Free The Silver Thread by Emigh Cannaday Page B

they only seemed to shine brighter, with more mischief.
    Annika got into the shower, and was surprised when Talvi joined her a moment later. He hummed in joy as the water warmed his skin, and held her close, hesitant to let her go, now that he had the right wood nymph in his arms.
    “I missed you so much, Annika. That was the most difficult journey I’ve ever been on, especially since I knew you were waiting for me on the other side.” He reached for her left hand with his own, and their matching rings clinked gently together. “I could feel you through the distance,” he confessed, squeezing her hand, and her stomach balled up into a little knot.
    “You have no idea how it felt to have you ripped out of my arms and watch you disappear before my eyes. I didn’t know where you would end up, or what condition you would find yourself in when you got there. My gods, I’m so glad you’re safe.” He leaned in close to hold her against his chest, resting his head on top of hers. He didn’t let her go or speak again for quite some time. He was taken aback when she pulled away from him and reached for her shampoo bottle.
    “Annika,” he asked gently. “What is it, love? What’s wrong?” She refused to answer, and instead began to wash her hair.
    Talvi stepped back and peered down at her. His eyes gleamed like flames under the falling water, as he concentrated all of his energy on piercing her soul, but she turned her face away from him. There was little he could gather if she wouldn’t look at him. He tried to scan her thoughts with all of his ability, but it was like trying to look through the thickest fog. He wondered if it was intentional or not.
    “It can’t possibly be that bad, can it?” he asked. “You aren’t in love with anyone else, are you?”
    She shook her head.
    “Have you become a lady of the evening in order to pay for your flat?” This time she took a moment to realize what that meant, before shaking her head again. He had almost coaxed a smile out her, but not quite.
    “I’m just glad you’re here,” she finally said as she looked up at him, feeling all sorts of confused with what exactly to say. “My entire family thinks I’m nuts. No one believed anything I had to say about where I’d been all that time. All I could do was try not to think about it, but now that you’re here, I just feel overwhelmed all over again by everything that’s happened.”
    “Oh, you poor little dove,” he sighed, and cradled her face in his hand. His dark hair clung to his hollow cheekbones, making his pointed ears appear even more pronounced than usual. “None of them understands what you have endured, what you have seen, or what you have to bear. None of them knows you as I know you.”
    “Well that’s just it. You only
think
you know me,” she argued as she rinsed her hair. “We don’t know each other very well at all. How could we? I don’t even know myself anymore.”
    “I disagree,” he said, putting his smooth cheek against hers. “Though I’m happy to help you remember. I know you better than you give me credit for. I know you more deeply than any of your past lovers ever have. I’ve reached a place inside of you that none of them ever touched. Let me ignite that flame once more.”
    Annika turned away from him, irritated.
    “Why does it always have to be about sex with you?”
    “I wasn’t referring to sex at all,” he said innocently, but then his tone shifted to a much more devious one. “If I was, you would know.” He pulled her backwards against his chest and picked up the bar of soap, turning it in his hands until there was an abundance of suds sliding between their bodies. “See, right now I only want to get you cleaned up. You are very dirty,” he said in her ear, inhaling deeply. “Gods, I can
sme
ll
you.”
    “I’m not
that
dirty,” she warned. She kept trying to free herself from his arms, but he outmaneuvered her every time. His soapy hands slid up and down her