Page 23 of Simon

“You try?” I motioned for him, and he cleared his throat. It took him several times, and I even placed my hand to help move his jaw. By the fifth time, he’d got it. He had to maneuver his tongue. It wasn’t quite like mine, but he made the sound perfectly and then added the rest of the letters to it.

“Lucy.”

My heart suddenly fluttered when he said my name. His voice lacked the deep resonance that typically captivates women in romance novels or movies. Instead, it was velvety, gentle, and seemed to be exclusively meant for me. Every syllable he spoke felt like a tender caress, like a whispered prayer.

“You did it,” I whispered.

He crawled closer to me and grabbed both of my hands. “Lucy.”

What was he doing?

We were on a bed. A well-made bed, actually, and this was not a good place for me to be. What if he attacked me, tried to push me onto the blankets and do something to me? He already proved that he was stronger than me, by carrying me through the forest and then climbing a mountain.

I scooted farther away from him, ripping my hands from him, and his face dropped in utter disappointment.

Why did my heart hurt at the sight of that?

The faun backed away, giving me space, and stood up. He didn’t stay near me but went over to a table, poured water into a steel cup, and pushed it across the floor to me. He had a cave filled with items that were rather quite civilized.

Tools hung on the walls. There were cups, eating utensils, and places to sit. He could have stolen all these things, but he knew what to do with them. He even placed the bed on a raised platform, not on the ground. The cave was clean and well-ventilated, mostly because there was no door, just a gaping wide area where you could walk in and out of the cave.

Overall, it was comfortable in here.

He saved you, Lucy, and you just acted like he was going to assault you.

He is only curious. The lack of boundaries is completely normal in this realm, anyway. The poor thing has probably lived here alone for ages and just needs someone to talk to him.

I rubbed my forehead and slid off the bed. The faun sat in the chair to appear less intimidating because, let’s face it, he was.

If fact, he was rather adorable.

His hair was in disarray, and his ears were drooped like I’d kicked is puppy.

Wow, great way to thank your rescuer.

He was trying, so I had to be a little more understanding. He was trying to understand me, and I wasn’t giving him a chance.

“I am sorry. This is new to me.” I walked closer to him, being extra careful not to make any sudden movements. The light sources were setting, and gold and pink lights were filtering into the cave. “I don’t know why you saved me or how you even found me. I’ve also never seen a creature like you before.”

The faun lowered his head, and I heard a grunt.

“Hey.” I rushed toward him and got on my knees. “It isn’t a bad thing. I don’t know many species around here. I just came to Bergarian a month ago. I’m here to record all the species I can.”

The faun shook his head.

“Have others seen you before?”

He shrugged his shoulders.

That wasn’t much of an answer. I frowned, put my hands on either side of his face, and had him look at me as he had done to me before. “How many know that you live here in the Wood?”

Faun held up six fingers and shrugged his shoulders. “You think six people have seen you? Ever?”

He nodded and looked away.

Why has no one said anything? That there was a faun running in the woods and it was all alone? He appeared to be sociable and was obviously lonely.

“Are there others like you? With horns and pretty little hooves?” I smiled and poked at his cheek.

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