Page 82 of The Hunt of Night

“Noted,” he replies with a smirk, and Kryll smacks him across the back of the head.

“Don’t get smug,” he grumbles, making Brody smile wider.

“I would never.”

He’s full of shit, and we all know it.

“The bath is run for you,” Cassian states, and I turn to him with wide eyes.

“Bath?”

“You don’t have a bath?” Kryll asks, frowning at me, and I realize the only time he’s been in my room was the moment he entered the window and rolled straight out of the door because of the ward Brody put in place.

“We have a communal shower area. I’m surprised Cassian hasn’t told you about it. He has so much experience in there,” I muse, appreciating the shift in conversation to lighter topics. Especially when Cassian rolls his eyes at me.

“Of course he does,” Brody grumbles, a flicker of jealousy shining in his eyes as he places his hand on my back. “Let’s get you in there so I can look at your arm, shall we?”

“It’s fine,” I insist as we head into the marbled bathroom, and I’m left gaping in wonder again. It’s just as stunning as the last time I was in here, and a far cry from the bathroom stalls in the fae building.

“Of course it is,” Brody states, and I pout.

“I’m not lying.”

“Of course you’re not.”

Turning my attention from the cream marble surfaces that touch every inch of the bathroom to the mage beside me, I stand tall. “I’m not. Look.”

I move my arm, lifting it beside me, but I don’t manage more than a few inches before I lower it again with a wince.

“You’re a terrible liar, Dagger,” he says with a chuckle, and I roll my eyes at him.

“Whatever,” I grumble under my breath, the topic long forgotten as he helps me out of my blood-stained clothes.

Each layer of material hits the floor with a slap, and I cringe as I catch sight of my red-smeared hair that no longer looks all blonde and golden after tonight’s events.

Brody wastes no time guiding me to the huge bath as soon as I’m undressed, and I groan with delight as the hot water coats my skin. As soon as I’m seated, he hollers for Kryll, who appears a moment later.

“Watch her while I run to get what I need,” he orders, and I shake my head.

“I don’t need?—”

“Shh,” he murmurs, planting a kiss on my temple. “I won’t be long, Dagger,” he adds before rushing from the room.

I sink lower in the water, letting the bubbles float around me as I try to let the strain and tension ease from my limbs. Acalmness settles over me, one I never thought I’d feel again after the adrenaline coursed through my veins earlier, and I sigh with contentment.

“You were fearless out there,” Kryll states, leaning back against the ornate vanity, the black ink along his neck flashing in his reflection in the mirror behind him.

I shrug, faltering at the compliment. “I was just acting on instinct.”

“Well, those are some unbelievable instincts,” he insists, making me smile as I hum in acknowledgment.

“How mad is your brother going to be tomorrow?”

“You mean today?” he states, pointing at the window, and I startle at the first glimpse of the sun shining through the frosted glass.

“We have to face lessons today,” I say with a gasp, weariness making my body ache at the prospect.

“Oh, fuck no. His anger will hold a day,” Kryll replies with a shake of his head, and my body relaxes at his outburst.

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