He lifted me out of the water and set me on the ledge of the pool before hefting himself up beside me. Embarrassed by my wet shirt, I crossed my arms over my chest and stood, turning my back to him.
“This is an improvement,” he said. “Last time, you ran.”
“You’ve seen me in less.”
There were oohs from the pool that made me blush further.
“Tell Adira that I went home to change, okay?” I started for the door, my shoes squelching with each step. Fenris stayed with me.
“Are you sure you want to go home and change?”
I shot him a look as we left the pool.
“There is no way I’m staying here in wet clothes.”
“I mean, why go home? The spell’s gone. Why not do something else?”
My steps slowed as I considered what he was saying. Having the freedom to do what I wanted was the whole point of having the spell removed.
“What do you have in mind?” I asked finally.
He grinned and grabbed my hand.
“Come on.”
I shivered outside as I waited for Fenris to grab a blanket from my trunk, something I’d added after Megan’s time in the lake. He hurriedly placed it over the front seat so I could get in. My hair was frozen and my fingers numb.
“We really need dry clothes,” I said, teeth chattering.
Fenris grinned at me, and I noted the steam rolling off of him again.
“How can you be so warm?”
“It’s my inner fur.”
I snorted. But he did agree with my need to change and drove me home for some dry clothes.
“Think Oanen will mind if I raid his drawers?” Fenris asked as he parked.
“He won’t.”
The house was quiet as we let ourselves in through the kitchen. Fenris’s stomach rumbled at the aroma of whatever Mrs. Quill already had simmering on the stove in preparation for tonight’s dinner.
I grinned at him and stopped at the fridge to grab whatever I could find, which was some leftover roast and vegetables from the night before. Fenris groaned when I handed it to him but didn’t immediately open it.
“I’m taking this for the road,” he said softly.
We made it to the stairs before Mr. Quill’s office door opened, and Mrs. Quill stepped out. Surprise lit her face when she saw us and took in our sodden states.
“A small mishap at the pool,” Fenris said smoothly. “We’re just here to change.”
Her gaze flicked over his shirtlessness before settling on me. She smiled.
“Take your time. I’ll be in the kitchen. I’m sure there’s something more I can find you to eat, Fenris.”
A blush stained my cheeks because I knew what she was thinking. I opened my mouth to correct her. Instead of words, I emitted a squeak when Fenris picked me up and started up the stairs in a hurry.
Flames of embarrassment licked my face by the time he had me in my room with the door closed a few seconds later.
“You know what she’s thinking,” I hissed at him.
He grinned, popped the lid off the roast, and took a bite.
“Thought that was for the road.”
“That was before she offered to make me more food.”
I rolled my eyes and went to my closet.
“You should stop eating and go grab some clothes for yourself. We probably have ten minutes tops before Adira barges in.”
“Nah. She’ll give you longer than that in hopes that you’re feeding. Are these the infamous breast pumps?”
I poked my head out of my closet to see he’d found the “gift” I’d hidden under my bed.
“Do they work?”
“How would I know? And why do you care?”
He looked up from the plastic cone with a grin and shrugged.
“Go change, Fenris,” I said before ducking back into my closet.
“Whatever you say, my milkmaid.”
“Utter that pet name again, and you will be in a sack on your way to a river.”
“Utter or udder?”
I groaned and closed the closet door.
“Pack a bag,” he called. “You should really have a set of spare clothes for your car, too, if we’re going to keep using the pool.”
“We’re not,” I called back. But I still packed three sets of clothes into a bag before changing into something dry.
When I emerged from the closet, the empty food container sat on my bed, the “gift” was once again hidden away, and the room was empty.
Gathering everything, I left my room just as Oanen’s door opened. I didn’t realize how close in size the two were. Oanen had been larger than life as my brotherly protector. And Fenris…well, I’d purposely never looked at him long enough to compare the two.
Fenris’s broad shoulders filled out the white tee-shirt he’d helped himself to. The thin material clearly defined his chiseled chest but wasn’t quite tight enough to showcase the impressive abs I knew he possessed. The jeans hung just a little lower on Fenris’s hips than they ever did on Oanen’s. Low enough that I could see that enticing indent that would lead to hours of—
I swallowed hard and looked away.
“Have room in that bag for a pair of shorts?” Fenris asked.
I nodded and lifted the bag. He packed the shorts and shouldered our things.
“Want another ride?” he asked.
“No,” I croaked. “I’ll walk.”
When we reached the kitchen again, my eyes weren’t quite back to normal, which Mrs. Quill immediately noticed.
“That didn’t take very long,” she commented.
“All we did was change,” Fenris said. “Eliana doesn’t like an audience.”
Nothing he said was a lie. Yet, the implication was.
“We need to go,” I said, grabbing his arm before he said anything more. I set the container on the counter.
“I made a few sandwiches,” Mrs. Quill said quickly. She grabbed a paper bag I hadn’t noticed on the counter and shoved it at me.
“Have a good day at school.”
Saying nothing, I fled with Fenris in tow.
“Can you please stop lying?” I asked as soon as we were in the car.
“Nope. I have no problems with letting people think what they will. Especially if it keeps them minding their own business.”
Frowning, I twisted in my seat to stare at him as he turned the car around.
“Have you lied to me? Or purposely led me to believe something that wasn’t true?” The idea that he might have robbed my words of any volume.
Yet, he’d heard because the smug amusement fled his expression. The silence that followed hurt more than I expected.
“About what?” I asked.
“Like I said in the caves, there are some things you’re not ready to hear. When you are, I’ll tell you the truth. I swear it.”
“Why do you get to decide when I’m ready? Tell me now. What have you not told me, Fenris?”
He gave me a side glance then slowly shook his head.
“It took you four years to admit why you’ve been avoiding me. I like spending time with you, Eliana. I don’t want to wreck that.”
“Keeping the truth from me is definitely not going to help with that goal.”
He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he drove.