Page 29 of Sleeping Redemption

“I used it as part of my costume! It was a big hit!” she shouted from the closet.

Great, her life was at risk, but she had a Best Costume award to show for it.

A knee-high black leather boot came flying out of the closet landing a few feet away from me.

“God help me,” I muttered.

She squealed in excitement from beyond the closet door.

Please tell me we had diverted a major disaster. “Find it?” Hope hung on my words.

“The sword?” she called out.

No, the fucking Nobel Peace Prize.

Kinley popped her head into view around the entrance of the walk-in. “No, but I found the missing pair to my favorite earrings.” With a delighted smile, she held up a slender gold hoop earring before disappearing back into the space.

I waited there several more minutes, brooding in silence and wondering if this wasn’t a test of my patience. The rummaging and moving of stuff from inside the closet began to slow from a frantic pace to a more measured moving of items.

“Oh! Maybe I left it in my bathroom? Sylas, can you go take a look for me?” Kinley kindly asked as she made a grunt before a thud of what sounded like a heavy box or piece of luggage hit the floor.

“Sure.” Why the hell she would bring her Divinity Sword into the bathroom was beyond me, but it gave me something to do other than stand here and stew in my aggravations.

I trucked over to the only other door in her bedroom, situated opposite from where her bed was located. Rotating the crystal knob, I swung the door open.

Initially, I was greeted with a similar color scheme as the bedroom. Lush whites and creams with hints of gold glimmered throughout the lush master bathroom. Scented oils and salts filled the air, and…cigar smoke?

My eyes scanned the expansive area as I stepped inside, and just beyond the large glass-cased shower there was a massive white tub—occupied.

Rook lifted his head from its tipped-back position as he looked over at me from inside the tub. A roguish smile crossed his lips with the lit cigar pinned between his teeth. A battered and half-squashed top hat perched precariously on his head, slightly askew on top of his raven hair. Lodged in the crease of the hat’s brim sat a goddamn rubber ducky. I shit you not.

An obscene mountain of bubbles filled the tub and spilled over the sides in a thick blanket onto the white tiled floor. Never had I been more grateful for the soapy mess keeping the remainder of him out of sight.

“‘ello, mate!” he greeted me, his words slightly garbled over the cigar hanging from his mouth. Plucking the stogie from between his lips, he pushed against the edges of the tub to stand.

Lifting a hand, I shook my head. “Please, for the love of God, don’t get up.”

With a shrug of his eyebrows, he lowered himself back down into the water.

“What are you doing here?” I asked while trying to look through any of the areas Kinley could have stashed her sword away. A nearly three-foot-long weapon can only be hidden in so many places.

With his British accent tainting his words, he responded, “Self-care. You should give it a go sometime.”

I rolled my eyes as I moved a stack of towels, still not having any luck finding what I came in here for.

Kinley came into the doorway, leaning in. “Any luck?”

I shook my head.

“What are you looking for, love?” Rook perked his pierced eyebrow at her.

She sighed, the first hint of defeat in her words. “My sword.”

Rook grinned and looked down into the water. “I’ve got it right here.”

A soft giggle came from her. “I meant, my metal one.”

“Same answer, love.” Rook winked at her.