“Stay where you are.”
I hesitate only for a second before slowly lowering myself back down into the water.
“Am I not allowed to sleep now?”
“No, not until I say so.”
“Why?” I ask, my eyes narrowing at him.
“Because I said so,” Dante growls, closing his eyes as he leans back again.
“Oh, so this is just one of your stupid obedience things?”
Dante sits up, dropping his chin to give me a look that makes me wishing I could take back every word.
“What did you say?”
“N-nothing.”
“That’s what I thought, now come here.”
I move slightly closer.
“On your knees, now,” Dante growls pointing in front of him.
I drop down onto the lower level, my knees hitting the bottom of the tub. Leaning forward, Dante drags me closer so that I’m kneeling between his legs before leaning back again.
“Do you remember anything about last night yet?”
I frown up at him.
“Why do you keep asking me that?”
“Just answer the question, Evi.”
I close my eyes as I try to remember, but again, I shake my head.
“No.”
Dante exhales in frustration.
“Very well, then we’ll be staying here until you do. The wet heat will help purge any traces of the venom from your system.” I open my mouth to ask another question, but Dante holds up a heavily ringed hand to silence me. “No, it would have killed you if we tried bathing earlier.”
I bite my lip, trying to look anywhere but at the naked man sitting in front of me.
“Is there a way to speed things up?” I finally ask.
“You can submerge yourself beneath the water, but you should stay under for as long as possible … and it won’t be easy.”
I search his face, but he appears to be completely serious about this.
“Okay.”
Taking a deep breath and closing my eyes, I sink beneath the surface of the water. Almost immediately, I struggle to maintain control of my body as it tries to force me to resurface.
The exertion required to keep me underwater has me losing oxygen far faster than I should. I’ve barely been submerged more than a few seconds, and my lungs are already screaming for me to fill them with fresh air.
Bubbles stream from my nose and mouth, and I move to surface just as a pair of hands grab my waist. More bubbles burst out of me in fear as I’m pulled down to the bottom of the bath.