Jace breaks the surface with a loud gasp.
“You. Little. Witch,” he breathes, his hair plastered to his face. He shakes his head, trying not to smile, but I can see the corners of his mouth tugging upward.
“You needed the bath more than I did,” I say, ascending the two steps to the ledge, baring my naked back to him.
I wrap the towel around myself and glance back. It’s him who bites his lip now. Bites it until it turns white.
“Are you coming?” I ask, nodding toward the door.
He grimaces. “I think I need a second.”
I cock my head.
“To cool off.”
Shit.Why is that so hot?
“Think you can make it back to the room without running into trouble?”
“I thought you didn’t want me out of your sight.”
“That. And I just wanted an excuse to see you in the bath.”
He flashes me a boyish grin. I dip my foot into the bath and kick some water at him. One of those rare, unguarded laughs slips out of him and my chest aches.
God, I missed him.
I start toward the door, grabbing a cozy-looking robe off the rack by the wall.
“Just—give me a second.” His voice is pained as he emerges from the water, clothes clinging to every inch of his chiseled body. He flips his hair back, sending tiny droplets flying through the air, as he comes chest to chest with me. He leans down, a determined look in his eye.
I know that look.
It’s hisI’m about to kiss youlook.
I hold my breath, waiting, but he reaches behind me, snatching a towel and shaking the water from his hair.
Idiot.
His arm wraps around my shoulder, pulling me into his side as he walks us out the door.
“You’re evil,” he murmurs, kissing the top of my head as we step into the hall.
28
ZADYN
It takes less than an hour to hunt down the intruders, following their scents from outside the apartment building. Even from a healthy distance, that gold-plated armor is unmistakable.
They’re already on the hunt.
The Vod soldiers make their way down the streets, peering into windows, kicking down doors, and prying screams from the innocents inside.
The pleasure house probably is the safest place for us right now. Ilayna once told me it’s warded due to its high-profile clientele. The gatekeeper is the old fae with the glass eye. Behind that frail, haggard facade lurks a creature of nightmares—a monster wearing the skin of an old maid, bred to destroy anyone with ill intent.
We make our way back as the sun is setting, sticking to the shadows of the foul back alleys. When I enter the room to find Serena missing, my heart speeds up.
“Where is she?”
