Changeling

Chapter 10

Setting his pack on the ground, Ariton removed the bundle of sticks he collected and positioned them in a loose formation in a natural dip in the cave floor. He pulled a small device from the pack, some sort of cylindrical metallic gadget that when he pressed a small button on its side, emitted a small flame from the top. It was a lighter but unlike any I had ever seen and much techier than anything I'd expected to encounter in Eden. He lit the bundle of sticks and they erupted in brilliance with a warming blue and green blaze. The expression on my face must have been one of awe.

"Not a fire like you've seen before is it?" asked Ariton.

"No, it's beautiful."

"The trees here are nourished by different minerals than those that grow on Earth. That's what gives the flame this color when the wood burns."

I watched as he unpacked more supplies and noticed there was a slant to his shoulders that suggested exhaustion. I felt bad for making him carry me all the way back to the cave-- he hadn't fully recovered from yesterday.

"What happened to you last night? After you stopped Goldin? I thought I lost you."

He stopped and looked at me and a thoughtful smile brightened his face. "And losing me would have been a bad thing?"

A rush of heat hit raised in my cheeks and I looked down hopeful that in the low light of the cave he wouldn't see my blush. I hated to admit to myself that losing him would have been a horrible thing. I reminded myself that I was here only to find answers about my parents' murder. I was here with Ariton because the only other option I had was to be taken by Goldin. Whatever this feeling was I had growing in my chest, warming me in my core, fluttering in my abdomen every time he looked at me was nothing. Rather than pressing me on the subject he moved on but there was a noticeable charge in the air now that sparked on my skin each time he looked my way. It was nothing...

"It took a lot of magic to hold him back. More than I had to give. My body just shut down and needed time to recover. I count myself lucky that you were with me-- you saved me," he smiled. "You're far more powerful that I thought you were."

I wasn't powerful but I returned his smile and felt somewhat uneasy. He believed things about me that weren't true.

Evening set in and the interior of the cave was mostly dark except for the flickering light of the fire. It cast dancing shadows on the cave walls and lit Ariton's face in way that enhanced his sharp angles and strong jawline. I couldn't help but admire his physique in the dim light. The contour of muscle in his arms, the strength visible across his back as he moved, his washboard abdomen that flexed as he leaned to retrieve something from his pack. He looked over at me and the corner of his mouth pulled in a half smile telling me I had just been caught checking him out. My belly did this little flip flop thing... it was nothing.

From the pack he pulled out what looked to be a small teapot then poured water into it from the bladder we drank from earlier. He broke off a segment of the herb bundle from Cason and dropped it in before setting it near the fire to warm.

With eyes glistening, he moved to my side and took my bandaged hand in his. The charge in the air grew with his nearness making it difficult to breathe.

So much happened in the last twenty-four hours it was hard to imagine it was only yesterday I was in the hospital. Ariton moved his eyes over my broken hand analyzing its current state. It wasn't in great shape, neither was the rest of me for that matter. "These bandages must come off. They're wet and soiled."

My tumble down the hillside to the stream left my bandages damp and dirty. He was right, they had to come off and he looked at me seeking my approval to tend to them. I nodded, giving him permission to proceed. As his fingers worked delicately to unravel the bandage, the air warmed around me, and a small flame lit in my core each time his fingers brushed my skin. I felt my cheeks flush again under his gaze. I flinched when he removed the last layer freeing my hand.

"I'm sorry!"

"I'm okay," I breathed out. He set the spent bandaging material on the ground and carefully examined my hand. His eyes met mine every few moments to read me for pain.

"It looks like the swelling has gone and the tea will help with the pain." He rolled my hand over leaving it resting in his, with my palm facing up. Using his other hand, he lightly pressed down on my fingers stretching them out.

A gasp escaped my lips and my back arched in an attempt to absorb the painful ache that shot up my arm.

"Okay, we won't do that," he said. "I'll try to be gentler." Then he bowed down and placed a kiss in my palm. It was soft and warm causing my breath to hitch and my heart to beat more rapidly. His amethyst eyes were locked on mine, they darkened with a sentiment that made my belly do another one of those flip flops... but it was nothing.

His actions were just a custom I was unfamiliar with I told myself. That had to be what it was. He meant nothing by it. But the way his eyes met mine and the way his breaths became ragged...

"Is it getting hot in here?" I asked, tearing my gaze from him, and looked to the fire instead. It was just the pain and the heat from the fire that caused my short sharp pants. I was here to find out about my parents murder I reminded myself yet again. I was here to avoid being captured by the monsters that killed them. I was here because I had no choice other than to go with Ariton. When I went over in my head again what occurred in my hospital room, it really was my only choice.

"Maybe a little," he replied. Then he picked up the cloth he had pulled from his pack moments ago and he wrapped it around my hand tying a knot in my palm to secure it.

"It's not the best wrap, but it's clean and dry. I've asked Cason to bring some additional medical supplies so we can do a better job later." He still held my hand in his as he pressed another kiss to my wrist. I did not know his motivation and I didn't want to assume this was something it was not. I should have pulled away. But as much as I didn't want to admit it, I liked it and yearned for more. Shit... this was something. I hardly knew this man yet I felt an undeniable pull to him, as if I were the tide and he were the moon. It was difficult to accept in many ways. My faith in others had been shattered so many times before that I pretty much walled off all emotion, all ability to be vulnerable. Ariton was taking a pickaxe to that wall.

The sound of someone clearing his throat materialized from the cave entrance and thankfully stopped me from grabbing onto Ariton and planting my own kiss on him. An action I likely would have regretted.

"Ariton, I've brought the supplies you've requested."

Cason had arrived.