Page 66 of The Other Side of the Mirror

“You need a hot bath and some rest,” Marin said, taking charge.

Yael nodded. “I’ll get the water running.”

I sat up, meaning to get to my feet, but I was too tired to do anything but put my head on my knees. Suddenly, all I wanted was a dark place to crawl into and hide. “I thought going to him, being with him, would fix everything…” I whispered haltingly. “And instead…how am I ever going to stop him?”

“We,” Yael said firmly.

“And we will,” Rivan added.

“We’ll face this too,” Bash said as he gathered me into his arms. “All of us, together. No matter how this ends.”

Despite my weak protests, Bash insisted on carrying me up the wooden staircase to a substantial room on the next floor up. He sat me on a comfortable, tufted chair and handed me a glass of water. Yael rushed into the attached bathroom, turning on the faucet to an enormous copper bath. When I finished the glass, I handed it back before wrapping my arms around myself, gazing at nothing.

Bash straightened. “I’ll be right back with something to eat.” His words were soft, as though trying not to spook a skittish mare.

I gave him the smallest of nods, barely registering as he left the room. Yael took my hand with a carefulness that made me sure she knew exactly what happened before I had been able to get away from Aviel. She led me to the now full bath, shimmering with soapy bubbles.

Gently, Yael removed the cloak Alette had given me, then my ruined sheer dress. Her eyes widened at the bruises still peppering my skin, but she didn’t say a word, like she knew I couldn’t bear to talk about it anymore. I climbed in, sinking gratefully into the warm water’s embrace.

Yael was still standing at the edge of the tub, holding my clothes in one hand. The pale blue of the outfit Aviel had dressed me in like a doll made my stomach turn.

“Burn them,” I ordered, and closed my eyes after she nodded solemnly. I heard her light steps as she left the room, closing the bathroom door behind her.

I lay weightless in the bath, too tired to even reach for the soap. It was too much, and it was all I could do not to spiral. I took a deep, shuddering breath, counting slowly, but it wasn’t working. And suddenly, I was gasping for air.

It didn’t make any sense that I could feel Bash’s presence through a closed door. But I did.

“Just come in already,” I snapped, knowing he could hear me. The door opened, and I breathed in that petrichor scent as though it could fix the gaping hole in my heart. Though maybe it could.

I opened my eyes to see Bash frozen in the doorway, his lips parted as if at a loss for words.

Exhaustion laced my tone. “What do you want?”

“To see if you’re alright,” Bash replied earnestly. He pulled the door closed behind him with a click.

I snorted disdainfully, still not meeting his eyes. He took a step forward before stopping himself. I doubted he could see anything below my neck with the thick bubbles, but I didn’t care anymore anyway. Looking away, I stared at the shampoos and soaps lined up on a stool by the tub, and he followed my gaze.

“Let me help you.”

I gave a short laugh that sounded more like a sob. “We both know it’s not that simple.”

“Don’t do that,” Bash whispered, and my head snapped to him. “Don’t shut me out. Not when we finally?—”

I laughed harshly. “When I finally trusted you? Congratulations. It turns out you left me to the wolves.”

He flinched. And I knew that wasn’t true. That he hadn’t known. But hehadleft me there, and I was too angry at everything to care about the hurt on his face. Because that anger felt far better than sorrow.

Bash walked slowly toward me as though not wanting to give me any reason to panic, then sat on the stool behind my head, pouring a lemon-scented shampoo into his hands.

“Please let me do this. Dosomethingto help. I’ll do anything…”

I didn’t have the fight in me to refuse, and I didn’t want to anyway. So I nodded and leaned back, indifferent to what he could see through the bubbles in the tub.

“Breathe, Eva.”

Only then did I realize that I was trembling so violently I was creating ripples in the bathwater.

I sucked in a shaky inhale as Bash peeled my wet hair away from my neck. Then I felt his hands stop, his eyes locked on my throat. When I reached up to feel the source of his disquiet, the touch made me wince. And I knew there must be a bruise where Aviel had pushed the collar down, where his hands had wrapped around my throat…

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