The sun disappeared, denoting the midnight hour, the only indication of how many hours had passed us by.
But I refused to stop until I had her back.
I should have killed him, I thought, not for the first time.
Allowing her to go through this under the guise of not being ready no longer felt adequate. Surely I could kill Necros if I caught him off guard. Yes, he still possessed some supernatural energy—as he’d demonstrated on Gareth the other day—but I was the Shadow King.
I sighed. It would be a fair fight. I knew that. But what if I lost?
Lux was adamant that I needed Valora to defeat Necros. The prophecy says, I parroted, thinking of her teaching tone.
What if you’re wrong? I wondered. What if I can do this on my own?
Do what? a soft voice whispered.
It took me a moment to realize the source. I tugged Valora’s head back to find her gorgeous eyes focused and very much alive. “How long have you been awake?” I demanded, alarmed that I hadn’t felt her stir.
“Since you refilled the bathtub,” she replied, the strength in her voice proving her words. No raspy quality like she’d just woken up, but the tone of a woman mostly healed. “I don’t know how long ago that was, but it’s getting cold again.”
I reached around her to pull the drain, then held her as the water began to gurgle in its descent.
How do you feel? I asked, drawing my thumb up and down her now-smooth arm.
Hungry, she replied. And cold.
As soon as the last of the water disappeared, I refilled the tub with warmer water than before, which caused her to sigh back against me.
If she noticed we were both naked, she didn’t react.
Instead, she seemed almost content.
Until some thought reached her mind and she jolted, jumping straight out of the tub and out the bathroom door.
“Valora!” I called, chasing after her as she bolted toward the exit of the room. She frantically tried to unfasten the bolts, her movements and eyes wild. “You’re safe, Valora. You’re safe. Calm down. I’m not going—”
“Zaya!” she yelled, her nails breaking as she futilely tried to fight the locks on the door.
Oh. Understanding smacked me in the face.
No, that was her fist.
She fought me in earnest, demanding I open the door, then turned and bolted toward the corner chair in search of what she knew was a secret passageway behind it.
I caught her by the hips and yanked her backward. If she ran now, we’d both be fucked. Because Necros would know immediately that I’d healed her even though she clearly had a long way to go.
I allowed her to scream as I pulled her toward the bed, knowing that if anyone heard her, they would just assume I was doing my job.
“Let go of me!” she demanded as I pinned her to the mattress, my lips falling to her ear as she fought for dear life beneath me.
“Zaya is safe,” I whispered.
She didn’t hear me, too caught up in her need to fight and flee.
The water clinging to our skin had us slipping against each other, which placed my hardening cock at a very precarious point of her as I pinned her yet again with my hips.
“Valora,” I growled, needing her to focus.
But she was wild in her need. Her limbs wrapped around my waist, her heels trying to kick me in one of the worst places.