7. Darcy

Chapter 7

Darcy

I let the warm water run over me and tried hard to enjoy how it heated my body. I didn't want to think about anything else. Just the water and the warmth, two of my kind's favorite things. Lyndon's shower was nice too. For someone who lived in a small, isolated cabin, his shower was bright and spacious, and the water pressure was everything. I would need to talk to the humans who ran my apartment building when I got home about fixing that. I hadn't realized what I'd been missing out on.

All I could focus on now was getting home. I realized any silly thoughts about a strong connection to Lyndon were just my imagination. He was disgusted by me. Not that I blamed him. He'd told me already he didn't want me touching him, and I'd nearly violated that. It hadn't been on purpose—I'd been checking on Lyndon and making sure he was okay. It wasn't until he'd snapped at me that I'd even remembered he had asked me to keep my hands to myself.

It shouldn't hurt. Lyndon was a stranger. A stranger who had made his boundaries clear from the beginning. Except, he'd gone out of his way to look for me and had admitted to me that he was being a jerk and had asked me to come back. That meant, maybe, he didn't hate me? Not to mention the way he'd reacted when his cousin had been talking to me. I still couldn't make sense of that. How could he be so disgusted by me, I couldn't go near him, but he also lost control when someone flirted with me? Then again, it probably wasn't because of me. He'd probably been horrified his cousin would try, even if it had been a joke.

Ugh, why was this witch so confusing? If this was what it felt like to fall for one, I was kind of glad I'd never gotten anywhere with any of my dating app matches. It was exhausting.

I lingered in the shower well after I was clean. Lyndon and his cousin were still in the cabin, and I wasn't ready to deal with them. I couldn't bear to see the look on Lyndon's face when he saw me again.

Eventually, even his awesome shower had a limit, and it started to cool. Trying not to shiver, I quickly shut the water off and grabbed one of the fluffy towels I had found under the sink. Hopefully, Lyndon wouldn't mind too much.

Once I had dried off some, I realized something. My clothes were still in the washing machine. I looked at the big T-shirt that Lyndon had given me, but I didn't want to put it back on now that I was clean. Besides, the thing was itchy. That was another thing I didn't get: why the humans had so many itchy and uncomfortable fabrics. They had so many options! Why would they choose to make something itchy? It made no sense. I knew Lyndon wasn't really a human, but they were the closest thing I had to compare him to, and he acted very human much of the time.

My tail swished as I weighed my options.

Option 1: Stay in this bathroom forever. Or at least until Lyndon realized I was in here and used that root magic to rip off the door and force me out.

I shivered. That option had some appeal.

Option 2: Put the dirty, itchy T-shirt back on. Nope. Not happening.

Option 3: Go out naked.

Not something I cared too much about, but Lyndon seemed as weird about nudity as humans were. Maybe Ambrose wouldn't care, but Lyndon had reacted so unusually before, and I wouldn't want to make him uncomfortable.

So, option 4 it was: Go out in the purple, fluffy towel. I shrugged. Could be worse.

I took a deep breath. Okay, here went nothing. I grabbed the handle before I could lose my courage and opened the bathroom door.

I glanced around the main room. The roots were gone, but the floorboards were cracked in half and holes were left in their places. How did he manage to break through the foundation of his home? Could he fix it?

I stepped closer to the holes and flicked my tongue to taste the lingering magic. Lyndon's was layered around the place, some older, some fresher, like in this spot. I couldn't get over how delicious it was. Addicting. I stepped back, resisting an extra taste. I had a feeling Lyndon wouldn't like that.

No one was in the main room, but I could hear Lyndon and Ambrose talking in the kitchen. The conversation sounded serious. Suddenly, coming out in nothing but a towel seemed like a bad idea. Maybe I should just wait here until they were done?

"You can come join us, darling! I promise I don't bite. Well, not unless you ask for it of course."

There was a growl and a burst of green light, followed by Ambrose's laugh. "You're too easy, Lyndon."

I had no idea what any of that meant, but I couldn't just stand there so I walked into the kitchen.

Lyndon and Ambrose were sitting at the kitchen table, teacups and a kettle between them. Ambrose's eyes widened, and he smirked when he saw me.

I wasn't sure what to make of the witch. His style was different than any one I'd ever seen before. Maybe this realm had different ways of dressing, but Lyndon wore the same things I always saw, so it could just be Ambrose. He was intimidating and bold, but he felt kind. I had nothing to fear from him, even though his magic felt extremely powerful.

Lyndon jumped to his feet and was in front of me instantly. "What in the everloving goddess are you wearing? Ambrose, don't you dare say a word! Stop staring at him!"

My heart sank. I'd upset Lyndon again. I swore I wasn't doing it on purpose. I just couldn't tell what he wanted! "You can't just come out here in a towel, Darcy! C'mon, let's find you real clothes." Lyndon pushed at my chest, probably trying to get me to leave the room.

As soon as his hands made contact with my skin, everything froze. Electric shocks sparked from his fingertips and embedded themselves where he touched me. No, not electric. Lyndon. His magic, his essence. I could all but feel it seeping in and finding a home inside me. Like it belonged. Like we belonged.

Lyndon took a step back, breaking contact. It didn't matter though. It was too late. Lyndon was a part of me now. His magic was thrumming through me.

"What'sssss happening?" I whispered, clutching at my chest. It didn't hurt, rather it was amazing. Warm and tingly. Comforting. It somehow made me feel safer, like that tendril of magic somehow connected me to Lyndon and would protect me. It sounded ridiculous, but it was all I could think of.

Lyndon just shook his head, too shocked to speak. "Lyndon?" I asked again, just trying to understand. Was this why he hadn't wanted to touch me? Did he know I'd take a piece of his magic? He had to know I hadn't done it on purpose, right? I'd never do that. It belonged to him.

Not getting any answers from Lyndon, I looked at Ambrose. He was standing now and seemed more subdued than he'd been since he'd gotten here. Even more so than when Lyndon had held him captive with roots. Then again, that had seemed to amuse him more than anything else.

"What'sssss going on?" I asked Ambrose.

"Lyndon, I think it's time you have a conversation with your mate."

I staggered back, sure I'd heard him wrong. But Lyndon wasn't denying it. Also, now that I thought back, he called me that earlier too. My mind was too jumbled at the time for it to take hold, but now that one simple word hit me like a thousand needles to the heart. Mate. Lyndon looked like he was going to be sick. I clutched my stomach hoping the pang of sadness he expression caused would disappear.

"Mate?" I asked, hoping he'd finally speak.

Lyndon blinked, like he was coming out of a trance. "Goddess. Okay, you're right. Darcy needs to know what's happening. But you need to get changed first," Lyndon barked at me. "And you," he snapped at Ambrose. "Find us something to eat. I'm not doing this on an empty stomach."

Careful not to touch me, Lyndon slid past. I glanced back at Ambrose, feeling like maybe he was my ally, even if I didn't know him really, but he just grinned and gave me a thumbs-up. Unsure what else to do, I followed Lyndon back out of the kitchen.

"I'm going to cut a hole in an old pair of sweats for your tail. Is that okay? I know it's not perfect, but it's better than nothing."

"I, uh, sure. That's fine. When we first started coming to the human realm, that's all we had. I don't mind."

"Hmm," Lyndon hummed thoughtfully but didn't say anything else. He also didn't talk about what had happened in the kitchen. He held up a pair of faded gray sweatpants. They looked really soft! I wanted to touch them just to make sure, but I didn't want to upset Lyndon, so I just rocked back and forth and watched as he found scissors and got to work.

He kept glancing at me while he cut, but I knew it was just because he was trying to see how big my tail was at the base. It was covered by the towel, though, and he didn't ask for me to take it down so he could look. Should I offer?

Before I could, he shoved the pants at me. "Try those. If it's too tight, I'll fix it."

"Um. Okay." I went to drop the towel.

"Wait!" I froze.

"Goddess, Darcy. Wait till I cover my eyes or something at least. You can't just keep getting naked around people."

If I understood correctly, Lyndon wasn't just people though. His magic was in me, and he might even be my mate. As confusing as I found the witch, I was sure he wouldn't like me pointing that out.

"Ssssorry."

Lyndon sighed. "You need to stop apologizing to me. If anyone should be apologizing, it's me." I noted how he didn't say he was sorry though.

I grinned. "Yeah, probably."

Lyndon rolled his eyes. "Just get changed." He turned and faced the wall. Damn!

The pants were as soft as I'd imagined! So much better than that T-shirt. The hole was a little on the small side, the base of my tail was pretty thick, but it wasn't too tight.

"Ok, I'm dressssed." Lyndon turned around. I didn't miss how he sucked in a breath as his eyes trailed down my naked torso and to the sweatpants, or how they lingered in between my legs. He seemed really fascinated that I had two penises. It was kind of funny. A lot of species had two sex organs, but maybe that wasn't the case in this realm?

Lyndon cleared his throat and deliberately met my eyes. "Maybe I should get you a shirt too? I know Ambrose is going to be drooling over you."

I thought that was a good thing, but Lyndon once again sounded disgusted. Did he find me so gross that even the harmless flirting was bothering him?

"I think he's just teasing."

Lyndon narrowed his eyes. "Huh?"

"Ambrose. He's not really flirting with me. He doesn't like me or anything. I know you're horrified by me and whatever's happening, but you don't have to worry about your cousin. I wouldn't hurt him. Or touch him in any way."

Lyndon blinked like my words didn't make any sense. "You think . . . Believe me, I'm not worried about Ambrose." He wasn't? "And I never said I was disgusted by you."

I guessed so, but, "You never said you weren't either."

The corner of his lip tipped up in half a smile. Oh my gods, Lyndon was smiling! Sort of!

"True. But I'm not. I didn't mean to make you feel that way." He looked like he was about to say more but then snapped his mouth shut. "Come on, Ambrose is waiting, and I don't want him to get bored and start trouble."

"Would he do that?" I asked as I followed Lyndon out.

"One time when we were kids, he got bored in lessons and opened up a portal to the monkey exhibit of some zoo and let them all through and into our classroom. It took nearly two days to find them all and get them back safely. My aunt had to alter the memories of, like, a hundred humans. It was a disaster."

I had to smother a laugh as I imagined that. I was sure it was bad at the time, but it sounded hysterical.

"I didn't realize that was even possible, creating a portal like that."

"For most witches, it isn't. Even Aunt Belinda, our head witch, can only create portals under very specific circumstances. But Ambrose is, well, he's Ambrose. Trust me, you'll understand soon enough.

Lyndon sighed. "Now let's go. I guess I have a lot of explaining to do."