Page 15 of In Love With the Leshy

“Good.” He smiles and my heart blips. “Then it’s working. It’s important to keep this on, no matter how hot it gets. Between this and the brimberries, you’ll be walking in no time.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course.” He tilts his head to the side and offers me a warm smile. “I don’t mean to spook you. I’m not good at talking to people. I don’t usually like them, and, well, you’re very beautiful. It’s easy to get lost in the moment and stare.”

“Humans don’t like being stared at. Unless you want to freak them out.”

“I’ll try to remember that.” He offers a warm smile while I yawn. “You must be tired. Is your stomach satisfied?”

“Yes.” I answer the strange question with another yawn, feeling the day catch up to me.

“May I help you over to the bed?”

I nod, surprised and relieved when he bends over to lift me out of my seat. Too tired to argue or walk on my own, I wrap my arms around his neck as he carries me to the bed.

“Thank you, Leshy.”

“Call me Em. Emerald Hickory.”

Chapter 8

Emerald Hickory. His name fits. It’s unusual, yet beautiful. Just like the creature it’s attached to. I watch him walk away and feel a tug on my heart that makes no sense. I can’t be attracted to him; he’s not even human. Except there’s a heavy pounding in my chest and my ears. Panic settles in.

I don’t want him to leave. I want him near me, even though I know I should keep my distance. Nothing good can come from growing attached to this faux-human, but if he leaves, I forfeit the opportunity to get to know more about him. We only have tonight. This moment. After tomorrow he’ll be out of my life. Forever. A lump forms in my throat at the thought.

“Em!” He stops and waits a beat before turning to face me. “Can you stay with me until I fall asleep?”

I think I see relief wash over his face as he nods and returns to the side of the make-shift mattress. Sitting on the floor, he pulls his knees up to his chest and wraps his arms around them. He’s so large it looks like he’s sitting in a chair instead of on the floor. His size makes me feel like a small child.

“Is it too bright in here? I can dim the lights.”

I shake my head, nervous about being in the cave in the dark. Dimmer light might make him more tempting, if that’s possible. I don’t know what may come creeping out of the shadows, and he’s so close that if something spooks me, I’ll reach for him and pull him closer. So close we won’t be able to help but let our lips touch.

That simple contact might cause sparks, like earlier, and turn into a deeper, more passionate kiss. Even though a kiss is just a kiss, with my mind swirling from all the events of the day, it would have the potential to turn into more. Especially in this fantasy-like atmosphere.

“There’s no need to worry.” He reaches out and rubs my calf. My pulse picks up as I wonder if his hand will move higher. It doesn’t, and I’m disappointed. My chest grows heavy as I imagine his cool, smooth hand on my skin. “Nothing will harm you. Myself included.”

He makes a buzzing noise, and the light dims. And by that, I mean flies away. What I thought were tea-lights are fireflies hovering around the perimeter of the room and lighting the dark. Of course they aren’t real lights. What was I thinking? Electricity doesn’t work in caves.

Curled in the fetal position, I stare into his green/gold eyes and shiver.

“You poor thing.” His hand smoothes my hair. “You’re cold.” He gets to his feet and disappears from view. When he returns, he’s holding an animal’s pelt. I want to protest and tell him to take his furry carcass somewhere else. I hold my tongue when I get a close-up view and see that it’s not gross and disgusting. There’s no hint of dirt or blood on it. Em holds the two pelts with pride, showing me that they’re sewn together, back to back.

I allow him to drape it over me. There’s no harm in using it for a few minutes to get warm.

“What kind of fur is this?”

“Wolf.”

“Did you skin it?” I’m not sure how I feel about this. Wolves aren’t on my most endeared list; however, they are in the dog family and didn’t do anything to harm me.

His head falls back as he laughs. “You are funny. Of course I skinned them. But not before a human man fatally wounded them at the edge of the forest. There was nothing I could do to save them,” his voice takes on a somber note. “They cried and howled in pain. Mishka and Belka were inseparable and my best friends. I couldn’t bear letting them suffer, so I helped them cross over and had their fur sewn into an overlay so they could still be with me.”

I don’t realize that I’m stretching my hand out until it rests on the side of his face. “I’m so sorry your friends died.” He blinks a few times, but it doesn’t hide the sadness in his eyes. I’m not sure what to do. I don’t want to use the furs for a completely different reason now. How can I lie here and use the keepsake he made of his companions? But I worry if I don’t, that will insult him. “Was it an accident? A hunter?”

He shakes his head. “A farmer. He thought they were responsible for killing his cattle. They were patrolling the perimeter of the forest that night, and it was a case of mistaken identity.”

“Do you know who killed the cows?”

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