Imperfect (Disappeared #1)

Chapter Twenty

They climbed down a rope ladder from the platform to the bed. The bed was covered in quilts and looked cozy and secluded. Theodosia wrapped herself in a quilt and sat at the edge, afraid to lie down just yet, and looked out over the water. 

Ahuil sat next to her, his legs dangling over the edge. The sound of peepers filled the air. Frogs harrumphed and fish occasionally broke the surface, making tiny splashes. In the background was the gentle tinkle of water over the rocks. 

Theodosia began to re-pin sections of loose hair as she cast about for a topic of conversation. Anything to delay them from going to bed, where she had no idea what would happen. It was bad enough to throw herself into his arms when they vertical. Horizontal it would be nothing short of horrifying.

Actually, there was something she wanted to clear up now that they were alone. She looked over at him. He was staring over the water vacantly, swinging his legs slightly. 

"Can I ask you something?" she broke in. 

He smiled and nodded. "You're as curious as Yoltzi."

"Yes, well. Why did you look so strange when Xochitl was telling the story about the first time you saw a half-being? I hate to pry but I want to understand."

Ahuil's eyes tensed. "It's hard for me to talk about this."

"If you don't judge me for sharing a bed with you, I won't judge back."

He laughed unexpectedly and scratched the back of his neck. "That should be easy. All right, I feel like I triggered something. Like the beast was trapped there and I was the key that allowed it to break loose."

"But Xochitl said that couldn't be true. That too much time passed between when that happened and people started seeing them."

He shrugged, kicking his feet. "I don't know. Maybe it took some time for them to break loose. All I know is that I'm a kind of magnet for them. I see them more than most people, I think because they're hunting me."

He shivered slightly and Theodosia wrapped her blanket around him so that they were pressed together, their body heat mingling. She found it hard to breathe.

"I wish I could tell you that's not true," she managed. "But I don't really know how this world works. I can imagine you must feel afraid if that's true."

He looked into her eyes, nodding. "Sometimes. I'm not ashamed to say that. If I weren't afraid I'd be a fool. And I'm equally afraid of what's happening to this place. It's changing. I don't know how to stop it and I don't know how to protect the people I love. That makes me crazy sometimes, honestly."

He looked down at this hands that were folded into the blanket. She felt for them, rough and paw-like. They were hot as coals and she sighed as they folded over her own ice-cold ones. Their eyes were inches from each other. Her heart was alternatively stopping and galloping ahead like an ornery horse.

"Don't be so nervous," he whispered. "I would hear your heart a mile off. Here, let's get under the covers so you'll be more comfortable."

"That's not going to make me feel relaxed."

"I'll give you a massage then?"

She glared at him. "I thought you were going to be a gentleman, Ahuil."

"I never said that," he said grinning. "You assumed. Come on, Xochitl would beat me within an inch of my life if I did anything wrong. She's pure muscle. When we were kids she used to beat the hide off me if I sassed her. So get under the covers and tell that heart of yours to chill out already."