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Two days later, Esta was eating more and much stronger. She had conned Emric into reading out loud to her to pass the time. Malachi and Amory checked in often.
“Today you finally get to be rid of us,” Emric told Esta. “Go back to your own room.”
“What if I can’t fall asleep without your reading though?” she asked.
“Ring for us,” Emric laughed.
“I like your reading voice better than your incessant sea shanty singing,” I joked. “At the very least, you could learn another one.”
“I’ll teach him one,” Esta promised, likely knowing it would irk me.
A knock on the door sounded. I moved to open it, finding Archer and John with buckets of water.
“I have never been so excited to see water in my life,” Esta said excitedly from where she sat at the bed. “But why aren’t they steaming?”
I waved my fingers, allowing my magic to light them. “Because we warm it ourselves.”
John dropped his buckets and pulled four bottles from his jacket. “Amory sent these. Said she wasn’t sure which you’d like.” He also put down the clothes he had draped across his arms. “And these as well.”
“We will leave you to it,” Archer said with a bow. They had given Esta plenty of space the past few days. Other than Dex and Miles checking in, I had barely seen them at all. But I knew John. It wasn’t like him to be idle. I knew he was continuing to work on our traitor issue.
I moved for a bucket to dump, Emric grabbing one as well.
“So how hot would you like it, Your Grace?” I asked from the bathroom. “Scalding or just moderately warm?”
She didn’t answer, and I found her sitting there with the oddest look on her face.
“What?”
“You are pouring my bath water for me?” she asked.
“Yes?”
“You’re a prince.”
“And you’re a queen.”
She shook her head. “You act nothing like the royal snob I presumed you to be.”
“And you are a far cry from the evil tyrant I presumedyouto be. Now. Scalding or just moderately warm?”
“Moderately warm,” she decided. “I’m not used to this skin. And... feeling everything yet.”
I gave her a nod. “Done. And if the water gets too cool, just let me know, I’ll send my magic in to warm it back up.”
She cocked her head. “Can you use your magic on me right now? I want to know what it feels like in this form.”
I grinned. “Are you sure that is what you want when you are getting used to feeling things in your human skin?”
Emric choked on a laugh which only had me grinning wider.
“What am I missing?” she demanded, looking from one of us to the other.
“We can, uh,” he paused as if searching for the right words, “use our magic in aflirtatiousmanner. Send a breeze along the skin, a thread of warmth. That sort of thing.”
She rolled her eyes. “Color me surprised.”
I laughed freely, giving my head a shake.
