“Cat?”
At the sound of Griffin’s deep voice, my heart thumps hard against my ribs, proving it still works. “You’re alive,” I murmur.
“You don’t sound disappointed,” he gently teases. “I must be moving up in your esteem.”
I feel his body behind mine, and water lapping at my skin. I want to turn in his arms, but my limbs won’t obey. “Where are we?”
“Ios’s bathhouse.”
“What’s wrong with me? I can’t move, or see.”
He doesn’t answer right away, and worry starts like an itch, spreading. “I think you gave too much to save me. I woke up to a great clap of thunder, perfectly healed. Even my old scars were gone.”
Really? I’ll miss the one over his eye. “I thought you needed improvement.”
His soft chuckle rumbles through me. His arms tighten, sliding me up his chest.
“Am I naked?” I don’t feel any clothes.
“Yes.”
“Are you naked?”
“Yes.”
I try to turn invisible. “Am I invisible?”
“Save your energy, Cat. It’s your turn to heal.”
I guess that means no. I’m so empty, completely drained. My arms float, weightless in the water. “What if I can’t?”
“Of course you can. Just rest.” His lips brush my hair, his gruff tenderness making my heart turn over. Then he shifts, and something thick and hard presses against my bottom.
I feel my cheeks heat despite my pitiful state. “Don’t get any ideas,” I mutter.
“Oh, I have ideas. But I’d prefer you to be conscious.”
Warmth blossoms low in my belly, radiating throughout me.
“Trust me,” Griffin whispers in my ear.
“Don’t…trust…anyone.”
“You could try.”
I smile on the inside since that’s all I can manage.
CHAPTER 23
Darkness recedes, slow and thick like oil. “Griffin?”
“I’m here.” His grip around me tightens. I like lying on his chest, rising and falling when he breathes.
“How long did I sleep?”
“Hours. It’s the next day. The water woke you up yesterday, so I brought you back.”
That sounds…worrisome. “Have we been here long?”
“Hours,” he repeats. “We’re as wrinkled as my parents.”
I laugh. Sort of. Not being able to see makes my sense of touch come alive. His body cradles mine—hard thighs sprinkled with crisp hair, ridged abdomen flat against my back, strong arms circling my waist, holding me a shade closer than necessary. “Thank you for bringing me to the water.”
He presses a scalding kiss to my shoulder. “Thank you for being insane enough to think you could save us. Save me.”
“I told you not to go alone.”
“I should have listened to you.”
“I told you to bring an army.”
I feel him smile against the curve of my neck. My skin tingles under his mouth. “Turns out, all I needed was you.”
His words make me feel like honey that’s been left out in the afternoon sun. It’s hard to be ruthless when I’m slowly melting. “Release me from my vow.”
He goes utterly still. I don’t even think he breathes. Then his lips draw a searing path along my shoulder while his thumb moves in slow, sensual circles just below my breasts. I’m suddenly glad I can’t move. It gives me an excuse to stay where I am.
Low and gravelly, he finally says, “I release you from all vows to me.”
Hints of magic flare inside me and then extinguish, my binding vows dissolving. Freedom doesn’t feel any different.
“Don’t go, Cat.” Griffin’s mouth never leaves my skin, his breath a warm whisper. “Please.”
My heart splits wide open, finally finishing off the crack he started that hot night at the circus fair.
CHAPTER 24
There’s a cool hand on my forehead. The fingers are light and smooth. “Selena?”
“Egeria.”
Disappointment washes through me like a tepid wave. She lifts my head and puts a cup to my lips. Cool water slips down my throat. Some does, anyway. The rest dribbles down my neck.
“How’s my horse?” I ask.
“He’s fine. Stabled with the others and eating his weight in oats.”
“He deserves it. He saved you all.”
There’s a lengthy pause. “I think you did that.”
“I wouldn’t have gotten far without Panotii.”