Page 95 of Claimed By Shadow and Blood
Steam rose from the crimson waters that filled the enormous black marble bath dominating the center of the black bathroom.
Frustration bubbled inside me. I understood why Vad had done it, even though I didn’t want to admit it to him. I’d have done the same in his position, but that didn’t make it right.
I grabbed a tall jar marked with my name in chalk and dumped the entire contents into the water, and the room exploded with the scents of chamomile, sandalwood, roses, and lemons. The herbs and salt swirled in the dark waters.
How could he? And how could the person I had to assume was Many-Greats require such a vow to help me? It was a good thing he hadn’t popped up in this room or I’d have ripped into him.
Huffing, I stripped off the nightgown, relieved that my injuries had healed so much already. I was just a little sore, and my wolf magic had kicked in, full swing.
Small black stitches ran along my chest and arms where the long, venomous cuts had been made, but the wounds looked as if they had all but closed. A large bandage was wrapped around my thigh where the arrow wound had been, which made sense. The arrowhead had been buried deep, and I shuddered even imagining the damage it had probably done. At least my natural healing seemed to have resumed.
The water was so hot, I almost recoiled when I dipped in one foot, but I needed to feel something other than this emotional pain that seemed to be drowning me.
I sank into the water, and it sloshed over me, the deep heat sinking into my bones. The tub was deep enough that I didn’t have to lean back to fully immerse myself, and it was long enough that I could easily stretch out.
Though I didn’t want to relax, my muscles unknotted with every second in the bath. The doctor’s recommendation was apparently right and doing something good for my body.
I pressed my forehead to my knees and tried to slow my breathing. The inside of my skull was a mass of anger, hurt, frustration, and confusion. What was I supposed to do or say? to get me out of prison, Vad had made a vow to send me back to Earth.
It wasn’t that I’d wanted to stay in that horrible place. My breath knotted in my chest as I remembered the constant cold, the torture, and the terror. My fingers and toes ached at the memory, and my breath hitched.
No, I was safe now.
Those bastards would pay.
And I didn’t care what Many-Greats had made Vad vow. I wasn’t going back to Earth and leaving Vad behind. My home was here, in this beautiful yet treacherous place. Not only was Vad here, but I needed vengeance.
My heart seized. If Vad didn’t crown me, who would he marry and make his queen? Panic clawed at me, and my skin crawled.
The door banged open, striking the far wall and vibrating.
I yelped, covering my breasts with my hands.
Vad stood in the doorway, wings outstretched and bristling, and his shadows swirling around him. His hungry gaze latched on to me, his pupils wide and his breathing ragged. “What did you say about your home?”
That look in his eye made my core tighten, and my heart restarted. I lifted my chin and raised an eyebrow. “You mean where I said my home really is?”
He nodded and stepped across the threshold. His wings folded in so that he could enter, but as soon as he was inside, they flared out again. “Yes,” he growled.
I sat up straighter, water droplets rolling down my neck and across the tops of my breasts. “Well…my home would be with the man I love, but according to you, that’s not you, is it? And apparently, you’re okay with crowning and marrying someone else.”
Another low growl rumbled in his chest. “I never said I didn’t love you, and, no, I don’t want to crown anyone but you.”
“You just told me you took a vow to send me away?—”
“To yourhome. I didn’t specify Earth.” Vad stopped at the edge of the tub and raised his hands, pausing as the shadows coiled around him and circled the tub.
“What?” Still glaring at him, I flicked one of his shadow tendrils away. The cold wrapped around my finger briefly, but it retreated. An icy chill coiled down my spine, and the memory of him cradling me swept back in.
A ragged breath shook Vad’s broad frame as he stared down at me. His hands clenched at his sides. “Do you mean it, Briar?”
“Mean what? That I love you? Yes, I do, or I’d be thrilled to be going back to my sister.” My voice was steady, but my pulseraced as I leaned back, the water's edge lapping softly against my skin. My fingers curled against my thigh as I tried not to notice just how masculine he was and how his black tunic and tight black trousers left little to the imagination.
He narrowed his eyes and looked at me as if he wanted to eat me whole. “That home is with me?” His low voice sounded raw and filled with need.
The air between us grew heavy, the rich fragrant scent of the water rising with the steam and a hint of spice. There was a challenge in his gaze along with desperate hunger, confirming he wanted me as much as I wanted him. “Yes, you’re my ho–”
He lunged forward and grabbed my face with both hands, shaking as he thrust his mouth over mine. I responded, the sudden buzz of our connection making my head spin. If he were a wolf, I would have no doubt that we were fated mates.
