“Whatever you want, changeling.”
11
AVA
We faced away from one another, and I reached down for the hem of my dress. The green material was beyond filthy at this point. Even though I’d already been naked around Torin all the way here, it felt very different now in the calm and quiet of the house. And when I pulled the dress off, I was acutely aware of every inch of my bare skin. The hearth warmed one side of my body, and I glanced behind me at the tub.
“No looking,” I said, more of a reminder to myself than to him.
“That will make it difficult to get in the tub,” he said quietly.
Behind me, I heard the rustle of his clothes as he undressed. An unbidden image of Torin naked rose in my thoughts, and I imagined every sculpted, iron-hard curve of his muscles.
It really was difficult to find the tub without looking, so I stole a glance over my shoulder at the tub. Awkwardly, I climbed back over the rim, mentally congratulating myself for getting the temperature exactly right—hot enough to turn my skin pink, but not hot enough to blister. I slid down, sitting cross-legged in the water.
I heard Torin slip into the bath behind me and the sharp intake of his breath. The water rose higher, and the steaming water lapped at my skin above my breasts.
“Gods, Ava. Are you trying to boil us alive? Is this hell?”
“Do your subjects know you’re such a delicate flower?” My muscles relaxed, and I folded my arms over the edge. I should be actively washing my hair and body, but I just wanted to let myself melt. And I was intensely distracted by the fact that Torin was crammed into the tub close to me, trying very carefully to keep his body from touching mine.
Next to the tub, I’d piled neatly folded clothes—trousers, boots, and clean white shirts that I’d found tucked away in a wardrobe. My gaze skimmed over the garments and back to the Seelie king. From the corner of my eye, I glimpsed a warrior’s body, the dark tattoos that climbed vine-like over his finely cut muscles. His shoulders flexed, and shadows and firelight sculpted the chiseled contours of his back. I let my gaze trail over the angry plum-colored bruises on his spine, fury curling through my chest. Morgant had really done a number on him.
Sighing, Torin leaned forward, his arms folded over the front of the tub as mine had been moments before. The heated water was a balm for aching muscles, and the sultry air was soothing to the lungs.
Maybe it was the excruciating, heartbreaking loneliness of that time spent in the cell, but I had a hard time tearing my eyes away from him.
With the scent of roasting meat and rosemary wafting over me, I found my primal desires were getting confused. Did I want to care for him, devour him, or straddle him? I was no longer sure.
Maybe some combination of all three.
He caught me watching him, and my cheeks burned,
“Ava,” he said softly, “I thought we were supposed to be facing away from each other.”
I turned sharply, my cheeks flaming. “You wouldn’t have known I was looking if you hadn’t looked.” Did I sound childish? Maybe.
Behind me, I heard the sound of water rushing off Torin’s body into the bath as he washed himself, then his feet on the wood floor. I felt a twinge of disappointment, but I didn’t want to leave the water. This bath right here was heaven.
I kept my eyes firmly locked on the floor while he dressed.
A minute later, Torin knelt next to the fire. The clean white shirt I’d found stretched over his muscles, several sizes too small, as he turned the pheasant on its spit.
My mouth watered, my stomach hollowed out with intense hunger. “The pheasant must be done by now?”
I honestly would have eaten it raw. Completely raw.
Another rotation of the spit. “Not quite yet. We haven’t eaten in days, so we might as well make it a good one.”
“If you make me wait any longer, I could end up cannibalizing you. I think I’m getting in touch with my demon side here, Torin.”
“Sounds strangely tempting.” His eyes glinted as he turned to look at me. “I suppose I could give you a few of the berries, but the rest I’m using in a port sauce—”
I flashed my canines at him. “I will start with your shoulders, Torin, tearing out chunks of your beautiful muscles with my teeth.”
A smile flickered over his lips, and he stood. “Not long ago, you were fretting about the state of my feet. Now you want to eat me alive.” He handed me a small wooden bowl with purple berries.
“I contain multitudes.” I popped a berry in my mouth and bit into it. Heaven. Had I ever tasted anything so sweet? “I’d share these with you, but I’m afraid the Seelie and Unseelie are ancient enemies.”