Page 52 of Jewel of the Assassin

I lead her into the bathhouse on the edge of my estate. Her wet hair brushes my chest. She sucks in a breath when I wrap my arms around her waist, her back flush to my front. My cock presses against the dip of her spine, and she shivers—not simply from the cold but from anticipation.

“I promised you warmth,” I murmur against her temple. “And stars.”

Yes. After our time in the pool, I ensured she was properly hydrated. I knew I would bring her here. The night isn’t over yet.I untie the blindfold slowly, like peeling back silk from a precious gift. She gasps when the cloth falls away.

Above us, the open ceiling frames the Alaskan dark in crystal clarity—sharp stars scattered across a black velvet sky. Below, the natural spring glows from golden and silver lights diffused through steam, bathing the water in the illusion of moonlight. Icicles hang from the beams above, catching the light like glass daggers. The air is cold, but inside this space, it’s paradise.

She says nothing. Just…breathes. Takes it in. Eyes wide, lips parted. Like she’s never seen anything so beautiful.

But I have.

It’s her. Standing in this wild, impossible place I built for her—goddess, ghost, myth come to life. Years of preparation, of constructing this sanctuary where I resolved we would be free of our family’s wretched affairs.

She does something to me I can’t name. I watch her the way poets watched the stars. And I feel it in my chest—the temptation, the addiction to this wondrous light.

The way the glow caresses her hips and the curve of her ass. The florid stripes on her back and thighs from my whip. The branded crown glimmering on her chest. The bruised halo of my handprint on her throat. My art.

She shifts slightly. It all captivates her. The curling vapors, the faint scent of cedarwood and mineral heat. But it’s her body I can’t stop watching.

I reach out, just to touch the small of her back, thumb brushing a raw whip line. She gasps. I don’t even press. Only trace. “You wear me so well,” I murmur, voice low, gritty. “I should mark you more. Until you forget what untouched feels like.”

She turns her head over her shoulder with eyes half-lidded. Heated amusement ripples through me and surges more blood to my cock. There’s that look again. That pure surrender, wrapped in heat and defiance.My undoing.

Her teary eyes meet mine. “It’s beautiful. Like something out of a dream.”

She’s too fixed on me to notice the new reflection slanting through the water. So, I bring my hand to her chin, gentle but claiming, and tilt her face skyward.

She gasps. I feel it like a second heartbeat in my chest.

Above us, the sky blooms in green fire. The first ribbons of the aurora shimmer into life, dancing above the open roof like celestial silk. Pale indigo ripples across the night sky, followed by a glimmering violet as pure and radiant as her eyes.

I lean down, brushing my lips to her temple. “Dream deeper,Moy Samotsvet.” My Jewel. My light. “The sky is burning for you. So am I.”

She melts back into me, unaware or unconcerned with my bulging cock. All I see is wonder pulsing through her eyes, and I swear the firmament above us envies her golden light.

After applying a new layer of salve, I slowly guide her toward the glowing water that waits to kiss every inch of her. The heat will help absorb the salve into her skin. She steps forward, the steam worshiping her skin. I don’t rush her.

I ease her into the spring, cradling her like she’s made of ice and glass.

Her breath hitches the moment the hot water touches the angry, red crown. She whimpers. “It stings.”

“It should,” I murmur, pulling her against my chest, water lapping at our waists. “That’s how you know it’s real.”

I feast on the sight of her as the shimmer dances across her skin. Such a resplendent tapestry of bruises, bites, and whip marks. My road map with the crown like an X marking the core of the treasure.

“You’re perfect like this,” I say, voice thick and hoarse. “Every mark, every inch. Mine.”

I don’t let her escape. I sit her on my lap and trace the outline of the crown. “No fabric on it for three nights. Only fire.Only me.”

“What? What am I supposed to do? Just go topless everywhere?”

I nip her ear, thrilling in her yelp. “Certainly not. Only in our suite.” A smile tugs at my mouth as I press a kiss beneath her jaw, slow and claiming. “I have some minor business to tend to this weekend. But otherwise, my time is yours.” Another kiss, lower now, and I chuckle deeply. “And I fully intend to spend it watching you—topless.”

“Ugh! You’re insane.”

“We already established I am impossible. Insane is not much of a stretch. Da, Valentina?”

She turns her chin to glare at me out of the corner of her eye. “And what about the rest of this night?”