Page 121 of The Last One
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The tub in Veril’s rear garden resembles a giant black cauldron.
“Not a wooden tub?” I ask the old man, shifting from foot to foot, antsy to hop in.
“I like hot baths. Wood doesn’t hold heat as well as…” He knocks on the iron pot.
Over at a firepit, a water boils in a smaller cauldron, ready to be added to the bath if the water cools. Veril pours the contents of the bottle from the wardrobe into the tub. Then he pours in the pot of boiling water and stirs the bath with a wooden oar and…
I wave my hands in the air. “Bubbles!”
“You deserveallthe bubbles, Just Kai. And it benefits me to have a goddess using my soap.” Veril holds up the smaller cauldron. “Let me fill this before you settle in.” He trundles to the creek.
Hot water. Nothing is better than hot water… Well, maybesomethingis better. I scan the area for Jadon, but he’s nowhere in sight. With a sigh, I trace my fingers across the bubbles, imagining the heat against my skin, my skin squeaky clean.
Veril returns and replaces the small cauldron over the firepit. He shouts, “Enjoy,” and heads back to the cottage.
I’m close to tears as I undress and climb into the tub. My whole body—muscles, bones, sinews—groans with relief as I lower myself into the warm, sudsy water. Giggling, I blow foam into the air. I dip my head back into the water, then slide down until my chin sits above the surface. I close my eyes as all my muscles relax and sigh. After a few blissful moments, I sit up and slide the soapy hand towel across my arms and my face and hair and… I want to marry this tub of hot water.
“Kai?” Jadon calls.
I freeze as adrenaline zings through me. “Back here!”
Jadon rounds the cottage, holding a bundle of stuff. “Look what Veril found—” He smiles wide. “Hey! You made it into the tub!”
I laugh and sit up straighter. “I did. Aren’t you happy for me?”
His eyes widen. “Oh. Shit.” He turns away. “Sorry for intruding. I just, you know, caught off guard, and okay, shit, I’ll give you some privacy.”
“I’m covered in bubbles, Jadon. Relax.” My pulse quickens as I glance down to see that I am indeed covered in bubbles. My breastsonlyin bubbles as the waterline hits me mid-ribs. I lower back down to my neck. “Relax,” I repeat for myself as much as for Jadon.
Slowly, he turns back to me. The muscles along his jaw twitch. “That’s a lot of bubbles,” he manages to say. “How did he make so many?”
“Magic,” I say, blowing foam into the air.
His gaze meanders from the bubbles to my face as if he’s hypnotized.
“What’s in your hands?”
Jadon pulls out of his trance to meet my eyes and immediately falls into another.
Is he staring at me because I resemble a tortured mouse or…?
The sparkle in his eyes and the flush in his face tell me that I look better than a tortured mouse. Much better.
“Jadon?” I say, pointing a soapy finger at his hands. “What are you holding?”
He blinks, then looks at his hands. “Oh. Olivia took your clothes on a picnic so that she could repair them. You’ll have everything later today.”
I smirk. “Well, isn’t that thoughtful.”
“I brought the clothes you left on the bed,” Jadon says. “Veril asked me to bring them out to you. And then he also gave me this.” He holds up two cups and a flagon. “Wine.”
“Ooh!” I sit up, nearly rising above the water again.
“But I can come back later, after you’re done.”
“And deny me wine? Do you hate me now?”
