Chapter 30 The Legendary Hero of Therador #2
Ary darted down to the end of the table and bent down to speak softly to Talon, who flicked his kohl-rimmed eyes briefly in my direction and nodded. I glanced at Octavian, who stood up as soon as our eyes met, then came around the end of the table to me.
“Ary said she’s going to take me to one of the spare rooms so I can nap for a bit,” I explained, though I assumed he’d already gathered that much. “I’m assuming that’s okay…that we’re going to be here for a little while?”
He nodded. “We’re probably safer here than anywhere else in the town. I’ll get the word to my brothers about where we are.” His eyes gazed down into mine, and he added, softly, “Are you all right here?”
I glanced passed him to the ragtag group of people hanging around the table—people who practically worshiped Octavian, who’d worked and waited for years for his return. They were odd, but they seemed friendly enough—at least to my admittedly untrained instincts.
“You trust them?” I asked quietly.
“Trust is a strong word.” He gave a hint of a smile.
“I trust no one but my brothers. And now, you.” He lifted his hand then, his fingers coming to rest softly on the side of my jaw, and the corners of his mouth deepened.
“Some would say I’m a fool for trusting someone I’ve only known for a couple of days.
But call it a gut instinct.” His fingers drifted lightly along my skin, and his eyes were warm, inviting, and I felt the urge to turn my cheek into his touch.
This man could transform into a cruel, vicious beast? Even now, I wasn’t sure I believed it. I just couldn’t see him as some sort of mindless, feral creature—especially one who would hurt his friend.
But I also couldn’t see why Ary—and Talon, and the legends of Therador—would simply make up something like that, either. It had to be true, even if I could find no trace of the beast in the blue pools of his eyes.
“To answer your question,” Octavian went on, oblivious to the angsty debate happening inside me, “I believe that Talon is still a true friend, and that he and his crew might be our allies in the fight to come.”
“What fight?” I asked, startled.
He’d apparently revealed more than he intended, because he shook his head and flattened his hand against my cheek. The heat of his palm sent a ripple of pleasure across my skin.
“Don’t worry about that,” he said. “You’ll be safe, I promise.”
Right now, I wanted answers, not assurances. But then my eyes slipped past his shoulder to where Ary was standing. She was grinning, her eyes sparkling as she noted the way Octavian was caressing my cheek.
I stepped back, face going hot again. As much as I enjoyed Octavian’s touch, I wasn’t sure I felt comfortable doing this with an audience.
“Thank you,” I said, because that seemed like the right thing to say.
He nodded, but his azure eyes had darkened with concern.
If he’s so concerned about me, why won’t he give me the full story?
I thought, following Ary away from the table and across the room.
Why didn’t he tell me the truth about himself?
Sure, I could get leaving out the whole manticore side of things, but these people—and most of Therador, apparently—saw him as some sort of legendary hero.
Why had he felt the need to keep that from me?
People he’d never even met knew more about him than I did.
Honestly, I’d gotten more answers about this world from Ary than I had from any of the brothers.
I had to be careful about how I asked her my questions—the tired-and-confused act wouldn’t get me much farther without drawing suspicion—but she was still probably my best bet if I wanted to figure out what was really going on around here.
Ary led me down an unadorned stone corridor to a simple, unmarked door. The room beyond was just as plain, but there was a bed, and that was enough for me.
I sat down on the edge of the mattress and peeled off my too-small boots, wiggling my toes to get the blood flowing again.
“Oh, I didn’t even think of it before, but would you like a bath first?” Ary said.
Even exhausted as I was, a bath sounded heavenly—and I knew I‘d rest better once I’d scrubbed the last two days’ grime off myself.
“A bath would be amazing,” I told her.
“This way, then.”
She led me to a room down the corridor from mine. Inside, there was a large, square bath set into the ground like a pool, already filled with water. It bubbled slightly in one corner.
“It’s heated by an underground spring,” she said.
“Trust me, you’ve never felt anything like it.
” She walked over to a small shelf and picked up a couple of glass bottles.
“When we passed through the capital last autumn, Fiona and I bought some bath oils. Just like the royals use. Ivo said we were wasting our money, but I caught him using some a couple of weeks ago. Now that he and Talon are lovers, he’s started to care about how he smells.
Which is a gift to all of us, as you can imagine.
” Grinning, she walked over to the corner of the bath where the water was bubbling and carefully knelt down.
She removed the stopper from one of the bottles and poured a few drops of its contents into the moving water.
Almost instantly, the scent of lavender hit my nose. A few drops from the next bottle layered another scent on top of it—this one was sweet and warm, almost like vanilla, but with a spicy floral note.
The bubbling water was already starting to create suds, but Ary decided to help it along. She pushed her sleeves up to her elbows and reached into the bath, churning the water with her hands.
That’s when I saw the scars. They criss-crossed her skin from her wrists all the way up to where her sleeves were bunched around her elbows, and I suspected they went beyond that, too. Many had jagged edges.
What would cause marks like that?
She glanced up, and I quickly looked away, not wanting to be caught staring.
“It’s ready,” she said with her usual cheerfulness, rising. If she’d noticed me looking, she didn’t show it as she shook off her hands and rolled her sleeves back down.
“Thanks.” The surface of the water was now blanketed in fluffy, aromatic suds.
“Towel is here,” she said, pointing to another shelf. “And I assume you remember how to get back to your room when you’re done?”
I nodded.
“Great. I’m going to go hunt down something fun for you to wear tonight. Just in case you want to look special for someone.”
She didn’t give me time to protest before she escaped back outside with another one of her grins. I just sighed and turned back to the bath, recognizing that there was little I could do to stop her friendly meddling.
Besides, there was something more enticing in front of me. Within seconds, I’d torn off my clothes and stepped down into the bath.
And it was just as heavenly as I’d imagined it would be.
Ary was right—the naturally heated water felt amazing.
My sore, aching muscles relaxed collectively as the warmth enveloped me, and the sweet, floral scent of the bath oils drifted soothingly up my nose, inviting me to unwind and forget about all my worries.
An involuntary sound of pleasure escaped my lips.
The water came up to my belly button when I was standing, but there were stone ledges along the sides of the bath where someone could sit. I happily perched on one of them, lowering myself until the water hit my chin and the bubbles tickled my lower jaw.
Forget the bed. I might just nap here instead.
I tilted my head back, leaning it against the stone side of the bath, willing myself not to think about manticores, or the Circle, or any sort of “fight to come.” It was easier than I expected, probably because I was so, so tired.
I drifted at the edge of consciousness, slipping in and out of a light doze, and for that reason I had no idea how long I was in there before the sound of the door opening jerked me back into full awareness.
I blinked, remembering where I was, but before I could say anything heavy footsteps carried a familiar figure deeper into the room.
Octavian.
Sitting as I was, with my body buried in bubbles to my chin and my head below the lip of the bath, it was no wonder he hadn’t noticed me yet. I knew I should make a sound, let him know the bath was already occupied, but my voice froze in my throat.
And then he pulled off his clothes.