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She tilted her head. “Do you guys… not talk anymore?”
He released a long breath. “She tries, but as you can probably imagine, any association with me dampens a person’s reputation.”
“Shouldn’t that be her decision?” If his sister wanted a relationship, then he wouldn’t have to be alone.
“It’s difficult in our situation.” Arianna set the broom against the nearest wall. “The people in our country look up to her. If she’s caught spending too much time around me, she’ll lose their trust.”
Rion’s gaze met hers then, another thought seeming to cross his mind. She was The Divine and slowly, but surely, Arianna was taking up that title. When the Fae of Alastríona called for her, they’d escort her to the royal city, where she’d learn about the histories of each country and rule over them as their central monarch.
“There’s a tub inside if you want to clean up. I can finish the rest.”
“An actual tub?”
He gave her a sheepish smile. “Close enough.”
Arianna hesitated before walking into the bathroom. A sister who cared for him. She wondered what had happened in his past. What events led to his isolation. When had a child decided enough was enough?
A small, wooden basin sat in the corner with a wide window before it that would have provided plenty of light during the day. But the sun had already set behind the trees, so Arianna lit a candle and used her magic to fill the basin. She heated the water, peeled away her clothes, and sank into the warm liquid.
Dust covered the soaps in the corner and Arianna pulled them down one at a time to examine the contents. Had he made those too?
Their scents had faded, but Arianna hardly gave it a passing thought as she soaked, relishing in the heat against her skin. She’d spent weeks using a rag and bowl and over a year before that rushing through baths in freezing rivers. The first thing she was going to do when she returned home was take a long, hot bath with every scent of soap imaginable.
Arianna’s heart skipped. Home, what would that mean to her after tonight? She blushed, realizing she still didn’t know the exact reasons Rion had brought her here. Maybe it was just to share old memories, or maybe it’d lead to something more.
She dipped her head beneath the water and though she would have liked to stay submerged all night, Arianna was too curious. She dried herself, pulled on fresh clothes, and reheated the tub for Rion’s use before exiting.
Rion had wiped down the table, remade the bed, and she no longer made footprints on the floor with her bare feet. With the doors and windows closed, the fire was starting to heat the cabin as well.
“I warmed the water for you.”
Rion stood, stared at her as if he wanted to say something, then disappeared into the bathroom. A heated blush rose to her cheeks as she tried to discern his thoughts.
They were alone now, completely, no one to barge in, no meetings to be had, no attempts on their life.
Arianna tried to clear her thoughts by examining his figurines, wondering if the scarier ones were all Dark Fae or demons he’d conjured from his own imagination. She couldn’t begin to fathom the nightmares in his head, the agony and torment he’d gone through to create such beings.
She remained before the hearth, soaking in the heat from the flames until the door to the washroom opened again.
Arianna didn’t turn.
The air charged in the small space like an electric current and a moment later, the warmth from his body pressed into her back. He brushed the hair away from her shoulder, just as he’d done at the other cabin, and ran his nose along her neck.
Arianna tilted into the movement and his breath hitched. Then she scented something on him she’d only scented a few times before.
“Are you afraid?” She kept her voice soft.
“No.” His hot breath tickled the back of her neck, sending pleasant shivers down her spine, then he whispered, “I’m terrified.”
A jolt went through her at his admission, but she didn’t turn. “Why?” She wanted to break down that wall gently, brick by brick if she had to.
“Because you can hurt me in ways I’ve never been hurt. Without lifting a finger, you could shatter me completely.”
Arianna turned to him then, slowly, and saw the pain he no longer tried to mask. Decades of pain in those beautiful, emerald eyes. Grief and sadness from a life lived in solitude.
“I won’t.”
“I brought you here in case you do.” She furrowed her brow. “The Dark Fae won’t hurt you and the mountains will lead you home.” He swallowed. “No one would ever find me.”
