Page 42 of Marked

Nala perked up when I padded into the main room.

“Are you coming girl?” I reached out and ruffled her fur.

She yipped and jumped off the couch. Though she moved slower and with a slight limp, her health had already improved since the attack. She would be back to her old self in no time and then I could track down the rogue hunters. Sure, I might’ve killed them all, but I wanted to know where they’d come from and if there were more. My fingers itched to pull my bow, my legs begged to run to the scene of the attack, but I’d learned long ago to listen to a healer’s advice. Orion had said our bond had weakened and I didn’t want to leave on a long hunting mission until Nala was stronger.

With my familiar at my side, I set off into the forbidden forest of Danu.

The birds sang merrily overhead and flittered from branch to branch among the sun-dappled leaves as they followed my path through the forest. A couple of large ravens also trailed after me, occasionally adding their eerie croak to the noise overhead. The morning air still held a slight chill, but I welcomed the bite, knowing full well things would heat up soon, anyway.

After a short jaunt through the forest, I arrived at my destination. A secret hot spring existing near the major river and the edge of the forest. Paul and I had found this place when we were fourteen. Ace had dared us to jump in.

A two-tiered pool system had a large, heated upper pool that cascaded down to a lower pool in a spectacular waterfall before it drained into the river where the naiads sometimes lurked, including the one I’d questioned the other day.

I had no interest in running across that unfriendly creature again.

I set my supplies down near the edge of the lower pool and started pulling off my dirt-encrusted clothes. The morning bite in the air made my skin pebble, but the promise of the warm water propelled me forward. The lower pool wasn’t as hot as the upper one, but I wasn’t looking to scald my skin or plummet to my death, so the lower pool would meet my needs.

Dipping my toes into the water gently lapping at the bank, I tested the temperature of the hot springs before walking in the rest of the way.

The water flowed over my naked skin and soothed my nerves. I missed this. I missed the calm that came from bathing every inch of my body with heat.

Nala huffed and flopped down beside my stuff on the banks of the lower pool.

“I won’t be long,” I assured her.

She grumbled and cushioned her head on her front paws.

My wolf preferred that I smelled like dirt, cooked meat and wolf. She hated when I came to the pools.

I turned away from Nala and dove into the water. The feel of the current through my hair and the warm water along my skin felt better than any massage session.

After I resurfaced, I dove again.

I could do this all day, but that wouldn’t be fair to Nala, and my brother probably expected us back by lunch.

I grabbed my soap and headed for the waterfall.

It wasn’t a powerful stream of water. I could stand under the cascading water without getting crushed. Using the soap, I lathered my body, running my hands over my breasts, arms, and the flat of my stomach. The heated water washed away any of the dirt too stubborn to come off earlier. I bent to scrub my legs and groin next when Nala barked.

I straightened immediately and turned toward my familiar. A chill ran up my spine despite the temperature of the water.

Nala wasn’t looking at me. Instead, she stood and faced the opposite bank of the lower pool.

I turned slowly to follow her gaze and froze. There, standing at the edge of the water, Ace watched me, his expression unreadable from this distance. He held his bow in one hand but had lowered it to his side. His mouth was partly open. Instead of attempting to cover myself where I stood, I dove into the pool and let the water shield me from his gaze.

What was he doing here?

When I resurfaced, I found Ace standing in the same spot. Why hadn’t he left? Why hadn’t he looked away? I let my feet touch the pebbled bottom of the pool and stood. The water came up to my neck, the steam lifting from the heated surface to caress my face.

“Did you get a good enough look?” I asked. What would he do if I walked out of the water and draped myself over his body like Maria had at the pub?

Ace snapped his mouth shut and a dusty rose colour spread over his cheeks. “I asked your brother if anyone still risked coming to the hot springs in the forbidden forest and he said no. I wouldn’t have come if I knew you’d be here.”

“Yet, you definitely stayed.” I cocked my head. “I’ve killed men for less.”

He straightened, his gaze finally meeting mine. “Have you?”

I ignored his question. Of course, I hadn’t. I killed men for hunting in the forest. “If Nala hadn’t alerted me, how long would you have kept watching?”

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