Page 123 of Of Storm and Emerald
Once in her bathing chamber, she turned on the shower as cold as it would go, and slowly peeled off her clothes–leaving them in a pile on the floor to deal with later.
Before stepping into the frigid stream of the shower, she turned on the faucet of her tub so that it could fill with hot water while she showered.
The cold was a shock to her system, but it slowly seeped into her sore muscles and eased some of the ache.
She hurried through her shower. Washing quickly, then finger combing through her hair to make sure it wasn’t a tangled mess when she got out.
Stepping out of the shower, she padded lightly over to her tub where steam curled above the water and the scent of lavender and chamomile filled the air.
Dipping her toes into the water, she hissed through her teeth at the intense heat before her body acclimated. She progressed slowly until she was submerged up to her shoulders, her head tilted back against the lip of the tub as a contented sigh slipped past her lips.
She wasn’t sure how long she had been soaking, but the water had begun to cool, a sign that she’s long since passed the healing effects of the heat. Slipping beneath the surface, fully submerging herself in the last bits of warmth that remained, she stayed there until her lungs began to ache.
When she emerged, something was different.
Her eyes were closed, but she felt her magic rise to the surface, and it seemed to dance beneath her skin.
She wiped the water away from her eyes and breathed deeply.
The smell of sandalwood and ocean air filled her nostrils the same moment she felt his presence.
When her eyes snapped open, her head jerked toward the door of her bathing chamber.
“Daemon.” His name was barely louder than a whisper as it crossed her lips.
He was such a beautiful sight.
From his tightly fitted leather trousers and bare feet, to the loose black tunic that laced at the neck and hung open. The open V of his shirt made the perfect window for the ink that was scrawled across his chest, and his sleeves were rolled to the elbows displaying the muscles and tattoos on his forearms.
His hair was perfectly tousled, and the scruff of his beard was slightly longer than the last time she’d seen him.
He leaned against the frame of her door with his arms folded across his chest, as a smirk of pure sex tilted up one side of his mouth.
“Hello, my star.”
Chapter Forty-One
Daemon
Hereyeswidened,andhis heart hammered in his chest as they stared at each other.
How was it that she was even more stunning now than she was three months ago?
He hadn’t meant to shadow-walk in on her bathing, but it was a happy accident.
“Daemon.” His name was barely a whisper, but he heard it all the same. Just as he heard the tiny catch in her throat as it slipped past her lips.
Saw her slate blue irises brighten as tears welled in her eyes, and the pink flush that covered her cheeks and cascaded down to color her chest.
“Hello, my star.” He sent a silent prayer to the Goddess Narissa that his voice sounded steadier than he felt. His entire being was vibrating with need for her.
He tightened the hold on his magic as it lashed beneath the surface, trying to scratch and claw to the other half of his soul.
Within seconds, she was on her feet. Water sloshed onto the floor with her quick movements, but before she could step out of the tub, he closed the distance to her.
As he lifted her from the tub, she immediately wrapped her legs around his torso, her fingers tangling into his hair as she pressed her pillowy soft lips to his.
Lavender enveloped his senses, and every care he had ebbed away. Everything in that moment wasright.
