The dream faded, and Jule slumped to the ground again, unable to fight the darkness.
The sound of voices woke her. Jule had moved and collapsed in a heap a few feet away. He was mumbling in his sleep. Yully moved towards him and dragged his fevered body close to the fire again.
She worked tirelessly all night to clean the blood off of Jule. She marveled at his muscular body and the perfectly sculptured chest, shoulders, ridged abdomen, and biceps too large to wrap her hands around. His skin was soft despite his strength, a combination the woman in her found appealing. Removing the blood, she found every part of his exposed skin was covered in the colorful tattoos. She cleaned him up then took a shower and dug out musty clothing from a trunk at the bottom of one wardrobe.
Finally, she settled beside him, willing him to make it through the night. If he could shake his fever and take care of himself, he'd be okay alone. She knew she'd have to leave him. Her father would hunt them both down, and if he didn't, the sword-wielding maniac would. They weren't safe together, especially since the powerful connection between them was driving her body crazy just sitting so close.
Yully dozed twice and forced herself up. There was no food in the cottage, so she turned a small log into cans of soup. Just before dawn, she made herself soup and turned a box of cornmeal into bread. The cottage had grown warm quickly, and she kept the stove's belly full of wood.
Jule slept past dawn then into midday. She sat beside him and touched his skin. A strange energy ran between them, as if she could absorb the faint stream of his magic. There was more, though. It was not just his magic, but his soul that flowed into her. She pulled both into her body.
Her brow furrowed, and she straightened. She withdrew then touched him again, this time pushing the energy she'd absorbed-and her own-into him. His body took it this time, and his soul didn't laugh at her as it had when she tried to turn him into a rock. In fact, his sleeping body welcomed her energy. Magic hummed between them, and she began to realize he wasn't human, and he wasn't like her father. The sense of communicating with him through their magics relaxed her, made her drowsy. She didn't know what he was, only that the ebb and flow of magic and energy between them felt … natural.
She fell asleep beside him again, their bodies humming in silent communication, until he awoke some time later. Yully woke with him and pushed herself up, expecting the worse.