“That’s the most disgusting thing I’ve ever seen,” she said. Savine couldn’t help but chuckle at her.
Chapter thirteen
Avery
Avery took off her ruined clothing before she stepped into the hot bath. She was in an inviting, spacious tent. The floors were made of stone tiles, with soft woven rugs in subdued colors. Avery smelled the rose-scented air while the tub steamed. The copper tub felt luxuriously decadent after so many days without a proper bath or shower. A warm white robe and towel sat on a wooden rack in the corner. Near the towel was her last outfit of human clothes. A pair of leggings and a crop-top tank.
When they made it off the mountain and back to the encampment, Kyla had run out to Avery and Savine. She helped Avery to this tent and had her bath prepared. Kyla didn’t question what had happened to them. It seemed like Avery’s return was inevitable. She didn’t mention the putrid-green blood all over their bodies.
The hot water soothed Avery’s soreness, calming her aching muscles and bruised skin. Her naked body was a patchwork of bruises and scrapes. The damage from the bear attack had healed rapidly. She was left with some subtle scars across her forehead and shoulders. They would be permanent reminders of what she’d suffered. Avery also saw fresh cuts on her arms and legs where she’d landed hard on the crystals at Quartz Mountain yesterday, and she wore recent cuts on her shoulders from that terrible creature, the Hylax.
Avery sunk deep into the water, and the weight of her grief hit her like a stone sinking into the depths. There had been a possibility that she could not return to Earth, but the reality shattered her. This existence was worse than death. Her family would never know what happened to her after the bear attack. She still didn’t know if Morgan was alive. She would never know what happened to her sister. Her parents may be mourning the loss of both their daughters.
On top of her grief, she thought of Savine. He’d shown her such kindness on Quartz Mountain, and saved her life again against the Hylaxes. She never would have survived that attack without Savine. It was only because of his dagger that she was lucky enough to kill the one trying to take her away.
Yet Avery was disgusted with him. He was hoping and praying that the portal would not open. She knew he had wanted her to stay—counted on it even—to fulfill whatever destiny he believed tied her to this place. He was bound to be disappointed in her when he realized she did not have the power to change Latiah. Why did he expect her to end this rebellion, anyway? He was the one who got his people into this mess. He should fix his own damn problems.
Even though she was stuck here, she had zero intention of helping his cause. In fact, she would have nothing to do with him. If she was stuck in this awful and dangerous land, she’d find the most peaceful patch of it and build a new life without Savine or his merry band of rebels.
But where was a place that wasn’t filled with gruesome creatures like the Hylax? The thought of the Hylax bleeding out on her body made her cringe. She began scrubbing her body roughly with a bar of cedar-scented soap. She had never killed anything before. She’d once hit a squirrel with her car and had cried, driving away from its crushed, tiny body. But the feeling of the blade sinking into the Hylax’s stinkingflesh made her stomach churn. That thing was the foulest creature she’d ever seen. She was relieved that it had not taken her. Honestly, she didn’t feel one bit guilty about killing that stinking creature, which was not at all like her. It probably had to do more with the amount of trauma she had experienced in the short period that she'd been in Aeritis.
She had wanted to die there on the mountain this morning. She meant it when she asked Savine to kill her. Never in her life had she had suicidal ideations, but she had yearned for it last night.
But she realized as the Hylaxes attacked, she did not want to die. She still fought for her life, whatever that may look like now.
“Avery!” a male voice rose from the other side of the tent wall, reminding Avery of how little privacy she had in this encampment. Was that Savine? What the hell was wrong with the man? He saved her only hours ago, and here he was in that demanding tone, bothering her bath.
“I’m busy!” Avery yelled back. “I’m still in the bath.”
“You have been in there for over an hour. I need to speak with you immediately,” Savine said. He spoke in a way that demanded her attention, but his tone was not unkind. It was commanding and arrogant.
“Well, you’ll have to wait for me to finish up,” Avery argued back. She’d had it with this place and this man.
“I will give you five minutes. If you are not out, I will come in and get you.”
“Go to hell!” Avery yelled and settled back into her hot bath. She heard someone outside the bathing tent. Breathing steadily and shuffling his feet. Hopefully, she was shattering that asshole's sensitive hearing.
“Three minutes, Avery!” Savine said, his voice cooler than before.
“I’m not one of your rebels at your beck and call. Use a little courtesy!” Avery yelled. Fuck him and his demanding, condescending attitude. Where had the kind, caring man who whispered calming words and picked her a bouquet gone? She’d take him over this asshole any day.
“I am coming in. You have two minutes.”
“Fine! I’ll get out,” Avery shouted back. “Give me five minutes, and I’ll meet you outside. This is my first bath in a week and a half, after all!”
The water sloshed as she stepped up and worked her way over to the towel. She’d been ready to get out, anyway. She was properly pruned, but the water continued to stay hot. That didn’t seem likely to change. She hated giving in to this man, but she’d rather not find out if he was willing to walk in on her while in the bath. One thing was certain: she wasn’t going to let herself fall apart in front of him again. She’d bury her grief and mourn alone, away from his fake kindness.
Even the towel Avery wrapped around herself was mysteriously warm. This tent with a bathtub was more comfortable than her own bathroom at home. She dressed quickly, pulling on that final outfit from home. It wouldn’t last long here. Not with how quickly her other clothes had been ruined. Avery combed her long blonde hair and put it in a braid. She put her hat on, covering up the scars from the bear attack.
Savine was there, waiting outside her tent. Avery scoffed at him as he assessed her body. He always stared at her so intently. Did he find her attractive, or did he think her small, human body was an anomaly amongst these tall, muscular people? Well, at least she was muscular as well. Her body was strong, and this outfit highlighted that strength.
Savine was dressed in tight leather pants that highlighted his muscular thighs. His top was some sort of leatherdesign, but exposed his massive biceps and some of his chest. His shoulder-length hair was in a man bun again, and he had small beads worked into his hair. Avery could see the subtle points on his ears over his bun. Her fingers itched with the desire to touch them, just to feel how sharp they were. His blue eyes sparkled at her with a touch of interest and plenty of annoyance. Why did this man have to be so damn attractive?
Stop. Thinking. That!
He was not attractive. He was a cocky, grumpy bastard and thought she was his Goddess-sent reward to end his conflict.
“Interesting choice of clothing, old man.”
