Page 84 of Wind and Water
“Stay here. I’m gonna run you a bath then let that nice Lila in to heat the water with her magic.” Momma does as she says, and I don’t even look up to acknowledge Lila, whoever she is.
Once she’s gone, I let Momma help me into the tub. She sits on a chair behind me and washes my hair like she did when I was a little girl.
Once I’m calm and my muscles soothed, she tucks me into bed. “Sleep now, baby girl. You’re safe.”
The last word sounds muddled as I fall deeply into nothing.
At one point, I think I’m awake, and a female elf with long brown hair and bright hazel eyes stares down at me. Her arms are crossed over an ample chest. She’s beautiful but frowning. Maybe it’s another premonition. Exhaustion pulls me back into a restless sleep.
There are loud noises in the distance. When I open my eyes again, the woman isn’t there. I must have dreamed of her.
A knock at the door pulls me fully awake. “Come in.”
Liam stands in the doorway. “Feeling better?”
With a few deep breaths, I assess my body’s aches and pains and find them minor. “I am. How are you? Did you rest?”
Wearing clean cream-colored leggings and a belted brown tunic that ties with laces at a V-neck, he looks clean and painfully handsome as he closes the door. As he crosses to me, his steps are long and graceful. He climbs on the bed as if it’s something he does every day, and pulls me close, wrapping both arms around me. “I would have slept here if your mother hadn’t convinced me that you needed space. Which, she had to explain, meant time away from everyone.”
“I was just emotional because of…everything. I don’t need space from you, Liam. Momma doesn’t understand yet.” I lay my head back on his chest.
“Then you don’t mind that I’ve had them put your things in my room?”
My pulse speeds. “I don’t mind, but what will your mother and father think?”
“They think it’s impulsive and lacks propriety.” He laughs. “I cannot bear the idea of you sleeping elsewhere.”
“Close is good.” It’s strange to be in a relationship where I have no doubts about the man’s feelings. I feel what he feels. My only worries are from people outside of the two of us, and that we are literally from different worlds.
He kisses the top of my head and points to a pile of clothes folded neatly on a chair near the window and a blue dress hanging on the wardrobe that glimmers in the late-day sun. “Someone brought you something to wear to dinner and an option if you’d prefer to be comfortable.”
“Will you be changing for dinner?”
His chin rubs along the side of my head. “I will wear my uniform. It’s customary to dress for dinner. Lila will probably be here soon to help you.”
“There was a woman in here. I wonder if that was Lila?” I push my memory to bring back the hazy image.
“What woman?” His voice sharpens.
“An elf with long brown hair and hazel eyes. I thought she stared down at me while I slept, but I might have dreamed her.”
He stiffens, then pulls away and rises from the bed. “You didn’t dream her.” Without an explanation, he leans down and kisses my cheek. “I’ll come to escort you to dinner.”
I jump out of bed. His demeanor makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. “Liam, who was it?”
Softening his expression, he returns and pulls me into his arms. “I suspect it was Dierdre, but I will deal with her. You have nothing to worry about.”
“I wasn’t worried until you said that.” In truth, I thought I had dreamed the elf woman and that she was a product of the stress of being in a new place and all that had come before.
Taking my face in his hands, he presses a kiss to my lips.
There’s a light knock on the door, and an elf with light brown hair and brown eyes steps in. She sees Liam and gives him a schoolmarmish look that should have quelled him.
He laughs and turns back to me. “I will speak to Dierdre. Everyone here is happy you have come, and you already know how I feel.” The warmth of his love washes over me.
My cheeks heat as he kisses me again and rushes from the room, giving Lila a peck on the cheek on his way out.
She slaps his shoulder. “You need to dress for dinner,” she calls after him, but he’s long gone. “I am Lila. Would you like me to do your hair, Miss Martin?”
