Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 86059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 430(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 430(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Jurik moves toward me, taking my arm and leading me to the edge of the water. He makes a drinking motion and gestures at the sparkling lake. There's a light breeze making little waves flicker over the surface, and the early morning sunlight makes it shine like diamonds. It doesn't hide the fact that it's still a lake, though, and not as pristine as I'd like. I bring my canteen to the edge of the water and dip it inside, filling it up. Even so, I can't bring myself to drink it. I think of the ducks swimming in the water, imagine what other horrors might have run across this pond, and quietly close my canteen.
Maybe later I can make a fire and boil things.
Jurik looks frustrated at my reluctance. He takes the canteen from my hands, unscrews the lid, and tries to bring it to my lips.
"Oh, trust me, I want to drink," I tell him, even as I duck my head so he can't force it into my mouth. "How do I make you understand parasites and boiling water, though?"
"Ruh-chul," Jurik says impatiently, indicating again that I should drink.
I take the canteen from him, and his look of pleasure turns to one of annoyance when I cap it and set it on the ground once more. I've lived in the After for years and years, though. I know the dangers of drinking strange water. I can wait a few hours, even if I'm thirsty as hell. I turn to the lake. The water looks cool and inviting, and I'm feeling particularly sweaty and grubby. My hair is a mess, too, and I wouldn't mind taking a quick bath. Unable to resist, I move back to the water's edge and poke my toe in. It's cold and crisp, but it feels so good that I wade in with a sigh.
Jurik rumbles in his chest, following me into the water. He moves to my side and by the time I get waist deep, he takes the initiative and decides that he's going to be bathing me. With careful hands, he starts dripping water over my arms and then rubbing at the smears of dirt I've accumulated, a look of concentration on his face. It's kind of cute, being washed by a fierce, intimidating dragon.
He scrubs my arms attentively. After my arms, he moves to my back, and I close my eyes, letting him rub his wet hands all over my skin. I have to admit, it feels really, really good. But then his hands move to my front and he splashes water over my breasts, my nipples hardening, and I realize I’m letting things go a little too far.
Or…am I? Because I’m enjoying all this adoration far more than I thought I would.
"Ruh-chul," he murmurs, a hint of erotic appreciation in his tone. He slides his hands over my wet breasts, teasing the tips, and I gasp, pushing him away. He reaches for me again, but I indicate that I want to wash myself, wading a bit farther out into the water. It's nice to sink into the cool depths, to float like a kid. Back in the Before, I used to love swimming and how weightless it felt, how buoyant. Pools are a thing of the past, though, and now the thought of having an entire pool of fresh water just to swim in seems like the height of waste. There are so many things you can do with fresh water, after all.
I wet my hair, washing it as best I can without soap, and glance over at Jurik as he mimics my movements and washes his hair, too. The thick locks hang wet and heavy on his head, and there's a look of irritation on his face, as if having so much hair bothers him. He considers his claws for a moment, and then rakes the side of one along his scalp—and a large hank of hair falls into the water.
"Oh—did you—what are you doing?"
He scrapes his claw roughly over another section of his head, and I realize he's shaving it. Huh. Okay, then. I slide away from him and the giant strands of golden hair now floating in the water, doing a little swimming. The day's warming up and the water feels so nice. I wish the fort had a lake. Of course, that's just crazy talk, because the fort has to be surrounded by concrete so dragons can't attack.
I glance at the skies warily, but they're crystal blue and clear, not a wing in sight. Funny how the world can change so quickly. I've spent the last seven years hiding under concrete and scraping out a life as best I could, and in one day with a dragon, I'm swimming freely and farther away from the fort than I've ever been.