Letting out an aggravated breath, I stood. “Fine.”
Amusement curved his lips as he stepped back. “The bathing chamber is through there.”
Noticing a fine crack in the stone tiles, I crossed the short distance on surprisingly steady legs for someone who hadn’t stood for so long. Cas shadowed me, though, almost like he expected me to collapse. As we neared the door, I noticed spiderweb fractures in the plaster of the wall.
I started to ask about it as Cas reached around me and pushed it open. He flipped a switch. I was relieved to see warm, white light flood the space.
“I’ll be right outside,” he told me.
I glanced back at him. He seemed hesitant to leave me alone. An ache settled in my chest, mostly warm. His concern was sweet, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was rooted in something other than me having been in stasis for so long.
“I’m fine,” I assured him.
Nodding, he pushed himself from the doorframe. Closing the door, I took a shallow breath and turned. My gaze landed on the clawfoot tub—
A shiver ran down my spine as I stood there. The strange, almost oppressive feeling of familiarity rose. It was like I’d seen this tub in this very chamber before, but I knew I hadn’t.
Still, unease prickled at my skin as I took care of my needs and then went to the small vanity. I was happy to find a brush used for the teeth and a bar of soap that smelled of sandalwood. First, I took care of my teeth, utterly distracted by how sensitive my mouth was, and then lathered the soap between my palms. I quickly cleansed my face, using the water to wash away the suds. It was strange. I didn’t feel like I’d been in bed for that long, sticky and gross. I was willing to bet Casteel had a hand in that. A smile tugged at my lips—
Memories of hearing voices while surrounded by nothing rose. His voice. Kieran’s. And there had been another, hadn’t there? Suddenly, gold flashed in my mind, and my skin turned cold.
Gold.
The golden bars of a cage.
A faint tremor ran through my hands as water dripped from my fingers. The image faded from my mind as quickly as it had entered, leaving me unsettled.
Why, in all the realms, did I see a golden cage in my mind?
Maybe it was something I’d dreamed while in stasis. I had no idea, but I decided there were far more important things to focus on. I shook the water from my fingers and lifted my gaze to the small mirror above the vanity.
Immediately, I focused on the scars. I thought they looked a little lighter, but they were still there. I couldn’t say I was disappointed, but I was a Primal goddess now. Shouldn’t I appear as flawless as those rendered in paintings and sculptures?
Sighing, I moved to tuck some loose, now-damp strands of hair back from my face, letting my gaze sweep over my—
I jerked back with a shriek.
The bathing chamber door swung open as Casteel burst into the space.
“What’s wrong?” he demanded, scanning the chamber. “Poppy?”
“My eyes,” I whispered.
“What?” He stepped behind me, following my gaze to the reflection in the oval, gold-trimmed mirror.
“Myeyes,” I repeated.
“Oh,” he murmured.
“What do you mean byoh?” I shouted.
He pressed his lips together. “I probably should’ve warned you about that.”
I gaped at him—at thethathe spoke of.
They were a multitude of colors—the green was familiar, and the silver wasn’t entirely new either, but the blue and brown were. And instead of the luminous sheen forming an aura behind my pupils or even streaks, they were scattered throughout the green, almost like tiny starbursts. There were also streaks in my irises—ribbons of gold and thin bands of onyx eather.
“Do you see them?” I asked, my words coming out as barely more than a squeak.
