“Done,” I answered, giving him as much of a smile as I could manage right now. “I won’t fall under.”
He grabbed a loofah before dragging a stool over to sit next to me. Dipping it into the water, he began to wash each part of me, starting with my feet and calves despite there being no blood there. “Even if you did, I’d follow you under,” he murmured softly, not meeting my eyes as he kept his attention intently on his current task.
Be still my heart.
You don’t have a heart.
Semantics—I have yours.
Each stroke of the loofah against my skin sent tingles through me, the tender and light touches matching exactly who Andrei was. Life had forced him to create a tough exterior, but there was no doubt in my mind that he was the gentlest and kind mate I had.
He smiled to himself as he washed me, as if the mundane task brought him genuine happiness.
It does, baby girl. I’m so thankful to be here with you after what I did. I’m honored that you’re allowing me to take care of you while you’re hurt. I don’t take your forgiveness for granted.
My heart was bursting with affection for him, and once more, words fell from my mouth without thought. “I love you.”
Fear snaked up my throat after I’d uttered the words, the reminder of how he’d reacted last time still so prevalent in my mind.
He froze, and time seemed to stand still for a moment until he slowly turned his head in my direction. His Adam's apple bobbed as his bright green eyes glistened with unshed tears.
His voice cracked as he admitted, “I didn’t think I’d ever hear those words again from you, baby girl.”
And then he was at my side, leaning over the tub and gripping my face between his hands, consuming me in a kiss that I wished I could return with the same vigor. He pulled back far enough to be able to murmur, “I love you too.”
This. This was the response I’d wanted from him the first time. This was the memory I needed to replace the old one with, bringing my soul peace.
I half expected Dev to have a snarky comment about letting him back in so easily, but she remained quiet.
We fell into an easy silence as he finished washing my body before making quick progress rinsing my hair out. Thankfully, only the ends of my hair had blood in them since we couldn’t wash my entire head of hair in this position.
Before long, he had me tucked into bed—after ripping the bloodied comforter I’d laid on earlier off and replacing it with a soft, beige blanket. Leaning down to kiss my forehead, he sighed, “As much as I’ve loved this time with you to myself, the others want to check in on you now.”
I was shocked I hadn’t felt or heard them through our bonds already, but maybe they needed the space to process their emotions.
I nodded in understanding as the door opened to reveal Lincoln, worry lines etched between his eyebrows and on his forehead. His arms were full of blood bags, and after giving Andrei a nod as he left, he crossed to sit on the edge of the bed, dropping them onto the empty space next to me.
I waited for him to say something—anything—but his lips were pinched in a thin line as he began to feed me the bags. After I’d downed six bags, I’d had enough of the silent treatment.
“Are you mad at me?” I whispered as my eyes searched his face for any tell of how he was feeling past the silence. I was pleased to find it easier to speak now, my strength beginning to return.
His head snapped to me as his nostrils flared. “No, I’m not, Spitfire.”
My brow furrowed. “Then why haven’t you spoken at all yet?”
“I’m angry with myself,” he admitted, dropping his eyes to prepare another bag for me to drink from.
As he lifted it to my lips, his eyes finally settled on mine as he continued, “I lost myself in a bloodhaze when I saw you on the ground with a sword through your heart and a pool of blood surrounding you. Andrei was the first to react, and Drake shortly after, but it was like I lost myself in the fear of potentially losing the woman I love. All I saw was an image of what you would have looked like dead if you were a human still. I didn’t understand what had happened—didn’t want to hear it when Lo explained it.”
Not falling in love with, but the woman he loves.
Happiness exploded in my chest.
Oh, Lincoln. The broody professor who stole my heart the second he walked into Estrid’s office. The man who drove me fucking crazy but also pushed me to be better as I did the same for him. The man who patiently waited for me to tell him about my past, never pushing when I made my boundaries clear. The man who’d held me in the shower while I sobbed over feeling like I’d never be able to complete my blood oath with Dracula as my mate.
The man I loved.
Inching my hand toward him, I brushed my fingers on top of his hand. “I’m sorry I scared you like that, but it was something I had to do.”
