Page 75 of The King of Frost and Shadows

She licked her lips and the center of her bottom one split. “Everywhere hurts, but I need water,” she replied hoarsely.

Water. That was something I could do for her. I hurried to the bathroom and turned on the tub faucet. She’d meant to drink some water, but soaking in the tub, especially with her affinity for water, would rejuvenate her faster than anything. I could get her settled in with Nightbane and then get Torcall or Finola to get her a large glass to drink.

As the tub filled, I snagged a towel from the closet and placed it on the edge so it would be easy for her to reach it. With that settled, I headed back into the bedroom. The door to the room opened, and Finola stuck her head in while holding a gown.

“I thought she might need this,” she said and held it out for me to take.

Right. She needed something to wear. I still wasn’t usedto taking care of anyone but myself, especially a woman. “Excellent.” I took the gown and added, “Can you get someone to bring her water too? She needs to drink.”

She nodded and glanced at Nightbane before shutting the door again.

Maybe having the beast in my room wasn’t a bad thing after all. People didn’t loiter.

Nightbane lay flat on the floor beside her. He looked as worried as I was, and I realized the impact Lira was having on both of us. Another thing I had to refuse to allow myself to analyze.

“Let’s get you in the bath.” I tossed the gown over my shoulder, readying to carry her. The image of her in Lorne’s arms took over, causing that damn rage to surge back. I needed to scrub that memory from her brain, preferably with me.

She winced but nodded. “I should get my wounds clean before an infection sets in.”

“Infection?” I lifted a brow. I had no idea what that was.

“Yeah, the dirt and germs that make you sick.” She placed a hand on the floor and groaned as she tried to sit upright. When she placed her foot on the ground to stand, she hissed and fell back down.

I slid my arms under her wings and knees, and the jolt sprang up between us, stronger than ever. Her breath caught like the strength of the sensation had taken her by surprise as well, making me realize that my touch impacted her just as much as hers affected me.

Why did that sound familiar? I couldn’t recall, though the importance seemed significant.

I needed to tend to her and get her rested and in bed. Eldrin might call for the last game to begin tomorrow, though with how severely the contestants were injured, Idoubted he would. He’d want to make sure they were healthy enough to kill her.

“I’m going to carry you to the tub, and Finola is bringing you water.” I scanned her face, wishing I could take all the pain away from her. She didn’t have much longer to live, and she deserved to spend that time pain-free. “You ready?”

She nodded but bit her lip, causing blood to ooze from the wound once more. I stood, and the way her body fitted to mine made the gesture feel so natural.

With each step I took, she moaned softly, making my dick harden in my pants. Even though the sounds were from pain, I imagined they were similar to how she sounded during sex.

Once again, she was testing my limits, but there was no way in Ardanos I would ever take advantage of her, especially in this shape. I moved slowly, Nightbane at my side, not letting her out of his sight like he thought I would harm her.

The water had filled the tub, and I gently set her on the edge. She winced, rolling her feet onto the heels. I bent down to remove what was left of her boots and took in the bottoms of her feet. That red haze clouded my vision again. Her skin was burned black from the fire-heated chains she’d been forced to climb.

No wonder she’d struggled so hard, yet she’d helped Lorne even when the closing walls could’ve broken the chain that bound them together. “Why didn’t you let him get crushed so you wouldn’t have to struggle like you did?” I hadn’t meant to sound so gruff, but the idea of her risking her life to savehimhad me wanting to knock sense into her.

“He wasn’t trying to harm me,” she answered simply and factually, like it made perfect sense. “What sort of person would I be if I could help someone but decided itwasn’t worth it? Besides, you made it clear I’m dying soon anyway. This way, it will be somewhat on my own terms.”

“He wouldn’t have thought twice about killing you if the roles had been reversed.” I needed her to see that her decision was flawed so she wouldn’t take a foolish risk like that again. “He leveraged your weakness so you’d save him.”

Her laughter sounded raw. “Valuing a life doesn’t make me weak. It makes me not a monster. I won’t let the gauntlet change me. I want to die knowing who I am.” Her voice gave out at the end, revealing how weak she was.

I chose to drop the conversation for now because she needed to get into the bath to heal, but I didn’t want to. She had to see she wasn’t thinking like a fae … what she really was.

After untying her laces, I helped slide off the boots. Each one caused her to whimper. Luckily, that noise helped the issue I had with my pants because those sounds tugged at my heart.

I tossed the boots to the corner of the bathroom and readied to leave so she could strip down and get into the water. “Nightbane will stay with you, and I’ll be right outside the door if you need me.”

She nodded, and I left, wanting her to get in the tub as quickly as possible.

I stopped just outside the door, waiting to hear her get into the water, but for several minutes, nothing happened. A heavy knot formed in my stomach.

I knocked gently. “Are you okay?”

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