Page 19 of Wounded Mate
“Very much.” I squeeze his hand to reassure him. “And I shall show you the way I look before you decide whether or not weprogress any further, but first let’s take care of a few practical matters. I’ll go fetch warm water and a bathing tray for washing, and clothes that will fit you. More medicine too, I think. And a fresh set of bandages. While I do that, there’s a pit privy down the hall if you need it. That’s also where we empty the chamber pots. I’ll take you there.”
“Yes, thank you for all that, but can I see you first? As you truly are. I can’t bear to wait another second.”
A wave of unfamiliar shyness rolls through me. Not that I don’t want to show him or that I’m self-conscious of my incubus form. But has Bela ever seen blue skin? Horns? He has a tail himself, so at least he’s familiar with that, but still. What if things aren’t the same when he’s seen the real me?
And why am I afraid of losing someone I’ve only just met?
Bela must sense the turmoil inside me because he says, “You’re right. Practical matters first. That’s smart.” He rises from his chair and adjusts the blanket around his frame, all fidgety.
Having made my decision, I stand up too quickly and send my chair loudly skidding behind me. “No, you’re right.” I suck in a fortifying breath and command my queasy stomach to settle. “I’ll shift for you first.”
Chapter Ten
Bela
Valius is tearingoff his clothes, one layer at a time, while I’m on pins and needles. Underneath the brown and green outer garments, he’s wearing the most stunning blue silk that goes perfectly with his sparkling eyes.
The blouse has a sheer panel in front, revealing two pert pink nipples pierced through with gold. Rubies dangle from each nub, and the two are connected with a delicate golden chain that hangs low to frame another jewel at his navel. I want to follow the chains with my tongue, tasting every inch of skin along the way.
Never in my life have I seen a creature so magnificent as Valius.
He’s a work of art. Hard to believe he’s real.
The flowing blue pants are loose around his thighs, then wrap to fit his lower legs, showing off shapely calves and elegant ankles. His bare feet are also jeweled, and glints of gold shine from rings around his toes.
Before I’ve taken it all in, he’s shucking the blue silk as well. In seconds, he’s bearing himself completely before me. Valius. Nude. In all his considerable glory.
I must look like such a fool, staring as I am, but I can’t get enough of him. Every curve, every smooth inch of skin, the delicate place between his legs perhaps not so delicate at the moment. Rather hard and eager. My mouth waters. There aren’t words enough to describe his beauty.
But it’s not over. All the while, he’s staring at me with a little shake of his head as if saying, “No, not that. Wait for it.”
He rolls his neck, and silver light shimmers from his head to his toes, like snowfall, and behind it, Valius’s entire body has gone cobalt blue, his skin glimmering with a radiance that seems to come from within. His red hair is now very,veryred. Not the auburn orange of human hair but a striking red like oxblood, stunning with its bold hue.
Upon his head sprouts four inky black horns, curling from his forehead away from his face, and these too are decorated, draped with gold chains and shining rubies to highlight his stunning hair. And the more I study him, the more he’s grown taller. I’d thought myself to be the taller of us, but in this form, he has a few inches on me.
A fewgloriousinches.
If I was lovestruck before, I’m positively over the moon now. I itch to touch him everywhere, to run my fingers over his uniquely gorgeous skin, to smooth my palms over his shining hair, to discover what those horns feel like under my wandering hands.
For a moment, neither of us moves, each considering the other. Words have never come easily to me when I need them most, and though I’d compose ballads for him if I could, I don’t know what to say now.
But he’s waiting for me to speak first. I won’t let him down. “Valius, you’re the most lovely person I’ve ever laid eyes on. Your true form is wonderful.” I reach for him. “May I?”
He nods. His posture carries both pride and vulnerability, shoulders held back, spine straight, arms crossed, hands holding his elbows. Then, as if he were saving the next surprise for last, an elegant blue tail, like the cord of a whip, curls over his hip and wraps around his waist. On the end, a little tapered nub.
I step in, gently cup the enticing column of his throat, and trail a soft line down over his collarbones, to his shoulders, along the lean muscles of his biceps, to the smooth, hairless skin of his forearms, and finally to his hands, which I hold in my own. “I want to touch you everywhere.”
He sways closer to me, opening his arms. “I want to let you.”
He’s careful about it, probably concerned about my injury, but he steps into my arms, and we share our first real embrace. It’s bliss. Pure magic to hold him close in this way, to press my nose to his sweetly scented hair and inhale.
It’s crazy to adore someone so soon, but my love for him blooms inside me like a wildflower, untamed by theshouldsandshouldn’tsof the world, simply thriving under its own natural rules.
Valius kisses the top of my ear, a soft, damp press of lips. I’m starving for more. I tilt my head just so and capture his mouth with mine. His moan is a medley my soul sings for.
He tastes even better than he smells.
The wolf inside me is giddy.
