Page 65 of A Petal in the Crown

Gray

Two soldiers were to be sent to each town. It was all they could spare, and hopefully, with the majority of them possessing magic that lent itself toward moving water or air, it would be enough. Aside from those days that Lea had been beyond the veil, these had been the worst hours of Gray's life, but pride swelled inside him as his and Tanad’s men lined up to depart.

Each soldier grabbed a satchel of moonflower petals from Lea as they prepared to leave, and one by one, she gave them a bit of her magic—enough that she could see through their eyes. If Alaric was spotted, she would know, and they could act.

Gray tried not to think about what the toll of giving away so much magic would be on Lea—the hundreds of ties she now had to monitor. Ties that would stretch thinner as the soldiers holding them traveled further and further away. But as Lea had told him repeatedly, they were out of options. There was nothing left to do but wait until they knew more. And to know more, she needed to be able to communicate with the soldiers scattering throughout the kingdom.

Once the last soldier cleared the gate, Lea sighed, her shoulders slumping and her head falling back in exhaustion. She turned around, jumping when she saw Gray watching her.

"Gods!” She put a hand on her chest. “Sorry. I didn't realize you were there," she said, her voice crackly with fatigue.

Gray opened his arms, and she walked into them without hesitation, melting against him like she was returning home. His own chest loosened at the contact. "This has to work. It will work. Right?" she whispered.

"It will work," Gray soothed, rubbing her back in rhythmic circles.

Lea didn’t respond, as if she knew his words were nothing but hopes and empty promises. Shadows darkened beneath her eyes, and Gray rubbed the bruised skin gingerly. "You need to sleep," he said. "What we've been through so far is nothing compared to what’s coming. You won't make it if you’re exhausted."

"I know," Lea said, nestling her face into his chest. "I know that, rationally, but my body can't seem to relax enough to fall asleep. I just lie there, thinking about what could happen... What we're missing."

Gray’s heart sank, and he squeezed her tighter. "We're doing everything we can. You’re doing more than anyone has the right to ask of you," he said.

Lea forced a smile, clearly uncomfortable with his praise. He knew she felt like she was falling short, like she was letting people down. But frankly, the notion was ridiculous.

"Come on, Little Flower," he said, pulling her toward their quarters, determined to find a way to help her rest.

He had chosen a room several floors above his old, and now destroyed, wing of the castle, knowing Lea didn’t like being anywhere near where the Black King had resided. The room he'd picked was small, much less extravagant than his former suite of rooms, but Gray knew Lea didn’t care, and neither did he. As long as there was a comfortable bed and a place to bathe, it was enough for the both of them.

They entered the bathroom, and Lea’s eyes softened as she noticed he’d already arranged for warm water to be brought to their bathtub.

"Youshouldn’t have," she scolded, but there was no bite in her tone. "Wasting people’s energy carrying buckets up all these stairs—"

"They wanted to help," Gray said gently. "Theyaskedhow they could contribute. They’re grateful to you, for your sacrifice."

Lea covered her face with her hands. “I don’t want people feeling indebted to me.”

"I know," Gray said, pulling her hands away to look into her eyes. He trailed his fingers down her arms. "But it doesn’t change that they still feel that way. And for good reason. Now, would you like to get cleaned up?"

Lea nodded. With slow, reverent movements, Gray slid her arms from their sleeves, pushing her shirt down around her waist. He dropped to his knees, unbuckling her pants and sword belt before gently wiggling them down her legs. He held her hand as she stepped out of her clothes into the tub and sank down into the warm water. The ripple echoed around the bathing chamber as Lea submerged up to her neck and tipped her head back against the lip of the basin, letting out a soft sigh.

Immediately, gritty pieces of ash drifted off her skin, turning the water a murky gray with soot leftover from the fire. They swirled around her like snowflakes dancing in the air, sinking to the bottom as Lea’s breaths evened out and the water stilled.

Picking up a bar of soap from next to the tub, Gray slowly smoothed it up and down her arms, then her torso. Her breasts and her legs. Slowly, as to not disturb the water and stir up the ash.

Desire surged through him as he looked upon Lea’s bare body, and his mind flashed back to a time that felt so long ago, when he’d helped untangle her hair after bathing on the road—the first time he’d allowed himself to give in to the constant yearning inside him.

But tonight, he forced down his longing. His need. Because what Lea needed right now was to recover from the past few days. The past fewweeks. She needed to feel safe and taken care of. And he needed to give that to her.

He gently washed her hair, massaging her scalp until her eyelids closed and her breathing became deeper and more even. The sweet scent of jasmine filled the bathing chamber as he worked an amber oil into the ends of her long golden hair and untangled it, her chest now steadily rising and falling in the rhythm of sleep. Slowly, he rinsed the oil out with warm water, then rocked back onto his heels.

Gray’s own breathing relaxed as he savored the peace in her features. Her face looked softer, her lips parted and the lines around her eyes nearly gone.Finally, she was resting.

Gray watched her until he worried the water would cool, then grabbed a fluffy, warm towel from next to the fire. As he lifted her from the tub, Lea’s eyelids fluttered, and she forced them open.

“Shhhh,” he urged, carrying her to the bed.

"There’s no time," she protested, fighting a yawn.

"Rest," Gray urged, helping her lie down and pulling the covers over her. "Just for a little while."

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