Page 51 of For the Ghastly and Beautiful

“This would be easier if you were in here with me.” His raised voice makes me smile.

“I thought it was just a scratch?” I call back, but I’m already walking his way.

I stop in my tracks when I see him standing under the water with his pants still on. His tattered shirt is lying in a bloody heap on the floor, completely forgotten. I tilt my head as I try to make sense of what he’s doing.

“It is…” He glances over his shoulder as he bends his arm behind his back. “But I can’t reach it to clean it.”

I sigh as I remove my shoes and untie my skirt. “Be thankful it’s only my blood that bothers me. At this rate, I’ll be desensitized to your injuries in a matter of months.”

Connak simply grins in response.

Wash cloth in hand, I step into the basin. The bleeding has lessened to a mere trickle. And the wounds don’t look as deep as they were when I first saw them, which is odd considering the amount of damage he had not twenty minutes ago. I gently wipe away the dirt and bits of leaves as I assess the claw marks.

“They shouldn’t be healing this quickly,” I mutter as I witness them slowly sealing together once cleaned.

“What are you, Ada?” Connak inquires thoughtfully. “I’ve been trying to figure you out, but I can’t.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” I admit.

“The land speaks to you, but you’re not a hunter. Your touch mends the injured, but you’re not a healer. You wield weapons with a knowledgeable ease, but you’re not a warrior. You effortlessly command Mongrels, but you’re not royalty.”

I tilt my head, replaying his words as I work through them. “So, you’re saying I’m an anomaly?”

“I’m saying you’re something other, and I want to figure you out.”

“I only know a portion of the answer you’re seeking.”

Connak turns, placing his thumb under my chin as he tips my head back. “You’re the next—”

“Don’t say it,” I plead in a hushed breath. “That is a heavy burden I’m not ready to bear yet. Until Isolde tells me it’s time, I want to enjoy my blissful ignorance.”

“That does explain a portion of the puzzle,” he muses, his irises darkening to that same black I saw earlier. “But what else are you?”

“Just me, Connak. I’m just me.”

“Mmm,” he hums in agreement as he circles me, and I suddenly feel like prey. “You’re witty.” I shiver as he trails a finger along my collarbones. “Intuitive.” His touch causes goosebumps to blossom across my shoulders as he stops behind me. “Challenging.”

Breathlessly, I ask, “What are you doing?”

“I was gone for two days,” he states out of nowhere.

“I know.”

“The hunt for beasts didn’t call to me until a few hours ago.”

I nod, trying to follow his train of thought.

“My instincts never lead me astray. So, why would you be the subject of my hunt?”

“Are you hunting me?”

“I’ve already caught you,” he whispers as he stops prowling. “What happened while I was gone, Ada?”

I shake my head. “Nothing.”

“You stayed in your room and did absolutely nothing?”

“No.” I furrow my brows. “I trained with Talodus and Rin, went to the medical garden with Imryll, had dinner with Ecaeris, and read a history book.”