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She’d refused to wear it. It was too pretty and delicate for the eyes and hands of dirty, sweat-covered bandits.

It’d also been too short for her own comfort, swaying just above the knees. Part of her had wanted to appear as unappetising as possible. She’d even smothered her face and body in mud – which had merely gained her a bucket of water tipped over her head many times.

It’s only Nathair.He was a Duskwalker. Surely, he wouldn’t look at her with a leering eye.

Yet, she thumbed the silky material while thinking,I wonder if he’ll find me pretty in this.She blushed at herself, unsure of where that thought came from.I’m starting to have weird thoughts about him.Why did feeling safe make her like him more than she probably should?

She considered waiting for her pants to dry, but shook her head. She put on her mother’s dress and patted down the pink silky skirt that had green leaves sewn into it. A green sash had been stitched to the centre and sat just below her breasts. Her cleavage would have threatened to spill out due to the wide veedown the middle, but her undershirt thankfully covered it. The garment bore no sleeves and was relatively simple in design.

She shivered at the coldness surrounding her bared skin.I should have brought my jacket.

Wanting to head back swiftly, she picked up her lantern and left.

Her lips pursed when she got to the main entrance to discover Nathair had shifted and completely blocked it. His black scales glistened with rainbows against the muted light of her lantern.

I don’t think he’s sleeping.His entire body rippled, constantly shifting. She hadn’t been able to see it before, but he seemed to be twisting slowly, like he couldn’t get comfortable.

“Nathair, I need you to move over,” she requested with a quiet voice, not wanting to bother him. “I need to get past.”

Her gaze flickered down the dark tunnel, and she swallowed thickly. She was a sitting duck right now; a Demon could come frothing up the incline at any point.

Nathair didn’t respond, not in sound or movement, as if she’d been unheard.

She gingerly brought her fingers to him and pressed in and out, trying to stir him. Nothing. Her heart clenched when the candle sputtered, making the swallowing darkness flicker. She shook him.

Realising she hadn’t fixed the candle like she thought she did, she leapt into action before it could go out. She climbed over him, figuring he was in another trance and couldn’t be disturbed. He felt like climbing soft boulders, and she kicked and kneed him before crawling on the outer ring of his wrappings.

A small scream tore out of her when his coils suddenly opened and she fell. The lantern was lost,thunkingagainst the ground after she accidentally tossed it to catch herself.

Linh was rendered quiet when Nathair surrounded her from all sides, blocking her escape from the centre point of his serpent coil. She refused to feel fear, but did squirm until a set of white orbs lingered barely a few inches from her nose.

They are colourless, like before.So, she’d been right – he was in a trance then?

Her skin prickled when claws tickled up the bare flesh of her thighs, his hands dipping up under her dress before they slid up her sides. Anxiety instantly clutched her throat, choking her at the intimate touch beneath her clothing. Her stomach bubbled with repulsion, which made her skin crawl.

She clenched her eyes shut, only to peek them open moments later when his arms crossed behind her back and locked her in. He’d laid down and seemed to be twisting tighter and tighter around her.

He did nothing.

He didn’t try to touch her further, didn’t squeeze her until she couldn’t breathe. After a few panicked breaths, she realised his... shudders were beginning to settle, and became non-existent when he buried his snout against the crook of her neck and shoulder.

He’s just... hugging me.And she understood, for whatever reason, it was soothing him.

Perhaps it was her warmth, or maybe even her scent, since he’d buried his nose against her. Whatever it was, the innocence of it allowed her to settle. She relaxed into it, and her loss of tension made him soften as well.

For a long while, they just laid there, unmoving in the silence. It grew warmer the longer she was there, as if her heat bled into him and filled the rest of his body.

This is actually remarkably comforting.

She never thought she’d like being restricted like this, but it felt different to being pinned down. It was like being cuddled inutter protection, shielding out all the light and cold, so the only thing that existed was them.

Her heart and breaths lost their rapid speed. She didn’t realise her pulse had been racing every second of every minute since the day she’d been taken, and had never truly managed to return to a normal state, until now.

A scent slowly trickled into her senses.He smells like... waterlilies, and moonflowers.She’d never been able to smell them behind the heavy aroma of brine and salt. She liked that he didn’t have an overly masculine scent, and instead found the femininity of it pleasant against the balm of her damaged spirit.

Despite her alertness, her eyes drooped in contentment, and she rubbed the tip of her nose against him.

A strong pulse resonated from all around her, as if she was nestled within his very heart. She could feel it everywhere, softly pulsating against every bit of skin: her hands, chest, calves, and even from the part of his tail that had nestled itself between her thighs.