Earth & Sky by Kaye Draper Page A

of a draft in the back.  “You can open your eyes now,” I said
impatiently.  “I’m sorry for embarrassing you.  Shifters aren’t so… offended by
nudity.”
    He rolled his shoulders and opened his eyes.  Turning, he
offered me a pile of fluffy white towels.  His eyes traveled over me, lingering
on the curve of my hips, then darting to my face.  “Gods, that’s even worse,” he
whispered under his breath. 
    I frowned at him and he handed me the pile of towels.  “The
bath is just through that door,” he said, nodding toward the far side of the
room.  “You can get cleaned up and I’ll…find you some clothes.”  He sounded
haunted. 
    I sighed and wished, not for the first time, that I were
as voluptuous as Winona.  I gave myself a mental shake.  What was I thinking? 
A relationship between us would be disgusting.  We were two different species-
that was probably why he was so uncomfortable.  “Sorry,” I said again.  I took
the towels and started to turn away.  Ville’s hand on my arm stopped me. 
    “I’m not offended,” he said with a wry smile.  “I just don’t
know where this attraction is coming from.  Our situation is… unusual.  I don’t
want to complicate matters by making you… uncomfortable in any way.”
    My face flamed at his directness.  I cleared my throat and
tried to think of something intelligent to say.  It was difficult with the very
large, very obvious sign of his arousal that was revealed when I took the
towels away.  “I…” I swallowed hard, then gave up and burst out laughing. 
    Ville smiled and turned back to the wardrobe.  “Go on,” he
said, his voice trembling with suppressed laughter, “before I embarrass
myself.”
    I snorted.  “Too late, I think.”  Then I made my way to
the bathroom.  I closed the door and leaned against the solid wood.  My heart
felt like it was beating a million times faster than it should be, and I was
hot, like I was about to break out into a sweat. 
    I took a few deep breaths and told myself he was right.  I
was more attracted to him than I had ever been to any other man, Shifter or
human.  But that was just the thing- maybe I was attracted to him because he
wasn’t Shifter.  Maybe it was because of his magic, and had nothing to do with
me at all.
    “Cool it Wren,” I muttered to myself.  “Is this really
what you should be thinking about right now?”
    The weight of my situation settled on me, and the fizz of
laughter and arousal died.  I stood and pushed away from the door.  The room
was tiled with smooth, grey stone.  A huge sunken tub and a walk-in shower took
up opposite corners of the room.  A big copper tank of water steamed away,
waiting to be directed. 
    I gave the bathtub a wistful look before crossing to the
shower.  I slipped out of the shirt and stepped inside.  Turning on the tap, I
stood under the explosion of hot water, letting it pound against me.  Some part
of me hoped it might wash away the grime on my soul.
    There were a few jars of liquid arranged on shelves inside
the shower.  They looked to be hand-made concoctions.  I chose one that didn’t
smell like flowers- kind of a pungent, herby smell that reminded me of the
forest.  I used it to rinse my hair, and splashed it over my body, feeling like
I was at some sort of spa retreat.  Winona did those sorts of things.  I had
always felt my time was better used in training for battle or studying for my
classes.  Damn it, I had tried so hard.
    I emerged some time later, feeling stronger.  I was firmly
wrapped in one of the big towels, and I made sure that nothing alluring was
peeking out- not that there was much of that around.  Ville was probably right
to think his reaction to me was suspect. 
    The bedroom was empty when I emerged, so I sat on the
fainting couch and toweled my hair.  The door opened and Ville stepped in, carrying
an armload of clothes.  He gifted me with his usual relaxed smile, and I
breathed a