Page 46 of Court of Bone and Amethyst

I try to keep the astonishment off my face. I’d traveled with this girl for weeks and never knew what a dark past she had. How much she’d overcome.

“He put my own—my former owner to sleep with a spell, and he brought me back to your castle to live with him. That was about two years ago.”

I can’t imagine what she must have been through, and now so much about her personality makes sense. Her quiet strength and calm resilience. “I’m glad you found each other.”

My gaze drifts to Owyn where he stands on the other side of the room. It makes me happy to know my brother’s best friend was such a kind and honorable person because that means my brother must have been someone worthy of a friend like that. Owyn seems to sense my gaze and looks up, his blue eyes catching on mine. Embarrassed, I turn back to the fire.

Another knock on the door reveals several servants, who offer to show us to the bathing facilities so we can refresh ourselves after our long journey. Having not had a proper bath in three weeks, I gladly accept, and follow them as they lead the waydown the hall. I’m intrigued to see what kind of facilities they’re referring to since I’ve only ever used a bathtub filled with hot water from a bucket.

Before we reach the end of the hall leading out of the guest quarters, one of the servants opens a door, revealing a set of steps spiraling downward. Zyren eyes it suspiciously, but doesn’t stop me as I move toward it. We descend past the lower floor of the castle, and then continue further, another floor at least. The stairs end, to my immense surprise, in a small cavern lit by candles.

Water bubbles up from the stone in a series of small pools. Looking further, I can see there are several small caverns connected, stretching beneath the length of the castle. Thin columns of natural stone rise between the floor of the cavern to the low ceiling. The air is hot and steamy, the water clearly hot. In places, small cascades connect one pool to another. The water is a bright blue, whether from minerals or magic, I’m unsure.

“This is remarkable,” Owyn says to the servant.

“It is why we built the castle here,” the woman says. “The hot springs heat parts of the castle, in addition to providing these bathing pools.”

She points to a small stone table near the entrance, where there are stacks of towels to dry with, bars of soap, and robes. “Please enjoy. There will be clean clothes in your room upon your return.”

I thank her and she bows and leaves us.

Owyn and Merla waste no time in wandering along the string of caverns and pools to find private places to bathe. I get some soap and towels and follow at a slower pace, Zyren on my heels. I stop when I find a pool that is connected to another larger one behind, with two small cascades rushing from the larger to the smaller. Steam swirls above the water, emitting a delicious heat.

I place the towels and soap on the stone next to the edge of the pool and look over at Zyren. “Are you going to go find your own pool?”

“I’m not letting you out of my sight in this palace,” he says gruffly, as if offended I even asked.

I raise a brow. “But aren’t you going to bathe?”

“Are you implying something?” He chuckles. “I thought perhaps we could share. We have shared plenty of other things.”

A blush creeps across my cheeks as the things we’ve shared flash through my head. “We decided we were through with that, remember? Turn around.”

He nods slowly, an expression I can’t quite read crossing his face. But he does as I’ve asked, and he turns around to face away from me.

Quickly, I strip off both of my cloaks, the thick fur-lined one and the velvet one beneath. My boots, pants, and tunic follow it, and then the layer of special silken cloth beneath that. Despite the warmth in the air, I shiver as my bare skin hits the air. I haven’t been fully naked for weeks. It feels strange and luxurious.

Zyren clears his throat. “Another moment,” I say, and then I step carefully down into the pool of steaming water.

A rush of pleasure moves across me, and I can’t help the sigh that falls from my lips. If I never had to go out into the snow again, it would be too soon. I walk carefully along the bottom of the pool, which isn’t deep, and settle myself against the smooth rocks on the far side.

When I turn around, Zyren is stripping off his tunic.

I put up a hand to cover my eyes, which earns me a low chuckle. “There’s no need for that,” he says. “You may be shy, but it doesn’t mean that I am.”

“I’m not shy.”

I drop my hand, just as Zyren drops his pants. I’m grateful for the heat of the water, which has already flushed my cheeks, because they burn at the sight of him, muscled and scarred and glorious. Not to mention one particular part of him, which is as hard as the sword that lies on the ground just beyond the pool. Zyren doesn’t take his eyes off me as he slowly steps out of his pants, kicks them to the side, and descends into the water.

His grin is wicked. “You were saying?”

I take a deep breath in order to form coherent words. “I’m not shy,” I repeat. “But you’ve made it clear that our marriage was for duty only, and you want to keep your title a secret. It’s best if we put the past behind us.”

“Agreed,” he says, though his eyes on mine don’t agree at all.

Our gazes lock for several moments, then I rip mine away and try to ignore my racing heart as I focus on getting myself clean. I cup water in my hands and wash my face first, then scrub the obvious dirt from my arms. Submerging myself fully, I wet my hair, feeling the gorgeous heat of the water swirling over my skin. It has a silky viscosity, and a pleasant mineral smell.

When I resurface, I realize the soap is on the other side of the pool, on the ledge where I left it.

---