My forehead prickles, and a bead of sweat trickles down the side of my face. My rocking motions turn sharp and desperate, sending water sloshing over the side of the bath.
Tanith draws the curtain, rolling linen sleeves to her elbows. She doesn’t seem to hold my previous behavior against me, and I no longer want to grip her by that glossy, chestnut hair and snarl in her face until she folds with submission. Thankfully.
Without her, I’m not sure how I would have survived the last three days.
“Warming up again?”
“Mmmhmm.”
She hefts a black bucket off the ground, cheeks reddening as she tips it over the edge. I watch the waterfall of ice tumble into my tub, those thick shards shrinking the moment they pierce the steaming surface.
Ice has nothing on this fire in my veins.
“Would you like me to scrub your back?” she asks, placing the bucket down and tucking a few loose strands of hair behind her ears. She smiles, her pretty brown eyes warm pools against her tawny skin.
“Thanks for the offer, but not right now,” I murmur, empathizing with my sacrificial ice. Those shards shrink, giving everything of themselves until there’s nothing left to give.
But my fire continues to take and take andtake.
Tanith dribbles more oil into the water and the sharp, spicy smell of bergamot perfumes the air—a robust scent supposed to aid in masking the potent bouquet of my heat.
Too bad it’s not all that effective.
I can still scent my desire to be filled. It’s a floral musk—like a field of roses in full bloom—and it’s mortifying.
“There’s a fresh robe laid out on the bed,” Tanith informs me as she retrieves the empty bucket with one hand, the other notched on her hip. “Hopefully this lot of ice cools you down enough that you can finally get some sleep.”
“Maybe ...”
She crouches next to the bath, looking at me with big, empathetic eyes. “I know it’s rough, but I promise it gets better. Once the fever breaks, you’ll feel like you own your body again. You just have to get through these next couple of days.”
“That feels impossible right now,” I admit, hating the lusty tone of my voice. It doesn’t matter that I’m speaking to my handmaiden—every word that’s come out of me since my heat struck has sounded like a proposition.
“I know. Look, I’ll let you get some peace,” she says, pushing to her feet. “Unless there’s anything else, I’ll return in a few hours to collect your goblet and deliver your evening meal.”
Actually ...
I sit a little straighter, movements suspended. “You haven’t seen any bluebells around, have you? I need more blue paint to finish my rock. If I can’t sleep tonight, it’d be nice to have somethingelseto focus on.” To be fair, having the stems handy in case I manage to collect every other ingredient required to make more Exothryl would be a convenient bonus.
Tanith shakes her head. “I heard the gardeners complaining about the frost killing them all this year. But there could be some in the greenhouse?”
I deflate, chin resting on my knees as I jerk back into motion, sending more water splashing over the edge. “I’ve already cleared it out. Never mind.”
She gives an apologetic smile, lays another towel on the ground to sponge up the overflow, then leaves, my door closing behind her with a jarring clunk.
My spine stiffens, attention spikes, body stills.
The sound reminds my restless soul that there is a door. I’m not locked in.
... I canwander.
I’m not sure where I’ll go. I just know I don’t want to behere.
My hands dart out and I cling to the edge of the bath, white-knuckled, teeth gritted, muscles triggered tomove.
I shouldn’t. I know I shouldn’t. My heart is telling me I shouldn’t ...
But other parts of me disagree, and right now, those parts have a stronger sway.
