Wild Embrace by Nalini Singh Page A

people.”
    Even if Stefan didn’t know if he felt, Tazia knew. He’d almost burned himself down to the bone already.
    When he straightened in the water, his shoulders and upper body came fully into view. She sucked in a breath, her gaze taking in the muscle and tendon that was all that was holding him together at the moment. “You’re too thin, Stefan.” She hadn’t understood until this week just how much energy psychic power burned.
    â€œI can run until it’s no longer necessary,” he said, as if he were a machine.
    â€œStefan.”
    He met her furious gaze. “I am keeping track of my physical health, Tazia . . . I promise.”
    She nodded jerkily, his words feeling as if they meant far more than he’d said. When he rose farther, she blushed and looked away. “Are you feeling better?”
    â€œYes. You should bathe—your muscles are as tired.”
    â€œI didn’t have half a house fall on me.” Waiting until he was dressed in a slightly damp pair of pants that she’d fetched for him, she said, “It’s still hot out. Go check on the clothes I left on the rocks. Your pants will dry quicker outside, too.”
    Stefan accepted the command without argument and left. Stripping quickly, she got into the water—
oh, it was hot!
—and used handfuls of the sand she could feel around the bottom of the pool to scrub her body. Might as well exfoliate if she couldn’t wash properly. It would get all the dirt off.
    She even used the sand on her face, albeit a little more gently. As for her hair, she dunked it under the water and hoped the minerals in the spring would help cleanse it.
    Though she tried to be quick, she couldn’t fight the need to linger for just a few minutes, let the heat soak into her aching flesh. Groaning as she got out, she dried off then, skin hot, wrapped the towel around herself before gathering up the clothes she’d stripped off and walking through the gloom to the entrance. “Stefan?”
    â€œI’m here.” He stirred in the shadows to the left.
    Placing the dirty items next to her, she said, “I need some clean clothes.”
    A whisper of movement and then he was handing them to her. “They’re a little damp still, but nothing that your body heat won’t dry.”
    She took the small bundle and shifted back inside far enough that the shadows gave her cover. After quickly shimmying into the clothing—while trying not to think about the fact that Stefan had handled it all, including her panties and bra—she walked out, towel and dirty clothes in hand. “Thanks.”
    â€œYou’re welcome. Thank you for rinsing out the clothing; I believe the minerals in the spring did a good job of cleaning them.”
    Still embarrassed at their inadvertent intimacy, she kept her head down as they collected up the other clothing. It didn’t take long, and soon enough, she was standing next to Stefan again, ready to be ’ported back to the village. “Wait,” she said, urging him to turn toward her. “Let me see that bruise.”
    â€œIt’s too dark,” Stefan murmured, but stepped close enough that she could push up his T-shirt and check the damage.
    With so little distance between them, she could see him clearly, even in the dim early evening light. “It doesn’t look as raw and swollen at least.” Lowering the T-shirt lest she give in to the urgeto touch him, feel his heart beating safe and strong under her palm, she said, “Okay, let’s go. The villagers feel better just knowing you’re nearby, especially with the aftershocks.”
    â€œI think they feel the same about you.”
    He ’ported before she could reply.

Chapter 6
    The next day passed as the others had done—in hours of hard work. Sometime just after dark, Tazia blew out a breath and glanced at the villager who’d been her assistant