Lexi could only nod in agreement. She was far too sated after the events of earlier to speak right now. A bath sounded good, but she also wouldn’t mind going back to sleep.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t do that. They had far too much to do for that to be an option.
Sunlight streamed around the edges of the drawn curtains as dawn gave way to early morning. Outside, the jingle of horse harnesses and bridles filled the air as travelers left the inn in a cart. The wheels of the cart rattled over the dirt road.
Along the hall, a door opened and closed. The thudding footsteps of guests heading toward the stairs followed it.
As quiet descended, so did all the responsibilities she and Cole had to handle. They had to return to the human realm and the manor soon to learn how everything was going with Sahira and the others. Had her aunt already cast the spell?
She was both eager to see how it would go and dreaded it. If the spell worked, then Cole would have to face the Lord again soon. She suppressed a shiver.
Cole kissed her forehead before sliding out from under her. Since she wasn’t going to find the sleep she so desperately craved anytime soon, Lexi pushed herself up on the bed.
She stifled a yawn as he gathered his clothes from where he’d left them on the wooden rocking chair in the corner. As he walked, the ciphers he’d revealed to her vanished until all that remained were the ones he allowed the world to see.
She missed seeing them but understood why he hid them. He was already a big enough target without all their countless enemies realizing how much power he truly contained. Many would find taking him down to be an enticing challenge.
The thick muscles in his thighs flexed as he pulled on his brown pants. He tugged on his socks before shoving his feet into his boots.
When he pulled the tunic over his head, she sighed in disappointment and hugged her legs to her chest. The smile tugging at the corner of his lips revealed he’d heard her as he slipped his father’s sword onto his back.
He walked over to the bed, planted his hands on the mattress, and leaned down to kiss her. “I have to talk to the men, but I’ll be back with some food soon.”
“I’ll be here.”
When he opened the door, voices and the clattering of dishes and pans drifted into the room. The closing of the door drowned out most of the noise, but some still seeped through the thick wood.
The key clicked as it turned in the lock, but another one sat on top of the dresser. Her gaze traveled over the empty dark, wood walls. Besides the bed and the chair, a dresser was the only other piece of furniture in the room.
Despite its barren appearance, the comfort of the mattress, the fluffy pillows, the baby blue curtains surrounding the windows, and the periwinkle blue comforter made the room cozy. Tossing aside the blanket, she revealed the white sheets beneath. They were the softest she’d ever slept on.
They may not be much for decorating in Underhill, but they were all about comfort, as emphasized by the bathroom she padded into. She’d used it briefly last night, but her eyes hadn’t been open enough to notice the gold faucets in the sink and shower, the gleaming white surfaces, and the large tub that might be big enough for herandCole.
She turned on the water in the tub and added some of the deliciously scented bubble bath. Bubbles rose to fill the surface as she returned to the sink. She studied her reflection in the mirror, searching for any sign the potion was wearing off and she was changing.
She looked the same as yesterday, except the shadows under her eyes were a little darker. Her fangs were the same, as was her eye color and everything else about her.
Still, she leaned closer and turned her head back and forth as she searched for something…anythingthat may prove what her dad and Sahira said was true.
If she was different, then she couldn’t tell. She wasn’t sure if this relieved or disappointed her.
She lifted one of the two toothbrushes from the sink, opened the silver wrapping around it, and put on a small dab of toothpaste from the bottle beside it. The toothbrush was made of smooth wood, and she wasn’t sure what the bristles were, but it felt fantastic to scrub her teeth.
When she finished, she turned off the water in the tub and climbed into it. The warm water helped ease some of the lingering soreness from her muscles, and she was sure that whatever was in the bubble bath helped too. She used a small, yellow, unbelievably soft cloth to clean her skin before washing her hair and shaving.
The water was starting to cool by the time she climbed out, enveloped herself in a plush towel, and left the bathroom. Her feet were noiseless against the wooden floor as she strode over to the window. She pulled aside a corner of a curtain to peer at the yard below.
Saddled horses were tied to the posts in front of the inn. They munched on the lush grass beneath their feet while wild horses grazed on the land in the meadow beyond. She was glad to see they’d returned after hiding from the dragon.
She heard voices outside but didn’t see anyone. Lexi was about to let the curtain fall back into place but froze when she saw her fingertips.
In the rays of the sun spilling across them, little currents of what looked like golden electricity danced across her fingers. The breath she didn’t realize she was holding started to burn in her lungs, and she released it on a loud “puh.”
That golden light illuminated the curtain, and she managed to react enough to release it before she set it on fire. Lifting her hand before her, she studied it as the rays fell over her hand and down her forearm.
The golden light continued to emanate from her fingers, but she realized it wasn’t like electricity; instead, it was an actual light radiatingoutof her. When she touched the tips of her fingers to her other arm, she didn’t get a zap as she would from electricity.
It didn’t hurt at all.
