not. I know which tribes will be willing to answer our questions and which will attempt to kill us on sight.”