Chapter Seventeen

Silas

Silas’s whole body ached in a delicious way as he made his way down to the river. The day before had been a blur—the fighting, the pain, the healing, the joining—and had extended well into the night when Dakata and Silas had moved into his house, and Dakata claimed him all over again on his bed. Our bed now.

But no matter how hectic his night had been, Silas would not forsake his forest. As soon as the sun peeked over the horizon, he slipped out of bed, confident his oak would watch over Dakata, who was snoring loudly. A quick clean up, and a fresh robe, and Silas was ready to meet the day.

There was unease in the forest.

Silas expected that.

While his oak was huge and old, it was experienced in weathering storms and turmoil that a lot of the smaller plants were fearful of. Strangers had walked among them, had deliberately hurt the spirits that kept the forest secure, and all around Silas there was a chatter, and jagged energies, like buzzing bees.

Be calm, Silas sent to the young grasses scattered among the rocks along the river’s edge. We are well, his energies conveyed as he stroked along the leaves of the young saplings still finding their way from the shadows of their parents. Wanda will walk among you soon, you have my word, he told the bushes that ringed the edge of the forest, near to where his sister’s grove was. He had already been to check on Wanda and Dougal, who had both had a peaceful night, although Dougal had mentioned that Silas could benefit from more sleep.

When he came to the small clearing where Wanda had been taken from, Silas could feel the despair of the vegetation as if it was a thick fog. The trees around were doing their best, trying to clear the negative soot. Only the smaller bushes, grasses, and moss remained bowed under the weight of it all.

Working methodically, Silas brushed off every leaf and blade of grass, using his magic like a watering can, ridding the soil and greenery of the negative aftereffects caused by evil actions. The sun was a lot higher in the forest when he was done, but the young branches reached out to him, shrilling their thanks while the sturdy trunks and branches in the upper canopy rustled their leaves in appreciation.

I need to wash before I go back to the house.

While Silas knew his oak could and would cleanse him all over again, Silas wanted to feel the crispness of chilly water all over his skin. Stripping off his robe as he got to the river’s edge, Silas flicked his hair back over his shoulders and dove into the bubbling water.

The effect was electric. The droplets of water that all came together with a common cause, to bring life-giving moisture to the forest floor, slapped Silas’s skin harder than any hand could do. It was a cleansing, refreshing, and invigorating sensation Silas longed to hang onto, but he needed to breathe. His head bursting clear of the water’s surface, Silas brushed back his hair, and then smiled. “You’re awake,” he called out happily, swimming to the river’s edge where Dakata was standing. “Did you sleep well?”

His brow became furrowed as he glanced around the wooded area. “Do you always swim naked in a public river?”

Silas couldn’t tell if Dakata was angry or aroused, but as he preferred to believe in the positive, he widened his grin as he pulled himself out of the water. “I always know when someone’s around,” he said.

Two clicks of his fingers took care of most of the water dripping down his skin and hair. He bent down, ignoring the growl coming from his partner, and scooped up his robe. Slipping it on, he held out his arms and did a twirl. “Better now?”

“I’m not sure, and I’m being honest.” Silas found himself swamped in Dakata’s arms. “You look sexy no matter what you wear… or don’t wear.”

His demon, probably in deference to the imaginary people he thought were around, had dressed in smart jeans and a T-shirt that molded every inch of his torso. Sturdy boots completed a very rugged picture that Silas could appreciate, even as his ass ached in protest.

But it seemed Dakata had a different plan for their morning. “Dougal told me you’d already visited Wanda, and he made it plain she didn’t need anything, so I made you a picnic,” he said gruffly, leading them back into the trees. “You ate little yesterday.”

Silas couldn’t even remember eating at all the day before, and his stomach rumbled in appreciation of Dakata’s thoughtfulness. His heart warmed too, that the same demon that had rampaged on their behalf the day before, had thought to check in on Wanda first thing, even when Silas hadn’t formally introduced them as yet.

Then the thought floated away as he walked into the clearing, Silas pressed his palm on his chest as he saw the beautiful setup Dakata had arranged.

“Oh Dakata, this is so thoughtful.” Silas shook his head in amazement at the pristine white table set up amongst the greenery. There were only two chairs, also white, and Silas noticed one of them had a cushion on it.

He wasn’t surprised when Dakata led him to that one, encouraging him to sit. The table spread was a delight. Simple foods, much like Silas had served him on their first meal together. Meats on a platter, four different types of cheeses, fruits, a range of pickles and chutneys arranged in a small tray, and fresh bread that smelled delicious.

“I wasn’t sure what you usually ate for breakfast.” Dakata sliced some bread with ruthless efficiency. “Do dryads have specific dietary needs—are there things you won’t eat?” He glanced over his shoulder at the trees and lowered his voice. “Like plant matter, for example?”

You are so adorable.

Silas shook his head. “It doesn’t upset the eco-system here if we eat the plants grown for that purpose, much like anywhere else, I imagine. I’ll admit, when I was an idealized youngster, still new to the whole idea of protecting the forest, I used to cry over every blade of grass that someone stepped on.”

“How on earth did you get around if you weren’t walking on the grass? You live in a forest.” Dakata placed a sandwich on Silas’s plate, then reached for the second one he made to take a huge bite.

Silas was quick to mimic him. “It wasn’t easy,” he admitted after swallowing the yumminess, “but I was really lucky when I arrived at this forest—Dougal was so darn helpful in my younger days, he truly was, especially when my bond with my tree was so new. He taught me that all life has a purpose, and for some plants, their sole purpose is to be enjoyed as food for others. I don’t like seeing waste, but in the forest, even then, if some fruits fall to the ground and decompose, they are releasing their nutrients, which nourishes the plants they came from.”

The sideways glance Dakata gave him made Silas realize he hadn’t answered the question. “I will eat most things. I’m not a fan of huge slabs of meat on a plate—I like balance in my diet the same as most people. But I will eat meat, fish, dairy, plants—basically whatever is handy and easy to put together. I make a lovely stew in winter, which Dougal and Wanda seem to enjoy.”

“What about processed foods or food deliveries like pizza, Chinese, or things like that? I don’t imagine many places deliver out here.”

Silas chuckled. Dakata sounded disappointed. “When I go into town, I nearly always buy takeout food and bring that back here to share. Although, that’s not something I go out of my way to eat.” Silas sighed as another thought hit him. “I’m guessing I won’t be singing at the club anymore, so it’s not like I’ll have many reasons to go to town. I’ll be lucky if Branson doesn’t set his bouncers on me if he sees me lurking by the door.”

Dakata grunted. “I’ve already sent him money for damages and to make up his lost earnings for the night. If you want to sing there again, you will.”

“Thank you.” Silas felt his cheeks heat—it was the way Dakata made a pronouncement—he had said something, so it would happen. Silas thought that was cute, and more than a bit sexy.

Dragging his mind out of the gutter because that cushion he really appreciated and his butt wasn’t up to another pounding quite so soon, Silas changed the subject. “Your sister and the two brothers I met yesterday—are they your only family?”

“I have a huge extended family,” Dakata said as a glass appeared in his hands. “Do you prefer juice or water?”

“Juice, please and thank you.” Silas took the glass and had a sip of the pure fruit juice, its sweetness matching Dakata’s.

It was a beautiful morning, and Dakata had made so much effort, thinking about his needs, Silas wanted to savor the moment.

“What about you? Is your sister the only member of your family that lives in the forest?” Dakata asked. He had a large mug of coffee cradled between his hands. It was a strong brew, because Silas could smell it, and he inhaled it, enjoying the earthy notes of the beans. He didn’t drink coffee after he learned it made him bounce around like a crackerjack, but he loved the scent of it.

He nodded in response to Dakata’s question. “There aren’t many living dryads,” he said, feeling the innate sadness that always came from how so many of his kin had been treated over the centuries. “As soon as we become adults, we leave our families, seeking forest areas that sing to our soul, I suppose you could say. I came here, initially attracted to our oak, but I truly didn’t believe such a wondrous tree would ever want or need the bond with a dryad.”

He smiled as he remembered. “The oak chose me anyway. I was really surprised when Wanda showed up about five years later. I thought she was just visiting on her way to find her own tree. The forest had already accepted me as its protector. But then she came across the glade—the peach trees—and they really needed her, so she bonded with all four of them and has been my neighbor ever since.”

“Mom, Dad, other siblings?”

“The trees we bond to become our family, and then every now and then, very rarely I might add, a huge demon catches a dryad’s eye and…”

“There you are.” A shrill voice interrupted Silas’s attempts at smooth talking, and he looked up to see the same woman he’d noticed as Dakata’s date the first night he’d seen him, although he now knew the lady was Dakata’s sister after his interlude in the demon realm. “For fuck’s sake, bro. You do not want to know what I had to promise Merihem just so he could send me to you. Dakata, you’ve left a ton of shit that needs sorting, and you need to come now.”

In the time it took Silas to blink, Christa and Dakata were gone.

Disappeared.

“Well.” Silas picked up Dakata’s mug and sniffed, curling his hands around its warmth just like Dakata had done. “That was a lovely breakfast, I guess. Could’ve ended better, just saying.”