The Kiss & Welcome

  “What are you doing?” she asked, her voice edged with suspicion.

  Adolphus didn’t answer right away. He dipped his hands into the water, cupping it before pouring it over her feet.

  Seraphina froze.

  His movements were slow, deliberate, and reverent. 

  With each gentle pour, he rinsed away the dirt and tension that clung to her, his touch impossibly soft for someone so powerful, so destructive.

  “You don’t have to carry the weight alone,” he said finally, his voice low and steady. “You don’t have to bear the pain by yourself.”

  She stared at him, her heart twisting in her chest. “You’re the one who caused it,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “You’re the reason I have nothing left.”

  Adolphus paused, his hands stilling. When he looked up at her, his dark eyes were filled with a regret so raw it made her breath catch.

  “I know,” he said quietly. “And I’ll spend the rest of my life making up for it… if you’ll let me.”

  Seraphina’s throat tightened, her tears threatening to spill over again. 

  She didn’t know what to say, didn’t know how to reconcile the man before her with the monster who had taken everything from her.

  But as he knelt there, washing her feet with a tenderness that shattered her defenses, she realized that her hate wasn’t the only thing keeping her tethered to him.

  It was something far more dangerous.

  Hope.

  That dangerous feeling!

  

  Adolphus lifted her leg carefully, cradling it as if it were the most fragile thing in the world. 

  His lips brushed her knee in a featherlight kiss, warm and lingering, sending a jolt of unexpected heat through Seraphina. 

  Her breath caught in her throat, and she felt her pulse quicken, the conflicting emotions inside her clashing like thunder.

  He didn’t stop there. 

  His lips trailed lower, moving along her damp skin, his kisses igniting a fire that she couldn’t extinguish no matter how hard she tried. 

  It was intoxicating, maddening, and she hated herself for how much she wanted him to continue.

  “Adolphus…” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the gentle lapping of the water.

  The feeling was intensifying, the world around them fading into a haze of warmth and raw emotion, until—

  A young woman came splashing through the water, laughing loudly as she raced past them, completely unaware of the moment she had just shattered.

  Seraphina jerked back, her heart slamming against her ribs as reality snapped back into focus. 

  She pulled her leg away from him abruptly, her cheeks burning with a mix of embarrassment and anger.

  “I—” she stammered, standing up quickly in her haste to create some distance between them. 

  But her feet slipped on the slick stones beneath the water, and she teetered dangerously, her arms flailing for balance.

  Adolphus was on his feet in an instant, his reflexes as sharp as ever. 

  He caught her before she could fall, his hands gripping her waist firmly but gently.

  “Careful,” he murmured, his voice low and steady. 

  His gaze locked onto hers, dark and intense, as if nothing and no one else in the world existed.

  Seraphina’s breath hitched. 

  She wanted to push him away, to shout at him for how easily he broke through her defenses, but her body betrayed her. 

  She stood there, frozen in his hold, the closeness of him overwhelming her senses.

  “I’m fine,” she muttered, finally finding her voice. 

  She pushed at his chest weakly, and he let her go, though the weight of his hands lingered on her skin long after he stepped back.

  “Are you?” he asked, his tone soft yet probing, as if he could see straight through her.

  She didn’t answer. Instead, she turned away, her shoulders stiff as she moved toward the shore, desperate to escape the tumult of emotions he stirred within her.

  But even as she walked away, she could feel his gaze on her back, heavy and unwavering, and she knew that this was far from over.

  Seraphina hurried away from Adolphus, her heart still racing and her thoughts a tangled mess.

   She made her way toward the group of women gathered near the shallower part of the lake, where they were busy washing a pile of heavy curtains. 

  The fabric was draped across smooth rocks, and the women worked in practiced rhythm, scrubbing and rinsing in the clear water.

  One of the older women looked up as Seraphina approached, her weathered face softening into a welcoming smile. “Ah, there you are, dear. Come, lend us a hand,” she said, patting the edge of the rock where there was space.

  Seraphina hesitated, glancing back over her shoulder briefly. 

  She could still feel Adolphus’s gaze on her, but when she turned, he was no longer standing where she had left him. 

  Instead, he had moved closer to the other side of the lake, watching the water ripple as if lost in thought.

  She shook her head and forced herself to focus on the task at hand. 

  Sliding her feet into the cool water, she knelt beside the older woman and picked up one of the curtains. 

  It was damp and heavy in her hands, but the familiar routine of scrubbing the fabric was oddly grounding.

  The other women continued their chatter, their voices light and melodic as they shared stories and laughter. 

  One of the younger women, a girl no older than sixteen, glanced at Seraphina curiously. “You’re the human, aren’t you?” she asked, her tone more curious than unkind.

  Seraphina stiffened but nodded. “I am.”

  “Well, I’ll say one thing,” the girl continued with a grin. “You’re braver than most. Not everyone would come to live among us, let alone… with him.”

  There was a ripple of laughter from the group, but it wasn’t malicious. 

  It seemed more like they were testing her, gauging her reaction.

  Seraphina forced a small smile, though her hands tightened around the curtain she was scrubbing. “I didn’t exactly have a choice,” she replied evenly, keeping her tone neutral.