Page 111 of Infernal Bonds

“Then why are you standing there like my own personal bath bodyguard?”

I couldn’t hide my grin. Having her here again and her spirit not broken by the horrors of Feranzis eased the remaining anxiety I felt about her kidnapping.

“I’m going to take care of you, that’s why. Now get undressed and climb in.”

Her smile was teasing as she said, “Oh, so I’m just supposed to do what you say now?”

I shrugged again with a lazy smile. “Not if you don’t want to.” I stepped forward and cupped her cheek. “But I’d really like it if you let me take care of you.”

“Okay,” she whispered, leaning into my touch.

She turned away, allowing me to unzip her tattered dress and let it fall to the floor. Once she removed her panties, she stepped into the bath, groaning as she settled into the warm water.

I dampened the washcloth and lathered it with a rich, rose-scented body wash I’d chosen to complement her natural perfume, gently cleansing the lingering traces of the cursed forest from her sun-kissed skin.

I wanted to know what happened to her—wanted to ask a million questions, but she needed rest and to feel safe again, not an interrogation.

She noticed me staring at the Zhyfri crystal around her neck and lifted her hand from the water to touch it. “Cyn gave it back to me.”

“I thought the triplets gave it to the council.”

“Me too,” she whispered, lowering her hand. “I didn’t ask him how he got it.”

I didn’t push her to tell me what happened. It wasn’t my place to pry into whatever was growing between them. As long as he didn’t hurt her again, I wouldn’t intervene. Of all of us, he had the most to answer for.

Though Rae claimed she had let the situation go, the raw pain in her eyes every time she reached for her pendant and remembered he’d taken it betrayed how much she still hurt. Every single time I saw that broken expression, I wanted to drive my fist into my brother’s face. Had I not witnessed regret twist his features whenever she touched where her mother’s necklace used to be, I likely would have.

She wanted to wash her own hair, so I waited at her side, passing her the products she needed. I let her do the same for her most intimate places because, while I enjoyed her body, she could take care of herself. I wouldn’t take away her dignity by treating her like a patient when this was about love.

Instead of leaving it for the palace staff, I cleaned the tub and put away the bath products while Rae dried her hair and put on the clean clothes Rinlora had left outside the door during her bath.

“I wanna see Zeke,” she whispered when I came to stand behind her and looked at her face in the mirror.

“I’ll take you to him, but I don’t know if they’ll let us see him.”

She turned toward me. “Why not?”

I brushed my thumb over her cheek, taking in the dark circles beneath her eyes as she peered up at me. “No one has come back from Feranzis in this condition.” I swallowed. “If the curse has already taken his mind, they won’t risk him hurting us.”

She stayed quiet the whole way to the vallants’ medical wing, not asking what they’d do if the curse had claimed Zeke. I didn’t know if I had the heart to tell her they’d kill him; she likely already understood.

The guards posted outside the door told us Zeke hadn’t regained consciousness, but his condition hadn’t deteriorated either. The vallant leaving the room said they suspected exhaustion exacerbated his condition but had nothing more to say about the curse. Still, they allowed us entry.

Soft lamplight created a peaceful atmosphere despite the reality of the vicious curse wreaking havoc on Zeke’s mind. Cyn already sat at Zeke’s bedside, elbows on his thighs, fists clasped in front of his mouth as he studied Zeke’s still form.

Rae’s soft whimper wrenched his attention from Zeke.

I took her hand in mine. “How is he?”

“Don’t know,” Cyn mumbled, pressing his fists against his mouth.

Rae pulled away from me and crossed the room, climbing onto the bed beside Zeke. My chest tightened when she put her head on his chest, looping her arm across his stomach.

The pungent smell of decaying fruit invaded my sinuses and left me feeling queasy. The pain traveling from her to me through our tether stirred an urge to smash something because I couldn’t do anything to take it away from her. I couldn’t fix the situation. I couldn’t protect her from this. I couldn’t protect Cyn from it. I couldn’t save Zeke. I didn’t have Ezra’s powers—wait.

“We need to get Ezra,” I said, a surge of hope overtaking the crippling anguish drowning my bond with Rae. “He can save Zeke.”

Cyn’s hands dropped as he sat upright—the first real movement since we entered the room. “How?”