Page 9 of Seducing Scylla (Mated Myths #1)

Scylla

S he drinks the water I give her the second time and a sense of satisfaction at caring for my mate washes over me.

Of course she cannot drink the sea. I curse at myself internally for my first mistake.

My memories of humans are hazy at best, slowly coming back to me in pieces with much concentration.

I am thankful I had enough sense to leave fruit and cheese for her.

I do not think she would have taken kindly to a plate of raw fish.

For the first time in a long time, I feel unsettled.

The differences between my mate and I are stark.

But I have never been human, even before I was this, so I must learn how to make her happy and keep her safe.

I track the water bead that drops onto her full bottom lip as she finishes the water in the bowl, her small pink tongue flicking out to swipe at it, ensuring she has consumed every last drop.

I clear my throat, a blush traveling up my neck to rest upon my cheeks.

The mate bond has made me hot and edgy. This feeling of need sizzles beneath my skin and I feel like I must dip my head beneath the waves to cool myself down.

The way her hand rubbed at her chest when she saw me…

I know the bond has snapped into place for her too.

Does she feel the same, or is she embarrassed that her mate is a creature such as I?

She puts the bowl down beside her on the furs and looks at me, gnawing on that same lip. I study her; her hand has drifted to rub at her sternum again and I do not think she has noticed she is doing it.

“Ish dere enee weer I can washh mai salf?” she speaks her strange tongue again, hands gesturing to her body and rubbing her arm in a circular motion.

She wishes to bathe, I think. She must be uncomfortable in her stiff dress.

Her hair has formed a nest upon her head, and sand smudges the constellation of freckles across her cheeks.

I nod my head in understanding, and relief washes over her face as her shoulders relax.

I offer my hand for her to take. I am nervous she will dismiss me, but I greedily hunger for her skin against mine once more.

She glances at my hand and then back to my face before tentatively placing her soft pale hand in my own.

My eyelids flutter, her skin is much warmer than our first touch when she was icy cold like death.

Now she feels alive, and I wonder how warm she would feel if the sun had a chance to kiss her skin.

How warm she would feel wrapped up in my arms and pressed against me.

I ache for that warmth. She stretches her legs out from beneath the furs, bare feet caress the stone floor. She flinches at the cold.

“D’yoo knoee weer mai shooz arr?” She waves her hand toward her exposed feet, and I know she is asking about her foot coverings.

The same ones I removed when I laid her on the furs, thinking it would be more comfortable for her.

Warmth floods my face as I recall trying to figure out how to take them off, the woven material tearing beneath my claws at my attempt.

I swallow, shaking my head, pretending I do not know what she is asking.

She sighs and embarrassment floods my core.

I am thankful we do not understand each other yet, but I do not know what I will tell her when we can.

She lets me lead her into the darker corners of my home, her hand tensing slightly, the only sign of her nerves as we leave what little light is left of the fire; a reminder that human sight is not as good in the dark as mine.

I hold her hand firm, a reassurance, I hope, that I will not let her go .

We pass the shallow pool in one corner with an underground entrance that leads directly to the sea and the entrance I use most often to enter my home.

My darling pets circle the water lazily.

My mate makes a noise, her eyes wide in alarm, and I shake my head.

While she could bathe here, the salt water will cling to her delicate human skin, and I want her to feel fresh and clean.

I also do not want my sharks to take a nibble out of her soft peachy skin, mistaking her for dinner.

I lead her past it to the back of the cave where there is an entrance to a short, wide tunnel swathed in darkness that forks in two; the left leads to where I found my human mate, and the right leads further into the underground cave system beneath Aeolia.

I am mindful of my arms around her feet, careful not to trip her up as I lead her to the right.

My mate babbles her strange tongue the entire time, and I can barely keep up with the different sounds she makes.

After millennia of mostly my own company, the chatter soothes my soul despite not understanding a word she says.

I hope my mate does not mind waiting a little longer to be clean. The fresh water underground hot spring I have in mind is an overnight journey, but there, we will solve not one problem, but two.