Cassiel poured her some water and had her drink it before moving behind a privacy screen. Another flash of blue glowed against the walls. He returned. “Sowmya filled the bath earlier. I heated the water now so you may bathe.”
Dyna only blinked at him, taken aback by all of this. “You enchanted the tent with stardust?”
“And pixie dust. I learned a useful thing or two from Lucenna.” Cassiel rubbed the back of his neck. “Don’t tell her I said that.”
Dyna didn’t know what else to say to him. She expected he would leave, but her eyes went wide when he lowered to one knee in front of her. Dark lashes shadowed his eyes as he took her boot and carefully released the buckles. Each deft movement of his fingers had her entranced, and her heart thrummed so hard in her chest that she worried he would feel the pulse all the way down her leg.
“You don’t need to do this, Cassiel.”
“I want to.”
Her skin warmed. It reminded her of another night that mirrored this one.
I will always kneel for you.
Setting her foot down, Cassiel picked up the other boot to do the same thing, his hand supporting her calf gently. Heat bloomed from every contact of his touch, and her skin tingled despite the layer of clothing between them.
Finished, Cassiel looked up, close enough to her that she could see every fleck in his silver eyes. His expression was neutral, but tense. The bond may be meaningless now, a ghost of what it once was, but she felt the fire burning behind his wall.
“You’re angry,” Dyna stated.
His brow pinched, slight surprise crossing Cassiel’s features before he rubbed his face and sighed. “Yes, well, that is a perpetual condition, it seems. Yours, however, can be fatal.”
Ah, he was annoyed by her carelessness. Again.
Which only annoyed her in turn.
“Why do you continue to push yourself?” Cassiel scanned her face, as if he worried something about her had been damaged.
Her heart squeezed beneath the concern in his gaze, but she couldn’t take it, because it made her feel things she didn’t want to feel. “My well-being is no longer your concern,” she said rather curtly.
A muscle shifted in his jaw. “Your well-being will always be my concern, Dyna.” He stood. “Now, where did you leave your satchel?”
“My satchel?”
“I assume that is where the herbs for Azeran’s tea are stored. I will brew a pot for you.”
She shook her head but winced when that made her dizzy. “I don’t have any more herbs. I used everything I had in treating the wounded.” It had gotten to the point that Dyna even used the pink waters she gathered from the Melodyam Falls. She fainted before learning if it worked. “Replenishing my reserves will wait until we reach Evos.”
Cassiel’s eyes flashed, and she braced for his chiding, but he simply took a deep breath. “Will you be all right until then?”
“I’ll befine.” He didn’t need to hover over her, especially when she smelled like murky bog water. “Please, I am too tired to argue. I want to bathe and lay down.”
He conceded with a nod. “Shall I have Sowmya assist you?”
“I can manage.” Dyna missed her handmaiden, though. Noemi had long returned to Hermon.
“Very well. Leave your clothes by the entrance, and Sowmya will see them washed. Meanwhile, you may wear anything of mine.” He opened the chest of clothing set by the bed. Inside were neatly folded tunics, coats, and trousers. Every single piece of clothing was black. The visual reminder that Cassiel was in mourning made her irritation fade.
Dyna was so tired of being angry. She could deal with pain, but anger was poison, and it was making her sick. Things would never be the same between them, but maybe they could find some sort of common ground. At least while he was here.
“Thank you,” she sighed.
He paused, as if surprised by that. “The Valkyrie are positioned outside. No one and nothing will come near without your say. Are you sure you can manage until we reach Evos?”
“Nothing sleep won’t mend.” She didn’t meet his gaze when she said it, because it would take more than a night’s rest to recover the amount of magic she had used.
Cassiel turned to go but paused by the entrance with his back to her. She stilled, a sudden burst of currents dancing on her skin.
