Oberon laughs angrily. “Not a chance. We’ll take our baths, then meet in Alette’s room. We’ll all sleep there together tonight.”
Together? What does that mean?I nod, a little overwhelmed by the idea of them sleeping close to me, even though they’ve technically been sleeping close to me since we entered the labyrinth.
Sylvian studies me for a moment longer, his expression gentling. Then he reaches up, brushing a loose strand of hair back from my face before leaning in. His kiss is soft, brief, warm in a way that lingers even after he pulls back.
“Enjoy your bath,” he murmurs.
He turns to go.
Ashton watches him, then huffs a quiet laugh. “That’s all you’ve got?”
Before I can react, he steps in, one hand bracing at my waist as he pulls me toward him. The kiss is nothing like Sylvian’s. It’s firm, sudden, stealing my breath as he tilts me back just enough to make my head spin. It’s over almost as quickly as it starts, but it leaves heat behind, sharp and disorienting.
“Don’t get too hot without us in your bath,” he says lightly, like he didn’t just do that, and steps away.
I’m still catching my breath when I meet Oberon’s gaze. He doesn’t move closer. Doesn’t touch me. For a second, it looks like he’s going to say something. His jaw tightens, his brows pulling slightly, like the words won’t come the way he wants them to. Then he exhales, sharp and frustrated, and just… looks at me.
It says enough. Be careful. Stay in your room.He turns without a word and positions himself outside my door.
Cassius is the last to linger. He steps closer, slower than the others, his gaze locked on mine. His hand lifts, hesitates for half a second, then cups my cheek, his thumb brushing lightly along my skin.
“If anything feels wrong,” he says quietly, “you come to me. Not later. Not after you try to handle it yourself.”
There’s no room for argument in his tone.
“Promise me.”
“I promise,” I whisper.
He studies me for another moment, like he’s deciding whether that’s enough. Then he nods once and lets his hand fall. “Good.”
He steps back, but his eyes linger just a second longer before he turns and disappears into his room. The hall falls quiet as Oberon stands in sentry mode. Not looking at me, but looking all around me for any danger. I almost want to touch him just to see what he’d do.
But I don’t.
Stepping into the room, warmth greets me immediately, wrapping around me in a way that feels almost unreal after everything we’ve been through. The fire in the hearth crackles softly, casting golden light across the space. The room is large, far larger than anything I’ve ever had to myself, with rich fabrics draped over the bed and heavy curtains framing tall windows where rain streaks endlessly down the glass.
Everything is… beautiful.
My gaze drifts slowly over it all, taking in the carved wood, the soft rugs beneath my feet, the careful way everything has been arranged. It feels like a place meant for comfort. Like a place meant to make you forget where you are.
Then I seethe bath.
Steam curls gently into the air, the water already drawn, already waiting. The sight of it makes something in me ache, a deep, bone-weary exhaustion that I’ve been holding back finally catching up to me.
I move toward it slowly, almost cautiously, as if it might disappear if I get too close. It doesn’t. The heat rolls off the surface, inviting, and I just stand there, staring at it, before I reach for the ties of my dress.
The fabric slips from my shoulders easily, pooling at my feet, and I step out of it, my skin prickling as the warmth of the room replaces the damp chill that had lingered there. I don’t rush, not this time. There’s no immediate danger pressing at my back, no need to move quickly.
Not yet.
I step into the bath carefully, lowering myself into the water. The heat slides over me instantly. I suck in a quiet breath as it seeps into my muscles, unwinding tension I didn’t even realize I was still holding. The ache in my limbs dulls, the stiffness easing as I sink deeper, until the water laps just below my shoulders.
The flickering firelight reflects across the surface of the water, dancing in soft, shifting patterns that should feel soothing. Almost hypnotic. And yet… my mind doesn’t quiet. It lingers on everything that’s happened. On Lord Ferngull’s smile. His words. The way he watched us. The way the others reacted to him.
The way they reacted forme.
A slow breath leaves me as I sink deeper into the warmth, my fingers trailing absently through the water. They didn’t hesitate. Not once.
