“A bird bath and a bowl of seeds, perhaps?” I suggest pleasantly.
The smile drops from Sewell’s face. “What?”
Don’t taunt this man. He is good.
My cheeks warm. “I was taunting you, not him.” I turn to Sewell and flick my wrist in the general direction of the crow. “Morrgot and I aren’t on good terms at the present moment.”
The color drains from Sewell’s face, absconding with its ruddiness, turning it as ashen as his walls.
Morrgot must reassure him that I’m jesting because his complexion slowly brightens.
“The week has been long,” I say by way of apology.
“Well, I best let you rest. You have much to do still.” He crosses the threshold and starts pulling the door closed.
Oh yes, don’t remind me.With a weary smile, I say, “Thank you again for your hospitality.”
“No need for thanks. A friend of Lore is a friend of mine.”
“I’m not—”
The door clicks.
“A friend of Lore’s,” I finish, but he’s already gone. I turn on Morrgot who’s still present. “Why did you tell him I’m friends with your master?”
He assumed.
I huff in annoyance, but the bath beckons, and in seconds, I’m nude and stepping into the water. It’s cold, yet feels divine. I shut my eyes and fold my legs to maneuver as much of my body as I can fit inside.
There’s soap on the dish.
Eyes closed, I grumble, “You’re still here?”
I promised to guard you, remember?
I open my eyes and peer up at the crow. “You also promised to murder me.”
That wasn’t a promise, Fallon; it was a warning.
“Same difference.”
I fish around the sides of the bath for the bar of soap that’s worn so thin, it melts inside my palms, a pale pink buttery mess that smells like a desert rose. I stand so as not to let my precious handful slip into the water, and scrub my scalp until it no longer feels grainy and oily, and then I wash under my arms and between my legs. I’m careful not to make contact with my nipples, which have morphed from dusty pink to an alarming crimson-purple.
I lower my body back into the bath and rinse by indolent soaking.
Fallon. Bed.
“Hmm . . .”
Fallon.
My lids pull up. The rods of light poking from around the window are brighter, whiter.
Don’t fall asleep in the bath.
“Why not?”
You could drown.
