Magician's Touch (Deadly Touch book 3) Chapter 6: 6: Are You Sure?

Read chapter 6 of Magician's Touch (Deadly Touch book 3) by Deb E Howell on NovelPedia.

Alone again, Llew stood watching Jonas. He didn’t look up, lost in his own darkness. Lacking soothing words, and in little mood to offer any, Llew moved to the door and cleared a wider path between that and the bed. Then she shoved things on the floor back to create a narrow semi-circle around what was to be the surgical table. Elka’s reminder of their good fortune was as much for Llew as Jonas. They had been incredibly lucky to have evaded recapture and landed in Elka’s hands. That Jonas had to lose his foot – leg ! – was a small matter when they could just as easily have lost their freedom or lives by now. With the bed cleared, she asked Jonas if he would like to lie down. He declined. Llew briefly considered taking the chair in which Elka had sat, but without knowing what she could say to him, sitting so close to, and facing Jonas felt like a recipe for discomfort on both their parts. So, she jumped up onto the bed and sat, legs swinging and hands lightly gripping the edge. The metal bed squeaked and hit the wall gently with each stride. Squeak , thud … squeak , thud . The mattress was soft, which was lovely to sit on, but she wondered how Jonas would cope if he ended up lying on it for days on end. How long would he have to stay in bed after his surgery? Would it be like after Aris attacked her? Would they spend weeks here? Or could they get away in days? The longer they stayed, the more danger they were in, that was certain. And now Llew would have to look after Jonas while he was incapacitated. She hoped she could do as good a job as he had done for her back in Taither. His strength had allowed him to support her easily. Neither of them had that anymore. Llew had never had to nurse anyone before. Anything he’d needed from her she was always ready to give. She could do it again, with or without magic. “ Llew, please.” Jonas’s pleading tone suggested that the low noise she’d ignored moments before might have been him talking. “Stop.” Oops. Had she voiced some of her fears? She’d spent so many years alone, talking to herself was just as natural as thinking. “What?” She slowed her swinging legs. “ Do you have any idea how temptin’ it is to add truth to what that sounds like?” “ What?” What on earth was he talking about? Squeak , thud . Squeak , thud . “Oh. Ha ha.” Now she got it. She swung her legs with deliberation, and a little more omph . Thud . “Quite tempting, I imagine.” Pondering the activity that might usually evoke such sounds set her own loins warming to the idea. Skin-on-skin. A moment of abandonment from their worries. Folded in Jonas’s heat … mmm . Jonas turned his head, his profile half hidden by his long hair. She still had no idea how Braph had done that; it had barely covered his ears a couple of weeks ago. She did, however, know exactly how Braph had given Jonas the new bump halfway down his nose. The profile altered forever. It didn’t affect how she felt about it. She would brush his hair aside and kiss that nose gently. She nibbled her lower lip, let her thighs relax. He was probably getting an eyeful. Indeed, he looked at her out the corner of his eye, the corner of his lips raised ever so subtly. Llew let her legs keep swinging. Tempted, was he? So, why was he still sitting there? Of course, he still had a sore leg. Maybe he couldn’t. She almost felt bad for teasing him, then she remembered that kiss. So out of character for him. But he’d been out of sorts since that day at the farm when he’d admitted his failing strength. Where was his head at right now? Squeak , thud . Tormented, was he? “ I’m still a man, Llew.” “ I know,” she scoffed. She’d never said any different. And why would she think otherwise? No matter what he thought, he was still Jonas, even without his Syakaran power, even without his leg. Oh … Now even that kiss made some sense. “ Is that’s what this is about? You needing to prove you’re still a man? You don’t need to prove it to me. Do you need to make some sort of show of proof to yo