Page 47

I groan as I ease into standing, not from the pain, but the bone-deep aching exhaustion all over. The bed calls to me, but that’s not on Valen’s obsessive list. I shuffle naked to the far side of the room where a door is open and waiting for me. Valen’s bedroom is as big as my apartment, and I roll my eyes at the enormous fireplace and decadent furnishings around it. One wall is lined with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves that are perfectly organized. The whole thing screams neat freak.

There’s no way Tori could ever live with Valen. She loves her chaotic piles of crap everywhere, especially in her workroom. I’ve seen Valen’s home infirmary. One minute of Tori in there and Valen would lose his mind. A smile tugs at the corner of my lips. They would be at each other’s throats the moment the thrill of angry sex wore off.

I step into the bathroom. Fucking Weave, it’s huge and covered in black marble with silver fixings. Blue veins of various shades run through the stone and glisten in the soft light streaming through the misted, paneled, glass windows. The upkeep on the stone must be a pain in the ass, but it’s probably dripping with Preservation magic. I wiggle my wrapped fingers in hopes of discovering more, but a sharp pain stops me. My rings aren’t ready yet.

In the corner sits the oddest shower I’ve ever seen. The base is like a sunken pool that could fit at least five adults, and above are intricate pipes that end in multiple nozzles. My brows furrow. Seems excessive. Or perhaps it’s both a shower and a bath? I peer at Valen’s obsessively detailed note. He said “prepared”, and I’m sure he doesn’t think I’m competent enough to fill my own water. I tap a finger against the paper as I scan the room.

There, on the other side, is a smaller but still impressively large claw-foot tub filled to the brim with water. The shimmering ward over it flickers with the trapped, rising steam.

A massive ornate mirror lines the opposite wall with a vanity that gleams with polished marble. The potions, sachets, and a crumpet sit waiting for me on a silver platter.

I sigh and do my standard morning routine before coming up to the four corked bottles with numbers glowing on them. The temptation to touch one out of order lightens my mood. Valen probably hexed them so I’ll be zapped. A small laugh huffs from me, and I grab the correct bottle first.

I use my teeth to tug each cork top off and gulp the medicines down. I gag. Fuck, that’s horrifically pungent with an herbal bitterness that hits the back of my throat all wrong. I eye the crumpet distrustfully. With a groan, I shove the whole thing into my mouth and chew. It crunches. I press my hand against my mouth hard to keep from coughing up the chalky monstrosity that dares to ruin the good name of crumpets everywhere. Ugh, and it’s bland, and not in a good way after the bitter potions. Bland like eating dust.

I twist the faucet on and lean down to chug the water but stop halfway. Valen’s note mentioned nothing about permitting additional drinks and he’s just anal enough to include it if I was. My stomach rolls and the crumpet is stuck in my throat. Maybe… No. I shut off the faucet quickly. Testing Valen is not how I get healed. If Tori can survive being tortured in a statue, then I can keep down Valen’s awful cooking.

I pluck up the three sachets and resist the urge to sniff them. The ward around the bath pops at my touch and steam balloons out. The sachets plop into the water. Like tea, they seep out into the clear liquid, shifting the color to a pleasant, herbal green. The smell is very close to that of Nora’s apothecary and the familiarity eases some of my tension.

I step into the water and hiss. Shit, it’s hot, and my skin tingles horribly. Luckily, the sensation eases quickly to leave numbness in its wake as I lower myself down. Water ripples with my movement but it doesn’t spill over the edge. Instead, my skin lightly shimmers as the potions soak into my pores. The tingling hits again in sharp waves that leave sparks dancing in my vision. I grit my teeth and bear it while I continue to sink down into the water.

Do it for Tori. For Jinx.

A flicker of movement out of the corner of my eye has me pausing, my arms trembling to support my weight on the rim of the bath with my heavily bandaged hands.

I scan the full-length mirror with gilded rose edges in the corner of the room. I swear, I saw a flash of familiar coppery red among the black and silver in the reflection. Self-hatred tightens my face. I turn harshly away and splash messily into the bath. The shock of the flashing pins and needles steals my breath, the edge of the water licking at my jaw. It distracts me from my surging guilt and soon the periods of numbness grow longer and longer until, finally, my tight muscles yield.

A wave of full-body relaxation washes through me. I moan and sink back to rest my head against the lip of the tub, the ends of my hair floating in the light green water. All the pain disappears to leave behind a pleasant shivery sensation. I close my eyes and let myself breathe in the wafting steam. The herbal scent is not bad now that I’ve adjusted. The leeching at my chest eases, and I go limp.

Time becomes meaningless as my consciousness slips away. No more crawling dread. No more haunting memories. No more creepy leeching at my scar. Even my rings go quiet, the water slowly saturating their wrappings to ease into the tingling numbness.

For the first time in days, I permit myself the luxury of daydreaming while I soak in Valen’s healing bath.

I’m on a luxurious bed, with my sweet Torment stretching out naked, her beautiful body so soft against mine. She kisses me, her hands twisting in my hair, and I moan, hips surging up to rub against her. Her legs shift until she straddles me, and on the next roll of my pelvis, my tip breaches her. I grip her hips as my feet slide along black silk sheets. I bury myself to the hilt in her clenching heat. She moans deeply, hips tilting for more and more.

Her nails rake down my chest before she pushes against my pecs. My back flattens against the mattress, and my head lolls off the edge to hang heavy. I gasp, eyes squeezing shut as she uses me. It’s a fast, unforgiving pace and the rush of pleasure nearly tips me over the edge.

Clicking steps approach, and I blearily open my eyes. Valen approaches from the shadows. His sleeves are rolled to his elbows, his black slacks matching his dark shirt. His blue eyes glow as they trail over Tori’s naked form, down to where our hips clap together, then over my chest before meeting my gaze.

I pant, shivering as I wait for his next move.

He stops before me with his hands in his pockets. The bed is high, and it brings my face in line with his pristine slacks. I throb, and Tori slides her hands up my body in a searing trail. Her voice is so seductive that I buck up into her.

“You can have him if you want, Lucas.”

I spasm, fantasy and reality blending as want and uncertainty swirl confusingly within me. I lick my lips, sucking in my lower one to bite. I’ve trusted the wrong men before. What if I’m wrong about Valen? I don’t want to be hurt.

Her touch is tender, the care soothing an old wound I didn’t know was still there. “If you can’t trust yourself, then you can trust in me. You are mine, Lucas. I would never allow someone else to break what is mine.”

Valen stands there watching me and waits while Tori slithers up me to whisper in my ear. “I trust him, Lucas. I trust him with you.”

I swallow and release Tori’s hip to grab Valen. He doesn’t move even when my fingers twist in his shirt. A dark desire I haven’t permitted myself to feel spreads through me like molten heat seeping through my center.

Tori presses soft kisses along my arched neck. “He would never hurt you that way unless you wanted.”

Valen’s head tilts and a small smile softens his lips. His hands leave his pockets and he strokes my face, his fingers catching on my lips.

I’m tired of being careful. I’m tired of denying myself pleasure out of fear. My past doesn’t get to take this from me. I rip open Valen’s shirt so his pale chest is exposed before I open his slacks. He strokes me gently the entire time I roughly expose him, and his thumb dips past my lips to press against my tongue. His cock is free, and I open my mouth wide.