Page 126 of Anywhere

“Washin’ body parts off da lawn. No’ somethin’ I ever pictured happenin’. Best feckin’ day ever. Glad ta ‘ave ya home cousin,” Ronan said, far too cheerily before closing the door.

“Elewyen, ya mind grabbin’ some cool, damp washcloths and a change of clothes for Rook?” His voice was calm and reassuring as he stripped his soiled clothing.

“Aye.” I ran to the washroom, grabbed the small towels not much bigger than my hand off the shelf, put them in the sink, and turned on the cold water. We did this back at my coven for those running a fever. This was more convenient than water from a stream.

While the water cooled, I dashed into the closet. Searching through the piles until I found a black T-shirt and a pair of soft bottoms that Rook liked to wear in the evening. Rhys would want a set too, so I grabbed two of everything.

My steps faltered as Rhys dropped the last of his garments onto the floor. I froze, staring at the back of his hard, naked body and the massive Celtic symbol of power.

I never saw more than his face and a bit of his abs when his shirt would rise. Like Rook, dark artwork travelled along his arms, over his shoulders, and down the sides of his body, stopping at his hips. I licked my lips at the sight of him as my eyes continued to roam. He was built similarly and yet differently from Rook. They were equal in their more-than-average height, but Rook was less bulky. Rhys had wide shoulders and legs like trees, just as cut as the rest of his body. His arse flexed as he bent over to remove his boots, and my body flushed hot as everything hanging below the belt was suddenly on display.

He looked around his arm like he sensed me staring. My cheeks flamed hotter as our eyes locked. Those intense stormy eyes pulled me in and made my heart sputter in my chest. Clearing my throat, I walked towards him as he stood and turned in my direction. I held out the clothes and forced my eyes to stay on his face, away from anything tempting below his waist.

“I’za got dis fir both of ya. I dinnie know what he’d wanna wear,” Rhys took the clothes.

Our fingers brushed, and his brooding expression in his office came to mind. Even though nothing showed on his face or in his tone, I could sense he was worried. He just stared at me like he was trying to communicate silently. I couldn’t decipher the look, but I didn’t have to.

Rook moaned, drawing our attention.

“I be needin’ ta shower before I git changed,” he mumbled, staring at Rook.

“I’za gonna go get da cloths,” I turned away, but Rhys grabbed my arm.

“Tank ya. Fir many tings, but ya were amazin’ out dere,” he said.

He hesitated like he wanted to say more but let go and looked away. Swallowing down the heated feelings that crept up my throat, I went back to the cooling cloths trying to decide if I needed one of these for myself. I turned off the water and squeezed out the cloths before returning to the bedroom. At the last moment, I grabbed a much larger version of the small cloth off the shelf.

“Whaddya want me ta do?” I asked and held out the large cloth for him to put on as I averted my gaze.

“Tanks,” he said and wrapped it around his waist before taking the small damp ones and sitting them aside. “I’ma gonna get ya ta help me ta take off da sweater. I already got the rest off,” he said.

That was when I noticed that Rook was under the blankets from the waist down.

Climbing onto the bed, I waited until he sat Rook up and then began fighting with the clothing. He was worse than a small child, his limbs heavy as I tried to work without help from Rook, who was still very unconscious. I finally managed to get the sweater and damp shirt off one arm, then felt silly for panting so hard.

“It be harder den it looks,” I said as Rhys smirked.

It was easier to straddle his body to continue, so I did. I got the sweater off his head and pulled the material down his other arm when Rook jerked in my hold. His head slowly tilted up to look at me and his eyes were no longer a pretty shade of blue. I shivered as I stared into the solid black depths.

Rook growled a sound that was not of this plane, and I tried to jump off his body when his hands clamped painfully on my hips. A shriek ripped from my throat as he rolled with such force that we landed hard on the floor with him on top of me. My head hit the stone, and air pushed out of my chest as my back screamed from the harsh impact.

“Rook,” I said, my voice small as he growled again and opened his mouth like he was going to bite me.

My hands were trapped at my sides, and panic clawed at my throat. I closed my eyes, ready for what I knew would happen when his weight disappeared. I heard a loud thump, then a vicious snarl. My eyes snapped open to see Rhys holding Rook up against the wall.

If this weren’t such a terrifying moment, I would’ve spent more time admiring the sheer strength of Rhys as he braced himself and growled back at Rook, his eyes glowing a silver so pure they looked white. Every muscle flexed and the tattoos on his arms seemed to shimmer.

“Enough! Leave him be,” Rhys ordered, and a shudder travelled down my spine with the command. He slammed Rook against the wall again so hard that a picture rattled and fell to the ground.

“Demon a beheith imithe! Demon a beheith imithe! Demon a beheith imithe,” Rhys roared, his eyes glowing brighter each time he repeated the banishing spell.

A terrifying screech ripped from Rook’s mouth as Rhys continued to chant as Rook thrashed and snapped at Rhys face. The tattooed snake on Rook’s arm and chest shimmered and shifted on his skin. With a hiss it pulled free and came alive. I screamed and pushed myself back along the floor, unable to believe my eyes. I looked around for a weapon. Spotting the long knife peeking out from beneath Rhys’s discarded clothes, I crawled across the floor and pulled it free.

I didn’t know if this snake was part of the demon’s or Rhys doing. Shooting to my feet with the knife in hand, I tried to figure out the best way to help Rhys without killing Rook. What kind of dark magic made artwork on your body come alive?

“Demon a beheith imithe,” Rhys yelled one more time, and the snake, which was as long as I was tall and as thick as Rhys’s arm, opened its mouth to attack.

I leapt on the bed, ready to intervene, when the snake struck. It sank huge fangs, that were unnaturally long, into the flesh over Rook’s heart. His body jerked and bowed away from the wall. The sight made my chest hurt, and I put my hand were my heart was and stared at Rook, unable to decide what to do. My hand shook as it tightened around the knife. I couldn’t look away from the massive snake, stunned that Rhys didn’t seem to care.