Page 99 of A Court Bright and Broken

“I uh…” he said as he stood there frozen. He shook his head as if to clear it.

“I’ll be back when you’re finished.”

Then he turned and rushed from the room, closing the door behind him.

Once I was certain he was gone and my heartbeat had slowed to something resembling a normal rhythm, I untied the string at the top of the shift and dragged it down and off my body, leaving it to float in the water.

I’d wash it after washing myself and then hang the garment to dry in front of the fireplace. It was my only one after all.

For now though, I enjoyed the unprecedented sensation of lathering my hands and arms and chest with silky, scented soap. It smelled like lavender and lemons. I wasn’t sure how that was even possible.

The soap I’d used all my life had been made of lye and rendered fat and exuded a sharp, acrid scent.Thisstuff had to be the product of some sort of Fae magic.

Using it to cleanse my entire body, I moved on to my hair. I slid down until it dipped beneath the water then used the soap bar to lather it. By the time I finished soaping and rinsing it all, I smelled like a field of flowers myself. My shift did as well.

For a few moments, I continued to lie there, just enjoying the relaxing effect of the hot water and the warmth and flickering light of the nearby fire.

It was the most luxuriant experience I’d had in my life, and I didn’t want it to end. Delaying having to face Stellon again was a side benefit.

Once the water had begun to cool, it was time to figure out how to getoutof the bath, which, as he had pointed out, was very deep.

I tried to do it on my own, using the edge of the vessel to pull myself to standing inside it.

That I managed, but then I realized it would be impossible for me to get out this way. I couldn’t put my bad foot on the bathroom floor, especially as wet as I was—and the stack of fluffy thick towels was on a chair across the room.

The ankle was too unsteady and painful to support me anyway.

Which was why standing on the bad leg while stretching the good one to the floor outside of the tub wouldn’t work either. I was stuck.

Reaching down for my shift, I drew it from the water. It was so wet and heavy it felt as if the bathwater was sucking at it, fighting to keep me from lifting it.

Once I did, I wrung it out as best I could, but it was still very, very wet. Which meant it would be very, very transparent, not to mention drip all the way across the floor and soak Stellon’s sofa or bed.

A knock at the door jolted me so hard I nearly fell back into the bathing tub. My heart climbed up my chest and blocked my throat.

“Donotcome in,” I ordered from my position facing the door—stark naked.

“Are you finished with your bath?” Stellon asked through the closed door.

“I am, but I… I’m not decent. And I can’t reach the towels.”

The door opened anyway, and my heart nearly exploded from the adrenaline rush as I hastily sat again so that the tub’s walls shielded me.

When I looked up though, I saw that Stellon’s back was turned to me.

Hisbareback. He wore only breeches. No shirt. No shoes.

“Whyare you partially undressed?” I managed to squeak out despite my heart flying up to block my throat.

In spite of my consternation, I couldn’t stop my eyes from drinking in the view of his large, powerful form. As he spoke, the muscles in his back moved under the golden skin. It was almost hypnotic to watch.

“Because I’m here to retrieve you from the bath, and you’re wet, which means there’s a very good chance myshirtwould get wet while carrying you. I’ll put it back on after I’ve transported you.”

“Oh.” It made sense, but I still didn’t like this development.

My stomach did a crazy flip as Stellon grabbed two towels from the chair near the door and carefully back-stepped across the bathing room toward me.

“Be careful,” I warned when he got close. It would be awful if he lost his balance and fell backward into the tub with me.

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