Page 71
L ATE THAT NIGHT, THEY ENTERED THE B ATH OF A ROWA. T HEY STOOD before a stone bath accessed by climbing a set of small stairs. The smooth empty surface was etched with turquoise and gold drawings of Black gods modestly covered.
Susenyos went to the side of the wall and pressed on a protruding slot. A panel slid open, revealing towels, soap, and hair treatments. Robes and dresses in different shades of the sunset hung on the next panel.
Hot, gushing water filled the basin. Kidan knew she had to get undressed, yet her arms remained by her side, too drained. Susenyos removed her clothes for her, kneeling low to slip off her shoes, loosen her tie, and unbutton her shirt. She braced herself, heart coiled at first, but gradually, with each article of clothing, his intentions became clear. He wanted to help her.
How had they ended up here? In all her dreams and nightmares, this was never what he became. Someone she could almost lean on.
His gentleness always alarmed and disarmed her.
He turned away so she could undress completely and wade into the rippling water. The heat was scalding, but she clamped down on her hissing response. She would adjust soon, and just for a little while, she wanted her skin to burn.
Kidan breathed in and out, the rose oil and eucalyptus engulfing her senses. She moved lower, submerging her head. The tips of her ears burned, and her eyes did too, but when she resurfaced, they felt clear. Ripples of red appeared around her, dried blood loosening from her body and hair.
She curled in on herself in the middle and found him watching her with guarded eyes.
“We usually have it at this time, so you shouldn’t be disturbed. I’ll be outside regardless.” His voice echoed in the cavernous room.
He walked to the engraved doors.
“I know I’m all out of asks.…” Kidan spoke into her knee, hearing him pause. “But… don’t leave.”
The gurgling of water raised steam around her. A minute ticked by. Kidan couldn’t bear to look and find him gone. In truth, she wouldn’t blame him. After all the things she’d done to him, he shouldn’t have helped her during their capture. How could he still stand being around her?
A splash pulled her attention to the opposite end of the basin. He’d dipped his legs in, pants rolled up, and settled on the edge. His coat was removed, so only his loose shirt remained. Her eyes creased, a ball forming in her throat.
“Come here.” He rolled up his sleeves.
She went to him without question.
He turned her at the shoulders so her back rested on the curved edge of the bath and between his legs.
Susenyos lifted one of her braids and gently untangled it. She waited for the stubborn pain that came with doing her hair, but it never arrived. Only the pleasurable release at her roots made her know he was even touching her. Expertly he unwound each braid, removed the added hair, and let her natural curls fall against her cheek and neck. She snuck a glance at him between strips of black strands.
“Why aren’t you angry with me?” she asked softly. “You know what I’ve done.”
“Samson’s weakness is his need to hurt me.” Susenyos’s tone was measured. “He would only listen to your proposal of companionship if he thought you were betraying me. That’s why I gave you the clue from The Mad Lovers . You solved it brilliantly.”
“But if I graduate, he’ll come into Uxlay. He’ll be my… companion.”
A shudder went through her. When his fingers, long and slender, sank into her sore head, massaging it, she became liquid itself.
“Then you and I do what we do best.”
She tried not to shut her eyes. “What?”
“Kill, yené Roana. We remove his heart from his chest and bury it beneath our house.”
The way he regarded her, with care and lightness, absorbed into her skin along with the mist and heady essences. She spun, taking his large hand and tracing the veins along it, leading to his taut arm. She kissed the bottom of his wrist, just like he had done once, and tasted rose water.
The warmth from before ignited into a blaze, rushing through every fiber of her. She reached out and brought his neck down, her mouth close to his ear.
“I want you to do it here,” she whispered. “Drink from my neck. Not at the companionship ceremony. Not with him. I want it here, alone.”
She pulled him into the water, and he went willingly. They stood in the middle of the bath, half submerged, lost in the clouds of steam again. She traced his stuck shirt, rich brown skin peeking through. Beautiful.
He gathered her loose curls, and cold air licked her neck and ears. He kissed at the juncture of her neck and shoulder. She tilted her head to give him a wider access. His teeth scraped against the sensitive line of her throat, and she hissed in anticipation.
“Are you certain?” he murmured.
The vibrations of his voice made her body constrict and tremble. She needed to see his desire. Needed to feel.
Her eyes fluttered shut. “Yes. Drink, Yos.”
His bite was splitting, sudden, and full of want. He crushed her toward his body as if every part of them touching wasn’t enough, and he drank, deeply. Her vision traveled to the ceiling, merging with the illustrations there and swirling in color, and delved into his deepest longing. She saw them—Susenyos and her, side by side, restoring the ruins of Adane House. She saw Susenyos acquiring all the Last Sage artifacts, powerful beyond belief as master of the house, Uxlay impenetrable. She saw him reunited with his court, laughing by a large fire, thousands of people who held pieces of him coming together. Kidan drowned in his clear vision of what he wanted, his dreams, his hopes. Gradually, the desire faded, and she returned to her body, empty again.
She was aware of blood running down her neck, along her chest.
Lips stained, voice wet, he asked, “What did you see?”
She blinked up at him. “You want… everything.”
His eyes and hair burned a fierce red-gold. “Yes.”
“And what did you see?” she whispered, desperate to know. What had been her desire?
He pressed his forehead against hers. “Not enough. You don’t want enough.”
She gave a sad smile. Just as she expected. “There’s really no hope for me, then.”
His face grew shadows. “No. You’ve lost what you were fighting for, but you’ll find a new purpose. You’ll wake that terrifying love and loyalty I’m jealous of and use it well.” His lips stretched when her eyes creased. “And God help us all if we’re considered unworthy when you do.”
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