Page 7 of The Court of Thorns and Wings

Could it be Eldrin?

“Finola, I’ve brought Nightbane as requested,” an unfamiliar female called from the other side of the door. “Do I let him in?”

A threatening growl had me wanting to rush to the door, but as soon as I tried to move, my sides stung, reminding me that I had a lot of healing to do.

“Yes,” Finola answered, standing and grabbing the hilt of her sword. She lifted it like she suspected an intruder was on the other side of the door.

When the door opened, the cù-sìth came barreling into the bedroom. His glowing green eyes focused on me, and his dark fur with green-tinged ends flattened from where it had risen on his neck. He stalked toward me, taking a moment to look at every person. A deep growl rattled through him as if he were trying to figure out who’d injured me.

The door slammed shut without the woman even saying goodbye, but I didn’t blame her. Nightbane was a huge animal that instilled fear in others.

Now that he was here, there was only one thing I wanted to do. “I’m going to take a bath.” Though it might not be smart with my injuries, I needed to get the blood off me. “Nightbane can come in the bathroom with me to keep an eye out.”

Finola nodded. “Good idea. Finnian or Caelan can grab you a gown and tell a castle maid to come in here and change the sheets.”

“I’ll handle that.” Caelan rolled his shoulders like he couldn’t wait to get out of here. “I’ll be right back.”

I slowly moved to the edge of the bed. My tunic had been ripped into a crop top, and my leather pants were molded to my skin. By the time Caelan exited the room, I was on my feet.

When I glanced back at the gray sheets, I saw the blood smears I’d left all over them. I doubted there was a way to clean them.

“Don’t worry, Lira.” Finnian winked. “We’ll take care of it, and if you need us, just yell.”

Nightbane came to my side, and I tangled my fingers in his fur, breathing in his pine and wet-soil smell. He whimpered, rubbing against my hip as we made our way into the bathroom.

My eyes adjusted to the soft candlelight, and I strolled to the tub with its frosted bottom and stepped onto the elevated platform it was centered on.

I turned the faucet lever, and aqua-blue water poured from the spout. From the closet to the right of the tub, I took out a fluffy gray towel and placed it on the side. Then I slowly removed my clothes, my muscles feeling like they were pulling apart at my sides.

Once undressed, I stepped into the tub, trying to ignore the shadow-hazed wall on my left, which looked like a dark forest loomed behind it. A chill ran down my spine as I searched the shadows for Eldrin. The one comfort I had was that Nightbane lay at my side, unconcerned.

I’d hang on to that.

I sat in the tub, enjoying the way the water made my skin tingle, and leaned my head back, waiting for the tub to fill. A huge dark lantern lit by a candle hung above me, reminding me of a starry night.

As I submerged myself in the water, the blood disappeared like magic, and my skin felt clean and refreshed while the pain disappeared. The warm spark inside me thrummed again.

Once the water had risen past my breasts, I turned off the faucet and got clean. I wasn’t sure how long I remained in the tub, but when I finally got out, I didn’t hurt anywhere near as much as I had before. I dried off then realized I didn’t have the gown. I needed Finola to meet me at the door and hand it to me.

Nightbane suddenly stood and growled, and I jerked to a halt, my muscles moving painfully. I yelped and gripped my injured side, causing the towel to fall from half my body, leaving me naked and exposed.

Terror tried to choke me, but I screamed, “Help!”

3

LIRA

Ilooked around the dark room for something to use as a weapon. There was nothing in sight, and I wished I hadn’t removed the daggers I’d hidden in the toilet tank the night I’d tried to escape.

Nightbane snarled and moved toward the door as it opened.

My breath caught as Tavish rushed into the bathroom with his sword drawn. His eyes widened, and he took in my state of undress before looking around for my tormentor. He shut the door and raised his sword, ready to strike.

The beast wasn’t concerned with the bathroom but rather with whoever was in the bedroom.

“Is everything—” Finnian started to say from outside the door, and the knob turned.

I snatched up the side of the towel, ignoring my aching muscles as I covered my entire chest. My face heated from Tavish seeing me like this. I didn’t want to add anyone else to the equation.

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