“He has to actually touch it.” Paxton shook his head as if I’d suggested something ridiculous. “I don’t know what he’s doing.”
“Well, then, that makes two of us,” I said.
Nyktos closed the doors and faced us, drawing his lower lip between his teeth, showing just a hint of fang. “Pax, why don’t you go see if Nektas has returned?”
“Will he have Jadis with him?” the boy asked, his chin jerking up and eyes aglow with excitement.
“He should. And I’m sure he could use your help keeping her entertained.”
“Awesome.” Pax wheeled around and shuffled toward the door. He stopped suddenly, hastily bowing at the waist. “Good day, Your Highnesses.”
“Bye,” I murmured, thoroughly confused by…well, just about everything.
“He’s not really going to be of any help to Nektas,” Nyktos said after Pax had disappeared into the hall. “He’s just going to join Jadis in whatever trouble she gets herself into, and then together, they will likely terrorize Reaver.”
I turned to Nyktos, discovering that he’d moved closer in that silent way of his. A long moment passed as he studied me. The silence and the intensity of his stare got to me. I cleared my throat. “Did you…finish training with your guards?” I asked, which was an asinine question since he was standing in front of me.
“I did.” His gaze finally left mine. “Wait here. This will take a couple of minutes, but I will be back.”
I nodded, and it was only when he walked out my doors that I wondered why he hadn’t used the door that adjoined our chambers.
Then I remembered. The door was obviously locked from his side, remaining only unlocked when he saw fit. Then again, if he could truly heat water with his fingers and had a warhorse living in his cuff, he could probably unlock the door with a thought.
Sighing, I returned to the chaise and sat. A little achy from handling the sword, I closed my eyes. I had no idea how much time passed, but it was more than a few minutes when the adjoining door opened, startling me.
Nyktos stood there, all softness gone from his features. The now-familiar hardness had settled into the set of his jaw, and his eyes had cooled. He hadn’t even looked that cold—that detached—when I’d cut his arm or held the dagger to his throat only an hour or so ago. “Come.” He held the door open. “I have something for you.”
“Uh…” I rose slowly, peering into the darkness of his private quarters. “You sure about that?”
“I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t.” He waited. “Are you coming?”
Too curious for my own good, I got my legs moving and quietly followed him into his chambers and past the unmade bed. He went to where I knew his bathing chamber was located and pushed open the door to the softly lit space.
“You want to show me your bathing chamber?” My steps slowed.
“Not exactly,” he replied, looking back at me. “You can come closer.”
The stone floors were cool against my bare feet as I crept forward, feeling out of sorts as I stopped beside him. I had only caught a glimpse of this space before, when he had been standing at the vanity cleaning up the blood from when the dakkais attacked. There was another door straight across, but I had no idea what it led to. The space was like everything else about him—bare except for a few bottles lined up neatly on a shelf above the vanity and the—
My eyes went wide. I’d only seen a hint of the tub before, but now I saw that it was at least three times the size of the one in my bathing chamber, with a wide enough ledge to sit upon. Big enough for several people. Maybe even a small draken. Made sense. Nyktos was a large man, but the tub was…
It was full of steaming water and frothy bubbles, and my chest constricted. It had nothing to do with breathing. This was what had taken him so long.
“Baines said that he didn’t think you were making use of the bath in your chambers,” he stated, and I felt my skin start to warm. “It should’ve occurred to me that bathing in the chamber where you were attacked would be less than appealing.”
“I haven’t—” Whatever lie I had been about to tell got caught on the knot forming in my throat. I stared at the wisps of steam rising from the tub, my eyes blurring.
“You will be safe here,” Nyktos told me, his tone softening, and a faint shudder rolled through me. “I will make sure of it.”
I couldn’t speak. Not yet. My mouth was clamped shut so tightly that my jaw was beginning to ache. This was…this was an incredibly thoughtful gesture. I wiped my suddenly damp palms against my hips. It was too thoughtful.
“Sera?”
I inhaled deeply through my nose. “You didn’t have to do this.”
“Yes, I did.”
“No.” I shook my head. “I…I don’t deserve this.”