Ren sat there, dripping and exposed, watching as Cilian sat heavily beside him.
He was expecting what would come next.
He thought they would do it right away, and he just had to prepare his mind, since his heart wasn't fighting it at all.
But nothing happened right away.
The Alpha's face was pale now, the flush fading to reveal the sheer exhaustion of the blood loss.
"The bandages," Cilian panted, gesturing with a weak tilt of his head toward the small pile of clean clothes the village women had left for them. "If I bleed out on this bed, the locals are going to think you're a very violent bride, Ren."
Ren looked at the bandages, then at the jagged, weeping mess of Cilian's shoulder, and then his face went completely crimson.
Was he the only one who had been thinking they were going to do it as soon as they walked in?
How embarrassing.
The hypnotic pull of the water hadn't completely broken, but the reality of the wound was back, demanding attention.
