Chapter 15
ALEXANDRA
The soundof someone humming roused me from my dreamless sleep, and my groggy brain questioned where I was. Even more so when I registered the warmth surrounding me and the soft sweeping of a loofah over my arms.
The soft scratch of the loofah against my skin felt amazing, and the pressure being applied with it was perfect, massaging my muscle as it went.
Wherever I was, this was definitely heaven within Divinus.
Then it hit me. The last thing I remembered was adamantly telling Kylo I could walk after he’d lifted me up like a sack of potatoes. Then…then it all went fuzzy.
My eyes flew open as my heart jumped into my throat.
Where was I? Was I back with Pandora? Who was touching me?
Water sloshed around me as I surged forward to give myself enough room to turn around and see whose arms were wrapped around me. Water splashed out of the large tub and slapped onto the floor.
“Darling, are you okay?”
Upon seeing familiar blue eyes and dimples on full display as Kylo grimaced at my alarmed look, I let out a shaky breath. My head hung low for a second as I processed that I was safe and okay.
“Holy shit, sorry,” I murmured, forcing myself to take a few breaths to calm the adrenaline that coursed through my veins. “Things have been so confusing recently. I’m constantly wondering where the hell I am now apparently.”
Kylo’s perplexed expression was adorable, and I crossed back to his open arms, cuddling against him again. A sigh fell across my lips at the heat soaking into me.
Strands of my hair fluttered around me as he let out a large puff of breath that fanned across my head. “I have so many questions, darling.”
“I promise I’ll fill you in when I can tell all three of you at once. It’s…” I trailed off as I stared at the bubbles surrounding us in the tub, trying to find the words. “It’s a lot, to say the least.”
How did one explain that they had a being inside of them who was thousands of years old? How did I even begin to explain that I apparently shared a life with her inside of Pandora’s box for gods only know how long? Things were only getting more complicated, despite having some solid answers now.
He grunted before chuckling, vibrations from his chest rolling through me as he did. “I don’t doubt that at all.”
Fatigue still lingered through my limbs, so I stopped trying to keep my head up, leaning it back against his shoulder instead. The air was thick with calming aromas, a mixture of fresh lavender and sharp mint. The scent was refreshing and seemed to clear my mind and ease my worries as I breathed it in.
I still hadn’t taken the time to wrap my brain around what all of this meant for me.
Did this mean that Pandora could see and hear everything going on around me? Was she…living through my eyes, or was she stuck within the home I’d visited her in?
Pandora?
Silence answered me, and I felt a little bit of relief that she wasn’t going to be a constant presence in my head now. If we didn’t share a conscious, then I doubted she could watch or hear the world around me.
A bout of loneliness smacked me square in the chest with that realization, though. Pandora had been alone ever since I left, abandoning her with no one to talk to and nothing to do. Honestly, that sounded worse than going to the River Styxx for judgment. That was no way to live.
Kylo’s ministrations resumed, pulling me from my thoughts as he spoke in a quiet, soothing voice, “Sorry I woke you up, darling. We’ve just been in here for a while as you slept, and I just wanted to make sure you were clean before I pulled us out. You’ve been out since I walked us over to this house.”
I wasn’t really surprised that I fell asleep as soon as he picked me up and cradled me to his chest. While I wasn’t usually one to fall asleep so easily, the way my body struggled to support me after coming back from the dreamscape with Pandora, sleep felt imminent. Even if I had tried to insist that I could walk on my own. I was just trying to put on a good front after telling both Ariel and them that I’d be perfectly fine to train tomorrow morning.
Lifting my fingers in front of me, I noted the pruny appearance of my skin there. Kylo really had just sat in here with me as I slept, likely knowing this would feel amazing to my body after my episode.
“It’s okay,” I murmured, letting my eyes close again with a sigh. “Thank you for bringing me over here and taking care of me. I love you, Ky.”
I felt a kiss to the top of my head, making me smile at the sweet gesture. “Always, darling. I love you too.”
After a few more quiet moments, he announced I was clean and arms wrapped around me once more, lifting me from the bath. “Do you feel like you can stand, or do you need to sit? I just need to grab us some towels to dry off quickly.”
Knowing there was no point in putting on a front of strength I definitely didn’t have, I grumbled, “Sit, please.”
