Karina put her hand over mine. “I’m so glad Wolfe has made a friend.” I met her watery gaze. “He’s opening up, and it’s because of you. Maybe the castle had other plans when it brought you here to us.”
I laughed nervously, not sure what that meant but spent the rest of the visit in a fog, feeling like somehow, tonight, something had changed. I just wasn’t sure what.
CHAPTER 25
Wolfe
Istruck the log with my axe, splitting it perfectly in half. The moon shone in the clear night sky, stars twinkling overhead. I wiped my arm across my forehead, then peeled off my sweat-soaked shirt.
I needed to bathe and go to bed, but I’d had trouble sleeping the last few nights. Every time I closed my eyes, I either saw Lor or Niamh, neither of whom I wanted to be thinking about before I fell asleep.
Earlier today when we’d trained together, Niamh revealed that she’d gone to the monthly family dinner last week, and I knew she was burning to pepper me with questions about it, but thankfully she didn’t, just stared at me with those curious green eyes.
I swore and shoved a hand through my hair, abruptly turning and making my way toward the waterfall behind my cabin, needing a cold, cold bath. I’d needed a lot of those since that almost-kiss with Niamh.
It was a short walk down the hill and toward the bottom of the rocky cliffs surrounding Fairwitch Isle. It also happened to be heated,something most residents didn’t know because they never came this far up to the hills. That was just one reason why this had made the perfect home for me, and this waterfall made the perfect bathing area.
Steam rose above the water, a waist-deep pond shimmering under the moonlight. The waterfall poured into it, and my skin prickled from the chill in the air.
I yanked off my boots and trousers, coming to an abrupt halt as I rounded a boulder and the pond came more clearly into view.
Someone was in my bathing area.
Not someone. Niamh.
Her back was turned to me, but the moonlight shone over her pale, creamy skin and accentuated her waist that curved into wide hips, the soft folds of her back reminding me of just how much I wanted to run my hands over them. She lifted her arms over her head, massaging soap into her hair and humming to herself.
I snorted. Of course she hummed when she was bathing. She could not stay silent for a moment. Unable to help myself, I stepped forward, as if in a trance.
My boot hit a rock, and it went skittering into the pond, splashing water up.
Niamh stilled, then whirled around and shrieked when she saw me, which was when I remembered that I was completely naked and so was she. I didn’t dare let my eyes drift down to her bare chest, keeping my gaze trained on her shocked face.
“Curses, woman,” I barked, yanking on my trousers as she dipped down into the water and covered her heaving breasts with her arms.
“Curses, woman?” she echoed. “You’re the one who snuck up on me bathing.”
I laced my trousers. “You’re in my pond.”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you owned this pond.”
When she said it like that, it sounded so stupid. “I don’t. I just... this is where I come to bathe. It’s not usually occupied...” I muttered, tugging my beard. “Why would you come all the way out here to clean yourself?”
Her lips pressed into a thin line. “I can’t find a bath chamber in the castle, okay? I found the chamber pot, but that doesn’t exactly help me get clean.” Even in the dark, I detected the deep blush on her cheeks. “Morton and I found a map of Fairwitch Isle in the library, and I saw this pond and thought it might be a nice place to bathe, so this is where I’ve been coming.”
Of course she’d somehow found my fucking pond. I was being tested. I just didn’t know why. “That’s a long walk home in the cold.”
“Well, I don’t have a choice unless I want to start smelling like a pig.”
“Why didn’t you ask someone in the castle?” I asked. Why hadn’t she asked Cillian?
“I’ve tried!” I could hear the exasperation in her voice. “And they told me where I could find multiple bathing chambers, but when I followed their directions, the chambers weren’t there. I think the castle is testing me.”
“It’s fine,” I said, voice gruff, realizing I’d been staring at her for far too long. “You finish bathing, and I’ll come back later.”
“Wait!” She reached out to me, a fucking perfectly pebbled nipple popping out of the water.
I spun on my heel and marched straight back toward my cabin, my cock stiffening and straining in my trousers as that image of her naked body flashed in my mind. No matter how much I tried to push it down like I did everything else, I couldn’t. I stalked into my cabin and to my bedroom, slamming the door closed. Then I paced. And paced. And paced some more. I tried thinking of my mother. I tried thinking of Lor. I tried thinking of that fucking pink know-it-all bookwyrm.
