Page 197 of Lady for Embers

“Fath— Tyndell was there,” Drake said in the same monotone as before.

Tava’s hand dropped to her side. “He tried to kill you?”

“No. Maybe? I do not know,” Drake said. “I saw their tombs, Tava. I sawmytomb.”

“Drake,” she whispered, something pained in her voice. She took a few steps forward before faltering again.

“I am going to bathe,” Callan said, nodding at Tava. She looked like she was about to protest. “I assure you, Tava, I am ?ne.”

Her lips pressed into a thin line, but she nodded all the same, taking Drake’s hand. “Come on,” she said, pulling him towards her room.

Callan shut the door behind him when he entered his room, setting Eliza’s sword carefully atop the dresser. He would clean it for her after he’d cleaned the events of the night from his skin. Peeling the soiled clothing from his body, he dropped it into a pile on the bathing room ?oor. He assumed they’d be burned. There was no amount of laundering that would get them clean.

He had to drain the tub and re?ll it as he rinsed all the blood and gore from his ?esh, the water turning pink around him. With fresh hot water, Callan tipped his head back against the back of the tub, steam drifting up from the surface.

He had killed people today. He had been part of the battle. He had taken life.

He had fought alongside Fae.

He had ended beings’ entire existence. He had saved Eliza.

He had violently killed Sybil.

He couldn’t balance all of it in his mind. He couldn’t separatethe virtue from the atrocity of it all. He could appreciate how different the battle had been from that throne room—that he had fought instead of cowered—but he could also feel the stain on his soul for ending life. The darkness creeping in that came with that sin, whether it was necessary or not.

How did Scarlett make peace with herself? How did any of them justify it for that matter? How did they decide it was worth it? How did they carry the weight of it with them?

Callan sighed, gripping the edge of the tub and hauling himself up, stepping over the edge and onto a bath mat. He quickly dried off, wrapping the towel around his waist before moving out to his room to ?nd clothing.

He didn’t expect to ?nd Tava there too.

“Oh my gods,” she gasped, turning away, hand ?ying up to block her eyes. “My apologies, Callan. I was bringing fresh towels. I did not... I will go.”

Callan fought the smile playing on his mouth at her cheeks going bright red. “Just let me get pants. How is Drake?”

She turned away completely, facing the wall. “He is also bathing. I am sorry, Callan. I thought you would already be done. When I realized you were still in the bathing room, I was going to leave them here and...”

He had already slipped into pants, his towel draped over a chair, and he reached out, gently touching her elbow. She jumped, and he bit down on the laugh trying to escape. “It is ?ne, Tava. I am dressed.”

She turned, her hands ?ying back to her face, cheeks heating all over again. “You arenotdressed,” she stammered.

“Would you be more comfortable if I put on a shirt?”

“Yes. No.” She bit her bottom lip. “I am just going to go. This entire situation is wildly inappropriate.” He reached for her again, but stopped when she said, “You are bleeding.”

“What?”

She reached out this time, seeming to forget he was shirtless, taking his hand in hers. The deep slice across his palm and cuts on his ?ngers from gripping Eliza’s blade had reopened somehow, blood dripping to the ?oor.

Tava glanced up at him. “You said it was not your blood.”

“I saidmostof it was not my blood.”

Her eyes darted to his shoulder where the arrow had grazed him. “These need to be cleaned and bandaged.”

“I just bathed.”

“In water that was no longer clean after washing everything from yourself,” she argued, still holding his palm in her hands.

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