Ashur shook his head.
He rose and I backed away, until my shoulder blades met with the sharp rock wall. He approached slowly, like he didn’t want to frighten me, and collected my goblet. When he stood, he towered over me, the veined muscles in his calves and thighs even more intimidating when flexed. His chest, arms, and legs were covered with coarse black hair. His toenails, like the nails on his hands, were black and rough.
Ashur took the goblet and left. The lamplight had a hypnotizing effect, and I stared at it for a long while, until I’d fallen into a kind of trance. I tried to memorize the layout of the room. Big enough for the bed-like pallet where I sat, a small table and set of chairs, a shelf with an assortment of books—their spines too old and weathered to read from where I sat. Resting on a rough wall of cabinetry were bowls, plates, and other objects I assumed were for cooking. I didn’t see any weapons, which was a relief, and no instruments of torture. Ashur seemed to be living a humble bachelor’s life. What did he want with me?
He returned soon enough with a small tub of steaming water and a sponge.
“Bath time?” I asked, trying to mask my nervousness.
Ashur grunted. Somehow, I knew what it meant.
“I’m shy.” I hoped he’d leave me with the supplies and let me take care of it myself.
Another grunt, less friendly this time. I glanced down at the water, which was sweet-smelling and coated in a thin layer of oil, then back up at Ashur’s dark, expressive eyes. Seeing my hesitation, he leaned close and puffed air onto my neck. It was hot and moist and scared me more than anything else, even more than his horns, because it was so intimate. Was he trying to say that I smelled bad? Was this bath a gesture of goodwill or was it in preparation for something else?
I would fight if it came to it, but we weren’t there yet.
“You want me to undress,” I said, resigning myself to it. He nodded.
I drew my shirt over my head and tossed it aside, then glanced down at the intricate webbing of rope around my waist and thighs. At the time, I’d thought the harness was unnecessary. Now I wished they’d been chains.
Before I had a chance to contemplate how to unknot it, Ashur swooped in, surprising me so that I jerked back against the wall, its sharp edges cutting into my spine. He looked up at me with curiosity, then bowed his head. In three short tugs, he’d ripped away the harness with his teeth.
“Handy, aren’t they?” I said. If I kept talking, maybe he wouldn’t hurt me.
Ashur knelt again with his hands lying flat on his knees, a strangely submissive posture. Like he was waiting for my next order. Except I wasn’t the one giving them. I unfastened my pants and pushed them down, along with my underwear. I wasn’t sure how to navigate the material around my chained ankle. Turns out, it didn’t matter because Ashur simply tore through them as well.
“That was my favorite pair of jeans,” I grumbled, and my stomach dropped as I realized I wouldn’t be putting them back on. My muscles tensed as Ashur looked me over, head to toe. It was appraising and inquisitive, but it didn’t feel predatory. His wide nose sniffed the air as though trying to memorize my scent.
“Should I?” I reached for the sponge floating on top of the cooling water, and Ashur snorted in disapproval. It wasn’t hard to tell the difference. His negative responses were a short snarl, and his positive ones were more like a groan.
I kneeled with my posture copying his. He pointed to the bare rock between us, so I inched closer, until I was seated in front of him. He reached for the sponge and began washing me in slow, sensual strokes, removing the dirt and sweat that had accumulated from our hike through the mine. I closed my eyes and let my mind drift to shapes and colors that ebbed and flowed with Ashur’s gentle touch. It wasn’t until the water dripped down my crack that I startled. But a slow stroke up and down was all that he delivered.
When he was at last finished, the air around us was steamy and my whole body was relaxed. Ashur took his turn next, washing himself thoroughly, as though it were some rare but sacred ritual. I watched the sponge pass over his bulging muscles and drip along the lines of his veins, hair glistening with moisture.
Having completed that, he retrieved a cloth towel and patted me dry. Before I could think to ask for any clothing, he’d gone to a trunk in the corner of the room and returned with a tunic. The fabric was soft, but not like cotton or silk. Linen, maybe? It was clean but had the staleness of something that had been stored away for many years.
Ashur left me alone once more and returned with strips of dried meat and fruit, a few hard, cracker-like things, and a pitcher of water. I passed on the meat, and despite his disapproving grunts, he ate my portion of it.
After we’d finished, he directed me back to the rug. My heart hammered wildly. This strange garment left my body way too exposed. My shoulders pressed against the rock wall as I perched there, not quite sitting or lying. If I tried to run, I’d only get about three feet before the chain yanked me back.
Ashur spread out on the rug beside me. He glanced up at me with his inquisitive eyes and seemed to smile, as much as his broad snout would allow. He rubbed the hair on his chest and seemed content to simply lie there. My eyes drifted the length of his body, and I was relieved to find him mostly flaccid.
Just as I was contemplating my next move, I realized he’d fallen asleep. His breath came in soft snores, and he slept with the confidence of a being with nothing to fear.
Why would he trust me? Despite my lesser size and strength, there were weapons within my reach—heavy objects that could be used as bludgeons. Stabbing instruments. Not to mention my teeth, which could definitely do some damage.
To fall asleep practically in my lap was reckless, and it baffled me. He’d drugged me, kidnapped me, and chained me to his bedroom floor. Wasn’t he the least bit afraid I might retaliate?
But if I did, I might be trapped in this mine forever. Hungry and alone.
You were coming for me—I knew that. I just had to be patient and keep Ashur subdued, like that tiger in the zoo. Hadn’t Mater taught me how to tame wild beasts?
30
HENRI
There were cobwebs in my mind, a burning in my throat, and a righteous indignation that something precious had been stolen from me. I reached to my side instinctively, the space you normally occupied. Gone. It came back to me in a rush. Your capture and my fruitless search.
