I leaned back in the hot water, sighing yet again. It was heaven. My sore back didn’t feel sore anymore, and my hair no longer smelled like marsh.
Voices carried through the door. Rilla, Ann, and Leif were still working on baskets. Mary, Gregory, and Thomas had been watching what they did, trying to learn, when I’d closed the door. When we’d returned, all of the leaves gathered from the day before had almost been used. Rilla was working on mats for sleeping since it was an easier weave, and Ann and Leif were making the baskets.
I knew I should get out of the water, dress, and join them, but I couldn’t quite make myself move. My fingers weren’t pruned enough. I closed my eyes and relaxed further.
Someone tapped on the door.
“Charlene,” Thomas said. “If you fall asleep in there, I will come in.”
“Chill,” I said, opening my eyes. “I’m almost done.”
I sat forward and reached for the towel I had waiting on the chair. Standing, I wrapped it around me and squeezed the excess water from my hair. Minutes later, I was dressed and opening the door.
Thomas looked up from his spot at the table and smiled at me. My stomach did its funny dance it liked to do. I turned away from him. His amusement filtered in through our link as I went to the stove and checked on lunch.
Someone had started a soup. Vegetables, fowl, and pasta floated in the broth.
Hands settled on my shoulders as I gave it a stir. Thomas’ amusement faded and something that felt like hunger replaced it. I turned my head to look at him. His hands skimmed down my shoulders, feathered over my upper arms, then transferred to my sides. I was fully clothed. His hands didn’t stray from my sides. Yet, it felt completely indecent. His hunger wasn’t for food; it was for me.
My lips parted, and his gaze shifted down to them. I wanted to tell him to give me some space but I couldn’t speak. His hunger consumed me and became my hunger. I set the spoon aside and turned, slowly. His head lowered. My pulse leapt, and I licked my lips.
“How’s the soup?” Mary asked. Barely contained laughter laced her words. But hearing her voice was enough to break the spell. Thomas’ hunger turned to mild annoyance.
I exhaled slowly and ducked around Thomas. Heat marked my cheeks as I headed for the common room’s doors.
“Mary, finish your basket,” Thomas said from behind me.
His irritation filtered through the connection we had. I wasn’t sure if it was at Mary or me because I was trying to put some distance between us.
One of the men chuckled as I left the room. Seconds later, I heard the door behind me and knew Thomas was following me. I didn’t look back at him, and he didn’t try to catch me until I was in the upstairs hallway.
Thomas’ hand curled around my upper arm before I made it to my door. He didn’t try to pull me to a stop. He didn’t need to. His touch was enough. Had he not touched me, I would have stepped inside my room, closed the door on him, and hid away at least until my blush faded.
Instead, when he touched me, I pivoted and took us both by surprise. I reached up, grabbed his face, and pulled him down for a kiss.
For several moments, just our lips touched. Then, his hunger returned in force. His hands settled on my sides again. He steered me back against a wall. My hands slid up into his hair. I opened my mouth to him. He growled and kissed me hard.
My head spun. I wasn’t sure if it was the kiss or if maybe I wasn’t breathing.
His lips left mine and trailed along my jaw to my neck. It was then that I noticed he was moving me again. Step by step, we were shuffling closer to my room.
I panicked, fisted my hand in his hair, and yanked hard.
“Ow!” He took a step back and scowled at me while he rubbed his head.
“What do you think you are doing?”
“It’s called kissing,” he said, dryly.
“No, you were trying to back me into my room. Why?”
He stopped rubbing his head and stared at me a moment. I felt the rush of hunger once more. But now I knew what he meant to do with it, and it didn’t wash me away.
“No, Thomas. You promised. Nothing more than I’m ready to give.”
“But I thought that was a yes.”
“That was a kiss, remember?”
He looked mildly annoyed with me for a moment then sighed.
“I’m sorry, Charlene.”
He stepped close and slowly pulled me into a hug. I resisted at first until I felt his sincerity.
“I’m sorry,” he said again.
He held me in the hall for a while then pulled away.
“I’ll save you some lunch. Mary will come up to sit with you.”
He was giving me space while still making sure I was protected. My heart softened a little.
“Thank you,” I said, then turned away and closed myself into my room.
A few minutes later, Mary came in. She had a partial mat, and extra leaves. She sat on the floor, spread out her work, and looked up at me.
“So what earned him the hair pull?” she asked. She didn’t sound amused, just concerned.
“He told you?”
She nodded and started weaving another leaf into place.
“When he asked if I would come up here. He said you were upset enough with him that you pulled his hair, but he couldn’t leave you alone, even if you were mad at him. So what did he do?”
I blushed but confessed everything.
“I kissed him. He assumed it was a sign for more and was trying to nudge me into the room.”
“Yeah. Sleeping in Gregory’s room is nice, but I have to watch what I do. They’re always trying to read into things, hoping you’re finally saying yes without using the word. I haven’t pulled his hair yet, but I’ve come close.” She took a new leaf from her pile and started to weave that one in. Her calm acceptance had me blurting my concerns.
“Mary, I’m really not ready. I know he’s worried about what will happen when the pack returns and he thinks… mating,” I swallowed hard, “will help with that, but I’m just not ready. What am I supposed to do?”
Her hands stilled as she looked up at me.
“Is it okay if I ask Winifred to join this conversation?” she asked hesitantly.
I thought about it for a moment then nodded. Mary sat quietly for a minute, then a corner of her mouth quirked in a smile.
“First, Winifred wants you to know she supports whatever decision you make and applauds you for standing up for what you wanted and pulling Thomas’ hair. She’s not pushing one way or the other. She said you need to think about the reasons why you’re not ready.”
“I’m too young,” I said automatically.
“Do you think I’m too young?” Mary asked, and I knew she was speaking for herself.
“Yes, I do.”
“Why?”
I stared at her.
“How old are you?”
“I’ll have been born sixteen years ago when the leaves fall.”
“And don’t you think that’s a little young?”
Mary shrugged.
“I don’t feel young. I’ve hunted with my family since I could walk. I’ve been learning about the dangers of the human world since before I could speak, and I have listened to the history of our race. Like you said, we’re dying. Don’t I have a responsibility to try to keep us going? And I love Gregory. It’s not like I’m even sacrificing my happiness for the sake of everyone else. Once we’re Mated, he’ll never leave me. He’ll always care for me and love me in return. This isn’t something that fades or goes away. The only reason I’m waiting, is because I don’t want you to be upset with me. I saw your disappointment when I let him Claim me.”
“Oh, Mary,” I said, moving to kneel beside her. “I’m so sorry. I never meant to make you think I’d be upset with you. I won’t be.” I hugged her, and she wrapped her arms around me. “If you felt my disappointment, it was because I thought you’d leave. None of your kind really seems to like being here.”
“Living here is different,” she said, pulling back. “But we stay because you make this place somewhere we want to be.”
My eyes watered.
“I’ve never had a better friend than you,” I said. “If Gregory makes you happy, don’t hold back because of me.”
“If Thomas makes you happy, don’t hold back because of age or doubt. Waiting won’t change how he feels for you. Once our kind finds a Mate, it’s for life.”
And if I were honest with myself, that worried me more than my age. She watched me for a minute then went back to weaving, letting me think things through.
If I mated with Thomas without telling him the truth, what kind of life would we have?
****
Thomas wasn’t in the main room when I finally went to find him. He wasn’t anywhere outside, either. I stood in the sun, closed my eyes, and concentrated on where I usually felt him. It was like concentrating on my left hand but in my head. I found the spot and felt a hint of frustration coming from it. How did you call someone with feelings? Impatience? I didn’t want him to think I was mad. Not when I was about to tell him the truth about myself. My insides twisted at the thought. And I didn’t want to wait for him to come back on his own.
I knew two things that would most likely have him rushing to my side. Fear and hunger. I blushed, opened my eyes, and started to think about the kiss we’d shared in the hallway. The memory of his hands on my sides made me shiver, and my pulse jumped. The frustration disappeared. I imagined his mouth on mine, not a gentle, light touch but a starved press of his lips.
My gaze swept over the trees, and my breathing changed as I kept the memory playing in my head.
“You better be ready to run,” Mary said from behind me.
I jumped and spun around. Like a bucket of cold water over my head, her appearance stopped all thought.
She grinned at me.
“What were you doing?” she asked.
My already flushed face heated further.
“Trying to get him to come back.”
Hands settled on my shoulders, and I let out a small “eep.”
Mary laughed, shook her head at me, and walked back inside.
“You succeeded in gaining my undivided attention. Was there something you wanted?” Thomas said from behind me.