That consternated look returned. “You are welcome.”
I turned to go.
But then he said, “Rev—Dorie, if you truly wish to leave your designated quarters, we have an offer that you might like.”
He hesitated. His jaw worked twice before he spoke.
“You can undergo your training again tomorrow. Outside.” He raised his emerald gaze to meet mine. “If you would like.”
I blinked.
So let me get this straight. I was not only stuck in the far, far,farpast. But my possible fated mate was a dragon. Who was keeping me prisoner in a cavern. And only willing to let me go outside if I agreed to let him act as my personal trainer and self-defense coach. Also, he possibly had three personalities. One of which had put a knife to my throat last night.
Okay, it made even less sense when I listed out everything that had happened since I literally fell into this new reality.
But I opened my mouth to answer.
Bath
Listen,you know what would make getting shoved into a lake, falling through time to the Pleistocene Age, and finding out your fated mate is an actual dragon who may or may not want to kill you in your sleep even worse?
Adding in daily exercise.
Also, outside was the exact opposite direction of where I needed to go to find that door in the floor. Ceiling? Didn’t matter. Wherever it was, opening it would possibly be my ticket out of here, and it was fartherinsidethe castle.
But outside was an inch, and holoscribes were known for being able to make a mile out of those.
“Okay,” I agreed. “See you tomorrow.”
“Mid-morn, after you have fully digested your first meal,” he rushed to add in a tone I couldn’t quite read. It somehow came off as agitated and eager at the same time.
I practically limped back to my cavern after agreeing to the kind of outdoors bootcamp course I’d been dodging for years in Toronto.
And, I did decide to take that bath after sticking a cautious toe in.
I nearly broke down in tears of relief when inviting warmth, not the ice cold of the Three Gods Lake, greeted my tentative poke.
Then immediately had more questions after I climbed into it.
I’d been afraid I’d have to cling to the side while fighting off traumatic thoughts of slipping under its clear surface. But a bench lined the wall, wide and high enough for me to sit on without any fear of being sucked into another bottomless abyss.
I let out a soft curse, though, when I realized I’d forgotten the camp soap. Then discovered there was no need for it.
The water suddenly began to agitate, swirling around my body with a firm and efficient scrubbing pressure. Grit lifted from my body in pale brown ribbons. Dirt and dead skin rose to the surface, then vanished when small eddies appeared to suck them in like tiny whirlpool vacuums.
Then, what in theMoana?!
The water splashed over my face, gently exfoliating that skin, too, with a slightly more gentle swirling action.
“Thank you?” I said after it finished, not sure how else to respond.
Was this water sentient or filled with some kind of god tech like my jumpsuit?
Either way, I’d just been exfoliated from head to toe. I’d never felt cleaner.
And it still wasn’t done.
The water shifted with another controlled splash. It began to press and undulate over my scrubbed skin in a way that felt like climbing into a hydromassage machine.
