My Fated Mate Can Have Her-Chapter 223: Rose Coloured Night

Violet

Rowan rose to his feet at some point while I was still eating.

"I’m going to wash up," he said, gesturing toward the river just a few steps away and after two trees. "I won’t be long."

I nodded, not trusting my voice.

He walked away, disappearing through the curtain of hanging leaves, and I leaned back against the bark of the tree, staring determinedly at the fruit in my hands.

I would not look.

I heard the faint rustle of fabric as he took off his clothes, then the soft splash of water after.

I bit into my fruit with unnecessary force.

It hadn’t entirely been like this the last time he took his baths in cave... it had just gotten strange after the... kiss.

The slow realisation settled in my chest.

But my mind wandered anyway, traitorously replaying the moment I had gripped his chest when we tumbled down the slope. I had been so mortified at the time that I hadn’t really processed it, but now...

How had his chest been so soft?

He was all muscle. I had seen it, felt it pressed against me more times than I cared to count. And yet when my fingers had closed around that fistful of him, there had been a surprising softness beneath the strength.

Looking back, it had been that way every time I touched him. When I had tended his wounds during the poisoning, when I had washed the sweat from his skin, when I had fallen against him and felt those thick muscles yield beneath my palms like they were made to cushion me.

Heat crept up my neck.

I took another aggressive bite of fruit and chewed with pointed focus.

This was ridiculous. I was being ridiculous.

The splashing continued in the distance, and I squeezed my eyes shut, willing my thoughts elsewhere. Anywhere else.

By the time Rowan returned, dressed and damp-haired, I had finished two more fruits and was feeling surprisingly full. He settled back against the his laid-out fabric silently, closed his eyes, and within moments, his breathing had evened out into sleep.

I sat there quietly, watching the evening settle into night.

Movement in the near distance caught my eye.

Several of the sifs had come close and were watching me from between the hanging leaves. Their big dark eyes blinked curiously while their noses twitched.

I was surprised. Some of them must have followed us after all.

Glad for a distraction from Rowan, and from the syzygy, which had grown more stubborn than even the pull these past hours, I rose quietly to my feet, intending to inch closer to them.

Rowan’s eyes snapped open.

I froze.

He didn’t get up, but his gaze was sharp, alert, and now fully awake.

"Where are you going?" His voice was calm.

I stared at him, stunned. I had been so certain he was asleep. How had he suddenly jerked awake?

"Some of the sifs are here." I gestured toward the watching creatures. "I just wanted to play with them."

He studied me for a moment. Then he sighed, something in his posture relaxing.

Did he think I was leaving?

Then again, I wouldn’t blame him for having such thoughts.

"Alright." He reluctantly accepted, though his eyes remained on me. "But stay near. Don’t go past the other trees."

I blinked. "You want me to stay within your view?" I eyed the drifting leaves. "I don’t think you’ll be able to see much unless you focus hard."

"Within my vicinity," he corrected quietly, closing his eyes. There was no demand in his tone, just a simple request.

"Shouldn’t you be properly resting instead of still being at alert, Rowan? I know you’re tired," I whispered.

He blinked lazily before closing them back. "It’s alright..."

I shifted my attention and moved toward the sifs slowly. They crept closer.

When I crouched down and extended my hand, one of them nuzzled against my palm.

I inhaled sharply.

They were so soft.

Far softer than I had imagined. Their fur was silky and plush, like touching a cloud made solid. I ran my fingers through the pink fluff, and the creature made a contented chirping sound, leaning into my touch.

I spent longer than I should have sitting there, stroking them, letting them climb into my lap and nestle against me. A few of the bolder ones tugged at my sleeves and hair, making soft inquisitive noises.

When I finally rose to wash myself in the river, I carried one of them with me.

I set it down at the water’s edge, expecting it to stay there. But as I waded into the water, several more appeared, splashing in and paddling around their cute little legs like they belonged there.

It surprised me they could swim and I couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped me when I saw how ridiculously cute and adorable their movements were.

The tension of the day eased from my shoulders and I found myself relaxing even more in their presence.

I was rinsing my hair when I noticed the lights.

Small glowing specks drifted through the air above the water. They pulsed softly, yellow-green, dancing in lazy spirals.

I went still, watching the fireflies.

Bei had told me about insects that glowed during a particular season in Fresna. She had described them with such wonder in her voice, and I had always wanted to see them for myself.

But I had never imagined they would be this beautiful.

Shortly after, the trees to my shock, began to glow too.

The hanging leaves of the willows had started to shimmer. A soft pink luminescence rippled through them, pulsing gently with the breeze. The curtains of foliage swayed and glowed, casting the entire grove in an ethereal rose-coloured light.

I stood frozen in the water, surrounded by glowing insects and glowing trees and soft pink creatures paddling around my waist, and I felt like I had stepped into a dream.

I had never heard of glowing plants, and never even imagined such a thing was possible.

This place was magic. It had to be.

I stayed in the water longer than I intended, just watching and breathing it all in.

When I finally emerged and dressed, I scooped up one of the sifs and held it against my chest. It was warm and soft, and it nuzzled against me contentedly.

I considered sleeping with it in my arms.

Then it chirped suddenly, squirming, and leaped from my hold.

"Wait—"