Lost in thought, you spread out your supplies on the floor of the room. Many of the small tins were almost empty, other bottles were cracked from the journey.

You put away everything Jin would need for his wounds and pain and then went through everything. It would be hard to get the ingredients needed for a restock, some of which might not even be available on the island.

You let your head hang down with a sigh. Steam wetted your hair, wove beads of water into the strands.

Footsteps sounded. Two shadows slid across the paper door. Someone knocked. You hurriedly collected everything that might look suspicious and then knelt down in front of the door.

"Come in.", you said.

The door swung open and the woman appeared, Jin at her side.

"The husband has arrived.", she said, her hands clasped in front of her stomach.

Jin frowned at the word husband, but said nothing when he noticed your warning look.

"Sure.", he mumbled and stepped into the room.

"The hot springs are open to all our visitors.", the woman pointed to a pile of towels. "You must be gone by sunrise tomorrow. We have rice and other things. It costs extra."

You and Jin exchange a quick glance.

"We'll take a bath first.", he finally said.

With a bow, the lady said goodbye and disappeared. As the door closed, you both listened for her footsteps. Only when he was sure that no one was near did Jin turn to you with a lost look.

"Husband?", he asked.

With an apologetic smile on your lips, you shrugged your shoulders.

"She didn't want to rent to individuals.", you explained and turned back to your ointments.

His eyebrows drew tightly together and his lips curled. But in the end, he didn't complain. Instead, he retreated to a corner of the room to lay down his weapons.

The rustling of clothes caught your attention. With a glance over your shoulder, you caught a glimpse of his back. Jin had taken off his top. Now it hung loosely from his hips, held by the original belt of his trousers.

Pale shoulders shimmered in the dull light that crept through the steam of the springs. He was indeed pale, but not like a sick man. The black of his hair was the strongest contrast to this skin.

At the same time, there was something mystical about him. As if he was not meant to walk among humans. He looked more like a ghost.

Your gaze continued to wander over his back. The bandages were still in place, nothing had slipped and the blood that had seeped through was limited.

"Do you want me to look at your wounds again?", you turned away so he couldn't complain that you were staring.

Jin let out a snort.

"You worry too much about me.", you could hear the smirk in his words.

One of your eyebrows rose. Smirking, you tried to keep your attention on the bottles and cans. You didn't want him to think you were desperate for his attention. Even though you couldn't deny that every conversation with him made your heart beat faster. Ho

quickly had he managed to lure you in?

No, that wasn't quite right. It was you who had approached him.

How could you have known that his presence was so addictive?

"You're just one patient out of many.", you said, and the next moment you were biting your tongue.

He snorted. This time it sounded less amused and more like acceptance. Something inside you got scared. Hopefully he hadn't taken those words the wrong way.

And even if he had, what would come of it?

"Strangers.", you whispered to yourself.

"No prey.", whispered Jin at the other end of the house.

All at once he rose, layers of cloth falling from his body. Now he was completely undressed except for a white cotton loincloth.

"I'm going to take a bath.", he said and opened the back door of the room.

Hot steam seeped into the room. Cold air was displaced by warmth.

The water from the hot springs lapped in calm waves up to the footbridge that led from your room into the water. Jin carefully put one foot in front of the other, holding one foot in to check how hot it really was.

Out of the corner of your eye, you could see his bare back, legs and... two very round cheeks. Embarrassed, you immediately looked away, frowning at your own primitive behaviour.

What was wrong with you?

Your whole body was tingling. Suddenly you wondered what it was like to touch him all over.

Would the rest of his body be as soft as his lips?

Maybe, but you couldn't think of anything soft near you at the sight. Quite the opposite. Jin was a calm man but you could imagine he was different in heated moments.

At least the night before had given you something to fantasise about.

Exhaling shakily, you forced yourself not to look as the water splashed and Jin stepped into the spring. A sigh slipped from his lips, so loud that it made your head burn.

What other noises could he make when he was feeling good?

In that moment, you had to stop yourself and ask what sounds you could make. The last time you had given your body to a man had been a long time ago and you had been much younger. Whenever you thought back, you had to admit that it had been very underwhelming.

However, Jin seemed promising.

Shaking your head, you tried to get rid of these thoughts. A few slaps to the face and all you felt was pain.

A soft laugh sounded from the distance. Jin had swum to the edge of the house, his arms folded on the wood and his head resting on it. He smiled at you, amused.

But also somehow different.

Your eyes met and immediately a fire burned in your cheeks again. Hopefully he didn't notice.

"You shouldn't swim.", you said, averting your eyes.

He bent his head and grinned. Wild strands of hair danced across his face.

"You really don't know any hot springs.", his voice suddenly sounded so deep, humming as if it was coming from deep inside him. "We use them for recovery. Wounds heal faster. Muscles relax."

You frowned.

"How?"

He took a deep breath.

"Nature. Gods. Call it what you like.", he held out his hand. "Swim with me."