He exhaled shakily, dropping his forehead to the rim of the tub for half a second, just long enough to pull himself back from the edge ofpanic.
I can’t deny it. I was afraid. For a moment, she looked so still, just like before.
Her chest was moving.
A breath. Then another.
But also—
The black veins.
Still there.
No longer stretching in wild, spidery chaos. But not gone either. Faded dark lines swirling beneath her skin like ink bleeding through parchment, concentrated just beneath her collarbone and trailing like frost toward her ribs.
“Why didn’t you just call for me?” he whispered. “You know I’m here.”
He reached into the water, supporting her back, her shoulders, guiding her upright inch by inch.
She groaned.
A little sigh of protest.
“So warm…”
He exhaled hard. A half-laugh, half-relieved sound that cracked through the quiet. Everything in his chest collapsed and rebuilt in the space of a heartbeat.
Not Depleted. Just sleeping. Just tired.
“You can’t fall asleep in the bath, starlight.” His voice was strained.
He pressed a kiss—tender, desperate—to her crown.
“I should scold you,” he whispered.
Later.
When he regained some measure of control.
He slid an arm beneath her shoulders, careful not to jostle her. The water sloshed—her head rested against his chest, silver hair clinging to her collarbones like ribbons. She murmured something against his skin. Soft. Unformed.
He reached for a towel. Dried her with gentle motions; not rushed, not hesitant. Justthere. Fully, whollypresent. When done, he nestled her closer. Her cheek pressed to his chest. Her breath warmed the hollow beneath his throat.
He carried her to the cot. Sat with her in his lap.
She’s yours, Resh.Zarrek’s voice echoed in his thoughts.
He shook his head.
Not mine to be kept. Or contained.But how do I protect her without caging her?
“Kailorien?”
Her voice was quiet. Soft. Still half-asleep.
“I’m here,” he murmured, pressing his lips to her temple.
The softest inhale, followed by another muffled groan as her body shifted within the towel. She blinked like she was surfacing from the bottom of a lake. Her eyes found his, still hazy, still struggling to focus. But she smiled. A curl of soft lips that made something deep inside himsnap.
