Darius lifted me into his arms, one hand under my thighs, the other pressed against my back. I wrapped myself around him, feeling the heat of his body, the steady beat of his heart against my chest.
He carried me into the warm shower. Water pulsed against my skin, washing away the dirt, the sweat, the dungeon.
He reached for the shampoo on the shelf and poured some into his palm. "Let me take care of you."
I let out a shaky breath. I'd spent so long fighting. Surviving. Being strong. Maybe, just this once, I could let someone else carry the weight.
I turned my back to him. His fingers slid into my hair, massaging the shampoo into my scalp. Gentle circles. Slow and deliberate.
I closed my eyes and let out a soft moan. No one had ever done this for me. No one had ever taken care of me like this.
"Feel good?"
"Mmm." I couldn't form words. His fingers worked through the tangles, patient and tender. The scent of lavender filled the steam around us.
He tilted my head back under the spray, rinsing the suds away. His hands moved down to my shoulders, kneading the knots that had built up from days of hanging in chains.
Days of chains. It felt like a lifetime ago. And now here I was—safe, warm, and being touched with gentleness instead of cruelty. Tears mingled with the water running down my face.
"You're so tense," he murmured against my ear.
"It's been a rough few days."
He let out a soft laugh. "That's an understatement."
He poured conditioner into his palm and worked it through the ends of my hair, his fingers gentle, unhurried. Like we had all the time in the world. Like Alanna didn't exist. Like it was just us.
But she had existed. And I remembered standing in that throne room, watching him kneel before her. Hearing him reject me. Believing every word.
"I thought I'd lost you," I whispered.
His hands stilled. Then he turned me to face him, water cascading over us both. His silver eyes searched mine. I traced the lines of his face—the sharp jaw, the cheekbones, the shadows beneath his eyes that hadn't been there before. He lookedexhausted. Haunted. But underneath all of it, he was still my Darius.
"Never." He cupped my face in his hands. "You will never lose me, Alice."
He kissed me softly, his lips warm against mine while his calloused hands traced the curve of my hips, the dip of my waist. I wrapped my arms around his neck, fingers tangling in the damp curls at his nape as I returned his kiss with gentle pressure. He pulled away, eyes holding mine, and reached for the bottle on the ledge. The sharp, clean scent of pine filled the steamy air as he poured a generous dollop of emerald soap into his palm. He ran his hands over me in slow, deliberate circles, the lather building between us, slick and warm against my goosebumped skin.
He slipped his fingers into my core, the pads of his fingertips dragging against my slick inner walls as he inched them in and out with deliberate patience. I gasped, my nails digging into his shoulders. Heat coiled low in my belly, tight and urgent.
Each slow thrust built a delicious pressure that radiated outward from my center. I reached between his legs and cupped his balls, feeling their weight and warmth in my palm, the soft skin tightening under my touch.
Mine. He was mine. Not Alanna's. Never Alanna's. Every touch was proof—every gasp, every shudder. He belonged to me.
“Oh, Alice.” He groaned, a deep, guttural sound that vibrated through his chest and against my skin.
Hearing my name on his lips like that—wrecked, desperate—sent a thrill through me. I did this to him. Me.
He kissed me deeply, his lips tasting of salt and pine. "I want you with me always."
I panted, my breath catching in my throat. "Do you really?"
"Yes, you're mine." He planted kisses down my throat, each one a burning brand against my skin. "And this is your home now, Alice Ravencrest."
Home. The word wrapped around my heart and squeezed.
I'd never had a home. Not really. The coven had never accepted me. Earth had never felt like I belonged. Even the Elder Dimension had been a prison disguised as a fairy tale.
But here, in Darius' arms, with water cascading over us and steam curling around our bodies—I finally understood what home meant.
