Page 17 of Marked

When a strand of moonlight leaked in and crossed over her, Blair stretched and unwound from the blankets that were smothering her.

She sat up, remembering where she was, and looked around.

There was no sign of Damien, but knowing him, he hadn’t strayed too far.

Slightly pausing, she imagined him sleeping in the tent outside.

Scoffing to herself, she sat up, instantly annoyed at herself for letting him be the first thing she thought of after waking up.

Swinging her legs off the bed, she stretched again, inhaling the scent of the hot springs outside.

Looking up at the moon through her window, she guessed she had slept a few hours. The darkness indicated it wasn’t close to dawn. She moved out of bed, checking the bathroom for any signs of Damien and shrugged. She was the only one there.

Walking from the bathroom, she undressed and grabbed the robe that hung next to the sink. Wrapping it around herself, she opened the door leading outside to the hot springs. With it being so late, it would be the perfect time to test out the waters .

Closing the door to her room, the night air felt crisp against her skin.

She looked around on the ground for her clothes, not wanting to trip on them but they were nowhere to be found.

Huffing in annoyance at the thought of someone stealing mud-riddled clothing, she walked the stone path that led to the water, following the faint bubbling she heard.

The sound louder with every step she took.

The steam filled her lungs as she reached the edge of the pool, thick wisps curling lazily above the surface.

Blair dipped a toe in, gasping at the unexpected heat before laughing softly to herself.

She had never experienced this before, and although she heard stories of the hot springs, she couldn't help feeling vulnerable.

Looking down at her body, she thought of her home and how very far away she was from her normal comfort.

She would have never thought she would of found herself at a Hot Spring.

Slipping the robe off her shoulders, she waded in slowly.

The warmth instantly wrapped around her like a cocoon, making her sigh in relief.

"Look who’s up."

Blair jumped causing the water to ripple around her.

Her eyes darted toward the far side of the spring and focused on another person occupying the water.

Half immersed, the figure lounged against the rocks along the ledge.

From the dim moonlight that flickered over his sharp features, Blair could tell it was Damien.

"Yeah. I woke up and wanted to try the water out," she admitted, sinking deeper into the water to hide her flustered expression .

He smirked, tilting his head slightly. "How's your first time?"

Blair's face heated, "Five seconds ago? Great. Now? Uncomfortable."

"Just pretend I’m not here then." he chuckled.

As uncomfortable as she was, Blair turned away from him with a scowl and tried to let the warmth seep into her bones.

After a few seconds, the tension in her shoulders and neck started to melt away.

Maybe she didn't care how naked she was.

Perhaps he was farther away than she realized, and he couldn't see anything anyway.

Within a few moments, her worries seemed to lift as she focused solely on the water that enveloped her.

After a few minutes, she glanced at Damien again. His eyes half-lidded with ease. The night felt strangely suspended, quiet, and dreamlike, as though nothing existed beyond this moment.

"Unless you want to use your five questions now." Damien casually murmured in her direction, not opening his eyes.

She peeked at him, uncomfortable and not really wanting to converse while she was nude. Ultimately, she caved, shaking her head at the absurdity of the situation.

"And you won't lie?" She eyed him suspiciously and raised one eyebrow in question at him.

"There's no reason too," he answered and held her gaze in an honest but direct stare.

She nodded shallowly and clicked her tongue as the first question became apparent to her. "Are your shadows dangerous? At least, I think they're shadows. Right?" She kept her eyes closed, but she imagined how his face would look as he answered the question.

He responded quickly, a smile leaking through his answer. "I think technically you just asked two questions… in a matter of two seconds."

She cursed under her breath, raising her hands to rub her temples and let out a loose breath.

"Will your shadows hurt me?"

Damien opened his eyes and exhaled sharply, running a wet hand through the top of his hair.

He stared at his arm as he brought it back down in front of his face.

"Controlling them isn't that simple task," he admitted, his voice low, almost hesitant.

"They're part of me, but they don't always need direction.

It's like… they feed off my emotions, slipping through the cracks when I get too angry, too scared, too anything.

" His gaze flickered to the sky. "I've had them for as long as I can remember.

I try to keep them in, but the more I fight back for control, the worse it gets.

They lash out when I don't mean them to, and sometimes it's hard to stop them.

" He clenched his fists under the water.

"So no, I don't think they will hurt you.

I just have to keep myself together and hope they don't decide to tear everything apart. "

At the brazen truth and sheer unease of his voice, Blair believed him. "That's not really reassuring." She stated, eyes opening to the sky above.

"You have two questions left." He stated as he moved from the rocks, the sound of moving water louder than the gurgles that surrounded them .

"Are you the bad guy?" She waited for his answer, not moving or breathing.

"No. I am what some people call Shadowborn or Duskborn, depending on what legend you grew up with.

I'd like to think I'm not the bad guy. Some of us lose control, and that's when things get.

.. Messy. But as most things go, I'm sure there are some out there you could consider bad.

" His tone remained genuine as he shifted in the water.

Blair bit her lower lip as she processed the information he was giving her. She then focused on her last question.

"Okay. Last question... Why are you always such an ass?" She asked, a smile cracking on the last few words. He picked his head up and looked over at her, shaking it.

"You really decided to use that as your last question?" His warm laugh echoed off the water around them. "Call it a personality trait." He stood then, the water collecting at his waist as he moved to exit the water.

Blair noticed and quickly averted her eyes, her cheeks staining with color. Did he have no shame? She listened as he exited the water, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around his waist. He sat on a large rock next to the water and began to dry.

"Well, I guess it’s my turn but I’m only giving you two because you tricked me." Blair said, wanting to turn the attention away from all the exposed flesh in the vicinity.

Without missing a beat, Damien responded. "I want to know why you are alone all the time."

Taken back by the quick response, Blair swallowed and prepared her answer, thinking for a minute .

"It was always just me and my parents," she said, her fingers curling in and out of the water as she tried to comfort herself. "My father wasn't the best man. He favored alcohol and…" She paused, fighting the lump in her throat. "…most days he'd come home angry."

Blair's voice wavered, and she took a moment to steady herself, "When I was fourteen, he died," she went on, her hands trembling slightly as the memories flooded back.

"They told me it was a heart attack, though I think his body just gave out from drinking.

And my mother, she was sick. She'd cough for days, and I'd try to help her, but there was only so much I could do. "

Blair's eyes turned down to her hands, the scars on her palms a reminder of the years she had spent trying to shield herself from the chaos, the pain.

"A few years later, she died. It was a slow kind of death.

Some random sickness that the healers couldn't help with.

I was sixteen when she passed. After they were gone, I didn't really want to get close to anyone else. "

She paused, the weight of her words hanging in the air.

Blair let out a long breath, blinking rapidly to clear the wetness from her eyes. Damien remained quiet, focused on her story, but his second question came out slow and methodical. "How did you end up in Silverdawn?"

"I didn't know where to go after my mother died," she continued, her voice gaining strength.

"I wandered for a while, not sure what to do with myself.

Where I lived before, you couldn't even call it a town; it was just a few houses grouped together.

When I found Silverdawn. I found kindness there in Finley, in the traders, and in the children that littered the streets.

It gave me life, and I quickly became obsessed with it.

I knew I didn't want to be the same kind of person my parents were.

So, I became the mother I never had, in the teacher I am.

. or was ." Blair took a deep breath, unaware she had been holding her own as she talked.

Suddenly, the water was too warm, and she wished to be back in bed, surrounded by comfort.

"I think I’m going to head in for the night.

" She stood out of the water. As the night air hit her wet skin, she instantly remembered how very naked she was.

A hard lump formed in her throat, but she swallowed it.

If she could face that life she just explained, she could face Damien.

She turned her body, exposing herself to him.

The water dripped down every inch of her skin.

Walking up to him, she reached for her robe, but before she could get any closer, shadows wove around her.

She gasped, startled at the contact, and watched as the writhing smoke moved with ease, twisting and turning like it was alive.

The shadows were not forceful, but they caressed her skin, shielding her from the outside world.

The most intimate body parts had been concealed, leaving strips of her skin open to the night air.

She looked up and into Damien's eyes. They widened for a second, his pupils dilating, and his jaw tightened. "You could have warned me you were getting out." He said through clenched teeth.

Her eyebrows furrowed. "Warn you?" she asked, her tone offended.

He tensed again as he gave an abrupt nod and looked away.

With that, her confused expression morphed into one of annoyance.

"Get over yourself." She dropped the robe she was holding and turned, walking several feet back to the room.

Shadows stayed in place until she was inside the room, slamming the door behind her.