to be casual, but I want to redirect the conversation. I’ve no idea if he has any clothing here for me. Based on my past … I’d say no. He’ll probably want to keep me down here and unable to go anywhere for a while. “What about Ka’trin’s mother? I mean … is she yours?”
I’m facing away, putting back the conditioner when his calloused hands—or should I say scale covered hands—settle on my shoulders. “Don’t be jealous. It isn’t what you’re thinking. There was no relationship, and she’ll never be in the picture.”
So, she is his. Wow! So not only have I been married for eight years to an abuser, he’s also a cheater. He has a kid by another woman. Fuck! How could I be so … dense?
I know how. I was just trying to survive. Was and am. I’m so fucked.
Nodding, even though I’m facing away, I finish rubbing the conditioner into my hair and pick up the sponge and body wash. Everything is the same as it was at home. Squeezing myself a healthy amount of soap, I step back. “Did you want to wash?”
“No, Zoey.” Stepping closer, he takes the sponge from my limp fingers. “I want to be with my wife. You look …” His eyes flicker down my body again, and the color in them darkens from yellow to amber. “… malnourished but very, very good. And I couldn’t be more thankful that things have turned out this way.”
When I stand staring at him, frozen and wondering what the hell he’s talking about, he takes the sponge and hangs it on the hook behind me. Removing the spray nozzle from the holder above my head, he rinses off the bit of soap I’ve managed to get on me. “Turn around.”
Obeying him immediately, I feel his hands running through my hair, the scales snagging the strands occasionally. “You were treated with the vibrational accelerator so you could travel with the Sinth like the other Humans—at least, anyone who’s given up on Earth. Now, you can see my true form. We’re finally being one hundred percent honest with each other. I love you, Zoey.”
Spinning me around, he falls to his knees, pulling me into his arms again. “I missed you so much! I grieved you … I thought some of the Wen-infected got you, and you were gone … forever.”
Einar’s scaly head is resting against my tits, and he begins to rub his face back and forth, the rough scales flexing. Bile is rising my throat as I slowly put my hands on his shoulders to press him back. My eyes catch on the bracelet on my wrist. Doesn’t that vibrational changer force you to phase? That’s what happened when Lilibeth did it to us, right? We phased into their dimension?
His amber eyes flicker up to me, and I reach up to the collar, rattling the chain that runs down between us. “This isn’t love.”
Einar’s eyes close, and I feel his arms tighten. “I know.” Shaking his head, he looks up at me, his demeanor hardening. “But I trusted you, Zoey. I trusted you, and it almost made me lose you. I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to prove to me how faithful you are.”
When I don’t respond, he must think I’m not sure what he really wants as he goes on to explain. “Ka’trin needs a loving mother, and I know you’re scared of me. We are different. I’ve had my entire life to get used to the way Humans look. You’ll just need time.”
Wow. Is that what it’s going to take? Right now, I’m having a hard time with him just touching me.
I mean, I know it’s Einar, but every look and touch is nauseating. All I can think about is Jaxtyn, and in addition to just plain being worried about him, I’m worried about me.
Will he accept me if I have to be with Einar sexually to stay alive? Can I even do it? Based on how nauseated I feel right this second, I’m not sure I’ll be able to do it—even to survive.
Einar stands slowly, rubbing against me like a snake, causing my body to shudder involuntarily. He must think it’s arousal because he buries his face in my neck, licking me with that forked tongue. If I’m going to try and get away, I know it’s now or never.
I’m actually surprised Einar hasn’t asked me about the bracelet I’m wearing. He took off everything else, so I’m guessing he just