He grinned and looked over at the adjacent bathroom. Inside was a large porcelain tub, fit for a queen. When I was growing up, my family would come here on vacations, and I would get that bathroom to myself. I was suddenly reminded of the countless times I had masturbated with the pliable showerhead. To a curious teenager with a lot of pent-up frustrations, that thing was a godsend. I was sure Mag had already seen those memories, had experienced them in a way I couldn’t.
“Stay right here. I’ll run the bath.”
“The water is ready for you,” he said.
Through the doorway, I could see him dip his large hand into the water. The light trickle echoed off the tiled walls, and the glow from the morning light looked so soothing against the wet porcelain. I walked into the bathroom with a mild sense of guilt because I knew I shouldn’t have let Zane run off like that. Surely, he must have heard Mag and I, which was completely embarrassing. Selfishly, I thought of the team I had so stupidly left behind, on the other side. They had probably been calling me for days. If word of this got back to them or the community at large, I’d be ostracized.
And still, I didn’t mind. Lost in the heavenly glow of the moment, I was his. It made me feel special, but a bit apprehensive. I had been there before, lost in the promise of someone else’s eyes. And this wasn’t something so simple. There were more of them. I didn’t know if it was possible to enjoy three at once. Fuck, I didn’t know how any of this worked.
“Sweet little Adeline,” his voice resonated, loud and powerful. “Come.”
Silently, I walked toward him, stopping a few feet away from the tub. The nostalgia was strong, and it threw me off balance. He stood and pointed toward the rippling water. “Now,” he commanded.
But I didn’t move. I gazed at my reflection in t
he water and suddenly felt more emotional than ever. Perhaps sensing my discomfort, Mag bent and wrapped his arms around me. “Sweetness, do I scare you?”
“No,” I muttered in a frustrated tone. My body shook. It had very little to do with him, and everything to do with my own life journey. “I... I’m sorry. It’s not you. There have just been a lot of things I’ve been dealing with lately. I don’t know what to do. All of this is, like, beyond weird.”
He pulled me into his grasp, trickling his fingers through my hair and down my neck, comforting me. “Sweetness, it pains me to see you hurting.”
I sucked in and blew out harshly. It was just a quick burst of emotion, but I felt embarrassed he had to see me this way. I didn’t trust him. I couldn’t trust anyone. But the entire time he sat with me, he was sweet and more careful with his movements than any human being I had been with. Maybe our love was right, but I needed time.
There was a small scratch on my hip. He touched it, smearing the trickle of blood. When I winced and drew back, he smiled. “Look,” he said, revealing a similar cut on his abdomen.
“Did I do that?” I asked.
“I want this. Forever.”
“Forever...” That word had such power attached to it, but it didn’t seem possible for anything to last that long.
He noticed my apprehension. “I cannot die. I won’t ever leave you,” he said, so arrogantly I should have laughed. “You don’t believe me?”
I shook my head and gave a weak smile. “Sounds too good to be true.”
Playfully, he flexed his biceps around me. “Been trying to die all my life, baby. Hasn’t happened yet.”
He didn’t know how deep my fears actually ran. I wasn’t so easily swayed by his cheesy one-liners. ”Just because you’ve been trying, doesn’t mean it won’t happen to you,” I said. “We all—”
He sighed and urged me to stop being so morose. “You are still worrying about your home?” he asked.
“Yes.” I nodded, and he lifted my naked body above the water. Slowly, he dipped me inside the warmth, and I loosened up with relief. Reaching into a small satchel, he found a bit of herb. “Donovan picked this some time ago. It will heal your ills.”
“Donovan?”
“The third of our group. Not all of us are wise like you, but Donovan is. He has dedicated his entire life searching this realm to gain access to the other side,” he said.
As I lowered my body farther, he tossed in the mix of herb, spreading it gently with his fingers. The hot water drifted over my shoulders, and, finally, I closed my eyes and felt more comfortable again. Whatever Donovan had plucked went straight into my pores. All of my troubles quickly vanished. “What is this stuff?” I said, feeling woozy.
My eyelids were heavy, but I did not panic. Mag swirled his hands in the water. “Hollow berry and encheon root,” he said.
I had never heard of any such root or berry. “Encheon and hollow, what?” I asked.
Mag laughed and continued to spread the mixture across my skin. “Not much grows out here, but what does will either heal you or kill you.”
“And I’m assuming this will heal me?” I asked, forcing a smile.
“Lean back and close those pretty eyes, buttercup. You’re about to get spoiled,” he growled.