Page 47 of A Reign of Storm and Madness

But I almost just died, I remind myself. It’s not wrong to want to feel a little alive, is it?

Theos takes my bindings from me, wrapping them up without glancing away. My nipples pebble against my flesh, tightening at the tips of my breasts. “Underwear.” The word comes from him on a nearly silent breath.

Swallowing down the emotion in my throat, I stand and shuck my underwear, kicking them away until I’m standing before him in nothing but the air that flows over my skin. His eyes catch fire, turning from liquid pools of gold into a dark void so vast and deep I could fall forever within them. He blinks and the darkness fades before the sunset returns.

“Let me help you get in,” he murmurs, tucking the bindings into his pocket as he turns me and takes my hand. I stiffen but lift my leg anyway and step into the piping-hot water. A hiss leaves me and he curses. “Hold on.” He rips his hand from mine so fast I nearly fall and have to reach out, catching hold of the lip of the tub as I hear him turning the faucets and adjusting the temperature.

“Okay, now ease in,” Theos orders as his hands move over my shoulders and I slowly sink further into the water until it laps at the sides and comes up and up over my legs and knees. I close my eyes, sinking back as the heat—once painful—becomes soothing against my sore and aching muscles.

You’re getting too close to them, I hear Ophelia tell me, her voice ripe with disapproval. I fucking know I am, but I can’t seem to stop.

I’m no longer a spider winding my own web but another insect caught in theirs.

Chapter 26

Theos

Kiera’s face is flushed from the heat of the bath and she moans softly as I grab a washcloth and douse it in soap, bringing it to her shoulder and rubbing my thumb into her muscles through it. The sound she makes does bad things to my insides. It makes my cock stand at attention, craving a taste of something it’s already had once and wants, very much, to have again.

I wash her gently, moving the cloth over her upper back and down her arms. Her pale breasts bob in the water, the pink tips visible even in the murky water salted with some of the herbs we keep in here for when we’ve had a damn rough day in training. The little red dots that speckle her front and face catch my eyes. I can’t stand the sight of them, so I slide my hand up through her hair, taking a fistful of the silken strands, and tug her back.

Her lashes lift, such a different color than her actual hair, and those dagger-silver eyes of hers meet mine as I lightly touch the cloth to her neck and cheeks, wiping away the blood that still lingers there. Her pupils dilate, blowing wide and dark, taking over the gray hue of her irises as if she wants to take in each and every detail as she watches me clean her body.

“Why are you doing this?” Her question is spoken so softly that I almost miss it.

“Doing what?” My voice is a whisper as my hand stills at her collarbone. I want to reach down and lift her breast above the water, flicking that perfect little rose-colored nipple, and see if she shudders or moans. One night certainly hadn’t been enough for me, but since then, I haven’t had an opportunity for round two.

Right now is not that opportunity, I remind myself, pulling my hand back.

Hers shoots out of the water and latches on to mine, fingers wrapping around my wrist. “Why are you bathing me?” she asks. “I’m not a child. I can take care of myself. You know that.” She peers at me with a furrowed brow as if she truly cannot comprehend that someone would offer this for any other reason than another’s inability to do so.

“Has no one ever taken care of you?” I ask curiously.

She flinches, but just as quickly erases the action as if it’d never happened. I blow out a breath. She doesn’t seem nervous about her nudity anymore. In fact, she appears more comfortable in her own skin now than she did when she was still somewhat—a term I use incredibly loosely—covered on the Day of Descendance. It’s driving me insane with wanting to touch and taste and take.

Before that, though, I’ll have my answers.

Tipping my head to the side, I keep my hand in her hair. “Do you want me to stop?” I ask. Her eyes flick down, lashes shielding the emotion that I might read there. I tighten my hold and her lips part on a gasp. “Answer me,” I command as her lashes fly back up and her gaze collides with my own.

Her lips purse. “It’s not that…”

“Then what is it?” I wait for an answer I’m not entirely sure I’ll receive, but then after several minutes of silence, as the water cools significantly, she finally gives in.

“No one does anything nice without expecting something in return,” she murmurs. “That’s the law of the world. I’m not sure if whatever recompense you ask for will be something I’m willing to give.”

“You think I’m doing this to ask something of you later?” Maybe I am. No, I know I am. She’s hiding something and I want to crack her open and find it. I want to know everything about her. Kiera nods with a jerky movement, and it burns something in my chest. What kind of life has she lived?

My eyes slide shut as I contemplate how to respond. Even if all I’ve ever had are Ruen and Kalix—and at one time, Darius—I still had people that I knew would care for me should I need them. There is no record between my brothers and me. No idea or count on who has cared for whom more or how often. We do what needs to be done because they need it and that’s the end. There’s no tit for tat.

Exhaling, I reopen my eyes and fix them on the beautiful woman lying in the bath before me. I don’t say anything as I urge her to sit forward, letting my fingers release her hair as I reach down and unplug the tub. The water starts to drain and she stands, the water sluicing off her limbs in smooth movements. My mouth dries up, but I force my body to turn and move away from her to grab one of the towels laid on the table near the door.

Unfolding it, I stride back to her just as she’s stepping from the tub. In a blink, I have her wrapped up and swept off her feet. Not a single sound escapes her lips as she latches on to me, staring up at me from my arms with incredulity.

“Open the door, please,” I ask her as we get there, and with a frown, she follows my command.

Neither of us says anything more until we’re down the stairs and in the privacy of my personal chambers with the door closed between us and the shared rooms. Only then do I let her legs slip from my arms and her feet touch the floor.

“This can’t happen, Theos.”

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