Touch of Flame

Ravina glanced at Malachi now and then as they continued to eat their breakfast. He had surprised her twice last night and this morning he was just… different. Whatever he did that made him sweat last night also made him lose some of that temper and hunger in his eyes. Or perhaps he was just tired after the nightmare. She knew that she felt exhausted after such nights that even breathing felt like a difficult task.

After they were done eating, he stood up and walked around the table. “Let me see your leg,” he said, crouching beside her.

“It is alright,” she said knowing she had been careless yesterday and probably made things worse.

He looked up and just waited for her to listen. She turned in her chair and he gently grabbed her bandaged leg to look at it.  He lifted her gown just a little and she held it away and then he put her feet on his bent leg. He began to undo the bandage but she could only focus on the fact that he was on his knees. This was the second time and it made her feel a certain way she couldn’t explain. It made her feel like she couldn’t resist while he was down there.

Once her bandage came off he frowned. She had to look at her ankle and found it bruised. “What have you done?” He breathed.

He gazed up and her heart skipped. Oh no, this looking up while he was on his knees was a… no.

She tried to swallow the sudden tension in her body. “It is fine. I am used to pain,” she said and then thought it wasn’t the right thing to say.

He looked away from her and studied her ankle instead. “Can you move it around?” He asked.

She lifted it slightly from his leg and twisted her ankle as much as she could but pain shot through her and she stopped. Malachi put her leg down and stood up. “I will bring something for the pain and new bandages,” he said calmly.

Ravina just watched him leave, curiously. She just sat, waiting and then wondering why she was like this. Suddenly so cooperative. She could take care of her own leg.

But well, she didn’t. She never did. She had still not taken care of her hands. Malachi returned with his medicine box and bandages. He went down on his knees again and reached for her leg. “You know a lot about healing but you don’t heal yourself,” he stated.

Yes. She could understand if he found it odd. She did too. He gently began to put the sooting paste onto her skin and massage it in gently. “I know it is difficult to just sit but try at least not to go upstairs,” he told her.

She just stared at him, the way he was calmly focused on bandaging her leg. “There is a vacant room downstairs as well. I’ll ask the maids to arrange it for you,” he continued.

Still, she stared, focusing on that one strand of dark hair that fell over his eye and distracted him as he calmly worked. It distracted her too. Before she knew it, she reached for it and tucked it behind his ear.

He paused, his eyes looking up but ahead, then darting from side to side without looking at her. She was shocked too, slowly allowing her hand to fall and then withdrawing it.

Silence echoed in the room and then he looked down and continued his work. “Thank you,” he said.

Ravina was still surprised, her fingers curling, the tips still recalling the softness of his hair.

She cleared her throat. “It was distracting you,” she hurried to say.

Stupid! Stupid!

He just smiled but said nothing.

When he was done, he put her leg down gently. He reached for the medicine box again. “Your arm,” he said and she looked at the bruises on her arm.

Standing up, he towered over her with his length, walking around to stand on the side. He put the paste on the bruises, touching her as little as possible.

“You hurt your shoulder,” he spoke.

She turned to him but her eyes fell on his abdomen, She looked away again. “A little,” she admitted.

Suddenly she felt his warm hand on her shoulder and tensed. “Let me help you with your shoulder. It will pain a little,” he warned.

A part of her just wanted to hunch forward, away from his warmth and to the coldness, she was used to but then he began to touch her. His fingers pressing and searching. Not too soft but not too hard either.

Ravina sat still, aware of every touch. As his hands continued down her shoulder blade he removed her hair away gently, placing it over the other shoulder. “You shoulders, your muscles are very tense,” he spoke from behind her.

Oh well. Her whole life was tense and he was not help…ing…oh…

She melted a little when he began to massage her shoulders and then tensed again.

“Relax. I will help you dissolve the stiffness,” he told her softly.

He pressed down her shoulders with his fingers firmly and she could not deny that it felt good. He seemed to know what he was doing, kneading, mixing rubbing strokes and circular strokes that made her mind and body fight against each other. One moment she was almost closing her eyes and wanting to lean back against him and the other she was fully awake and on guard.

“You are still tense. You have to completely relax for it to work.” He told her.

Oh yes? She was almost closing her eyes again.

“Close your eyes,” he whispered.

Oh, God.

“And lean back.”

Alright. She gave up. She fell back against his torso and closed her eyes.

“Good,” his voice stroked her inside.

With her eyes closed, her other senses heightened and she felt it herself, how tense her body was and how the places he massaged felt better. Loosened. Warmed up. She could feel the slight pain as he worked on some places as if untying a tight knot and then a breath of relief would leave her lips.

When his hands brushed down her arms, she awakened from her slumber. She remembered her dream and as he touched her arm again, she became sure it wasn’t a dream she had. He had been there. She had slept on his lap and he had stroked her hair and arm.

Her heart stopped, her eyes darting in panic, trying to remember how she got there. She couldn’t. Why didn’t he tell her?

“Is everything alright?” He asked.

“Yes,” she hurried to reply.

She had slept on his lap. On. His. Lap.

God, she was desperate.

“Does it feel better now?” He asked and she realized he had stopped.

She pushed herself away from him, shivering when she was no longer against his warm body. “Yes, thank you,” she said without even taking a moment to see what it felt like. She was still in a bit of a shock.

As he walked around, she could feel his eyes on her. When he stepped into her view she gazed up at him. She saw it. It was brief but she saw desire flash through his eyes.

“I am leaving then,” he told her.

She nodded.

“Don’t go upstairs if you don’t want to be crippled for the rest of your life. I would not mind and be happy to carry you around,” he smiled faintly.

“I have enough nightmares,” she told him.

He chuckled. “Then don’t be stubborn,” he said stepping back. He watched her for a moment and then walked away.

Was he possessed today?

The maids came to clean up the table after he left. “Boris is here with the peeler,” Mara informed.

“Oh, tell him to come inside,” Ravina said excited and nervous to see what had come to be of her invention.

Mara went and brought her husband inside. He carried a small bag, reaching inside of it he pulled out the kitchen tool. He placed it on the table. Ravina stared at it for a moment before reaching for it cautiously, as if it was a fragile thing.

She turned it back and forth and examined it. It looked to be well made and he followed her instructions but she could never know unless she put it to the test.

“Let’s try peeling some potatoes,” she told the maids and they left to bring some.

Meanwhile, Ravina continued to study it. “It looks good. Let’s hope it works.” She told Boris.

Mara came back with a potato and other vegetables. Ravina took it, and nervously she made her first try. It wasn’t easy and the fruit still glided away but she didn’t have to worry about cutting herself at least.

“Maybe you should try since I am bad at it. I am not the best person to make a judgment.” Ravina told Mara.

She nodded and took the tool from her. Ravina showed her how she expected it to work and Mara made a try.

With her, it seemed to work. “It works,” she said.