Page 95 of The Wild Man

As if sensing my sad thoughts, a solid warmth hits my back and an arm comes around my waist. Wild Man presses his lips against the side of my neck, over the same spot he always marks, even still.

“We come back,” he tells me again, his voice a deep rumble.

I nod, too choked up to form a verbal response. I force my lips into a smile before I turn to face him. He kisses my lips before reaching for my hand. Together, we leave the tree hut, knowing that I’m leaving a small part of me behind.

* * *

After we say goodbye to Teeja and his family—a tearful goodbye on my part—Wild Man leads me in a direction away from where we need to go to leave the forest.

“Where are we going?” I ask.

“Need do something,” is his only reply. He’s tense and his lips are a flat line.

I don’t ask him to elaborate. I just stay silent beside him, something telling me he needs this quiet time. Walking with him now is a lot easier than it was when we were out here before. Having shoes and not worrying about shredding my feet makes a big difference.

I start to recognize the way we’re going and my heart lurches in my chest. I’ve only been this way once, when he showed me where he buried his parents. The field of wildflowers is just as vibrant as it was the first time, despite the temperatures dropping lower.

My throat closes as we step under the low hanging branches of the tree and stop at the two piles of rocks. By leaving these woods, Wild Man is not only giving up the only home he’s ever known, but also the resting place of his parents. We will come back to this forest, if for no other reason than to visit them.

Wild Man sets the duffle down and pulls out a small retractable shovel. He gouges the dirt and begins digging a hole at the bottom of the graves, directly center between the two. When the hole is about a foot deep and a foot in width, he drops the shovel to the ground. He reaches inside the duffle and pulls out one of the skulls. I blink back tears as he looks at it a moment before he carefully sets it in the hole. He does the same with the second skull.

I can’t hold back the tears when I look inside the hole and notice he’s placed the two skulls so they face each other. He carefully begins shoveling the dirt back in the hole. As he does this, I look around, swiping at the tears sliding down my face. Once I find what I’m looking for, I pick up two rocks about the same size as the ones on his parents’ graves and place them down beside where Wild Man is. I go back for more.

By the time I’ve gathered enough rocks, Wild Man is already placing them on the grave. Once he’s done, he gets to his feet. I immediately move into his arms. He wraps me up tight, as if needing me in his arms as much as I need to be there.

I tip my head back. “Are you okay?”

He clears his throat before he speaks. “Yes.”

“We can come back anytime you want.”

He nods.

“I love you.”

Some of the torment leaves his eyes. “I love you, momor.”

I pull back from him and grab his hand. “Come on. There’s something I want to do.” When he reaches for the duffle, I tell him, “Leave it. We aren’t going far.”

I lead him back to the wild flowers and bend to pick a bright blue one. I hold it up between us. “Help me pick some flowers.”

We pick several of each color until we have two bundles of beautiful flowers. I grab his hand again and take him back to the graves. I set my bundle on top of his father’s grave. Wild Man sets his on top of his mother’s.

I let Wild Man decide when we leave. After we stand there for several moments, his arms around my waist as we stare down at his parents’ resting place, he lets me go and grabs the duffle bag. Together, we leave the beautiful but sad place.

We come across the waterfall and pool of water, and I tug on his hand to stop.

“How about one more bath before we leave?”

His gaze immediately fills with desire, just the reaction I was hoping for. Sex is the perfect distraction. Anything to replace the somber look in his eyes.

I shiver when my hair is suddenly grabbed and I’m pulled against his chest with his eyes boring down at me. “No bath. Fucking.”

I lick my lips and give him a lascivious smile. “Fuck your pussy, Wild Man.”

I squeal with laughter and delight when he growls and tosses me over his shoulder.

epilogue