“I know, you’re right.”He sighed, shaking off the morose worries.“I actually came out to ask you a favor.”He pulled a pair of scissors from his pants pocket.“Will you cut my hair?”
“Really?”
“Changing it will help disguise me.”
The statement was certainly factual, but it lacked the emotional weight of truth.Choosing mercy, she let it be.He’d tell her if and when he was ready.Pushing him wouldn’t do him any favors in the long journey of healing.His internal wounds were deeper than they appeared.
“Can you sit on the railing, or should we go back inside?”
The beams were wide pieces of wood built to accommodate Neka and the hawks in addition to marking the entrance to her home.Though shaped more like a small leopard than an owl, she still liked to perch on the thick rails as if they were tree branches.
“Here, please.”
She conceded with a nod.Though he seemed reluctant to admit it, his movements were stealing his strength.She’d need to be quick, or she’d end up carrying him back.
Neka watched curiously as Raiden got settled, winding his good arm around the post next to him for support.It would work well enough.
Steeling herself, she raked her fingers through his hair.The strands were fine and light, weighed down by the long length.He stiffened briefly as she grazed his scalp, so she did it again, letting him get used to her touch.
After a few moments of her simply playing with his hair, he relaxed.The more she wound her fingers along his head and massaged his scalp, the more tension eased from him.
Once she felt he wouldn’t startle or tense up unexpectedly, she picked up the scissors.Cutting a huge length of his hair, she handed it to him.
Neka sniffed curiously at the long, golden strands in his hand.
“You want them, Neka?”Raiden offered her his hair.
The owlcat gently nipped at the strands, taking them before the breeze could catch them.Daya smiled at her pet as she went back to work, wondering how Raiden would feel about the contribution to Neka’s nest.The majority of his hair fell away quickly, letting her focus on trimming and shaping the sides and back.
“Turn around for me.”
He did as she asked, struggling for balance momentarily before settling again.A bead of sweat on his brow and a heavy intake of breath accompanied the movement.
She didn’t comment on it.Instead, she stepped closer and braced one of his legs with her own to keep him wedged against the post.It brought her a little closer than practical for using the scissors but was better than him falling or stressing the abdominal muscles around his gut wound.
She assessed his face and trimmed carefully around his ears.The long strands in the front came last, and she cut them short so that they would fall into the pattern of close-cropped hair.It gave his face a sharper, more intense look that suited him.
Finishing, she ran her hands through his shortened hair to check for anything she’d missed.It looked good, but she was hesitant to move.The green eyes that had watched her while she worked on the front of his hair fluttered closed.It felt like an invitation.
Continuing her ministrations, she ran her fingers through the short golden strands.Raiden sighed and leaned into her touch, much the way Neka had earlier.The pure affection filled her with an odd sensation she hadn’t felt in a long time, couldn’t name.
After playing with his hair for a moment, she instinctively moved her fingers down the back of his neck with slow, gentle movements.What felt like years of tension began to ease from his neck.He melted under her hands.It wouldn’t surprise her if he started purring at any second like her owlcat.
His skin radiated warmth, the heat of him shocking her to realize that she hadn’t been this close to a man in a very long time.To any person, actually.But the bare skin beneath her fingers stirred something possessive deep inside her.
Enjoying the gift of touch with someone she was coming to care for, she ignored the warning bells in her mind.Running the palms of her hands over his collarbone and down his good shoulder, she felt heat spark between them.
“Daya,” he breathed her name.
Her insides danced at his tone, her ribs feeling lighter than air.
“Hmm?”She couldn’t form words at the moment.
“If you keep going, I’m going to kiss you.”
The stroke of his hand along her leg sent a shockwave of feeling through her.Her hands tightened in his hair, and she felt him smile where his head was pressed against her chest.
When she leaned back, eyes of green fire met hers and beckoned her closer.She complied, chasing the spark of desire until they were sharing the same breath.
