Now, having met Draden, she knew what love for a man really was. She loved Bellisia and Zara, but it had never occurred to her that she would meet and fall in love with a man. It wasn’t in the realm of possibility for her. Now, at the end of her life, he was there with her. He was strong, a rock really, for her to lean on when she needed it.
She’d never had a breakdown before. That had been scary, to cry without the ability to stop it. Crying on Draden should have been humiliating, but it had been comforting. He didn’t seem to look down on her at all for that slip. She was determined it wouldn’t happen again.
Slowly, reluctantly, she began to slide out from under his arm. At once that relaxed, heavy arm tensed, and he pulled her back against him and nuzzled the nape of her neck with his mouth. His breath was warm, teasing strands of hair, teasing nerve endings.
“Where are you going?” His voice was a sleepy protest.
She loved the way he sounded when he was only half-awake. He’d been out a good deal of the night. She’d woken up twice and found the bed empty, but she still wasn’t feeling well and she hadn’t moved, although she’d worried. It was strange being sick. She couldn’t remember a time in her life when she’d fallen ill.
“The bathroom,” she answered honestly.
“Come back to bed,” he said. “After.”
Her body reacted to that husky, sensual note in his voice, but she wasn’t going there again. She’d already tried seduction and she hadn’t been that good at it.
“Go back to sleep, you were up most of the night.” She was noncommittal, hoping he’d leave it at that.
She felt his lips whisper against her nape and then his arm loosened enough that she could slip out from under him. She stood up and stretched. The birds were having a field day, the various species calling out loudly, singing or laughing hysterically. The windows were screened, so less light could slip through, but she moved closer in order to identify the various flocks.
The birds making the most noise were the strangest she’d ever seen. They looked like something out of the dinosaur era. Each was large, with dark brown feathers on the upper body and white feathers underneath. The tail feathers appeared extremely long, almost doubling the size of the bird. The strangest thing was the bizarre protuberance on its head. It was a thick casque, perched much like a helmet atop the upper half of the bird’s head. The beak was yellow and red and the casque was definitely red or reddish orange.
Fascinated, she stared out the window at the strange birds as they called out, ate figs and laughed at one another. She had no idea what they were, but she knew they had to be rare. These birds seemed as if they were immature, maybe just recently out of their nests, juveniles rather than adults. She’d been there a few days, going back and forth from the coast to inland into the forest and she’d never encountered them. She wanted to take the sighting as a good omen. They were comical and made her feel happy, brightening her day immediately.
Reluctantly, she turned away from the birds and went to the small bathroom with its little shower. She knew she shouldn’t spend too much time using up the water, but it felt good on her aching muscles. She scrubbed her body and was a little surprised that the rash had faded. She knew little about viruses, but she thought as she progressed, getting sicker, the rash would spread. Most of the raised bumps were gone so that the red dots were mostly under the skin.
She washed her hair, taking her time with that as well, rinsing several times. She felt better than she had the night before, as if just sleeping took away the horrible burning in her eyes and skin. Shouldn’t that have gotten worse as well? She wasn’t nauseous, she was hungry when the night before she could barely manage a few spoonsful of soup.
She wrapped a towel around herself, stepped out of the shower and began drying off and inspecting the areas that had been red and bumpy the night before. The rash was definitely fading. She should have studied more about viruses and how they progressed because, at that moment, she didn’t feel in the least sick.
She went to her backpack and pulled out her underwear and a fresh pair of jeans. Today, supposedly, was her wedding day. She wanted, like most brides, to look her best, but she wasn’t hung up on details. Being with Draden made her happy and marrying him was something she’d never dared to dream let alone actually have come true. She didn’t know how Draden expected to pull it off, but the fact that he wanted to marry her and was making it happen was enough.
Her heart hurt it was so full, and she pressed her hand over it. Draden. Who knew there were men like him in the world? He made it exciting to wake up in the morning. She looked forward to the day. To their shared laughter. Their conversations. The intense attraction between them. Who wouldn’t fall in love with him?
She pulled a T-shirt over her head, her nicest one, so she’d at least look halfway decent if they really had a ceremony. It took a while to tame her hair. Thick and wild, the waves curled every which way, but not as anything as well behaved as actual spirals. The color wasn’t actual blond either, more like a dark honey color falling in a rebellious riot past her shoulders. She wasn’t certain there was any way to style hair like hers. She often put it up, but the weight combined with the fineness had it tumbling down after a few hours and not in an artful way. That had never mattered before.
Now it did.
She stared at herself in the mirror. She rarely wore makeup and didn’t have any with her. She’d brought cream for her face and that was about it. It hadn’t mattered until she met Draden. He didn’t seem to notice, but she wanted to look her best for him. Shrugging, she brushed her teeth and once more stared out the window at the strange birds. She counted thirteen of them. They were definitely eating the fruit on the great pile of twisted vines and branches on the forest floor. She had no idea where the stack of vines had come from and she peered out, trying to see if there was an abundance of fig trees around them.
“Good morning.” Draden came up behind her, pressed a kiss to her neck and went past her to the bathroom.
She watched him walk away from her. He was naked, and he had a beautiful body. All muscle. She’d never paid that much attention, but she was fairly certain someone should sculpt him, immortalize him for all time. He had that good of a body. With his face, that bone structure, strong jaw, straight nose and beautiful, compelling eyes, it was a little intimidating to be with him.
“What’s going on in your mind?” he called out to her. “It’s our wedding day.”
Shylah spit into the kitchen sink and rinsed out her mouth several times. “I was thinking that you’re so beautiful it could be a little intimidating being your wife. Fortunately, I’m very confident, so you’re going to be stuck with me.”
“I like the idea of being very traditional.”
She heard the water running as he washed his hands. Something in his voice made her suspicious. Draden didn’t seem like a traditional sort of man.
“Traditional how?”
“Since the virus could take hold anytime”—he came out of the bathroom and leaned one hip lazily against the wall—“and we have to say ‘until death do us part,’ I thought we’d keep the original wording of the marriage ceremony.”
She sensed a trap, but she’d never been to a wedding. She wasn’t about to commit until she knew what he was talking about. “Why do I have the feeling you’re up to something?”
He grinned at her, which shot his attraction up another million watts. If he didn’t put clothes on she was going to jump him. Since he hadn’t made any advances, she thought he was going to be traditional and not have sex with her until they were married.
Shylah made a face at him. “Now I know for sure that you’re up to something. I’m not agreeing to anything yet. Take your shower while I ponder this.”
“There’s no cheating.”
“How could I cheat?”
“You have to stay in the cabin because I’m fixing things up for our wedding outside.” He disappeared into the shower and then stuck his head b
ack out. “You could fix me breakfast. I need something hearty. I have a lot of work to do in a short amount of time.”
“I think you just want me to feed you.”
He laughed, and the sound moved through her like a wave of pleasure.
“That could be true.”