I woke to him descending toward a broad valley. Sheltered between two smaller peaks, it was hidden from casual view. A series of natural hot springs steamed in the cool air. Smooth stone surrounded the pools, worn by centuries of dragon claws.
We landed on smooth rock still warm from the afternoon sun. I slid off his back, my legs unsteady, and he shifted back to his usual form.
He caught my elbow when I swayed. “Let’s get you fed and rested before you collapse.”
“I’m not going to collapse.”
“Says the woman who can barely stand.” But his tone was gentle, fond even, as he guided me toward the nearest stone shelter.
Inside, someone had created a comfortable resting space. He opened a trunk, tugging out furs he draped across the low bed. A circle of stones marked a fire pit on one side. Raoul had our provisions unpacked in moments, spreading out bread, cheese, and dried fruit.
“Eat,” he said, pressing food into my hands.
I took a bite of bread, chewing slowly. My mind was still spinning through data and theories and that maddeningly elusive memory.
“Adele.” Raoul’s hand covered mine. “Stop thinking for five minutes.”
“I can’t.”
“You can. You just won’t.”
I ate because arguing took energy I didn’t have. He fedme bite by bite until our meal was gone and some of the hollow feeling in my belly had eased.
“Better?” he asked.
“Marginally.”
“I’ll take it.” He stood, offering me his hand. “You need to soak in the springs. It’ll help.”
The pools were gorgeous in the fading light. Steam rose in lazy curls, and the water glowed faintly blue from minerals I’d need about a week and lots of magical power to properly analyze. The largest pool was broad and deep enough that I couldn’t see the bottom, surrounded by smooth stone that still held the day’s warmth.
Raoul tugged at his tunic laces, shedding clothes with that effortless grace of his, his muscles shifting under golden skin as the fading sun caught every line. I followed suit, slower, my fingers fumbling from fatigue, until we both stood bare on the warm stone. The air nipped at me, raising goosebumps, but the promise of the glowing water pulled me forward.
He stepped in first, sinking to his waist with a low sigh that echoed my own longing for relief. “Come in, sweet. It’s perfect.”
I eased in, the heat enveloping my calves, then thighs, chasing away the chill. Unlike the enclosed caves we’d bathed in before, this pool was open to the sky, vast and unguarded, with no walls to trap the steam. As I submerged to my shoulders, the water lapped gently, carrying a faint fizz from the minerals, tiny bubbles rising in whispers across my skin. The surface shimmered under the stars, reflecting pinpricks of light that danced like fireflies in the deepening twilight.
Raoul swam toward me, his movements creating soft ripples that brushed my body.
“No walls here,” he said, pulling me into his arms. “Just us and the night.”
I floated against him, weightless, the open air making everything feel exposed yet intimate. A cool breeze skimmed over us, contrasting with the warmth below, and in the distance, a bird hooted. “It’s freeing. Like we’re part of the sky.”
He chuckled, guiding us to a shallower ledge where smooth rocks formed natural seats. “Sit. Let me take care of you.”
I settled on the stone, the water up to my chest, and he knelt in front me. He reached for a small pouch from the provisions and poured scented oil into his palm. This wasn’t like the rushed, heated washes in Brightmore’s or Silvervale’s steamy caves. Here, under the vast canopy of stars, his touches were slow and careful. He started at my feet, lifting one from the water, massaging oil into the arch with firm thumbs that melted away the ache from days of travel.
“You’re carrying too much,” he said softly, his eyes on mine, the amber glowing in the low light. “Let some of it go for now.”
I leaned back against the pool’s edge, the stone cool on my shoulders while the water bubbled around us. “Easier said than done. But this helps.”
He worked up my calves, knees, and thighs, his hands strong yet gentle, the oil slicking over my skin and making the stars’ reflection blur in the water’s surface. The breeze carried the scents of pine and earth, mixing with the mineral tang, and I closed my eyes, letting the sensations hold me in place. No confined steam, no echoing walls; just the open night, his touch, and the soft fizz of bubbles popping around us.
Whenhe reached my shoulders, he turned me, sitting me in front of him. He kneaded my neck and combed through my hair, wetting it fully before working in soap. The stars twinkled above, and for the first time in days, my mind quieted, lulled by the rhythm of his hands and the valley’s hush.
We stayed like that, floating and touching, until the water’s heat had soaked deep into my bones. Raoul finally stood, water streaming down his body, and offered his hand. “Time to get out before you wrinkle.”
I laughed, taking it, but instead of letting me climb out, he scooped me up, lifting me from the pool. The cool air hit my skin, making me shiver, but his body heat and the dragonfire from my ring chased it away as he carried me to our small shelter. He set me down on the floor and fetched a soft cloth from the trunk, drying me with careful strokes, starting at my hair before moving down my arms, torso, and legs. The quiet care in his gaze made my chest ache.
