Sun Catch Her (Book 1: Three Rivers Deep series) COMPLETE

Chapter Twenty

Wiggling my damp toes into fresh, knee-high socks and rolling their long length snug with each leg, I stood up in front of the bathroom mirror and marveled over the smooth skin of my once injured shoulder. Alex was quite the healer, although his methods were odd. Water devvi remedies were much faster than human medical practices. That was for darn sure.

My attention shifted from my shoulder to take in all of me: blue eyes, dark hair, wan complexion. The outward package standard, human. However, I now knew for sure that I wasn't.

I breathed in, slowly, and let it out, feeling...nothing much. Perhaps I hadn't yet decided how I should feel about being half devvi because I was only just becoming familiar with what being one entailed. People who are from a different side of reality—it seemed like some sort of fabrication. Or pending crisis. Just one of those instances during which you hoped everything was going to turn out for the good, but you were having a hard time convincing the logical part of yourself that it would.

But it wasn't as if, up until this point in my life, I had been fitting in perfectly with humanity. What might the world of the devvis hold for me, if I gave it half a chance?

Though it's not as if I'm entirely like them either. My thoughts went to the theater, back to what I deciphered from the incoming air that Alex couldn't. Would devvis be better equipped to tolerate an empath? He certainly seemed okay with it.

I put on the first nightshirt that was on top of the pile in the linen closet. It was two sizes too large for me, a quick purchase a couple of days after the apartment collapsed when I had nothing to sleep in. It went easily over my dripping bareness. Except for wringing the excess water from my hair, I didn't bother to towel off. It was something I did sometimes after a hard day because, in some strange way, it made me feel better, like the bad stuff that was trying to get to me would simply slide off and drip to the floor in harmless puddles.

A sigh escaped me and I reached for the blow dryer. I should at least dry my hair.

"Leave it wet."

"Alex?" Startled, I looked up at the mirror. His reflection filled the space behind me where the room had been empty only seconds before.

"Please...don't dry your hair." His smooth, accented voice came out low.

My hand fell away from the dryer. I nodded and found myself closing my eyes as he trailed his fingers through the liquid black that spilled about my shoulders.

"Your beauty is beyond what mere words can describe whenever water clings to you," he murmured at my ear. "Better than jewels or soft linen."

My toes curled. Oh...holy wow.

"I didn't hear you come in." I leaned back into him, savoring the compliment. I couldn't help myself as his words tumbled over my shoulder, smelling of water falling over moss-covered rocks, both soothing and exhilarating.

"The shower turned off a while ago, and I wanted to make sure everything was okay."

I placed my hands over his, entwining our fingers to send shivers racing up my spine. I guided his arms around me to hug the shapeless long tee snug. This was different, being held straight from the shower, still dripping. I relished in the newness of it. His hold on me grew bolder when I turned to shyly nuzzle his shoulder. I like this.

"Your injuries...?" he asked.

"Everything's okay," I said. I tried not to stiffen when he ventured to nuzzle me back, lips coming close to the scar hidden in my hair, behind my right ear.