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“It sounds lovely,” I say softly.
She swallows, surprised at herself for sharing so much with me, and hurries to ask, “Truth or dare?”
“Truth.”
“Coward.” She smirks. “Okay um…How long have you been down here?”
“I don't even know. As long as humans have been above, we have been below. Living alongside each other, until our worlds converged.”
“What did—”
“Ah, ah, ah,” I cut her off. “My turn. Truth or dare?”
She juts her chin up. “Dare.”
“I dare you to let me bathe you.”
Her swallow is audible, and her voice hoarsens when she says, “Only bathe.”
“Of course.” She can't see my grin as I move through the water towards her, soap in my hand. Her eyes look up, able to see my chin and lips. When I lick them, a quiet breath escapes her.
“Are you ready?” I ask softly.
She gives a jerky nod. I rub the soap between my hands and then place it on the stone ledge to start with her arm. Her body stiffens, her mind on what I'll try to do to her. It hurts so badly to hear the way she still doubts me, but I cannot blame her. She is not used to softness, gentleness from a male. Her father only gave her pain, fear, and weariness. I hate him even more for the hatred, anger, and bitterness he caused to grow within her. But it's exactly those things that helped her survive him, so I also admire them in her.
I reach her hand, and link my fingers with hers for a moment before letting go to get the soap again. A smile comes to my mouth at how she wishes I would hold her hand again. She's silent as I bathe her, her body becoming less and less rigid with each new part of her that I touch, until she's relaxing into me while I spread soap across her back. Her head is on my shoulder, her mouth against my neck, body rocking against mine as me bathing her back turns into me massaging the muscles there. She groans when I rub my thumbs into her lower back. Has she been in pain, and I didn't know? Panic rushes through me at the thought, but then I hear her mind. She wasn't in pain; it just feels that good.
She sits up and I cup my hands to bring water over her head again and again to wash all the soap away. Stunning is too small a word to describe how she looks, smiling up at me, water dripping from her eyelashes, hair curling. She looks…just happy, for once. Not fighting the happiness, no shame for feeling it with me. Just…happy.
“Truth or dare?” she asks as she opens her eyes.
I wish she would think of what she would dare me to do so I could choose. Doesn't that make me the coward she just said I was?
“Dare.”
Then I hear her thoughts and damn near curse as she speaks. “I dare you to show yourself to me.”
I should have known, but I won't back down. I can't avoid it forever, anyway. I move to where one of the basins containing a fire is and bring it over to where Keri sits, setting it down and lowering so she can see my face. I brace myself for her response, reminding myself physical attraction is only one part of—
Damn it!Her mind curses.
My heart sinks. She hates how I look.
Why does he have to be so fucking handsome on top of everything else?
My heart soars and I fight not to give myself away by smiling. Her eyes move all over my face, and I see myself in her mind. My broad nose, my red eyes staring back at her. She hurries to look away from them, eyes dropping to my black lips. Memories of what I've done with them rush through her mind and her gaze moves to my horns instead. Black as well, twelve inches in height, thick enough that they cover the crown of my head. They make my hair grow around them, on the sides, in front, behind is my mother's jet-black hair, straight and long, going to the middle of my back. She reaches up and wraps her fingers around the ends hanging near her face.
“I'm supposed to find you hideous,” she says low.
“But you don't?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “I'm supposed to hate you.”
If her hand wasn't on me, I would straighten with the shock of her words. “But you don't?” I repeat.
She shakes her head again, slower this time.
“What else are you supposed to do?”
