Total pages in book: 248
Estimated words: 236909 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1185(@200wpm)___ 948(@250wpm)___ 790(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 236909 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1185(@200wpm)___ 948(@250wpm)___ 790(@300wpm)
I nodded, and it was only when he walked out my doors that I wondered why he hadn’t used the door that adjoined our chambers.
Then I remembered. The door was obviously locked from his side, remaining only unlocked when he saw fit. Then again, if he could truly heat water with his fingers and had a warhorse living in his cuff, he could probably unlock the door with a thought.
Sighing, I returned to the chaise and sat. A little achy from handling the sword, I closed my eyes. I had no idea how much time passed, but it was more than a few minutes when the adjoining door opened, startling me.
Nyktos stood there, all softness gone from his features. The now-familiar hardness had settled into the set of his jaw, and his eyes had cooled. He hadn’t even looked that cold—that detached—when I’d cut his arm or held the dagger to his throat only an hour or so ago. “Come.” He held the door open. “I have something for you.”
“Uh…” I rose slowly, peering into the darkness of his private quarters. “You sure about that?”
“I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t.” He waited. “Are you coming?”
Too curious for my own good, I got my legs moving and quietly followed him into his chambers and past the unmade bed. He went to where I knew his bathing chamber was located and pushed open the door to the softly lit space.
“You want to show me your bathing chamber?” My steps slowed.
“Not exactly,” he replied, looking back at me. “You can come closer.”
The stone floors were cool against my bare feet as I crept forward, feeling out of sorts as I stopped beside him. I had only caught a glimpse of this space before, when he had been standing at the vanity cleaning up the blood from when the dakkais attacked. There was another door straight across, but I had no idea what it led to. The space was like everything else about him—bare except for a few bottles lined up neatly on a shelf above the vanity and the—
My eyes went wide. I’d only seen a hint of the tub before, but now I saw that it was at least three times the size of the one in my bathing chamber, with a wide enough ledge to sit upon. Big enough for several people. Maybe even a small draken. Made sense. Nyktos was a large man, but the tub was…
It was full of steaming water and frothy bubbles, and my chest constricted. It had nothing to do with breathing. This was what had taken him so long.
“Baines said that he didn’t think you were making use of the bath in your chambers,” he stated, and I felt my skin start to warm. “It should’ve occurred to me that bathing in the chamber where you were attacked would be less than appealing.”
“I haven’t—” Whatever lie I had been about to tell got caught on the knot forming in my throat. I stared at the wisps of steam rising from the tub, my eyes blurring.
“You will be safe here,” Nyktos told me, his tone softening, and a faint shudder rolled through me. “I will make sure of it.”
I couldn’t speak. Not yet. My mouth was clamped shut so tightly that my jaw was beginning to ache. This was…this was an incredibly thoughtful gesture. I wiped my suddenly damp palms against my hips. It was too thoughtful.
“Sera?”
I inhaled deeply through my nose. “You didn’t have to do this.”
“Yes, I did.”
“No.” I shook my head. “I…I don’t deserve this.”
“Everyone deserves fresh water to bathe themselves in, and to do so in peace.”
“I don’t deserve this from you,” I corrected.
Nyktos stiffened beside me. I didn’t look at him. I couldn’t. But I felt the tension coursing through his body. “What you didn’t deserve was to be strangled in your bathing chamber.”
“I agree with that, but—”
“You must be covered in a fine layer of dirt from being out there in the courtyard. I’m sure you want to bathe. It’s simply a bath,” he said, but it wasn’t simply anything. “One you’re more than welcome to use at your discretion.”
My head swung toward him. “This wasn’t something I asked for.”
“I know.” He didn’t look at me as he said, “There are soaps on the stool that you can use. And the towels are here.” He gestured to the rack against the wall. “The other door is locked. No one can enter from there. Take your time. I’ll be waiting in the bedchamber.”
Nyktos didn’t linger. He stepped out of the bathing chamber, closed the door behind him, and left me there, hands trembling slightly. I turned back to the tub, unsure what to make of this—of anything.
This was an act of kindness. I shouldn’t be surprised, because despite whatever issues we might have had with one another, Nyktos was a kind man. He was thoughtful. I knew that, but this unexpected act frayed me at the seams and made that crack in my chest feel even more unstable. I felt as if I were one breath from unraveling. And that was the last thing I needed.