Fan Fiction ❯ The Climatic First Encounter ❯ Teasing ( Chapter 9 )

Teasing

 

The elf glances over to his campmate, surprise clearly showing on his face. The human's question was absurd really but he seemed to genuinely want to know the answer, which Shade of course did not have.

 

“I have no idea. I know for a fact I have never killed anyone. I suppose I have enemies but they would not know who I am for every robbery I do is in disguise and I have never been spotted once. For someone to accuse me of murder, well they must wish to see me disappear forever. Perhaps it would be easier for me to figure things out if you would just simply tell me who I am accused of murdering …”

 

Shade waits patiently, watching the bounty hunter, looking for any sign that he is not telling the truth.

 

The human returns Shade's gaze for a few moments as if judging him in turn. Finally, he takes in an even breath, and then lets it out. “They said it was some old wizard. Abel Keogh.” The bounty hunter continues to watch Shade closely and doesn't miss the look of surprise and then pain that flashes through the elf's eyes.

 

Shade was in shock. Abel was dead and he was to blame for he should have listened to the old man's words more closely. That last night he had seen the old wizard, the old man had been agitated and drunk, two things Shade had never seen in the many years he had known Abel. Shade's chest tightens painfully and he looks away from the campfire and the bounty hunter, not wanting his tears to give him away. As he stares into the darkness, he manages to choke out a response.

 

“Abel was like a father to me. The only thing that would have killed him was those who did not agree with his forward thinking ways. But I guess you wouldn't understand that!”

 

The last few words are spoken between clenched teeth. Drawing in a deep breath, the elf looks the human straight in the eye. “You know in civilized society, even enemies give their names.”

 

A look of momentary surprise, mixed with something else—perhaps uncertainty—flickers across the bounty hunter's features. He starts to say something but breaks off. “I'm—” A second later his expression hardens again. “Ramian,” he says flatly.

 

“Well Ramian, I didn't kill Abel but I don't expect you to believe me either.” Grabbing his pack Shade rifles through it before pulling out a clean shirt, some soap, and a small jar of something unidentifiable to Ramian. Standing up, the elf nods slightly in the direction of the river.

 

“I am going to wash up and treat these scratches. I would have to go back and kill those bandits all over again if any of these scratches leave a scar.”

 

Not bothering to wait for an answer, the elf walks the ten yards or so to the water's edge and begins to strip off his shirt. His arms and chest are lightly muscled, just enough to show definition. Both arms are covered with long angry red scratches, one to the point where blood had actually run down his arm. His upper chest is scratched along with one scratch on his face. While they weren't life threatening, if they got infected they would be even more painful and most definitely leave a scar.

 

Bending over at the waist so he could pull his boots off one at a time, Shade finds himself hissing sharply. Glancing down at his ribs, he sees a long red gash and realizes that one of the bandits' arrows had grazed him, leaving a furrow of flesh along the bottom of his rib cage. Hopefully a little washing and some antiseptic will be enough but Shade has a sneaking suspicion it will require a couple of stitches.

 

Attempting to be a bit more careful, he pulls at the ties of his pants, loosening them enough so they begin to slide down past his narrow hips. Picking up one foot at a time, he pulls them off, setting them on top of his boots. Completely naked, he turns around to wave at Ramian, and catches the bounty hunter staring at him with wide eyes. Instantly the bounty hunter whirls back around and attempts to act like nothing happened and Shade chuckles to himself. He knew he had a nice body; he worked hard to keep it that way. Both men and women back home vied for his attention and now it seemed that Ramian was admiring it as well. Seeing how Shade didn't own a modest bone in his body, he decided to have a little fun. After all he needed Ramian to believe him in order for him to discover what happened to Abel. Perhaps if the bounty hunter blew off a little tension, he would be more accepting of Shade's story.

 

Walking into the freezing river water, the elf floats out till he is about waist deep. Rubbing the soap onto a bit of cloth, he makes sure he is facing the camp site and begins to slowly rub the cloth over his skin, almost stroking it. Every now and then he glances away and out of the corner of his eye he finds the bounty hunter watching his every move. He supposed it could have been because Ramian thought he would escape but the human's eyes lingered just a moment too long for that and Shade knew when someone wanted him. Half the time, he made his living off of seducing rich women away from their valuables.

 

Rinsing the cloth out and tossing it back onto the bank; Shade leans forward and dunks completely under the water. Standing back up, his hair plastered to his skin, he rubs the bar of soap between his hands, getting them all lathery before raising them to his head. He didn't like using this soap in his hair but it was better than no soap and he would just have to use his good hair soap once he was able to return home. Ducking back under in order to rinse, the elf catches the bounty hunter staring in his direction once again. With a throaty chuckle to himself, Shade rinses his hair once more and begins to wade his way back to the bank.

 

Squatting down next to his clothes, Shade grabs them up in his arms and walks, still naked, to the camp. Dropping the gear next to his pack, he pulls out a large cloth and wraps it around his waist. Keeping the ointment in his hand, he strides over and sits down next to Ramian. Turning to his right, he exposes the furrow which had started seeping from the washing.

 

“My ointment will take care of the rest but I think this needs a stitch or two. Think you can handle it?”

 

The bounty hunter's entire body is tense and his jaw set so hard it looks like it might break, but briefly, Ramian's eyes flick down to the wound in Shade's side. His brows draw together and he gives a short nod. “Yeah, I can handle it.” Ramian says, his voice sounding low and a little rough. He turns to his pack, yanking it open with more force than necessary, then pulls out a small canvas-wrapped bundle and rolls it open. Taking out a vial and a small needle and thread, he gestures at Shade. “Lay on your side so I can get a good look at it.”

 

Eager to comply, Shade lays down on his right side, across Ramian's lap. His eyes flick up innocently to the bounty hunter. “Make the stitches small please.” He then gives Ramian a brief wink before turning his face down. Ramian manages to only grunt in response as he threads the needle. Having the elf in his lap was breaking his concentration and he didn't like it one bit. It didn't make matters any better because the elf was right too. The way he was laying left the wound easily within reach and with a small happy thought because Ramian knew from past experiences just how much stitching a wound hurts and he didn't think the elf would be up for it. Every exposed inch of Shade's skin was taught and perfect. No scars from knife fights or bar fights. Ramian found himself resisting from running his hands along Shade's spine to see if his skin was as smooth as it looked. Gritting his teeth, he holds the needle and pierces the top layer of skin, drawing it close. The elf's body tightens and he hisses sharply but he doesn't cry out or fuss at all. Working as swiftly as possible, Ramian stitches the gash up and grabs a bandage. He can feel the rise and fall of Shade's chest as the elf deals with the pain. Without even realizing, Ramian sets his hand on Shade's backside, causing the elf to groan. Shade's body was covered in a fine sheen of sweat and Ramian was very aware of his body's response to Shade's groan.

 

The elf pushes himself up and leans heavily against Ramian. His eyes meet the bounty hunter's and they darken slightly. Leaning forward so his face is only inches away from Ramian's, Shade whispers. “Now it's my turn.” Before Ramian can protest, Shade closes the distance between them, pressing his lips to the human's, slowly slipping his tongue past Ramian's shocked lips.

 

 

[Authors Note - yeah I know it ended badly but don't worry the next update is already half way done and should be up by Saturday if not sooner. Please review! **RogueKittiekat]