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I’m so pleased I could hug him. With wild abandon, I shed my clothes on the shore. The water is icy cold as it touches my skin, but I don’t care. It is the most wonderful sensation I have ever felt.
11
ZEPHIRO
“This is so amazing,” Sierra says.
I smile as I watch her twirl around in the water, closing her eyes and aiming her face at the sky. She looks like a goddess, her naked skin glowing as the water reflects on it.
She just finished bathing, and now she seems to be enjoying herself quite a lot. It makes me smile to see someone who has been held captive their entire life get to act so freely.
Of course, she’s not free, and that is partly my fault. I know that it must hurt her that I’m holding her captive, but I hope that she’ll soon see it differently.
I also hope that I’ll one day be able to leave her in the house unrestrained, with the trust that she’ll still be there when I get back. But I know that may take some time, and I’m willing to be as patient as necessary.
As I watch her enjoying the feeling of the sun on her skin, I’m tempted to join her. I wanted this visit to just be for her to have some fun, but seeing how happy this makes her, I long to be a part of that happiness.
Fuck it.
I walk into the water, pausing when I’m waist-deep to see if she looks uncomfortable with my presence. She doesn’t seem to mind, so I continue until I’m closer to her.
“Isn’t it wonderful?” she marvels.
“Yes, it is indeed. I actually chose to build my cottage in this area partly because this river was so close.”
“That’s amazing! You built your house all by yourself?”
“Yes.” I chuckle. “I sure did.”
“How?”
“Well, my kind takes pride in things like that. I grew up in a settlement where we all built everything we owned. We don’t employ others to do our work, we do it ourselves,” I tell her.
“I love that. If only the dark elves were more like you.”
I laugh, but deep down it bothers me when she mentions the dark elves. My hatred for them runs deep, and even more so now that I know they had their grimy hands all over what’s mine.
To think, my enemy had the future mother of my children in their grasp all along. I knew there was a reason I always hated them so much, other than the obvious.
“Who taught you how to do that? I remember you said you didn’t grow up with a father.”
As I meet her gaze, I think back to the moment I decided to share that piece of myself with her. I guess I thought it would help her to humanize me.
It felt nice to talk to someone about my life, and it felt like she really cared to hear about it. I’m flattered that she even remembered that about me.
“Well, my mother made sure I still learned all the things a father would teach their son. And she taught me everything that she knew as well.”
“She sounds like a wonderful woman.”
“She was. I miss her a lot. But as I said, it was a long time ago. It’s best not to dwell on the past too much.”
She nods, giving me a sympathetic smile. I didn’t think she would be able to feel something like sympathy toward me this soon. It leads me to think that I must be doing something right.
“I never would have pictured monsters living in houses like yours.”
I laugh, because I don’t blame her for her prejudice. I’d probably think the same thing if I were her.
“Is that so? Where did you think we lived?”
