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“Don’t be disrespectful,” Aiden defended, glaring at E.Z.. Unaware of the death glare Elijah sent him behind his back, Aiden handed me a piece of leather from his bag. “To bite down on.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled, reaching for it before looking up at him from under my lashes. He gave a small, reassuring smile before walking back to the horses.
When the leather was secured between my teeth, Griffin prompted, “I’m going to pull on the count of three. One. Two —”
It took every ounce of willpower not to scream and curse every last one of them when he pulled on two. At that moment, not giving E.Z. even more ammunition to humiliate me was almost as important as not alerting the king's men.
Griffin worked fast, covering the wound with his warm hand. As his magic coursed through me, a sense of peace and calm fell over me unlike I’d ever known, and some of the bone-deep chills started to loosen their hold. Within moments, the pain was gone. I felt nothing except the heat of Griffin’s hand and that deep, calming warmth as it washed away my anxiety as well as my pain.
Earth Users never had this effect on me before; they never affected my mental state.
I stared at Griffin’s massive hand, transfixed. It was wrapped around my thigh, his long fingers spanning from one side to the other. This meaty hand, belonging to one of the largest men I'd ever seen, could have easily harmed me had he wielded that strength against me. Instead, he helped me and showed me more care and concern than I had seen in days.
“Better?” he rasped, removing his hand, and breaking my trance.
I nodded. I was sure my torture and torment would always haunt me, but I no longer had to wear that painful reminder. It brought tears to my eyes.
“Can I heal anything else?”
When I looked up, Griffin's face was just inches from mine, and my heart skipped.
E.Z.’s voice broke through the tension. “Oh good, she’s not a screamer! Good to know for later.” He sent me an exaggerated wink. Apparently, everything about E.Z. was exaggerated. “Though, I’m willing to bet I could make you scream.”
“Fucking idiot,” Griffin grumbled, looking down and grabbing the back of his neck. “Just ignore him. Anything else will only encourage him.”
I was grateful for E.Z.’s crass comment this time; the moment had become too much. Simultaneously, I greatly missed the weight of Griffin's hand.
Was there something magical about these woods?
I didn’t react to men this way. I’ve been around men my whole life because of Father. Often, they were shirtless and sweaty from exertion, but I didn’t become awkward and fumble around them. I didn’t stare transfixed at them while they stood spotlighted in the shimmering sun. I didn’t stare as they walked away or feel intense tranquility at the feel of their touch. And I definitely didn't cry because they treated me nicely.
Clearly mistaking my confused expression for concern, Griffin assured me, “Don’t worry, he’s harmless. He would never touch you without your permission.”
I didn’t rush to correct him. I couldn’t say I was grateful that E.Z. broke the tension any more than I could say I was confused by my attraction to them. I kept my mouth shut and nodded once more.
“Are you hurt anywhere else that needs immediate care?” Griffin questioned.
“My feet,” I spluttered out. In any other situation, cut-up feet were not an immediate concern, but I had to be able to run and fight should the need arise.
If Griffin felt any of the tension I did, he didn’t show it. He looked to me for permission again before reaching into the water for my right ankle.
I reached down and subtly shifted, pulling my shift between my legs, covering anything he might accidentally reveal before giving him a nod. I couldn’t look him in the eye, so I watched as he raised my leg until my calf rested on his bent knee, leaving him squatting between my spread thighs.
It felt intimate.
Griffin carefully removed the shirt Elijah had used to wrap my feet, dropping the scrap to the side. One hand held my ankle, stroking his thumb over the top of my foot. The other gently palmed my sole, healing it.
He healed the other foot in the same painstakingly gentle manner before sweeping his eyes over the rest of me, taking in the injuries that weren’t entirely healed from before. His eyes hardened more and more with each injury found. He settled on my face with a look that should have terrified me. Cupping my bruised cheek, he rested his fingers under my ear.
“I need to heal this as well.” His eyes caught mine as healing magic caressed my cheek.
His touch moved gingerly into my hair, finding the source of the blood there. The movement sent shivers racing through my body. I couldn’t resist the urge to sigh. I felt at peace. Leaning into his touch, I accepted a minute more of his comfort.
I let my eyes fall closed, unable to maintain eye contact a minute longer without doing something stupid. I wanted to lay my body across his and let him soothe away the rest of my pain. But that pain was mental. As much as the human contact would help, I didn’t need to complicate this situation more than it already was. I also didn’t want to show them any more weakness. They’d seen more than I ever cared to show.
“I’ll let you get cleaned up,” Griffin said softly as he rose.
He didn’t seem as affected as I was. He grabbed the scraps and walked over to gather our clothes, leaving me to wash. Cupping water in my hands, I rinsed until the water didn’t tint pink or brown when it ran down my arms and legs. The cold water helped clear some of the fog in my head.
