Page 42 of Hunted By Fear

“No, you're not, but Lucifer is the ruler of Hell, which means he can do as he wishes. Asta asked for his help to keep you from Rome, and he agreed. If he hadn’t, and we attempted to bring you here without him, we wouldn’t be having this or any conversation.” His face is serious, and I shiver at the thought.

Looks like I have yet another thing to thank the freaking devil for.

What has my life become?

This time, Bast doesn’t ask before he pulls the shorts off me, the same ones I'd changed into all those nights ago at home, if I can even call it that. It was a lie, one that Rome carefully crafted for me, but still no less fake.

How long ago had that been?

I’m honestly afraid to ask, but there's no denying I need this bath and probably some new clothes; I can worry about that later.

The second my shorts hit the ground, I’m in Bast’s arms again. Skin to skin with his bare chest, his warmth seeping into me as he walks around the bath, up the two stairs to the higher level on the far side of the room.

It doesn’t make sense until we get closer, and I can see the stairs through the water, just barely, but they're there.

A moment before he moves into the water, he releases his hold on me with one hand and snaps.

“Can’t go in the water with pants on, can I?” he asks with a smirk as he moves down the stairs into the very warm water.

He was right to warn me; it is hot, but thankfully, that’s exactly the way I enjoy my showers and baths. And maybe, just maybe, he will blame my red cheeks on that instead of the realization that we are both very naked in this bath, together…

Not helping.

His fingers dig into my thigh, and I suck in a breath when he presses his nose to my neck and inhales deeply.

“I can smell you, Aeri, smell the way you react to me, and it’s intoxicating. More delicious than the taste of your blood, which I didn’t know was possible,” he groans, almost sounding as if he’s in pain, and I debate trying to remove myself from his hold.Putting some space between us would probably help, but I don’t want to.

“For now, we need to clean you up and get you fed. You could slip back under his illusion at any moment, and I don’t need more reasons for you to panic.” I want to argue, to tell him I’m fine and I won’t slip away, but I can’t promise that.

I’m not in control.

He hooks a finger under my chin, tilting my head back until our eyes meet again.

“We’ll figure this out,Tesoro.” He sounds so sure, just like Lucifer did, and even though I try to squash it, I can’t help but feel the flicker of hope.

That’s the second time he’s called me that, though. “What does that mean?”

It’s Bast’s turn to be embarrassed, and I watch in fascination as the tips of his ears turn red.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Let’s get you cleaned up and down to eat while it’s still breakfast. The imps are good cooks if nothing else.”

Imps?

The bath was amazing despite it starting out more than a little awkwardly.

Bast washed my hair, and I know we're in Hell, but I could swear it was Heaven for a minute there. Nobody's ever washed my hair for me before, and I wasn’t ready for how good it would feel, which is also what I blamed for the embarrassingly sexual noise he pulled from my mouth when his fingers first pressed into my hair.

He chuckled but otherwise ignored it. I wouldn’t have even known it had any kind of effect on him if I hadn’t felt the evidence pressing against my back.

The water never cooled, which was nice, and even after we left the water, the room was still warm enough to be relaxing.

I haven’t been to many rooms in the castle, at least not that I can remember, but this was definitely my favorite.

The towels were plush and big enough to get lost in. Bast brushed my hair for me while I sat on a stool he pulled from under the counter and stared at my reflection in the mirror.

He wasn’t joking when he said the water had healing properties.

There wasn’t a mark on me. Not the spot on my forehead that I’d bashed against the wall ‘til it bled, not a bump or even a scar.