If not for the dragons, then for my mate.
Tomorrow was what we’d been training for—Finley, Alastor, and me.
To face the goddess in Eiran’s domain.
On our terms, if such a thing existed where gods were concerned.
She’d never say it, but she needed a break. And for once, I wanted to give her something she hadn’t had to claw out of the world with bloody, torn hands.
So I did what any seasoned warrior about to step into battle would do. I asked Teddy how I could go about reserving a day of pampering and painting nails. She didn’t just deliver but helped me book a spa day, something only Respandora had.
A couple of the shifter mages who’d moved to Respandora opened a small bathhouse with soft steam, hot stones, and scented oils. While they didn’t have anyone for manicures and pedicures, the female who owned the place asked around, and we were set.
Now here we were. All of us, including Alastor, who insisted he wouldn’t participate but would attend for moral support. Or not all, since Zayne and Caspian had stayed back with Kieren. Javier’s friend hadn’t only proven to be a good warrior and dragon rider but also an excellent babysitter who knew how to keep chaos under control without diluting the fun.
When I walked Finley through the door, she stopped so suddenly that Etienne nearly crashed into her back.
Her hair was still damp from her quick shower after training with Everly and Teddy. Loose strands stuck to her neck and flushed cheeks. She blinked at the soft light streaming across the hot stone benches, the bowls of water scattered around the expansive room, the bundles of herbs steaming in the corners, and the large, heated tub that sat in the middle.
“What is this?” she asked, eyes wide and voice wary.
“A spa day.” I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jeans. “You can get your claws painted after all of this.”
She huffed out a small, airy laugh. “I don’t know what all of this is.”
“It’s a day of relaxation.” Teddy hooked her hand around Finley’s arm, guiding her toward the center of the room. “There’ll be massages, meditation, and soaking in the hot tub. And we end it all with a manicure and pedicure.”
Finley’s expression softened when she turned back to me. It was an unshielded softness she didn’t let many see.
“You did this for me?”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “Technically, all I did was ask Teddy about someone painting our claws.”
Teddy snorted, rolling her eyes at me like she’d been waiting for a reason to call me out. “Don’t let his modesty fool you. The second I mentioned this place, he dragged me here like a man on a mission.”
Finley closed the small distance between us with two steps and wound her arms around my neck, her fingertips grazing the base of my head. Her lips found mine in a soft, tender kiss.
Meanwhile, Alastor lingered outside the edges of the room, eyeing his surroundings like he’d been lured into a trap. His shadows stretched along stones and swept cautiously around the large tub, where Elias sat at the edge, his boots off and feet already in the warm water. George kept his position at the door, arms crossed and muttering to himself until Jasmine and Juanita took his hand and led him to the tub Victoria had already dunked herself in.
Finley took it all in, her cheeks warming while her magic flared through our bond. It wasn’t bright or sharp, but a quiet pulse that made my chest both ache and ease.
“Looks like the tub’s the place to be,” I said, gesturing toward it. “Shall we?”
I offered my hand, and she took it without hesitation, her fingers sliding against mine and squeezing.
Everyone eventually moved toward the tub. Some with eager laughter, others with quiet steps. Shirts were removed, with shorts clinging to our damp bodies. The closer Finley and I came to it, the more I felt the steam against the cool air.
Etienne hesitated the longest. His hands fisted in the hem of his shirt, his knuckles white. When he finally inhaled deep andpulled it over his head, my heart stalled. Thin, jagged scars lined his chest and back like someone had carved their cruelty into him.
It had to be from his time in the human realm. Human hands. Human brutality.
Thankfully, no one said anything, and he rushed into the tub with the rest of us.
When Finley sank into the water, she closed her eyes and grinned up at the ceiling. She looked at peace, as if the world had finally given her a sliver of mercy.
I couldn’t stop staring at her. At the way she let herself unwind. Her shoulders loosened, her lashes fluttered as the warm water lapped against her skin.
“Alastor,” she called, her head tipped back against the ledge of the tub, eyes still closed, a devious curve pulling at her mouth. “Do you remember Brenton and me wrestling in the ocean?”
