Feral Mage Book 2: Chapter 18

Bryce stepped into the warm room. The wisps of steam coming from the water hid much of the bath, but he started to undress. The warm waters of the large tub built into the floor sounded inviting, and he looked forward to soaking in it for a bit.

“I thought you forgot about me, Vex,” a feminine voice said.

Bryce froze as he was about to undo his belt.

“Janna?” he asked, recognizing the voice.

Silence hung in the air for a moment.

“B-Bryce! What are you doing here?” Janna called out.

He heard the splashing of water and quickly turned to face the wall with the door.

“Sorry, Vex told me the wrong room,” he said as he grabbed the handle.

The door would only budge an inch, and Bryce cursed.

“Vex!” he called out through the door.

There was no answer.

“What’s wrong?” Janna asked.

Bryce sighed. What the hell was his wolfkin lover up to?

“I think Vex locked us in here,” he answered.

Janna clicked her tongue.

“Oh that little bitch! This is because I asked her to wash my hair!”

Bryce stopped trying to open the door and almost turned around. He caught himself, though.

“What?”

He heard splashing in the water behind him.

“I have a towel on now, Bryce. You can turn around.”

He did and saw Janna sitting on the edge of the pool, a white towel wrapped around her still-wet body. He tried his best to keep his eyes from wandering, but the fabric was soaking through, and that caused it to cling to her figure.

“I asked Vex if she would wash my hair earlier. The soap is still harsh on my burns… She kept telling me to ask you to do it, and I just thought she was being stubborn…”

Janna blushed slightly as she looked away from him to the pool of water.

“Vex being stubborn? Never,” he teased.

A laugh escaped the kitsune, and she looked up at him with a smile. He had to hand it to Janna. She did have a beautiful smile.

Bryce sighed, looked at the door, then back at Janna.

“Well, do you want me to wash your hair?” he offered.

Janna blushed, and he saw her tails start to swish behind her.

“You… you don’t have to,” she said.

He shrugged.

“I’m kinda stuck here until Vex unlocks the door. Well, I could break it down, but Mark is still mad at me for the bed Omelet demolished, so I’d rather not piss off a berserker.”

She thought for a moment about what he said, then nodded and slipped back into the pool.

“Are you sure you don’t mind?” she asked.

He doubted they would do much bathing, being locked in here together. So washing her hair was something he could do to pass the time while waiting for Vex and to help Janna out.

“It’s not a problem,” he said.

She smiled and moved to the side of the pool he was on and turned her back to him.

“The soap is over there,” she said.

Bryce took the bar of soap and lathered it up in the water, then moved to kneel behind Janna on the edge of the pool. The kitsune’s black hair was still wet, and he started to run his fingers through it.

“Mmm,” Janna said as he rubbed the soap into her scalp.

He watched as she closed her eyes and relaxed more in the pool, her tails moving happily under the water. He also saw the towel slip a little further down her body, exposing part of her cleavage. He drew a deep breath and did his best to ignore it, instead focusing on her hair.

When her scalp was washed, he moved down, running his fingers through her hair. He didn’t know if this was what he was supposed to do. He never had hair this long before, but it seemed right, and Janna hadn’t corrected him.

Her ears.

He had forgotten about them while washing her scalp and moved to them next. Janna let out a gasp as he touched them.

They must be sensitive.

He let up on the pressure he had put on them and gently started to lather the soap on them. He moved slowly and methodically.

“Oh, Bryce,” Janna sighed as she sank more into the bath.

He carefully ran his thumb along her ears a few more times.

“Alright, Janna. You should be good to rinse.”

Janna’s eyes looked up at him with a hazy look, and he noticed her face was a little flushed.

“Huh?” Janna said, then she snapped out of her haze. “Oh, thank you, Bryce.”

He turned his back to her, allowing her to rinse with some privacy. He used the opportunity to return the soap where he got it. When he set it down, he picked up the comb that was lying beside it.

“Janna, were you going to ask Vex to comb your hair as well?”

He had just finished combing Janna’s hair when he heard movement at the door. Both shared a look before he stood and made his way over to check it. This time, there was no resistance when he tried to open the door.

“Looks like Vex decided to let us out,” Bryce said.

Janna nodded her head.

“Good,” she said, but he noticed her smile drop a little. “Thank you again for doing this.”

He grabbed his clean clothing and readied himself to leave.

“Not a problem. You have a good night, Janna,” Bryce said slipping out the door.

He moved down the hallway to his room, planning to talk with a certain mischievous wolfgirl.

Bellamy

Bellamy walked down the hallway of the castle. The echo of her footsteps was the only sound in the stone building, which was odd given the battle raging outside its walls. She passed by another corpse lying on the floor, another soldier.

I should never have brought him back here…

She kept moving, coming across more bodies every few yards. The hallway seemed never-ending, but the silence was broken by sobs. The hallway opened up into a large room, torches burning in it as an old man wept on the floor.

Why did I bring him back here?

The old man wore the clothing of nobility as he lay in a pool of his own filth. Vomit, piss, excrement and blood surrounded him. His eyes were glazed over, and his complexion was pale as sweat clung to his face and hair. Deep claw marks ran along his face.

She looked from the dying old man to the younger man sitting in the lord’s seat.

Bryce.

He sat there where the Baron would have presided over his court. A look of apathy on his face as he watched the man slowly die. His sword was stained with blood, and the black claws on his hand told her his Manticore Aspect was still active, but what Bellamy stared at was what hung around his neck. The copper dog tag.

She felt something strike her and instantly woke up. Bellamy was about to pull on one of her Aspects when she noticed the snow elf woman sitting by the fire watching her.

“You were having a nightmare,” Callie said as she poked at the embers with a stick.

Bellamy looked around the camp. It was still night, and she could hear Darren snoring from his bedroll on the other side of the fire.

“You threw something at me?” she asked.

Callie didn’t look away from the fire.

“Between Darren’s snoring and your whimpering, I needed to wake one of you for my own sanity. So I went with the most annoying.”

Bellamy gritted her teeth as she moved out of her bedroll, standing and stretching.

“How long until my watch?” she asked.

She met Callie’s eyes, who was watching her curiously.

“An hour or two,” she said. “So, where did you bring Bryce?”

Bellamy froze and stared at the elf.

“You kept saying his name and asking why you brought him there between your whimpers,” Callie said.

Bellamy frowned, grabbed her pack, and moved to the fire. There was no point in trying to fall back asleep with her watch so close. Instead, she began preparing her kettle for coffee.

“Well?” Callie asked, watching her.

She filled the kettle and placed it on the embers.

“That is between Bryce and me.”

Callie looked at the kettle curiously. Coffee originated from the southern islands and was less popular or known on the continent, at least away from the major sea ports. Bellamy had gained a taste for it while visiting the Selkie Isles and made sure always to pick up a supply when she could.

“Why? Is it related to the fact you two were fucking?”

Her gaze shot to the smirking elf.

“It was just a guess, but with a look like that, I can tell I hit the truth.”

Bellamy huffed, doing her best to hide the surprise on her face.

“He was my pupil, but isn’t any longer. I want to warn him of the danger he's in, then I’ll be gone from his life,” she said through gritted teeth, then tried to shift the subject. “How far are we from Witchbrook?”

“You know damn well how far,” Callie laughed. “But fine, I’ll stop. We should arrive there late afternoon tomorrow, as long as we don’t run into any more hunters.”

The kettle hissed over the fire, and Bellamy moved to take it. She poured a cup for herself and the annoying elf. The fact that she wanted to punch her in the face was no reason to abandon simple hospitality.