Page 77 of The King of Frost and Shadows

As I enjoyed the coolness against my raw skin, Tavish gripped the waistband of my leather pants and pulled them down gently. My legs weren’t as bad off as my upper body and feet.

When he got to my ankles, his face was right in front of my crotch, and I wanted to die inside. In less than an hour, I’d had two firsts—a man who hated my guts had held me tightly because he’d feared death, and a king had put his face right in front of my vagina. When I imagined revealing my naked body to a man, I always thought it would be with him pleasuring my body instead of mere circumstance, which was definitely not sexy.

Tavish hissed, scrunching the pants hard together and removing them carefully from my legs. With the darkness now hiding me from the cooch up, I didn’t feel nearly as uncomfortable.

As soon as he was finished, he turned his back to me.

My chest ached. This whole experience had to be miserable for him. I hated that I’d asked him to undress me, but he’d been right about needing to clean my wounds.

“Do you need any additional help?” he rasped.

There was no way in hell I’d ask him for anything else. “I’m good. Th—” My lips slammed shut, stopping me from thanking him. I couldn’t forget he was the reason I was in this situation. “Therefore, you should go.” My words were terse, but I was more upset with myself than with him. How could I have allowed myself to almost be that careless?

He cleared his throat. “If you need anything, I’ll be outside the door.” He went to the door, but I couldn’t help but notice he was walking … not quite as easily.

Had I hurt him? If so, how?

When he shut the door behind him, the darkness around me faded, and I ached for the coolness once more. Instead, I slowly turned my body around and winced as I prepared to dip my feet into the water.

I had no doubt it would sting.

Inhaling deeply, I touched my soles to the liquid, bracing for torment. But something cool and refreshing inside my chest trickled down to my feet like it was reaching for the water. As soon as it came, it vanished as if it had found what it’d been searching for.

The throbbing eased, and I lowered myself, shifting so that my wings slid inside as well—a little awkwardly, but I managed. My skin tingled, and my muscles relaxed, so I submerged myself, needing the relief on my face. I held my breath for as long as possible, enjoying the way my body felt underneath the liquid. I opened my eyes and turned my head to the right, where Nightbane lay, watching me. I could see him through the glass bottom of the tub.

Soon, my lungs ached, so I surfaced, laid my head back against the edge, and closed my eyes.

Something warm sparked next to where the cold, refreshing sensation had been, lulling me to sleep.

“Lira, are you okay?”Tavish slurred from the other side of the door. “I’m not trying to rush you, but you’ve been in there a blasted long time.”

My eyes popped open, and I sat up. My back ached, but nowhere near as much as it had after the trial. How long had I been in here?

“Sprite?” He knocked louder. “Are you still in there?” He chuckled loudly. “Of course she’s in there. Where else would she be?”

His unguarded laughter tugged at a memory I couldn’t quite grasp. I shook my head, my hair dry except for the ends that dipped into the water. “I fell asleep. I’ll be out in a moment.”

“Well, I’ll be here waiting.” Something thumped against the door, almost like he’d placed his head against it. “I’m not going anywhere. Not unless I take you with me.”

I slowly reached for the towel and noticed that my skin wasn’t burned anymore. The water had healed me, and I wouldn’t complain. Though I was moving slower, I no longer wanted to cry from the pain.

“Do you need assistance getting dressed?” he asked a little too loudly. “Because, believe me, I wouldn’t mind.”

My breath caught as I snatched up the emerald gown—my favorite color—and slid it over my body. Thankfully, my wings instinctively knew how to move and slide into the slits in the cloth, though my back ached gently. “Thanks, but I’m okay.” I didn’t want to live through another embarrassing moment.

He huffed and muttered, “That’s a disappointment.”

My wings folded behind me as I straightened. Surely I hadn’t heard him right.

Not wanting to make the situation between us more awkward, I gently placed my feet on the floor, waiting for the debilitating pain, but all the arches of my feet did was ache. I sat on the edge of the tub and examined the bottoms to find the charred skin gone with fresh golden skin in its place.

I looked over my shoulder at the water. What sort of magic did it hold? I’d never take it for granted again.

Nightbane climbed to all fours, and we padded to the door. Though I still limped, I was thankful I could actually stand on both feet.

When I opened the door, Tavish stumbled into me. One hand caught the doorframe while the other wrapped around me. He buried his face in my neck and took a deep breath. He murmured, “You smell so nice.” Then he swayed on his feet.

I placed my hands on his shoulders to steady him. “Are you all right? You’re acting strange.”

---