I get my first real look at our surroundings now too.
The inside of the home has a southwestern feel to it, with painted tiles inset around doorways and windows and a red tile floor covered by a large sheepskin rug.
Even as I watch, the skeletons are removing some of the less permanent objects that decorated the space. They take hats, shoes, clothes—all those little, personal mementos of the previous owners.
I continue to watch the revenants. They still give me the chills, but when one happens to come over and lay out a platter of sliced bread and cheeses, I don’t pause too much before I start eating.
“This was considerate of you,” I say to Death.
“I live in fear of the day I hear your stomach speak again,” he says. “I think she hates me more than the rest of you.”
I almost forgot about that time Thanatos heard my stomach growl.
“I didn’t realize it had made such an impression on you,” I say.
“Everything you do makes an impression on me,” he says solemnly.
At that, I quiet.
Death doesn’t have much room for remorse in him, but he seems to have saved a little for me.
I polish off the bread and cheese, not bothering to offer the horseman any. I already know he’ll refuse. Once I finish, I dust my hands over the tray.
“Can you have your skeletons draw up a bath—one with hot water?” I ask curiously. It’s the rarest of indulgences in this day and age.
Thanatos’s brows pinch together, but his gaze slides to the nearest revenants. Abruptly, one of them stops what it’s doing and moves to the adjoining bathroom.
I can hear it working a hand pump, and then the splash of water.
“Have you ever had a bath?” I ask the horseman, perking up a bit.
Death shakes his head. “No.”
I grab his hand and tug him as I slide out of bed. “Then let’s hope the tub is big enough for the two of us—and your wings.”
“Why would it need to be?” he asks.
“Because you’re going to join me.”
The bath is big enough for the two of us, I discover when I pull the horseman into the room. It’s a sunken tub, the basin large enough to hold two adults—though Death is going to have to drape his wings over the edge.
The bath is mostly full, though the water is still being warmed up. A skeleton enters the bathroom then, holding a kettle. I ignore the burning urge to cover my naked body—they don’t have eyes—though I do back up into one of Thanatos’s wings.
It curves around me, and when I glance up, I see the horseman gazing at me, wearing a small smile.
“I have seen you face pain and certain death stoically, kismet. Surely my revenants do not frighten you.”
“Of course not,” I agree, not moving away from his wing.
Death’s smile reaches his eyes. After a moment, he takes my chin. “You can always hide in my wings—though I will require a kiss every now and then.”
Before I can respond, the horseman bends down and steals one from my lips. It’s over before it’s even begun, and I’m left staring at Thanatos’s face as he pulls away.
“That was sneaky,” I say, though my delivery comes out all wrong. I sound full of want.
“I am standing naked next to you,” Death says, his voice low, “nothing about me is sneaky right now.”
He does have a point.
The horseman turns his attention back to the tub, where more skeletons are pouring hot water into the basin.
“Tell me about bathtubs,” he says.
I try not to laugh. “I’m sure you know about them.”
He frowns a little. “I know humans wash themselves. But that is about it.”
Right. Okay.
“There’s not much to them,” I say as the skeletons file out of the bathroom. “You fill the tub with water, you get in, and you bathe.”
Death frowns again, and it makes my heart pound a little faster. I don’t really understand what divides the horseman’s vast knowledge on certain subjects with his ignorance on others, but with this … he seems to be more than a little lost.
“Here,” I say, stepping into the bath. I almost sigh at the hot temperature. It’s been far too long since I took a hot bath. Turning around, I reach out a hand for him. “Come on in—I promise you’ll like it.”
He takes my hand but doesn’t immediately let me lead him in. Instead, he lowers his other hand into the water.
“Are we going to wash each other?” he asks, a note of curiosity in his voice.