Page 23 of Monstrous Hunt
Kroktl eased her legs into the water and moved away to search the drawers for the utensil. He held up a wooden comb. “Will this do?”
“Yeah, that’s fine.” She started to sit up, slipping a little. “Nicer than the one I have at home.”
As she reached for the comb, I quickly said, “I can do it.” She turned her head enough I saw the doubt on her face. “I’ll be careful.”
Her eyes flared wider. “I’m not worried about that. It’s so tangled that I’ll probably lose some hair. You don’t have to, though. I can—”
“I want to.Please.” The last word vibrated with intensity, deep and low enough that I feared I might have accidentally triggered Kroktl’s beast. But he only made a rattling in his chest that she seemed to find reassuring.
“Okay. Can I soak awhile longer while you work on it? Or would it be easier to get out of the tub?”
“Whatever you want, baby.” Kroktl climbed back into the tub, evidently settling the decision for at least now. He pulled her legs back into his lap and kneaded her muscles, melting her against the side of the tub.
What I wouldn’t give—
“Would you mind if he joined us?” Kroktl asked so easily and calmly that I almost choked on my own saliva. “It’ll be easier for him to work on the snarled knots.”
She didn’t look at me but scooted closer to him, which made room for me behind her. “Sure.”
My heart pounded so hard I couldn’t hear anything. Even on the grid. A million channels of noise roared in my skull, an overwhelming cacophony of static, screeches. A multitude of voices and languages pumped through my sensors. I couldn’t tone down the signals. Not yet. So close to her. I eased down behind her, my back against the side of the tub. My legs were too long, folded up against me to avoid touching her. Scaring her… But I needed to be able to reach her hair easily. The tub that had seemed so spacious just moments ago felt like a tiny containment pod.
Hesitantly, I eased my feet out along the sides of the tub, widening my thighs so I could slide a bit closer to her. Kroktl mirrored me, sliding his feet up over the tops of my legs. Bringing us all closer together.
I couldn’t recall touching another member of the squad so casually. For no reason. Sure, Snryx had healed us all from a variety of injuries. I’d stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Kroktl, guarding our medic as he worked to stabilize Lohr’s injury.
Never this. Lounging in a tub. Lying in a bed. Sitting at a table watching our human mate eat. These were all new and wondrous things in which I’d never dreamed to participate.
Let alone touch our mate.
Frantically, I flipped through several demonstration vids of human hair maintenance and then carefully began working on her head. Extra conditioner did seem to help the strands slip apart better. I worked my way up from the ends, taking my time so I didn’t injure her scalp. Some of the knots were tangled worse than others. No matter how gently and slowly I worked, I couldn’t help but pull a little. Each time her shoulders shifted or tightened, I winced. Her breath caught on a slight gasp, and I wanted to bellow in agony.
I braced for the surge of Kroktl’s beast. The furious glint in his eyes. I couldn’t bear to cause her pain—even to help her.
Something dropped down onto my knee. It took several long moments for me realize it was her hand. Her delicate fingers. On my fucking knee.
“Thank you for doing this.” She turned her head slightly, just enough for me to see the warmth shining in her eyes. Not pain or tears. “I’ve never had someone help me with my hair before.”
I swallowed hard. “Then I’ll comb your hair every single day.”
11
NATALIE
Drifting in a peaceful haze, I almost fell asleep again. Sure, Rizan pulled my hair a little as he worked the knots out, but it wasn’t bad at all. In fact, it was soothing. Luxurious, even, to have someone take care of such a basic, simple thing. I’d never cared about spending time or money on cosmetics or fancy products, and only rarely went to the salon for a trim. Now I was starting to realize how much I’d missed out. No wonder people paid big bucks for scalp treatments and massages because this felt incredible.
The guys didn’t even have hair of their own to practice on, which only made this more incredible.
Kroktl dipped his head to murmur in my ear. “A fresh meal was just delivered. Would you like to eat now or continue the bath?”
My stomach immediately growled. Not a gentle tummy rumble but a ravenous million-year-old beast ready to rend and tear. Huffing out a laugh, I lifted my head from his chest so he could stand and help me out of the tub. “I guess that answers the question. Sorry, Rizan.”
He surged to his feet behind me, his hands steadying my shoulders as I stood. “Don’t be sorry. That was incredible. Thank you for allowing me to be of assistance.”
I caught my reflection in the full-length mirror on the back of the closet door and froze. Absolutely stunned at the changes I saw. Not just in my body but in the way I stood. Even my face and eyes looked different.
My cheekbones stood out more. Thanks to the shadowed hollows beneath my eyes, my irises seemed brighter and larger than usual. My plain muddy-gray eyes looked huge in my face and more colorful. The lighting was shit, but instead of gray or even blue, they looked more purple. Or maybe that was just the giant purplish bags beneath my eyes.
My face said I’d seen some shit and survived. Barely.
