Page 166 of To Fight and To Fold

Aaryn moaned her name like a plea and a warning all at once. Thea's pulse raced as Aaryn writhed in her arms, water lapping choppier as little shakes took her over.

"Come on," Thea murmured against her skin. She dragged her nipple away from her chest before releasing it, the weight bouncing softly, but Thea was moving up. She cupped Aaryn's jaw, tilted her head over Thea's shoulder to elongate her neck.

In her arms like this Thea could feel every tremor that tempted Aaryn to curl forward, only for Thea's hand to keep her from doing so. "Come for me."

She stiffened, and it swelled, a tension in the air, awareness heightening to a pinpoint—Thea urged it forward with every stroke of her fingers, and Aaryn finally gave into it with a cry. Her knees pitched in as she came, trapping Thea's hand between her legs.

Her hand clutched onto Thea's thigh, nails digging in as she whined and rocked herself through the waves.

Finally, the tension eased, and she melted against Thea, more flushed than ever. Only their breaths and the quiet hush of the water remained—and Thea's pulse.

"Magical enough?" Thea murmured.

Aaryn hummed, sleepy and limp.

Thea chuckled softly, petting over Aaryn's thighs and her stomach and around her chest, mapping her arms and the veins on the back of her wrist and each finger.

"Sorry. That it didn't go the way we wanted."

Thea tightened her arms around Aaryn, tucking a kiss into the side of her neck. "Don't do that, don't apologize. I'm just glad you're safe."

If anyone should be apologizing, maybe it should be Thea. For not being there—protecting Aaryn from what had made her awaken her magic so suddenly. Her gaze fell to Aaryn's left palm, no longer bleeding, but red and irritated. Thea lifted it and grabbed a clean cloth to dab at the stained skin.

"Were you scared?" Thea asked.

"When?"

"When you saw whatever it was that made you do it."

Aaryn was quiet, and Thea glanced at her, wondering if maybe she'd fallen asleep, but her eyes were open as she blinked slowly into the distance, past the gentle movement of Thea's hand. "Yeah. I was."

Thea's heart crumpled in her chest, and she squeezed Aaryn tightly. She was still hot to the touch.

"I don't want to think about it," Aaryn said. "Don't make me think about it."

Her whisper was desperate, and Thea's body moved at her call. "Alright. Sit up. I'll wash your hair."

Thea perched on the edge of the tub and Aaryn sat with her head tilted back, hair pooling in the basin as it emptied. Thea pulled from the Hoard for fresh water, noticing the way Aaryn swayed into her as she wielded it. She placed a hand on Aaryn's shoulder to steady her and poured water over the crown of her head, turning the pink strands deeper. She took care with lathering, the muted scent of honey and a mix of florals filling the air.

She wondered—of course she did—what Aaryn had seen, what had happened to make her awaken her magic. But Thea wouldn't push. Whatever it was must have been bad. And now they had to see her through to the other side, and then figure out how her powers manifested.

Aaryn hummed sleepily, and Thea's heart flipped in her chest.

The conditioner soothed the tangles Thea had created with the lathering, and by the time she was stroking oil through the wet lengths, her hair was silky.

"Thank you," Aaryn said. "I know it's a lot."

"It's not a lot. It's just you," Thea promised. She kissed the top of Aaryn's head and then busied herself with a towel for Aaryn's hair to hide the blush of her own cheeks.

"Now let's get you out. I'll bandage your hand."

Once Aaryn was comfortable on Thea's bed, Thea tied off the bandage over Aaryn's freshly cleaned and protected wound, and then Aaryn threaded their fingers together.

"You're taking awfully good care of me," Aaryn said softly. "Thank you. This is nice." She motioned to the glow of the room. "There's even a picnic basket," she teased.

"Vaelen and Zalene sent it for you."

"It's not so far off from our imaginations after all," Aaryn told her, shifting uncomfortably on the blankets. "Are you up for this?" Aaryn asked.