Page 27 of Shadowlands Sector

“Thank you,” she says, distracting me from my thoughts. “Guess I’m just not used to living indoors.”

Her excuse is almost laughable, but I let her have her moment. She doesn’t have the strength to defend herself, and if I push, she’ll grumble. So I say nothing and focus on her healing first.

She walks strong and tall, but her hair is damp and stuck to her head. This isn’t the girl I found in the woods, but a shadow of her.

It isn’t long before we reach the baths, located at the end of a hall on the ground floor. We step through an arched doorway and before us lies a large sunken bath large enough to fit ten shifters. Steam rises from its surface, and heat greets us as we walk inside. The water ripples from the regular filtering. Without the solar panels I traded with the X-Clan for energy—for things like keeping this bath constantly warm and clean—we’d still be living in the dark ages.

“Wow!” Meira’s eyes grow in size as she pulls her hand free from mine and steps closer to the edge of the stone bath. At the back are the saunas and bathrooms, but right now, there’s no one here but the two of us.

“A bath will help relax your anxiety,” I suggest, hoping this will help her to start trusting me and eventually open up to me.

She looks over to me, her expression heartfelt, like she expected me to throw her into a dungeon. Even when she’s sick and looks like death, there’s an aching digging in my gut to claim her. Her presence alone drives me insane.

“You’re going to watch me have a bath?” She arches a brow.

I laugh, because I’m not going anywhere. “The toilet and shower are in the back. I’ll have a hot drink brought to you.”

Meira nods and turns to the bath without a word. There’s only one way in and out of the room, so she isn’t escaping without going past me first.

I march out of the baths and head down the hall, finally tracking down a bulky guard, with a serious expression, minutes later.

“Send word to the kitchen to take a tray of peppermint tea and fresh bread slices to Meira in the baths. Also, speak to Alyna about finding a dress for her, and ensure no one enters the baths until I come out, understand?”

“Of course.” He bows and marches down the corridor.

I walk in the opposite direction, taking long strides. I’m ready to find out everything I can about this shifter girl and what exactly her secret is.

By the time I return, Meira has her back to me, and she’s completely naked and stepping into the bath. My gaze slides over her shoulders, her tiny waist, and to a perfectly curved ass before she dips into the water all the way to her neck.

The image goes straight to my cock. I step forward. “Warm enough?” I ask, my throat suddenly thick.

She turns abruptly in the water toward me, her eyes wide. The shadowy outline of her body reveals itself below the surface in ripple effect as a gentle wave washes over her breasts.

She gasps. “Why are you in here?”

“It’s a communal bath.”

Her attention flips to the doorway and back, her arms lashing over her breasts. “So you’re just going to stand there and watch me?”

“Would you prefer if I join you?”

“No!” Her response flies past her lips, and I laugh loudly at her nervousness. She doesn’t realize how much that innocence affects me.

I stroll across the room, feeling her eyes on me. The restroom is a tiny room with two toilet cubicles, three showers, and a few sinks. I find her clothes piled on the floor, then I collect soap from the sink and a fresh towel from the rack. Back in the room, she’s pressed into the corner of the bath, looking unsure of herself. I set the soap down in front of her as she looks up at me with those spectacular pale bronze eyes. She’s searching for something in me, expecting something I don’t understand.

“How are you feeling?” I ask.

“The water is soothing. I don’t feel so sick anymore.”

“Good,” I murmur as I take a seat on a wooden bench alongside the bath and set a towel down beside me. Stretching my feet out, crossing them at the ankle, I recline and watch my hellcat. “You’d better get to washing or I’m climbing in there and washing you myself.”

“You wouldn’t dare.” She hisses, her brows pulling together. Damn, she’s sexy when she’s angry.

I arch a brow and lean forward, my elbows resting against my thighs. “Is that a challenge?”

Her glare is like tossing daggers my way.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

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