The Degenerate (Mythics Book One)

22

I tuned out the stupid laughs at my forwardness and grabbed Adair's forearm, pulling us in any direction, so long as it was away. He gently corrected my course and steered us to an easily overlooked path on the left side of the clearing. It took us slightly downhill, and I nearly skidded on some rocks multiple times.

"So," Adair said, hand braced on my elbow in case he had to save my life--- er, I mean, stop my fall again. "What's this really about?"

I snorted. "You've seen me, right? I could pass as a caveman."

He laughed a little, and it was a deep, comforting sound. "Nah, you look fine. You've been through a lot."

We kept walking, and I couldn't help but notice that this Adair was so much different from the facade he put up in front of his friends. It was hard to describe. There was something... softer... easier about him. At least with this one I didn't feel like decking him every few minutes.

The foliage grew thicker as we neared the source of water. The patches of grass grew to reach my thighs and brambles clung to the hems of my jeans. Cicadas and other buzzing creatures flitted around and made their presence known. The sand gradually turned to mud and clay under my feet and the sounds of burbling water reached my ears.

Turns out that the little spring Adair had told me about earlier wasn't so little after all. At least the size of a large swimming pool, it contained the clearest, bluest water I had ever seen. The water was so pure that I could almost see the bottom, creating the illusion that it wasn't so deep, even though I knew otherwise. The banks of the spring were sandy on one side, and crowded with staggered black rocks on the other, almost like nature's seating arrangement. Vibrant green moss crept along the stones beneath the surface, which rippled lightly in the smallest gust of wind. Even the air smelled different there, like fresh rain and damp earth. It was calming, almost, and I could nearly forget about breakfast altogether.

"Where is everyone?" I asked faintly.

"Uh, eating like always." He smirked at me. "You probably have about twenty minutes before the crowds start trickling in. We don't have much privacy around here, but something tells me you're not comfortable with that."

I widened my eyes and shook my head.

Adair laughed. "It's weirdly endearing, how normal you are."

I arched a brow. "What do you mean, 'normal'?"

He shook his head as if to say whatever. "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and get in."

"Are you..." A tide of discomfort welled in my chest. "Are you getting in?"

Adair snorted. Actually snorted. "Uh, no. Should I take that as an invitation?" His jewel-toned green eyes gleamed.

Somehow, that dragged a laugh out of me. "No, you perv."

Adair grinned in his usual charming way and said, "I like you, siren-chick. If you ever need some good entertainment, find me."

I smiled, enjoying the flutter of something good in my chest. The dude embodied ease and zero-responsibilities. Maybe I needed that.

Adair left the way we had come, disappearing into a thicket of trees.

I swallowed, turning my gaze to the wealth of gorgeous blue water before me. I tried to convince myself that it wasn't a big deal, that I had complete privacy out here. I wrung my hands like wet dish towels. It would hurt. This beautiful vision of serenity in nature would forever be tainted by my pain as I shed my human skin. But what else could I do? Walk around filthy for who knew how long?

My privacy time was running short, ticking past me like sand draining in an hourglass. I yanked off my socks and shoes. Standing just outside the damp bank, I heaved a great breath. My toes curled in the dirt. I grew detached as I pulled off my shirt and jeans, leaving my underwear and bra. A silly form of concealment. I wondered how water felt for normal people, if it was cool and soft like butter against the skin. I would never know. It would always be eclipsed by pain.

Maybe Asherah's talk about the Pull and other crackhead logistics was sinking into me, because I could've sworn I felt something respond to the gentle rise and shift of the rippling water. Deep down, I wanted it to be good, because, dang it, then I could finally belong somewhere. It was a new need, something I'd been completely blind to before. Theo wasn't enough. Traveling this entire world would never be enough. All I'd ever wanted were answers to my questions.