Eternal Beasts

Bandaging Wounds

Samantha leaned against the door, arms folded beneath her breasts, as she watched Jared carefully bandage the cuts and abrasions on the tuathan princess's feet a half hour later. For her part, the princess now wore one of Jared's sweatshirts and a pair of his sweatpants, both hanging baggy on her lithe, athletic frame, which was still damp from the hot shower Samantha had helped her have before bringing her back to the room to have her wounds tended to. Yet those baggy clothes did nothing to hide what she was, now that she was in a safe place and much more comfortable.

The natural attractiveness of her people acting as a foundation, this tuathan woman was truly exquisite with her indigo eyes, dusky skin, high cheekbones, almond-shaped eyes, arching brows, and straight, dark brown, almost black hair, also currently rumpled and damp. She was an incredible beauty that, according to the book, surpassed that of any other woman of the time. And Jared was pretty sure it surpassed the women of this time as well. Along with her grace, intelligence, and bravery, this daughter of the last High King of the Tuatha Fáil, was lovely on a level Jared had never before experienced.

And right now, her eyes were only for him.

"How does that feel, your Highness?" he asked.

"Nikeera," she said, her voice a warm, singsong that was more melody than speech. She smiled even as her eyes devoured every inch of him. "We are to be husband and wife, my lord. It is only fitting that you call me by my name."

Jared swallowed against the pounding of his heart in his chest. He couldn't tell whether it was because she was so gut-wrenchingly gorgeous, it was like she wasn't even mortal, a goddess of perfection and grace. Or that, according to the book, he would be having a child with her.

"Nikeera," he managed to say with a shaky smile. "I'm Jared. Is the bandaging ...?"

His voice caught in his throat when, with a touch so soft and gentle, it felt like silk against his skin, Nikeera leaned forward to take hold of his face.

"By the Maker's Grace!" she breathed in disbelief. "I had hoped you would be handsome, Jared, my husband-to-be, strong and manly, but I never would've imagined you would be as perfect as a god!"

Feeling his face blush, he looked down. Where he grimaced as, with a happy laugh, Samantha chimed in.

"He is easy on the eyes, I'll grant you that, your Highness," his amazon of a griffon said. "But it will be his prowess in battle, his skill, strength, intelligence, cunning, and tactical acumen that will protect you and your future children, and keep you both safe, your Highness. Not that flawless jawline of his!"

"Granted, Lady Griffon," Nikeera conceded, looking over at Samantha with a warm smile. Astonishingly, it had taken only a heartbeat for her to recognize that Samantha was a griffon in nysim form.

"But, as I have the very best of both, I'd be a fool to complain!"

"Okay, you two," Jared said, forcing his mind to still and his heart to slow by strength of will. He had no choice. As much as he wanted to remain starstruck by Nikeera, they simply didn't have the time to indulge in such things.

"We need to focus here." He gave Nikeera's bandages a final smoothing before he leaned back out of range of her hands to look first at her, then over at Samantha.

"You both are here when you're not supposed to be," he said, stating the obvious. "You've been released from stasis by the portal magic, not the ritual. And I'm not sure if that's a good thing, or bad."

Jared looked over at the book sitting silent on his dresser.

"How about you, honored Watcher?" he asked, both Nikeera and Samantha also looking over at the massive tome, the tuathan princess reluctantly pulling her eyes off Jared to do so. "What do you think of the situation?"