Page 21 of The King of Frost and Shadows

Though I didn’t want to listen to him, after sleeping in the holding cell and being around all the blood this morning, I wanted to get clean. Besides, I needed distance from his stupid face.

I spun and marched into the bathroom then slammed the door. I leaned my head back against the wall as my eyes adjusted to the soft candlelight. The bathroom was dark, and a sense of Tavish’s power ran throughout the castle.

Despite all that, I couldn’t lie and say this place wasn’t also hauntingly beautiful. A clear tub with a frosted bottom section sat on an elevated wooden floor. Paintings of lush trees decorated the walls, and a large wooden closet was set to the right of the tub. Directly across from me, shadows hazed the wall as if a dark forest lay behind it.

To the left of the tub was a dark toilet and a matching sink a few feet from it, with a basin like the tub.

I turned a lever in the tub, and aqua-blue water poured from the spout. I glanced around, searching for shampoo, conditioner, or soap, but found nothing.

As the tub filled, I hurried to the closet and opened it to find a robe hanging on the left and several gray, puffy towels folded to the right.

I laid a towel on the side of the tub and removed my clothing. When I was naked, I removed the dagger from around my ankle and placed it within easy reach under my jeans in case someone came in. For some reason, I didn’t think they would, not while Tavish was determined to protect me.

When I stepped into the tub, my skin tingled. I sat in the warm water that was now as high as my breasts. I turned off the lever and leaned back. A huge, dark lantern hung above me, lit by candles.

Despite not having soap, I felt clean and fresh, so I leaned back and dunked my head under. I stayed under for as long as possible, enjoying the way the water rushed across my entire body and seemed to pulse in time with my heartbeat.

Back home, swimming was one of my favorite things to do, and in this small tub, I somehow enjoyed the water even more. It felt like the water … knew me. Yeah, I had lost my mind.

With my lungs near bursting, needing air, I begrudgingly surfaced and took in a big breath. Not wanting to get out yet, I laid my head back and soaked with my eyes closed.

Even in this personal hell of mine, I’d found a slice of peace in the most unexpected place … Tavish’s bathroom.

The hair on the nape of my neck rose as if I were being watched, and my heart pounded.

Opening my eyes, I searched the room, hoping it was the servant Tavish had mentioned would be bringing me clothes. But, no matter where I looked, I didn’t see anyone … until my gaze landed on something faintly lighter than the rest of the room.

It seemed like a shadow, but there wasn’t anything around to cast it.

Maybe Tavish had decided to begin my torture. He’d made me believe I was safe, and I had lowered my guard. Worse, I’d stupidly fallen for it like a dumb, naive girl.

“Tavish, this isn’t funny.” I lifted my chin, very aware that I was naked in a tub. I sat up a bit more, keeping my top half-submerged and trying to ignore my naked vulnerability. I reached for my dagger.

The shadows broke apart, revealing the person behind them. He had a coldness to his white eyes that not even Tavish could match.

His hand revealed itself out of the shadows.

No.

7

LIRA

What the hell was Tavish’s cousin doing in here with a dagger while I bathed? My foolishness would not result in me dying naked in a bathtub.

“Did Tavish send you?” I rasped, hating that my voice revealed how scared I was. I hadn’t meant to ask that question, but I needed to hear the words so that my body would stop reacting to my terror.

Eldrin smirked. “Does it matter? The result will be the same.” He held the dagger in front of him as he slowly moved toward me.

For some reason, it did matter, but if he knew that, he sure as hell wouldn’t offer the answer. I had to handle this differently. I stood, letting the water pour from my body. This had to go perfectly for my plan to work without me tripping and falling. “Ah … so the king doesn’t want to do his own dirty work after all his talk about how he wants to handle my punishment accordingly. So he sent in the peon who must obey his command.”

“Peon?” Eldrin paused, his brows furrowing, yet he still took the opportunity to ogle me. “You speak so strangely.”

I wanted to slide back into the water because his leering made me feel dirty. Instead, I straightened my back, needing to come off like his creepy ass didn’t bother me. “You know, a person who doesn’t matter to the king. The people he orders around to do his bidding.”

His head jerked back and his jaw clenched. “If Tavish had requested I do this, it would’ve been an honor.”

My chest loosened marginally, though my situation hadn’t changed. I didn’t want to analyze why because Tavish was my kidnapper and enemy … that was all. “You do realize that when he sees me hurt, he’ll kill you. Don’t you remember the guard who lost his wing earlier?”

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