After pulling off their boots, she covered them with a spare sheet. Then, she picked up the paper bundle of her new clothes and went behind the folded screen. Behind it was a large metal basin filled with bathwater. She blushed at the thought of bathing in the same room as Zev and Cassiel. But they wouldn’t wake anytime soon, and the screen was solid enough for privacy. Dyna carefully removed the emerald dress and hung it over the screen. She stroked the beautiful stitching of flowers and vines along the hem. Never had she worn something so fine.
She stepped into the tub and sank into the tepid water, sighing as it soothed her sore feet. Her head rested against the edge of the basin as she smiled to herself. It had been a good day. Cassiel could be condescending and cold, but sometimes it was interrupted by snippets of kindness. The obvious embarrassment at catching himself made it all the more charming.
Dyna stayed in the bath until the water grew cold. Once dried, she picked out a new chemise made of soft linen. The armoire contained spare blankets she used to make herself a spot near the bed. She laid down on her back and watched the shadows of the lantern sway on the ceiling.
It reminded her of her bedroom back in North Star. How was Lyra doing? Was she all right? Was her grandmother in good health? Dyna sighed, wishing to see them.
Zev mumbled something indiscernible and rolled over. The movement caused Cassiel to slide off the bed. Dyna scuttled out of the way before he dropped heavily where she’d been lying.
Cassiel groaned. His sticky eyes blinked open, and he sat up. He picked at the buttons of his coat but his fingers wouldn’t coordinate.
“Here, let me.” She laughed softly and unbuttoned it for him.
He shrugged it off and his wings spread wide, the black feathers casting patterns on the wall. He peeled off his tunic next. She quickly looked away but couldn’t help stealing a peek at his sculpted body. He stretched his arms behind his head. Lean muscle tightened along his biceps, and the warm glow of the lantern fell over the dips and planes of his firm torso. Face on fire, she pulled her gaze down.
Cassiel yawned and laid out on her makeshift bed, wings settling on his back like a sleek blanket. She remained sitting beside him, not sure what to do. He took her bedding, and there was no room on the bed with Zev.
“Why do you fear to be alone?” he asked again, his soft words heavily slurring.
An embarrassed flush rose to her face. “Only when it’s dark.”
“You fear the dark?”
She looked up at the writhing shapes swarming the ceiling. “It’s not the dark I fear, but the things that may lurk within it.”
Cassiel squinted through one eye then rolled onto his side and lifted a wing as though to invite her in. She fought the blush rushing to her cheeks. Surely, that was not his intention—
He grabbed her arm and yanked. She fell with a yelp against him, and he covered her with his wing. It was warm. Soft as silk. And much too close for her comfort.
Dyna’s heart caught in her throat. “C—Cassiel.”
“There.” He sighed in content. His breath trickled down her neck, still wet from her damp hair, sending a nervous shiver through her. He brought an arm around her waist and pulled her close, holding her hot cheek against his bare chest. “It’s odd … why do you put me at ease?”
Dyna was too startled to speak. She tried to calm the wild gallop of her heart, but she failed.
“So long as I’m with you… you have nothing to fear …” he mumbled, his words thick and slow on his tongue as sleep pulled him. “I’ll protect you from the dark and the shadows. My blood proved I can.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll slay your demon …”
“What?” she breathed. Discomfort replaced itself with bewilderment. She leaned her head back to look up at him. “Your father said that your people could do no such thing anymore. That your sanctity had diminished.”
“It is true, but only for those who have taken human lives …” he mumbled. “I have not.”
She widened her eyes. “Why are you telling me this now?”
His brow furrowed. “For once, I realize I’m not as sullied as they led me to believe … I have the ability to do something that many others cannot do. Perhaps there is a reason for my being here, in this world …”
He peered at her sleepily, and again she saw the makings of a smile on the edges of his mouth. A feeling rose in her chest, light, and airy. Wistful. Cassiel’s hope. It was new, but raw and so frail as if he feared wanting it.
And Dyna realized then it was because others told him he didn’t have the right to a thing such as hope. They didn’t allow him any happiness. All because he was half-human. Her eyes welled in anger. She regretted not throwing that fig at Malakel’s face.
But Cassiel barely survived the Other. The Shadow would be too much for him. Too vicious and merciless. She couldn’t ask him to fight it for her.
“There is a reason for your existence,” she said. “But not to fight the Shadow.”
“But I can—”
