Silas runs the towel up my back. “Will you stand with me today?”
“You want me too?” I move into his touch.
“Of course.”
“Then I will,” I say, with a smile.
We fall into silence as he continues to run the towel over my body and finishes washing my hair.
“I can only hope that I lead these people with fairness and grace.”
“You will,” I smile.
“With you by my side?”
I look at him and cup his face. “I’m not going anywhere.”
He presses his forehead against mine, closes his eyes, and inhales deeply. He then brings his lips to mine, and we lock into a kiss—slow and steady, but filled with passion and amplified by the fear still coursing through our veins.
His hand drops the towel and travels up my body, becoming tangled in my hair. He presses my face closer, and I lean nearer to the edge of the tub.
I feel momentarily lost, only here with Silas, and the connection between us appears to sing in from our closeness. I press myself to the tub's edge again, wanting to be as close to him as possible—as safe as possible—and I know I have that when I’m near him. His hand moves through my hair, never breaking our connection, and our kiss deepens. I move my arm over his shoulder and press my bare chest against his.
He pulls away. “I love you.”
I gaze into his green eyes. “And I love you.”
A knock on the door echoes through the room, and Silas glances at the door. He swiftly grabs a towel for me and shouts, “Yeah?”
I hear Fen’s voice, and I quickly stand from the water and wrap the towel around my body.
“She’s stirring. They think she may wake up.”
Chapter 38
Idress, throwing the dark green stone into my pocket, and move out of my bedroom faster than I ever have in my life. I rush down the hallway, my hair still soaking wet, and pause outside Oak and Maine’s bedroom. Fen and Warrick still wait outside the door while Silas stands behind me.
“You can head inside, Briar,” Warrick instructs, stepping to the side. “I told the healers you’d be coming in.”
I smile in his direction, and he nods back.
“I’ll be right outside. You go in first,” Silas says. “I’ll come in a bit later.”
I push open the thick wooden door and step inside, hearing the latch slowly close behind me. The windows are open, and the brilliant morning sun spills in, making the room bright and airy. A few healers move around the room with bowls and various instruments, and the scent of incense fills the air. Their room is dark like Silas’s, but something different lingers here.
Oak sits beside the bed, his head hung low, and one hand rests against Maines. A bright halo of light appears to pulse around him. Maines lies on a small bed, and her eyes are closed. Oak slowly lifts his head, and his eyes are red, swollen, and filled with a sadness I’ve never seen them harbor before.
My heart splinters.
I cross the room, keeping my eyes fixed on Maines. As I approach the bed, she gently opens her beautiful blue eyes. A soft smile curls her lips, and I sit next to Oak, placing my hand on his leg to assure him that I’m here. He grabs my hand, and I feel the warmth of his light.
“You look like a wet rat,” Maines rasps.
I let out a sob mixed with a laugh, and Oak squeezes my hand. He moves closer to the bed, helping her sit up higher on a few pillows. Maines groans in pain, and Oak gently traces her cheek with his thumb. Her eyes are exhausted, but she’s here. She’s alive and receiving care. She’s going to be okay.
“How are you?” I ask.
“As you would expect me to be after being barbecued by a giant serpent,” she replies.
