Page 22 of The Exiled Dragon

I took a visible gulp, my face becoming hotter than the hot spring in the middle of this super-heated cave. His smirk grew more expansive, and my fingers itched the side of my arm wickedly. A nasty habit I picked up living in a cage. My nerves had to go somewhere, and I would just itch.

His face went from a smirk to worry, his eyes softening. Creed stepped out of the hot spring. Closing my eyes and looking away, I felt his hand pull the irritable hand away to cause less scratching. Creed’s rough fingertips pulled my chin closer to his face, my eyes fluttering open, staring into his.

I can’t let him see me naked.

“It’s Okay.” He used his Dragon’s voice. Visibly it hurt his throat and made me feel guilty for being so bashful, but humans just don’t undress as he does, maybe in Dragon la la land but not on Earth. One foot stepped into the water, holding my hand to climb in. He didn’t pull on my clothing to take it off. He led me quietly until my hips were submerged in the water. Deeper we went until the warm water reached the top of his chest, and I was merely treading water.

The palm of his hand met the lower part of my back, holding me upright so I didn’t sink into the dark water. My fingers crept up his thick, hardened skin, holding onto his shoulders. I wasn’t the best swimmer growing up; I rarely left the house to do anything, but I knew that if I couldn’t feel the bottom, I would surely die. The drama queen in me wouldn’t think of anything less.

“Safe,” the rumbled voice had my chest vibrate. My nails curled into his shoulders as his back leaned back, going in deeper into the water. How deep and how far did this hot spring go?

“Where are we going?” I asked, panting. “Are there creatures in here? Animals? Fish? What if they try to eat me or something? I’ve been told I’ve been tasty.” I laughed at my little dark joke, but Creed did not find it funny. His grip went tighter on me as my tunic floated to the top of the water, skimming the surface. On one side of the cave wall, old glass bottles with various substances sat. He had me smell each one, trying to get my mind off the bottomless pit of a hot tub.

Once we reached the purple bottle, it smelled of lavender; my eyes lit up. “It smells like you.” A huff of a chuckle left his chest; he poured some into my now wet hair and massaged it on my scalp. His hands on my head felt like heaven, maybe little cherubs and their tiny hands reaching every corner of my scalp. I didn’t want it to end, but all things did when he tapped my head so I could fall under the water. I didn’t let go, not one bit; one hand stayed on his bicep as I reemerged.

Creed’s hand went to one bottle, a brown one that smelled of sandalwood, which smelled nothing like him and scrubbed his beard. Taking the bottle away from him, I put some in my hands and washed his hair like he did mine.

I wonder if he thought I was a pet? Maybe a talented human pet. We didn’t make a mess on the floor and certainly didn’t bite back. We were pretty obedient, like a dog or a cat. I’m just an overgrown Walow. His eyes rolled back in his head. Proud of my work and feeling brave, I went behind his body. My legs were still attached to his torso because I would not get sucked beneath the dark waters. I massaged his head like I used to do with my father. He loved head rubs. When he got headaches, my raw fingertips combing back his hair would always get rid of his writer’s block.

My soul felt sad for a moment, thinking of my dad. He would have thought of this place as magical and would have done nothing but want to explore. However, I wasn’t my father; I was a scared little girl waiting for the Vampires to come back and get me. I was happy in this little cave. The question was, how long would I stay? Would he tire of me?

As I scrubbed, I felt something hard on my good leg. Please don’t be a serpent; I prayed to myself until Creed pulled me around to face him. He was pulling me right around to where the snake was; I squirmed, trying to get away, but to no avail; he had me sitting right above it. It wasn’t touching me, but my body knew it was there.

It couldn’t be his… could it?

Oh, good gracious.

Creed’s face was dangerously close to mine; his forehead kissed my own, giving me the butterflies it always does. How can something so plain, something I would have never thought of, feel so intimate? Sparks flew across the dampened skin. Could he feel them, too? Was I the only one living out a fantasy in my head while he thought I was one of his pets he keeps in a dank cave? Hopefully not.

His forehead was still touching mine; it rolled downward, and now our noses were touching. The surrounding steam thickened; it wafted all around us while my clothes remained glued to my body. His lips were so pouty, riddled with scars, they wanted to be kissed. Has he ever kissed? Because I sure haven’t, and what if I did it wrong? What if I read this entire situation wrong, and now he will find me some weird, disgusting pet that tried to lick his lips?

The internet had not prepared me for this! This strange new culture of a world had me second-guessing every move I made.

Creed pulled away, my eyes staring back up at him, wondering why he would do such an abhorred thing at this moment. His eyes darted to the front of the cave. Creed’s powerful arms pulled me close, walking closer to the shallow waters, picking me up, and setting me down. His body was still naked as the day he was born; I tried not to look, but curiosity got me.

Heaven’s almighty.

That’s all I would think about that.

Handing me one of his oversized tunics, his hand waved for me to stay here in the back of the cave; Fluffy stood beside me, hair shifting upward. Learning quickly that there was trouble, I hugged the warm furs as I stripped, trying to get the clean ones on.

Once dressed, the oversized tunic landed just above my knee; my head poked out of the thick cloth only to find Creed with his loincloth staring down the cave's opening. Rushing to the table, he scratched a few letters in the fabric he had used to explain what Fluffy was. “Stae.” I bit my lip, unsure what to think about this word. Oh, wait.

Stay.

Sure, I’ll stay. He’s protecting me so far; I would not leave now!

“I’ll stay,” I confirmed, his forehead leaning into mine, then my cheek. Each time his face touched anywhere on my face, it became closer and closer to my lips. He doesn’t do this with Fluffy. My heart flipped in my chest.

Creed grabbed his spear. Clicking his mouth a few times, he ran out of the cave again. Believing that this cave wasn’t safe, I sat in the chair with several furs wrapped around my body. My hair was drying by the large fire he had made earlier. Was I really safe anywhere?

Was Master Enoch going to find me? Or worse yet, the Duke? Creed looked more than capable of taking care of the two, but what if there were more? Was I really worth it?

Chapter Sixteen

Odessa

Istoodbythefire, still wrapped in the furs. There was no scuffle coming from the outside, making me worry more until I heard grunting and a loud slap. My eyes widened when Creed strode in with his mighty gate and his beefy arms, holding up a large animal. It was plump, hairy, and had tusks coming out of its mouth. The snout gave it away. A boar or wild pig thingy.

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