Page 104 of Once the Skies Fade

“Is there some rule that you can only have one per day?”

“I have no need of a second one.”

“They’re not just for cleaning, you know,” I said.

She pursed her lips and trailed her gaze down over my arms and chest before finding my eyes again. “Perhaps they should be, in your case.”

I couldn’t help but laugh softly, nodding. “Perhaps you’re right.”

Sitting up, I shifted in the tub and leaned over the side opposite from the queen. A small table had been situated there with all manner of soaps and oils and salts, all more complicated than any male needed, honestly. I selected one of each, and swiveled back to Calla, cradling the items in my hands.

Her face twisted with incredulity. “You said you lost the soap in the water.”

“No, I didn’t. I said it was around here somewhere, and so it was.” I lifted my hands to her and shifted my expression into one of pleading innocence. “Any chance you can show me how to use these?”

“You don’t know how to use soap?” Her eyes were wild with skepticism.

“Don’t be silly. Of course I do, but what are these other things for?”

Slowly, Calla lowered herself to kneel beside the bath, taking a moment to move her dress out of her way before taking the two bottles from my hand. Reading the labels, she wrinkled her nose in disgust.

“These will never work together. What else did they leave you?”

Reaching back over to the table, I collected the remaining four bottles and offered them to her in my open palms. Gingerly she fingered the bottles’ labels, humming sweetly to herself, and I couldn’t help but watch her as she concentrated on something as frivolous as bathing scents. Her forehead crinkled in the middle, and the corners of her lips twitched. Finally, she plucked two of them from my hands and waved away the others.

She set one on the floor beside her, and then carefully removed the stopper on the other, slowly pouring a small amount of oil into the water. A warm, sensual fragrance surrounded me, slightly sweet and intoxicating. Replacing the stopper, she placed that bottle next to the first as she used her free hand to swirl the water, her fingers coming dangerously close to brushing my thigh.

“What is that one?” I asked, my voice not nearly as strong and controlled as it should have been.

“Amber,” she said as she retrieved the other bottle filled with tiny grains. She proceeded to sprinkle the light green salt into the bath, once again swirling the water with her hand as she spoke. “Balsam salt. Ideally added with the water to allow it to dissolve before you get in, but it should still help you relax.”

She started to pull her hand from the water, but I caught it with mine, not really sure what I was planning to do next and surprised that she didn’t retreat from my touch.

“Thank you,” I said. “Not just for this, but for what you did for Oryn, too. I heard he was sent home to his family today.”

Calla only offered a slight smile as she bowed her head. She started to pull away, but I squeezed her hand in mine, holding her fast. I met her gaze, expecting to see the usual wary discomfort she displayed around the competitors, but there was no sign of it in her deep brown eyes now.

Maybe it was the flickering lamp light—maybe I was simply imagining it—but there was a longing there I had only witnessed once since we’d met. Like she wanted to surrender, to give in. Like she hungered for something more than the empty loneliness life had dealt her.

“Could you help me, Killer?” I asked, holding the soap toward her. “I can’t reach my back with how broken that last trial left me.”

“What happened?” she asked, slipping her hand from mine.

I lifted my leg out of the water to show her the gash in my calf. “Just a little love tap from a friend,” I said, too tired now to feign any humor.

A low rumble pulled my attention. She scowled at my wound, and the muscle along her jaw pulsed fiercely.

“It’s noth—” I started to assure her I was fine, but her gaze quickly snapped to mine.

“Who did this?” She growled out the words, sounding more like an agitated bear than a grieving queen.

I shrugged, trying to hide my wince as I lowered my leg back under the water. “Isa handled him already.”

“A name, general,” she demanded, her dark eyes burning into mine. “Some things demand…royal treatment.”

“He’s already had the pleasure of receiving such treatment, actually,” I noted.

Understanding flashed across her face, and I half-expected her to immediately stand and rush out the door to find Korben. But she didn’t, and instead she glanced down at her lap, her jaw still working steadily as she seemed to focus on her breathing. I was about to apologize—why, I wasn’t sure—but she was soon lifting herself up onto her knees and reaching to take the soap from me.

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