As did Shade.
“How are you feeling?” he asked Aflora after several minutes of soft silence.
She didn’t answer for a moment, her focus on stretching her legs and arms once more as she languidly lounged against him. “Relaxed,” she said. “Used, in a good way. Sore.”
I set the comb down and picked up some body wash that Shade had procured. It would dissolve into the bath, but with the way the jets seemed to work, it’d cycle through and replenish with clean water.
Aflora allowed me to run the soap over her arms and along her torso, down to her legs. It wasn’t as precise as a shower, but it worked, and it gave me an excuse to check her thoroughly for bruising and any pain points.
She didn’t flinch at all, her body seeming to be utterly relaxed between us.
I sensed her reaching out to check on Zeph and Zakkai, her lips curling slightly at finding them passed out.
Well, I assumed they were both asleep anyway because I could sense Zeph resting contentedly. He and Zakkai had been in charge of most of Aflora’s physical training, leaving both males more exhausted than me and Shade.
I’d led more of the open dialogue on what Constantine might plan, providing as much background and detail of my own trials as possible. I also instructed her on how to listen to the source, something she seemed to be doing more and more. Today’s episode was certainly proof of that, or at least it’d been the first time I’d seen her accept power directly from the source itself.
Shade assisted her in other ways, mostly teaching her escape mechanisms and helping her to master shadowing.
He kissed her cheek as she moved off of his lap to sit between us. Then she sighed as her head fell back. “This bathtub is better than spritemead.”
I chuckled at her drunk-like comment.
Shade merely smiled. “Glad you approve, little rose.”
“Definitely approve,” she murmured, her legs lifting to kick slightly. “This has to be a Water Fae’s wet dream.” She snorted a laugh at her own joke, then covered her mouth with a giggle.
“I’ll have to send Cyrus notes,” I drawled. The Water Fae King would certainly enjoy playing in a tub like this. Although, I suspected he already had one.
Aflora giggled again, then slipped off her bench with a true laugh. Shade grabbed her arm to pull her back up onto the seat between us and she shook out her wet hair with a happy sound that made my lips curl.
“You’re quite fun while drunk on sex,” I informed her, my palm going to her thigh to hold her in place beside me.
She stilled. Then her hand went to mine to draw it higher. I glanced sideways at her, grinning when I found her peeking at me through a curtain of dark, damp strands. Her pupils were blown wide, her plump lips begging to be kissed.
Even after all that she’d been through with Zakkai and Zeph, she still craved more.
That was what the Dark Source could do—it revitalized and recharged, providing ample energy to the one wielding the direct link. And she had the Earth Source inside her, too.
I cupped her tenderly between her legs, watching her expression as I drew my finger through her slit. She rested against me in response, her eyes closing.
Is she swollen? Shade asked, his icy gaze locked on her face.
I dipped a finger inside her and shook my head. No, she feels like she always does. Wet and ready. I leaned in to kiss her mouth, wanting to taste her. She opened for me, her tongue dancing with mine as I stroked her beneath the water.
Her hand rested on my wrist, her nails digging into my skin to encourage my movements. Then she released me and reached for Shade, pulling him to her and kissing him thoroughly.
He languidly indulged her, his palm on her thigh in a similar location to mine moments ago.
I nibbled her neck, my tongue skimming her pulse. It was steady and slow, her movements relaxed.
After her fevered experience with Zakkai and Zeph, it was clear she wanted something a little less hectic. Something more tender and sensual, and Shade and I were more than willing to give her that.
Whatever she wanted or needed, we’d provide.
Even if it was just holding her while she slept.
She shifted away from me to straddle Shade, her arms circling his neck as she continued to engage him in a tender kiss. Not hot or intense, just filled with emotion and love. I felt the emotions thriving through our bond, her contentment to just exist and hold him, her gratitude over everything he’d sacrificed, and her desire to worship him the way he always worshipped her.