I released a sigh, an impossible heaviness lifting from my shoulders as happiness spilled into my chest like a river pouring into the sea.
“I’ll talk to Tory about it tomorrow then,” I decided as a grin drew my lips wide, not wanting her to worry while Darius was still missing.
Orion’s dark eyes shifted from my arm to my face, relief washing over his features and a youthful smile breaking out on his lips, making the dimple in his right cheek pop. He shot forward, crushing me to the wall, his breaths mingling with mine as both our chests heaved from the proximity of one another.
“You’re fucking extraordinary,” he growled, the hardness of his muscles pinning me there and I wound my fingers into his shirt, drawing him closer, needing to just-
“Sorry, I, er-” Xavier cleared his throat and Orion stepped back as he turned to look at him as he came through the clock. “I was just doing my shoelaces, then everyone was gone, and I forgot the words everyone said. But I, um, figured it out so…”
“It’s fine,” I said, a little flushed as Orion glanced at me with a furious longing in his eyes, making liquid heat spill through my core. But I’d get him alone as soon as we had the chance. I had a lot I wanted to say to him, but I had a hell of a lot I wanted to do to him first.
We headed after the others, the tunnel dropping down steeply beneath my feet until it opened up into a wide cavern with more tunnels leading off of it in every direction. A soft green moss carpeted the floor and all around the walls were golden carved images of Lionel in his Dragon form being blasted by Pegasuses, Griffins, Manticores and Harpies. In one image, Tiberian Rats were climbing up his tail and biting him, and in another Sirens were drowning him in a lake alongside a myriad of water Shifters.
A laugh escaped me at it all as we hurried to catch the group who were being led down one of the tunnels with the words ‘The Royal Chambers’ carved above the arching entranceway and two crowns either side of it.
“You’ll have to divide up into twos, I’m afraid,” Hamish called back. “Each room has either a double-dilly bed or two silly-singles, and we are a little pushed for space until some of our earth Elementals finish digging out the fan-frilly-tastic new tunnels. But we set aside this tunnel just for you fine fellows so that you can have a little privacy.”
I looked to my sister up ahead, then glanced at Orion. After everything that had happened at the battle, I knew I couldn’t hold a grudge against him any longer. He still loved me and I loved him so fiercely it hurt. So all that was left was to voice those words and hope that we could mend the rift between us and build something more unbreakable than before.
“Now I’m sure you want to freshen up your long stockings and your under pits, so make your way into the royal bathhouses here. Left for the girls and right for the boys.” Hamish pointed and we headed down the short stone passage which forked at the end. Dried blood stuck my clothes to my skin and I was desperate to wash away the scent of smoke and sand and death that clung to me too.
My gaze met Orion’s as we were about to part ways, an urgent demand in his eyes stating that he didn’t want to separate, but unless we wanted to remain filthy from battle, we had to. Our eyes remained locked until I turned into the girls’ bathhouse and my lips parted at the enormous cavern filled with bubbling hot springs with palms growing between them, waterfalls tumbling down across the rocks and Faelights bobbing around in the air to light it all in an amber glow.
I pulled off my clothes and stepped under the flow of the nearest falls, the hot rush of water like a godsend as I shut my eyes and just stood there in the heated stream. Tory climbed into one of the bubbling pools and swam beneath the surface, popping up on the other side as she rinsed her hair and groaned her relief.
“The plants are Washalilies,” Geraldine exclaimed. “Just lather up a leaf like so. It even doubles as shampoo.” She yanked a leaf off of what I’d thought had been a palm and started scrubbing it under her armpit. The leaf released a white lather and my eyebrows arched before I grabbed a leaf of my own from the nearest plant. The moment I rubbed it against my skin, a soft, honey-sweet lather built against it, and I worked it all over me before washing my hair and finally feeling Fae again.
When we were clean, I used air magic to dry off and found fresh clothes at the door to the showers, dressing in grey sweatpants and a white tank top. Tory grabbed clothes without even really looking at them, not even bothering to dry her hair and ending up in a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt which were clearly meant for a guy about three times the size of her. I frowned at my sister and as Geraldine headed out of the room, I caught Tory’s hand to stop her from following, seeing the worry in her expression.