“Later.” I lean forward to brush a kiss to his forehead. Galen’s betrayal is one that I’ve had weeks to sit with and while it stung, it’s nothing I imagine to what Sorin is feeling.
His best friend.
A brother in arms.
“Later,” he mimics, wrapping me in his arms again. My body relaxes into his as I examine my wrists. The wounds around them are still open but not painful. I tilt my head as I study them.
“One of the healers applied some cream.” Sorin gestures to my wrists. “You fell asleep in the caravan. I carried you inside and didn't want to wake you. She left extra on the bedside table.”
I glance over my shoulder to see a small tub wrapped in parchment and topped with lavender.
“The wolves?” I sit forward with a start, closing my eyes and focusing on pushing a message through our bond. Sorin says something but I don’t hear him as I concentrate.
You’re okay, Ruse?
Yes.
It's barely there, a vague whisper, but as the message hits me I muffle a cry in relief.
Without the iron around my wrists, my magick stirs, itching at my skin. Smiling, I glance at Sorin again. He’s propped on an elbow, staring at me. I lean forward to kiss him but stop myself as I catch sight of my filthy hands and nails again. “Is there somewhere I can bathe?”
“There’s a bathing chamber attached to our room. I’ll call for some warm water and towels.” He leans forward and lays a quick kiss to my cheek. “I’ll see you after your bath at breakfast.”
“You’re not joining me?”
His eyes widen, a faint blush spreading over his cheeks. “Is that what you wish, love?”
I glare at him, not willing to repeat myself.
He smiles, then laughs, and a tiny piece of my broken self-stitches back together. “I’ll get the water and the towels, wait here.”
Once alone, I study the room more closely. Just as expected for the Onyx Guild, the walls and floor are black stone. The room is simple, a four-post bed and a bathing chamber just as Sorin said. Peeking through the dark curtains, a splash of dull light hits me and just over the horizon I can make out the Kirsgard Mountains. My hands tremble as I pull the curtains tightly shut.
Sorin returns a few moments later with two handmaids. Their long, black dresses sway against the floor as they fill the basin. They drop a few towels on the bed and leave without a word.
My stomach clenches as I join Sorin in the bathing chamber. Like the bedroom, it’s mostly black apart from the porcelain tub. Onyx stones dangle from the ceiling on invisible strings, light from the small window hitting them and making the room sparkle.
“Ladies first,” he says and just before he touches my night dress, he stops. His hands retreat behind his back and his eyes land on the wall past me.
He’s afraid to touch me.
I grab his arm, guiding his hand to my dress, encouraging him. He hesitates a moment before sliding the dress from my body. Under the morning light, the black and purple bruises are painted like a tapestry upon my skin. I don’t take my eyes offof him as he slips my camisole over my head. His face reddens, his jaw clenched tight. When he goes to my undergarments, his hands tremble against them so I place my hand atop his.
“I’m all right, Sorin.”
His eyes flick to mine. There’s a fire in them I haven’t seen before. A rage that is so unlike his normal self that I almost flinch.
“I’m all right.” I reassure him again and though he doesn’t look to believe me, he continues undressing me until I’m bare. I step into the water, relishing in the sting it leaves against my bruised skin.
Sorin slides in behind me, his long legs wrapping around my body. His hands are gentle as he glides lavender soap over my arms and chest.
“Tip your head back,” he says and I do.
Water prickles my scalp, the soapy bubbles fill the small room with their lavender and chamomile aroma. After my hair is rinsed and my body clean, we sit in contented silence. The window is cracked open but not even a caw from a crow comes wafting through. My back to his chest, my head on his heart.
“I missed you every day.” His confession echoes throughout the room. I grip his arms and so he tightens them around me. “Every second.” He kisses my head then his lips brush against my neck. “I couldn’t sleep. Couldn’t eat.” Another kiss. I press farther into him, tipping my head up so I can see his face. “I won’t let it happen again.”
“You are not to blame for what happened.” He silences me with a pass of his thumb over my lips.
