Krellix briefly leaves to gather flat stones from the river. He places them around the flames, picks up the meat, and lays it on them.
Sitting forward while the meat slowly begins to cook, I continue to feed the weak flames, wary of them going out. The fire is small, and I assume he made it that way on purpose.
Krellix settles across from me, and in the shadowy darkness now spreading through the forest, we stare at each other, taking each other in. All the while, I keep my eyes above his chest, nervous of what I might find down below. But as the yellow light plays across his stoic, watchful features, I can’t look away.
“Julia…” he trails off.
My skin rises and my eyes clash with his, discovering his entirely honed in on me. Feeling caught in a trap, knowing how dangerous it is with a being such as Krellix, I can’t help how curious I am, nor how curious I have been.
“Before,” Krellix says, eventually continuing when I fail to say anything back, “when you were surveying the other nagas for a protector?—”
I know where he’s going with this. A lump forms in my throat because I don’t have an answer to the question he’s going to ask. “Your hair,” I burst out, eyeing the partially-cut, semi-shaggy right side of his head. “What happened to it?”
His mouth closes and for a moment, he stares at me in silence. “My hair?”
It’s the first thing I’d thought of to change the subject... “It’s shorter on the right side than it was before. What happened?”
He reaches up and pets the uneven strands I’m talking about. “I lost part of it to a bear I took down several weeks ago.”
“A bear?”
“It was large and especially vicious. The beast swiped at me and its claws tore some of my hair out. I tried to cut the rest off with my own.”
I glance at his claws, noting, not for the first time, how sharp they are, then peer back up at him and his hair. Noticinghowuneven the strands are now that I’m considering them, I pull my switchblade out from my pocket.This is something I can do…
I stand and walk to his side, watching his suspicious gaze narrow slightly as I near him with my knife. “Let me. I can make your hair even. I can give you a cleaner look.” With him acting tense and a little standoffish, I settle next to him on his right. Unable to help glancing down at his slit, I frown, unsure if there is a bulge pushing at it or if it’s just the shadows. “Would that be okay?” I ask despite already being next to him with a knife in my hand. My gaze drifts back to his face, searching for my answer.
I startle, finding his eyes hooded…hungry.
“Yessss.” His voice is stern and oddly eager. I shake out my sudden nerves and slowly reach out to take hold of his hair as it dawns on me that if…
If he does ask me for…anything…
Something?
Right now, after all that’s happened, I’d give him what he wants, if he wantedthat... I want to feel good. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt good. I’d take the distraction of his company. Truthfully, I’d take any distraction right now. I run my fingers through his hair, lightly brushing it out.
My need for a distraction might be making me more forward than I probably should be… and a little afraid. But I don’t balk at the thrilling sensation of fear. Instead, I accept it because I’m just lucky enough to be alive right now. I’m lucky I’m with him.
FIFTEEN
STIFLED DESIRE
Julia
“Here.”I lower my voice as I gently take hold of more of his hair. It’s thick and heavy, still dripping with water in some parts. “Let me help you with this.” Reaching up with my other hand, I gather the rest of his longer locks and gently pull him towards me. He moves to partially lounge on his left side, his elbow on the ground and his hand holding his head up straight. The position gives me easy access to his uneven strands.
“What are you planning on doing exactly?” Staring intensely up at me, he scans my face as I tug the hair out from under his palm. He briefly flexes his fingers and brushes his hair forward, allowing me to gather the rest. Cognizant of my mask and glad it’s firmly in place, I still can’t help the dancing in my stomach.
I run my fingers through his wet hair in distraction, brushing it out and down the side of his head, gradually moving the back parts away from the shorter strands. Water gathers and drips from my fingers onto his shoulders and arms.
“I’m going to fix it, Krellix,” I mumble under my breath, enjoying the way his hair feels in my hands.
“Why?” he slowly asks, his gaze glazing over as I gently scrape my nails along his scalp.
I pause and tilt my head. “You’re helping me, you’re helping the others. In this, let me help you. It’s so small, it’s the least I can do.”
It’s also something he might enjoy and never know to ask for.
