Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 130619 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 653(@200wpm)___ 522(@250wpm)___ 435(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130619 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 653(@200wpm)___ 522(@250wpm)___ 435(@300wpm)
“I don’t agree, but that’s a conversation for after you heal. We need to get you in the tub.”
I don’t miss his avoidance of the topic of the serpent. “I can do it.”
“I’m staying.” There’s no give to his voice. He’s made up his mind.
The truth is, I don’t want him to leave. “You have to turn your back.”
“I’ll turn my back.”
“You have to let go of me to do that.”
“I’m afraid you’ll fall.”
“I’m feeling stronger.”
He draws in a heavy breath and releases it. “Lean on the edge.”
I do as he says and lean against the edge of the clawfoot tub. Once he knows I’m steady, he turns around. I try to use my magic to undress, and it just doesn’t happen. What is wrong with me? I try to undress the human way, but I still hurt too badly.
“I don’t suppose you can use your magic to undress me? I don’t seem to have the ability right now.”
“I can,” he says. “Ready?”
“Yes. Do it.”
I blink, and I’m naked, which feels ridiculously intimate considering he used his magic, not his hands. “That must be a skill Nephilim love to possess.”
He laughs low and deep. “It’s not a negative. Are you in the water?”
“Not yet.” I rotate to the tub, and right as I’m about to step in, my knee gives out.
I yelp, and Micah is there, his arms wrapped around me, and I’m pretty sure one of my nipples is pressed to his forearm. “Micah,” I breathe out.
“I’m not looking.” He leans in close, his breath warm on my ear. “I’m also not letting you fall.” He scoops me up again and sets me in the water, my naked breasts between us in the process, but the bubbles consume my body, and the warm water is sweet bliss that has me moaning, my lashes lowering.
“Oh, God. It feels good.” My teeth scrape my lips, and my lashes lift to find Micah sitting on a stool of some sort right next to me, but there are so many bubbles, I’m hidden from his view. “I’m trying not to think about being naked in your arms.”
“I’m trying not to think about you naked in my arms.”
“Thank you for being here.”
“You don’t have to thank me.”
“I do,” I say softly. “Please don’t get mad at Silas. He did what I asked, and you should check on him, too. I cut him across the chest. It was kind of bad. I didn’t mean to, but I’m not as masterful with a sword as we might all prefer.”
“Silas can handle himself, and I’m not sorry that you made him feel pain. Shut your eyes and just rest a little bit, let the hot water work. There’s some soto nectar in the bubbles, too.”
“Why can’t I use my magic?”
“When we rapid-heal, our bodies put the energy toward that process. Once I gave you the soto, that process started. Stop being stubborn. Shut your eyes.”
“I’m afraid I’ll fall asleep.”
“I’ll wake you up,” he promises.
“You’re just going to sit there and stare at me?”
“With great pleasure.”
The warmth that spreads through me has nothing to do with the water. It’s all him. I let my lashes flutter and lower, allowing the water and soto to seep through my body. And I drift in and out of slumber. In one of my darkness moments, he comes to me. The man with the red wings spread wide, thick feathers outlined in black. “Where do you belong?” I swear he leans into my ear and whispers.
I gasp and open my eyes to find Micah leaning over me. “Can you stand?”
The aches in my body have faded, and I whisper, “I think so,” but my hand comes down on his face. “Micah,” I whisper.
“What is it, sweetheart?”
“This is where I belong, right?”
“Yes, Ember. This is absolutely where you belong.”
“It’s my home?”
“It’s your home.” He eases back and produces a giant towel he holds open wide. “Let me know if you feel unsteady.”
I nod and ease out of the tub, greatly improved. “I’m good,” I say, and I push to my feet, wrapping the towel around myself, but before I can even attempt to step out, Micah hauls me into his arms and sets me on the floor.
Once he’s certain I’m standing on my own two feet, he produces a silk robe and drapes it around me. “Put your arms in,” he orders softly, and he’s so close, the comforting warmth of the water replaced by the burn of his nearness. I slide my arms inside and let the towel fall away, and for a moment, I’m naked between us, but something about the way that winged man asked me, “Where do you belong?” rings like a warning.
Micah ties the robe in place for me. “Better?” he asks.
“Yes,” I say, always better when I’m with him, but I’m not sure the same is true of him, even if he thinks otherwise.