“Not exactly the same as I used to be,” I say softly.
His eyes return to mine. “No,” he agrees, reaching for the soap and lathering a washcloth with careful hands. “Neither of us is.”
I lift my chin obediently as he begins to wash me, suds gliding over my neck and chest in slow, soothing strokes. He focuses on my abdomen, brows creasing as he reaches my mark, and his fingers hesitate for the briefest moment.
“It’s ugly,” I whisper, fighting back another wave of tears as my lip trembles. I gesture toward my thighs. “They’re ugly too.”
Bash swallows roughly and dips the cloth into the water, rinsing away the soap. “Nothing about you has ever been ugly, Xen. They’re just reminders of what you sacrificed.”
He leans in and presses the softest kiss to my ruined eye, then another to the bridge of my nose, before hovering over my mouth.
His eyes stay locked on mine as he says, “From the first time I saw you, I thought you were the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. You took my breath away. That hasn’t changed.”
“Even now?” I ask.
“Especiallynow.”
The kiss on my lips is more insistent, but still achingly sweet, a slow press that takes its time like he’s memorizing the shape of me.
“You’re the type of beauty that hurts, princess. Every time you walk into a room, it’s like I’m underwater. Like there’s no space in my lungs for anything but you, and it fills me so full I’m sure I’ll drown in it.”
My lip quivers again as he kisses me once more.
“Nothing about you is ugly, Xen. Not a single thing about you could ever be less than perfect, no matter how different it might be.”
Water sloshes as I reach out and wrap my arms around his neck. It’s clumsy, and the side of the tub digs into my ribs as I soak his shirt, but he holds me, too, with no hesitation.
“I love you,” I whisper into his shoulder, and his palm smoothes over my hair.
“I love you, too.”
We sit like this for a moment before I release him and ease back into the water. A smile flits over my lips as he takes the cloth and swipes at my face, cleaning the tears and any remnants of my deep sleep.
“Will you be alright if I leave you to finish?” Bash asks, and I nod as he climbs to his feet. He sweeps my body again with a long, lingering gaze, and in that moment, my insecurities disappear.
I feel as beautiful as he tells me I am.
After he steps away, I dunk my head under the surface and scrub my hair clean, then soak until the bath loses its heat. Water drips as I stand and nudge the drain stopper with my toes, and I watch the tiny funnel it creates as I wring out my hair and dry off with the towel Bash left hanging.
Clothes wait for me inside the bedroom, laid across the foot of the bed, but Bash isn’t here. I dress and comb my hair, then pace the room for a few minutes before I get impatient.
The evening is cool as I open the door, the breeze chilly against my damp hair. I search the courtyard for him, but everyone here is a stranger.
Chakri rounds the corner and smiles at me, tossing a hand up in a friendly wave.
“Your mate sent me to find you,” she says as she approaches, then shakes her head at my concern. “He’s fine. Come.”
I follow, inspecting the others as we walk. They seem to live in harmony here, though there’s an air of caution that surrounds everyone. They’re ready to take up arms to protect this place if needed.
“Is Sovran here?” I ask.
She shakes her head as we round the corner. “He had an errand to run but said to tell you he will be back.”
Chakri stops and gestures down a path that leads toward the trees. “He waits for you there.”
Confused, I glance at her, but she smiles and pats my forearm before turning and walking away.
Rocks crunch under my feet as the breeze picks up again, and I shiver at the chill in the air. The relief from the heat is welcome, though, after an excruciatingly hot summer.
