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“I’m sorry,” I said quietly.
“It’s not your fault. None of this shit is your fault.” He grabbed me by the hips and dragged me to his chest. I realized he was hugging me a moment later than I should’ve, and wrapped my arms around him too.
I wasn’t sure we’d ever justhugged. Maybe when I was recovering from the Beast’s bite? I wasn’t sure. But honestly, it felt incredible. I could definitely get used to hugs.
“It’s going to be a long few hours.” His voice was weary.
“No one would expect you to go to a tavern to drink away your worries?”
“No. I only drink on eclipses, and only to dull the desire,” he rested his chin on the top of my head, holding me securely. “I usually just sit in here and pace, trying to work out a damn solution in my mind until I’m exhausted enough to collapse. Then I return the bodies to their loved ones, and I mourn with them.”
“You’re a good king,” I murmured.
“They’d flay me if I wasn’t.” His voice was tired. So damn tired.
He let go of me long enough to lead me out of the room with a hand on my back, and then dragged me into his arms again as he leaned up against the wall in the hallway. The space was empty, but I didn’t think he would’ve done anything different if it wasn’t.
“You’d probably enjoy the challenge if they tried to flay you,” I teased him lightly.
His lips curved upward slightly. “I suppose.”
“What do you do when you want to relax?”
“I read, remember?” He dragged a hand slowly over my back.
“What else?”
“I train a lot, though that feels nearly pointless without a battle in our future.”
I got the feeling those werereallythe only things he did for relaxation.
“Alright. Well… you have a pool here, don’t you? You mentioned that before, but I’ve never seen it.” He’d mentioned a library too, but I didn’t think books would be a good enough distraction at the moment.
“Yes.” His chest rumbled. “It’s a large hot spring the original king paid the elves to create a millennium ago, and the only source of warm water in the city. Most fae don’t enjoy the heat, so it’s rarely used.”
“Well,Iwould enjoy the heat. And maybe it would take your mind off everything while we wait?”
As the words slipped out, I found my cheeks warming a bit.
I’d asked him to do something with me, for what was probably the first time in the entire month and a half we’d known each other.
“I suppose it’s worth a try.” He let out a long sigh. “Alright. Let’s go to the pool.”
“You sound positively thrilled,” I teased him.
He chuckled and took my hand, sliding his fingers between mine without hesitation as he led me out of the room.
Chapter21
Nissa
Steam rose off the swirling water in the hot pool, and I stared at it in utter fascination. Something in the water foamed enough to cloud the surface completely, and it smelled strangely good. We hadn’t had anything like that in my town—just a small river off to one side.
The pool was in a massive room that also contained the training area, so when we’d walked in, I got an eyeful of gorgeous fae warriors fighting with weapons of ice.
“Why don’t you guys use your magic for anything other than weapons?”I asked Kierden, as I tugged my dress over my head. He took the fabric from me and folded it smoothly before setting it down on the side of the pool.
I couldn’t help but watch him as he took off his shorts and put them by my dress. He still had on the tight undershorts he always wore, but the view certainly didn’t disappoint.
