Page 25 of The Healer and the Wolf: Part One

Steam filled the room, almost like the same steam that had yanked me from the animal prison I’d been locked in. But this was much more welcome, and it enveloped me with a warmth and comfort that made the water seem that much headier.

Belatedly, I remembered what Ven said about the holder, and turned around to hang the showerhead into it so I could stand and become boneless under the jet of hot water. I felt my muscles unknitting themselves bit by bit—I hadn’t realized there was that much tension in my frame.

I couldn’t say how long it was before Ven spoke again, but when she did, her voice was right beside me.

“It’s nice, isn’t it?”

I nodded, not quite able to answer. I felt like I was reconnecting to the humanity that had been ripped from me, and I was afraid that looking at Ven would be even more visceral than it had been before.

God, I really owed her everything, didn’t I? I swore on all the ancestors I couldn’t remember that I would make sure no harm ever befell her or her cats ever again.

“Now that you’re nice and wet, let’s introduce soap, okay?

Soap?

Ven reached in front of me and picked up strange ball of bright-blue netting and a bottle. Once she popped open the lid, the smell of lavender, jasmine, and something else I couldn’t quite name filled the heated air. It was intoxicating,and all of my senses were fully enveloped by Ven and her shower.

“So, this is a loofah. You put some of the bodywash in this, then lather it all up like so.” She did a little demonstration as she spoke, which didn’t seem so complicated, but it made the smell that much more pungent. “I’ll go ahead and scrub your back, if that’s okay, then you handle the front? Unless you want to try doing it all on your own?”

“No,” I said quickly, eyes still closed. I wanted her close to me. I wanted her to keep on filling my senses. “Not on my own.”

“Okay. I’m going to press it to your back now.”

“All right.”

She pressed that brightly-colored ball of netting at the center of my back, and goosebumps spread at the sensation. I was suddenly acutely aware of how close Ven was. Her breath whispered over my wet skin as she guided the netting down my spine.

Fuck, fuck,fuck.When had I last been touched like this? The slow, tender stroke of it was enough to make my legs go out from under me, and I barely caught myself.

“Are you okay? Do you need me to stop?”

Oh, God, no, I never wanted her to stop. I wanted to stay under the hot spray forever with her touching me, the rasp of theloofahthe perfect counterpoint to Ven’s sweet touch.

Was I in Heaven? Quite possibly. That was the only thought that kept returning to me as the netting thoroughly moved over every part of my back, across my shoulders, down my backside, then finally the back of my legs. I was discovering more things about myself with every pass of the loofah: like that the back of my knees were ticklish, and also that I very much wanted to yank Ven into the water with me and see what she looked like when she was drenched from head to toe. Most importantly, I wanted to kiss her as hard as I could.

I didn’t do that, though, no matter how much a part of me yearned for it. Vanessa was incredibly beautiful, but she was so much more than that as well. She’d dragged me out of the depths of my prison with the sheer force of her kindness, and I would never forget that. Even if I wanted her more than anything, I knew better.

I closed my eyes and let her scrub me, banishing away the dirt and grime that was evidence of the horrors I’d been through.

“There you are,” Ven said eventually, her voice like music. “Now, I want you to rinse this out as thoroughly as you can, then put in more bodywash and take care of your front, okay? Then, once you’re all suds-ed up, we’ll rinse you off.”

I nodded, completely unable to speak, and went about doing that. Although my own touch wasn’t nearly as magical as hers, it was still a revelation. With every new area of skin cleaned, I felt less trapped, less animalistic. I was becoming more and more of a man.

The filth that had been caked into my very soul was falling away, the scent of Ven now so deeply encoded into my olfactory organs I knew I’d never forget it. Even when she was gone, she’d be with me in a way, and that made everything so much less daunting.

“Fantastic,” she said once I was done, which was much too soon. “Now let’s rinse you off, shall we? Take the showerhead and get all the suds and soap off.”

I did as she directed and, once more, I got lost in the feeling of refreshment and rebirth. Although there were many amazing things about being a wolf, I didn’t know if any of them could compare to a hot shower.

When I looked down at my body, I felt like I was truly seeing me for the first time in… who knew? It was intense but welcomed, and I stood under the water for a good long while just taking it in.

“I’m not sure how much hot water is left, but would you like me to help you wash your hair and shave? It might be nice to get rid of some of that scruff.”

If either of those things were as nice as getting clean, I couldn’t think of a single reason to say no.

“Yes, please.”

“All right, then, let me get some things. Do me a favor and rinse the bottom of the tub to make sure there’s no more junk in it, then have a seat in the middle.”

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