Page 37 of Secrets of Ruin

“Time keeps slipping away,” Kaylia murmured. “He should be awake.”

“He has a lot of healing to do,” Sahira said, “but he’ll wake soon.”

Lexi came to stand beside her and rested her hand on Kaylia’s shoulder. “Why don’t we get you cleaned up? You’ll feel better after showering, and maybe you can eat more afterward. You could also use some rest.”

“I just slept for a day.”

“I meant a rest from keeping vigil.”

“I haven’t watched over him for a whole day.”

“Kaylia, you may have slept, but you haven’t left his side, and you didn’t sleep well. You were constantly twitching, muttering, and sometimes crying. You have to take care of yourself too.”

“Would you leave Cole’s side?”

Before Lexi could respond, Sahira spoke up. “I think a shower and a break is a great idea. We won’t be gone long, and Orin will watch over him.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Orin said.

“Cole and Varo will be here again soon, too,” Lexi said. “They had to go to the Gloaming to meet with Elvin.”

“How is the rebuild going there?” Kaylia asked in the hopes of distracting them from their current plan.

“Good! They’ve rebuilt all the homes and sown the crops. Most of the dark fae have returned to reestablish their lives there. Those who haven’t are probably wandering the realms for a bit, have decided to go rogue, or are dead.”

“That’s good news about the rebuild,” Kaylia said.

“Come on,” Lexi said and squeezed Kaylia’s shoulder. “Let’s get you taken care of now.”

Kaylia debated arguing, but when Sahira rose and walked around to join them, the fight left her. She’d love to scrub all the dungeon off her skin; that place would forever haunt her memories, but at least she wouldn’t have to wear its filth anymore.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

Kaylia had every intention of taking the quickest shower of her life, but once she entered her bathroom, still filled with all her favorite soaps and shampoos, she couldn’t tear herself away from the shower. She sobbed as the hot water pounded against her back while washing away the blood and dirt covering her.

She scrubbed herself clean, and when she finished, she did it three more times. Her skin was raw and red when she emerged from the shower and into the steam-filled bathroom, but she contemplated doing it all over again.

She’d already been away from Brokk for too long, and while she could still smell the dungeon, it wasn’t possible that its stench still clung to her. The scent was a memory that had etched itself into the very fiber of her being.

Oh, Hecate, don’t let that be true.

Kaylia tried not to think about the possibility she might never completely rid herself of the awful aroma as she removed one of the soft towels from where she’d stored them in the closet. She buried her face in it and inhaled its fresh, lavender scent.

While in Doomed Valley, she hadn’t allowed herself to dwell on the luxuries she was missing. She’d had a mission and was determined to fulfill it, but she reveled in all the things she’d missed out on while gone.

When she finished drying off, she shrugged into the white robe she’d left hanging on the back of her door many months ago. A cloud of steam followed when she opened the door and entered her beautiful room.

The floor-to-ceiling windows making up the entire wall across from her allowed enough sun to enter that the cream-colored walls turned a pale yellow. At night, during a full moon, they were a silvery color.

Five different lamps with glass shades of multiple hues also sent beams of color around the room, even though they weren’t lit. She’d positioned them to catch and reflect as much of the sun as possible.

In the corner was her favorite yellow chair, and her desk was a deep blue hue. A multihued quilt covered her bed; her mother had made it for her when she was a girl, and it was one of her favorite possessions.

She walked over to run her fingers across the familiar, bumpy surface. Her mother had interwoven hundreds of strands of color throughout the separate patterns. There were so many different shades that she occasionally found a new one.

Tears pricked her eyes as she recalled the woman who had so lovingly crafted this for her. Every night she slept beneath it, she felt her mother’s love.

She heard the door click closed from the adjoining room that she’d turned into a storage place for a treasure trove of potions, crystals, gems, and myriad other ingredients. A second later, Sahira and Lexi entered the room.