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Maude could feel Herrick's eyes on her before she could see him.

As she entered the caves where the hot springs dwelled, she started to strip each piece of her clothing off one by one, dropping them onto the damp floor.

The lighting was low in the caves, but there were thick pillar candles that dripped heavy wax onto the walls from where the sconces hung, as well as perched on the rough edges, like natural shelves.

So many candles burned inside the caves that Maude felt each flame acutely in her blood, their flickering calling to her galder with such an intensity that it was almost impossible to ignore.

She tried to swallow the urge to let her hands flare with her fire, remembering how Herrick flinched from her in Logi.

She was impressed that he was able to sit so calmly in a space filled with the gentle flickering of the warm light.

A few paces in front of her was a large bath, the size big enough to fit up to six people comfortably. Steam rose in lazy swirls from the heated water, the darkness of the hall giving the illusion of privacy to those choosing to bathe here.

This was not the only bath, however. In a long line, more pools of scalding water were scattered throughout the space.

Appearing as if the baths were created from existing pits and divots in the land, there was little semblance of organization, but the pools were comfortable, and the caves were large enough that one could go undisturbed in this space.

The Elven seemed to be a bit more free with their bodies, the constraints of societal standards holding no place when it came to their skins. Communal bathhouses and saunas were popular in Nida; the modesty of one's naked form belonged only to the humans of Ahland. Or so Liv said.

Thankfully, they were alone in the springs, and as long as Maude kept the wall of fire burning at the entrance, they would remain alone.

The predator-like gaze that she could feel on every inch and curve of her body followed her as she carved a path toward the pool of heated water that Herrick sat in, his arms outstretched to either side of him along the edge as his fingers danced over the surface.

Her blood sparked, regardless of how she tried to smother her reaction to the General of Rivers.

The flames of the generous candlelight flared slightly in tune with her rising desire.

She glanced up and caught his eye, the irises molten already. She could drown in the liquid gold of his stare when he tracked her like this.

Finally, when only her loose tunic was left hanging on her body— obscuring all but her curvy shape— did she stop moving.

She sat on the edge of the dark waters Herrick occupied and dipped one toe into the deliciously hot water before putting her legs in.

Unable to help herself, she let out a small moan as the water washed over her skin.

Herrick seemed to tense where he sat, his fists clenching as tightly as her core seemed to at his reaction.

Only the heat of the water would soothe aches away like nothing else could.

Ribbons of heat swirled up into the air when she disturbed the glossy surface, adding to the thickness and filling the room with the slightly sulfurous but sweet scent of fresh water.

To her immediate right, more pillar candles danced and flickered against the dark walls.

Their heat fed Maude's galder , the sensation new and uncertain.

For most of her life, Maude summoned her galder from thin air, pulling on her own emotion and energy to utilize it.

The Elven were able to draw on the nature around them as well, their supply of energy almost unending.

When their reserves failed, they pulled on nature.

Since discovering her true parentage, Maude had not tried to dive too deeply into the parts of her that might have come from Aeric.

But after their breakfast, the shared moment of peace between them, she felt curious about her new limitless ability .

Aware of her audience, Maude leaned over to the rows and rows of burning candles and hovered her hand over the invisible heat that rose from the orange flame.

She glanced at Herrick, unsure if he would feel comfortable with her wielding her fire galder after he had reacted so poorly to it only days ago, but his face only betrayed his own curiosity as his head tilted to the side slightly.

She leapt at the chance to involve him in this discovery of her potential.

Closing her eyes, Maude focused on the threads of galder she had become more acquainted with. Tunneling deeper and deeper into the unexplored depths of her power, she reached a mental hand out to the existing flame.

When Maude felt she had a grip on the element, she lifted her hand as she rose to her full height.

She opened her eyes again and saw that a long rope of fire was extending from the candlewick to her palm.

It started to pulse with gold until she reached her other hand and pulled the rope away from the wick, extinguishing the candle.

The flames, however, still danced and writhed in her palms. She grinned, her cheeks warming as she swelled with pride.

After tugging on the rope a few more times, shaping the flames into a ball and hovering it in the air above them for a moment, she crouched again and placed the flames over the extinguished wick before pulling back, leaving the flame where it had sparked originally.

"Impressive," Herrick said, his low words reminding her that he was watching her intently.

She couldn't tell what he was feeling by just his words.

He'd slipped on a new mask, one she didn't recognize.

Though the same fear that had forced him to back away from her flames in Logi was no where to be found on his handsome features, the wall in his eyes suggested he was controlling his reaction very carefully.

When he didn't say anything else, Maude pulled her tunic off and fully settled herself into the hot water.

Immediately, her muscles relaxed as she leaned against the rocky back of the pool.

Her hair swirled around her, ribbons of crimson floating gently in the invisible swirling current.

She dunked her head under the water, reveling in the warmth for a moment before she resurfaced, pushing the wet strands away from her face and wiping the beads of water out of her eyes.

The rosemary and mugwort that Hildr had braided into her hair remained in their places despite Maude's vigorous movement.

When she opened her eyes again, Herrick was watching her movement with an intensity that should have stripped her bare. Instead, it emboldened her. She took his silence as an invitation to study him just as thoroughly.

The candlelight made the dark strands of his hair look like a deep black, darkening his golden stare until they were a warm ocher.

Maude's breath caught in her chest as she took in his powerful body.

Herrick was the most fearsome fighter she had ever known.

As ruthless as she was, with perhaps a more rational mind than her, he was her equal in battle in more ways than just his fighting.

At this moment, still covered in the sweat from his sparring with Gunnar, he looked every inch the savage warrior. And he was hers .

Bringing one knee up in front of her, Maude wrapped her arms around her leg and rested her chin on top, never breaking their stare.

"There are other baths open, you know," he finally said as he broke their tense silence.

"I like this one," she responded, her voice lilting as she teased him.

It was so easy to fall into old patterns with him sometimes. She thought about what her father had said about knowing if her attraction to him was the real thing or just a twist of fate.

You'll know what you choose.

That may be the case for her, but she had no idea what Herrick was thinking.

Their fates may be entwined, but what she felt for him was as real as the blood that flowed in her veins or the sun that shone on them every morning.

At one time, she was sure he had felt the same.

But with everything that had been uncovered?

Did he feel that same pull between them that had suspiciously started to feel like a hjartparan bond?

There was no way to know unless she asked him which of course couldn't happen when they couldn't speak to each other without arguing.

Every childish argument, every time she pulled away from him because he inspired that same heat she was feeling now, felt ridiculous now in the grand scheme of what they faced.

Maybe it was time to clear things up between them for good.

Quiet descended again as Maude scrambled to find the right words to bridge them back together. Unable to find anything witty or grating, she settled on finding out where his head had been recently.

"You've been pulling away from me," she said quietly, the vulnerability she had been trying to hide finding its way out of her tight hold. "Ever since Dagsbrun, you've gotten further and further from me."

"With good reason, don't you think?" he asked before clenching his jaw shut, like he had to force himself not to say more.

She didn't respond, only waited for him to decide if he was ready to be open with her yet. Evidently, he felt the same sense of clarity she had.

"During my imprisonment, the only thing I had to hold on to was the memory of you," Herrick began slowly.

"You had died in my arms, and I had hoped for a quick reunion when Helvig's soldiers captured me.

I had wanted a swift death because living in a world where you were dead was not a world I wanted to live in. "

She winced, her arms tightening around her knee as if she were trying to hold herself together physically.