Page 47 of Whispers of the Water

Chapter Seventeen

WELL, FUCK.

As soon as I opened my eyes and saw early morning light streaming in through the closed curtains, I realized my mistake. I’d fallen asleep right after Rune and I pleasured each other, and I’d slept through the night.

It was now Rune’s birthday.

While this wouldn’t normally be a cause for alarm, it put another hold on the talk I needed to have with him. I’d meant to tell Rune the truth about who I was last night when we’d gotten back to our room, but with the turn of events, I’d completely failed. His touch, his tongue, his body had all been very distracting.

Today was a day to celebrate him. Dropping the news on him that I was his enemy, the thing he loathed most in the world, wouldn’t be the best of birthday presents.

It was fine, though.

What was one more day?

Resolute with my decision, I took a moment to digest my surroundings. I was on my side of the bed, beneath the covers, in an oversized t-shirt. It hit me then that I most definitely had not been in this state when I’d fallen asleep, which could only mean one thing. Warmth blossomed in my chest like a flower basking in the sun’s rays. The small, meaningful things he did never failed to amaze me.

He had me wrapped in his warm, strong hold with my rear against his morning erection. The even breathing whispering against my neck told me he was still sleeping, but that didn’t last much longer. I wiggled, my butt pressing against his hard length. He groaned, the sound low and deep under sleep’s hand. Giggling at his unfiltered response, I moved my hips again, and his arm tightened around me.

“Fuck,” he grumbled behind me. He leaned in, pressing his forehead into the crook of my neck. “You’re going to be the death of me.”

Laughing, I rolled over in his arms. I found his eyes, and my smile grew. “Happy birthday, Rune.”

He held my stare as the corners of his lips slowly lifted until his face was completely lit up. He leaned in and pressed a small kiss to my forehead. “Thank you,” he said against my skin.

We stayed like that, simply holding each other. I basked in his warmth, and he soaked up my affection. I knew I could spend the entirety of the day like this. That, of course, couldn’t happen, though. We had far too much to do, starting with a secret celebration among our friends and ending the day with a dreaded family dinner.

“We should probably get ready before someone comes looking for us,” I said against his chest.

His chuckle vibrated against my ear. “You’re probably right.”

We got out of bed, and I took that time to appreciate the full glory of Rune’s naked assets. Statues depicting ancient gods and warriors of old would be jealous of the Silver Fox Fae. From his long white hair to those golden eyes that promised deep pleasure to the toned, hard muscles of his arms, torso, and legs. He was almost too beautiful to look at. Then there was his impressive—

“Do you want the shower first?”

My attention snapped up to meet his eyes, and I didn’t miss the smirk he wore. I’d definitely been caught eye fucking him.

Smiling through the rising heat in my cheeks, I practically ran for the bathroom. “Sure. Thanks.”

After washing away my embarrassment under the nice, hot stream of the water, I moved to the mirror to blow-dry my hair. As I raked my fingers through the strands, a flash of color caught my attention.

“What the—” I mumbled, grabbing a strand of my hair that typically stayed tucked under the rest. Pulling it into my view, I cocked a confused brow. The tip of my hair was a faint, almost sky blue.

“Well, that’s new,” I whispered. I pinched the color between my fingers and tried to wipe it off, but it was like the tip had been dyed.

Wariness gripped me tightly as I checked the rest of my head for any other signs of color. Thankfully, I didn’t find any, but that did little to settle my nerves. I could only guess that this had something to do with being Water Fae, because my hair turning blue on its own accord wasn’t normal. I wasn’t sure why this was happening now, but I knew it didn’t spell good news for keeping my identity a secret.

Checking my toiletry bag, I dug out my fingernail clippers. It wasn’t ideal, but it was all I had on hand. As I snipped the strands and watched the blue hair fall down the sink drain, I waited with bated breath to see if it would regrow or suddenly make my whole head blue. Seconds ticked by, but nothing happened. I let out a relieved sigh and tucked the chopped hair back beneath the rest.

Great. Just great.

As if I didn’t have enough worries, now I had to worry about my hair turning blue for some damn reason. Dallas didn’t have blue hair. Neither did Dax or Rance, so why the hell was mine trying to change?

I sent up a silent, desperate plea to the universe not to let my hair turn blue in front of everyone.

At least, not until I was safely back in Tennessee.

After throwing on my jeans and sweater, I double-checked my hair one last time before letting Rune have his turn in the bathroom. I paced the bedroom and waited not so patiently for Rune to finish getting ready.

---