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6
Thea
Myeyelidsturnorange,waking me from a blissful, dreamless sleep. Sun washes over me, heating my skin as it soaks through my pores. The rays of light make my comfortable resting space even more cozy, and I snuggle deeper, fighting to recall the peaceful nothingness of sleep.
The birds in the surrounding woodland have other plans.
Their chirps and mating songs grow louder with each passing moment, until finally, they’ve won the battle. I moan, rolling onto my side as I crack both eyes open.
The fire has turned to embers, leaving nothing but a single trail of rising smoke as it makes its way to the top leaves of our hidden sanctuary.
My moss bed isn’t as comfortable as it was last night. Being human means I have bones and joints, and those pesky things become sore after only a few minutes in an awkward position. I arch my back and lift my arms over my head, stretching the stiffness away.
Now that my eyes have adjusted to the morning light filtering between the willow’s vines, I’m able to see the movement of someone working on the other side of the curtain.
Ren. He’s quiet, but somewhere near him a fire hisses. His hands are moving in a rhythmic motion, scraping over something gripped between his fingers. I watch as he works, remembering how those very hands explored parts of my body I hadn’t even investigated yet.
The thought sends another ripple of heat between my legs, and I clench them shut, eyes widening. Will it always be this way? Am I forever cursed to be a lust-filled heathen in the presence of my new vampiric friend?
I sigh, bending upward and crawling from beneath the arched tree.
Ren glances at me from the side, his eyes searching my form before brightening. His mouth tilts upward, smiling at me with a mischievous half-grin. “Awake at last, I see.”
“Mmf,” I reply, collapsing beside him near the fire. My body is heavy, the remnants of sleep sticking to me like a velcro cloak. I drop my head into my hands, rubbing the sand from my eyes.
Warmth strokes over the backside of my neck, massaging the tender muscles there. “Not a morning person?” His voice is soft; understanding.
“Not today.” My hands muffle my voice, but I know he’s heard me.
His hand falls from my shoulders, leaving my skin cold in his absence. “Here, take this. It’ll perk you up.”
I lift my head, eyes squinting beneath the light. Ren’s slender arm reaches toward the fire, this one larger than the one we built inside our shelter last night. He grabs a peculiar-looking stone.
It’s large, the size of a human head, but somehow, the rock has been hollowed into a bowl shape. Steam wafts from the opening, and if the device is hot to the touch, Ren doesn’t acknowledge it. Instead, he snatches a small wooden cup from beside him and dips it into the stone, filling it with fresh, warm water.
I shake my head, dumbfounded. “How…?”
He smiles wide, showing his perfectly polished teeth. “I made them for you. Do you like it?”
Before answering, I take a moment to sip on the steaming cup of water. I ready myself to be burned, but to my surprise, the temperature is perfect. Soothing warmth cascades down my throat, chasing away any trace of morning grogginess.
My eyes flutter shut for a moment. “Mm,” I moan, smacking my lips. “You knew exactly how to turn this morning around.”
Ren’s smile widens further. I take another large gulp of water before pointing toward the stone bowl. “How did you make that?”
“Ah.” He lifts the bowl, placing it onto the palm of his hand. “Stone is harder to work than wood, but it’s still malleable. I simply rubbed away the middle until it made a divot, and then I continued until the bowl was deep enough to hold liquids.”
My brows rise. “Yourubbeda hole into that rock?” I knock on the lip of the bowl, examining its durability. I pull back quickly, hissing. It’shot, and besides that, the rock is, well,rockhard.
“Careful.” Ren’s eyes glint red. “Do you want me to show you?”
My mouth falls open. “Absolutely.”
For the next ten minutes, I watch as Ren uses his thumb and knuckles to make another stone into a hollow bowl. This one is much smaller, but with Ren’s efficiency, I can easily see how making the water bowl was a simple chore for him.
He holds the new, smaller bowl up to the light, and grains of sand-like rock dust sprinkle to the ground.
“Very nice,” I coo, lifting my finger to stroke his new creation. “And the cup was easier to make?”
