Page 16 of Woven Souls

“I know we have to hash some things out,” Kwil says softly as he takes us to the bathroom. “But I just want a few more minutes before everything starts falling apart all over again.”

I look up at him and study his face. From halfway up his nose, or at least what’s left of it, is man. There are few scattered freckles along the bridge, but the rest of his human skin has none. The bottom half of his face looks almost like a mask with how strange it is. I reach up and touch his face with wonder. The monster flesh vibrates harder under my touch. Does it ever stop?Whydoes it vibrate?

Seeming to know where my thoughts have gone, Kwil says, “Each vibration means something. I learned that pretty early on, after I was turned.”

In the bathroom, he places me on my feet. He takes my hand and leads me over to the steaming hot water in the tub. The hand that holds mine has two fingers, both of his middle ones, elongated with smooth black skin, thick knuckles, and long claws at the tips. Since he always wears gloves, I hadn’t noticed those until earlier when he cut me. Funny how his face and fingers don’t bother me.

Once in the tub, I lower myself into the water. I hiss when the water touches my butt. When I’m situated, I hesitate for just a moment before I slide forward so that there is room for Kwil. He wants a moment before facing reality? Well, me too. I try to push away the little voice in my head that says he’s not to be trusted.

Kwil stares at me. His jaw works as he stands there, his eyes trailing over my body. With a sigh he reaches down and grabs for the hem of his shirt.

Before he lifts it, he says, “I don’t want to scare you—”

“Honey, if you don’t take your clothes off, I’ll get out and rip them off my damn self.”

I can clearly see his face, and I had something very nonhuman up my ass just a moment ago. It’s time to see Kwil in all his monstrous glory. With a sigh, Kwil removes his shirt. In the next instant, his pants are gone. When he stands straight up, I have full access to view his entire body.

I think my mouth has fallen open, but I can’t be sure because all I can focus on is Kwil. I always knew Kwil was the tallest of the three Ghosts, but now I see why. His left leg is stretched, veiny, and thick with an absurd amount of muscle. The skin is ink black and smooth. Almost like it’s been polished. The other leg is more human, although it’s still stretched and muscular. His torso is stretched, too. The right side is thicker as muscle flares out. The skin on that side is just like his face and left leg. His right pec is warped too, taut with strange rippling muscles covered with smooth black skin.

What I find fascinating are the tattoos that ink the skin that isn’t mutated. The tattoos start from halfway down his neck and stop at his hips. It’s clear they wrap around his body and possibly go up his back. I think I’ve seen Theo with the same tattoos peeking around the collar of his shirts.

Finally, I drop my gaze to his dick. Just like the rest of his abnormal body, this too is not human. Though flaccid, there is definitely an impressive hang there. I can see the ridges, the soft flesh that becomes a nub when he’s hard, and when I look closely enough, I can see it’s still vibrating. I have a feeling his whole body is always subtly vibrating.

I take my time staring at him, wondering if this is the only time that he’ll let me get a good look before covering up.

When I lift my gaze to his, I find him watching me.

“The water is going to get cold,” I tell him and nudge my head to indicate he can come over.

Kwil hesitates.

“You’re not scared?” He swallows hard. “Or disgusted?”

I meet his gaze so he can read the honesty in my eyes. “No.”

The relief on his face tugs at my heart. Had he really been that worried about what I would say or do? I wonder if he will be as understanding if he ever finds out exactly what I am.

Kwil moves over to the counter where there are two bottles, a bar of soap, and a loofa. Once he grabs everything and brings it over to place beside the tub, he moves to join me in the warm water. I scoot forward more and watch as the water rises, nearly spilling over the edge as he sits. His legs come around me. I lean back into his chest where I can feel the rest of him vibrate.

The vibration causes the top of the water to dance. It’s fun to watch. I focus on that rather than whose arms I’m in.

“Do you feel how I shake?” Kwil asks softly. At my nod, he continues. “I may not have turned completely into a monster, but I do have the instincts of one. I had to learn what each vibration pattern meant in order to control myself. There’s one for anger, hunger, uncertainty. When the others are in danger and my Fae senses haven’t picked up on it, but my monster sense have, there’s a pattern for that as well. There’s even one when I’m exhausted. These were all so common that it didn’t take me long to learn each one.”

His hands fall onto my shoulders. I can feel the vibration in the two fingers on his left hand. Kwil only keeps his hands there for a moment before they slide down my arms into the water. There they leave only to land on my upper thighs. My body begins to warm under his touch.

“I thought I knew this new body inside and out. That is, until recently. Within the past two and a half weeks, I’ve learned that there is a pattern for contentment, hope, joy, and lust. That I could feel any of that as a monster is… A relief? Humbling? Maybe a bit scary if I’m being honest.”

Pressed to his chest as fully as I am, I’m gently pushed forward as he sucks in a deep breath. When Kwil lets it out slowly, I sink back towards him.

“But what surprised me the most is that I don’t feel these things individually,” he continues. “What you’re feeling now is a combination of all of that, and it only happens when you’re around. This is your own personal pattern, Willow. It’s all yours, and it has been since the moment I laid eyes on you. When I’m buried deep inside of you or simply holding you like this, my body is always aware and in tune with you.”

My heart squeezes painfully in my chest. His body shakes because of me?Forme? Why does this make me want to melt into him?

“My thoughts sometimes… They’re not complete. They’re more like, like—” Kwil pauses as he considers his words. “Fragmented feelings that can’t really be translated into coherent ideas or words.”

“Like back in the bedroom?” I ask. “Where you couldn’t tell us exactly why you were having a hard time with Jonah and me fooling around?”

“Yes.” There’s a short pause. “These feelings I’ve been wrestling with, that have turned into your vibrations, are the monster’s way of trying to communicate a very specific message to me. I just hadn’t really listened. It took you leaving to actually understand what it’s been trying to say. Now I get it. Willow, you’re my—”

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