Water and Fire by Demelza Carlton Read Free Book Online Page A

will you be okay?"
    I smiled, bemused. "I think I
can dress myself." I ambled toward the bedroom I'd claimed.
Changing my clothes was harder than I'd expected, because my hands
weren't as cooperative as I needed them to be. After some time, I
managed to take off my wet clothes and put on some pants and a
shirt. I decided I didn't need a bra, because it was pretty useless
when I couldn't fasten it. Today I was glad my breasts were much
smaller than Vanessa's, because if she chose not to wear a bra, it
hardly went without notice. Quite the opposite.
    After some consideration, I
pulled Aidan's tartan coat on over my shirt. This would hide my
breasts, if such a thing was necessary.
    I carefully picked my way
across the tiled floor on numb feet. In the time it had taken me to
get changed, Aidan had started a fire in the fireplace. The first
big chunk of wood was starting to burn, orange flame darting around
the edges, like small, nibbling fish.
    I sat on the couch, focussing
on the flames. Aidan moved from his crouch in front of the fire to
the couch beside me. He helped me out of his damp coat, flinging a
fluffy rug over my shoulders instead.
    He stood in front of me,
unconsciously washing his hands without water or soap, I noticed
with faint humour. Rubbing his hands from his forearms to his
fingertips, as if scrubbing up for some delicate surgical
procedure.
    "So, I take it you're not going
whale watching again for a while?" Aidan's joke fell flat.
    I looked up to his considerable
height, incredulous. Why would I avoid whales? It was the wind that
took my warmth, not the whale. I wished I could tell this man why
such a suggestion was so nonsensical, but I kept my mouth closed. I
turned my eyes to the flame-fish in the fire.
    "Right." His voice was
uncertain, as he walked away from me and out of my sight. I heard
him moving around in the kitchen, but I concentrated on the fire,
my focus on its warmth.
    Aidan returned with a bottle
and two glasses, clinking them down on the coffee table. He
carefully broke the seal and poured a small amount of kelp-coloured
liquid into the bottom of each glass.
    He held onto the bottle, giving
a sigh. "I was keeping this for a special occasion. I guess
medicinal purposes qualify as an occasion." He didn't explain his
cryptic words, nor did I care for an explanation, so I waited for
him to hand me a glass. "Drink this. It'll help warm you a
bit."
    I judged the quantity of liquid
to be a large mouthful, so I took it all in one gulp. A mouthful of
fire coral would have burned less. My eyes watered as if to put out
the flames in my throat, but the effort was futile.
    I tried to
focus on the bottle's label. Blinking, it took me a few minutes
before I could see. Limeburners Single
Malt Whisky Barrel Strength , I read,
before I had the use of my voice. What lime was I didn't know, but
this drink would burn anything.
    "What is it?" I rasped.
    Aidan took a small sip of his
drink. He held it in his mouth, as if savouring the burning
sensation. "Whiskey," he answered.
    He looked at the bottle
carefully. "Barrel strength. I'm sorry, I should have added some
water."
    He placed his barely-touched
glass on the table and headed past me to the kitchen. He returned a
moment later with a small jug of water, a ridiculously small
quantity to extinguish the fire from my drink. He lifted the jug to
pour some water into my glass, but stopped before a drop
landed.
    "You finished it all? You
shouldn't have too much, not before your body temperature goes back
to normal." Aidan looked worried, but poured more of the whiskey
into my glass, then a tiny trickle of water. He did the same for
his own glass. He handed mine back to me and carefully clinked the
two together.
    "To your good health," he said
gravely, before taking a sip.
    This time, I followed his
example, taking only a tiny sip of the whiskey I now regarded
warily.
    It was as I suspected. The
water did nothing to stop the burn, but there was flavour amid the
hot