70. Elias
Nik carried her into the massive bathroom and set her gently on the edge of the tub. She leaned into him automatically, exhaustion softening the sharp lines of her beautiful face.
Seeing her like this twisted something deep in my chest. For the last year I hadn’t allowed myself to imagine this moment.
I hadn’t let myself believe she might one day accept me into her hive.
Knowing what I’d done… if the roles were reversed, I wasn’t sure I could have forgiven it.
No matter how noble my reasoning had seemed at the time.
My gaze dropped to the floor as the weight of that truth settled heavily in my chest.
“My pet,” Niko said softly, glancing over his shoulder. “Close the door.”
I obeyed without hesitation, the latch sliding into place with a quiet click. Nik turned back to the tub, the sound of rushing water filling the room as he began to draw the bath. Steam slowly curled upward around him as the tub filled, the scent of lavender rising into the air.
Sina swayed slightly where she sat on the lip of the tub, her eyes heavy with exhaustion, and Nik rested a steadying hand against her knee without even looking.
“You can rest once you’re clean,” he murmured.
She nodded, but said nothing.
When the water was finally high enough, he turned off the faucet.
The rushing sound faded into a quiet hush of steam.
Nik lifted her into his arms and stepped forward, lowering her slowly into the massive tub.
Bubbles rose instantly around her, swallowing her body beneath the lavender-scented foam as she sank into the warmth with a quiet sigh.
Her head tipped back slightly, her shoulders finally relaxing as the heat soaked into her tired muscles.
“Elias.”
I met my Alpha’s stare, my chin dipping. “Yes, Alpha? ”
He crossed the room to the sink and leaned against it, watching us carefully. “Ask our mate properly if you can care for her.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
Only then did I take a hesitant step closer.
I desperately wanted to touch her. To brush the tangled curls away from her beautiful face. My eyes lifted and met hers, and the breath caught painfully in my chest. Those emerald eyes weren’t filled with the anger I expected. They were filled with longing.
Somehow that made the guilt inside me twist even tighter. It felt like I was still the one holding distance between us, like even now I was keeping myself from something I wanted more than anything.
But how could I simply step forward and accept what I’d done? Accept that I deserved her now after denying her for so long?
I should have been groveling at her feet.
Before I knew it I’d crossed the large bathroom and fell to my knees beside the tub, my fingers gripping the lip of the basin to stop myself from reaching for her.
“Little feather,” I croaked, my voice rough from the emotions clogging my throat. I forced myself to meet her gaze fully. “ Please… let me care for you.”
Her lips parted slightly. For a moment she simply studied me, those bright green eyes searching my face as if she were trying to decide whether the man standing before her was worthy.
I wasn’t. My raven bristled at that thought.
Her gaze snapped to Nik, who was silently watching her with one hip propped against the sink.
“I should tell you no.” My heart hammered painfully against my ribs. Because she should . I wouldn’t even fight her on it if she did. Her gaze met mine again. “But I can’t seem to tell any of my mates no.” She smiled shyly. “Yes, Eli. You can help me bathe. I would like that very much.”
Her cheeks pinked with a blush.
The permission hit me like air rushing back into my lungs.
Slowly, carefully, I reached up and brushed a curl away from her face. My fingers trembled slightly when they touched her skin.
God… how was I so lucky?
She was like an angel who agreed to let me worship her as my goddess.
“Dunk your hair in the water for me, angel.” I said, testing out how the new pet name felt.
She obeyed, shifting slightly as her copper hair slipped beneath the surface of the water. I watched in rapt fascination as I squeezed shampoo into my palm, the scent of lavender rising with the steam curling through the room.
“Are you ready?” I asked, giving her one last chance to deny my affections. My touch.
She nodded, biting her plump bottom lip.
I began to scrub her scalp gently, working the shampoo through the damp strands.
I had to swallow back a groan at the simple contact.
Something about caring for her like this—so soft, so trusting—settled something restless inside me.
I would do this for as long as she wanted.
For as long as she would allow me. Taking care of her filled me with a sense of purpose I hadn’t felt in a long time.
Nik finally crossed back over and knelt beside me.
He grabbed a blue luffa from the edge of the tub, working it into a thick lather before bringing it to her shoulders.
Slowly, carefully, he began washing the curve of her neck and the tops of her arms before his hand disappeared beneath the bubbles as he continued tending to her.
A soft sigh slipped from her lips .
My raven ruffled his feathers as her scent deepened in the lavender steam filling the room.
“I need to rinse your hair, angel.”
She adjusted her position for me without hesitation, dipping her head back so the water could wash through the copper strands as I guided them gently beneath the surface.
When she was finally clean, Nik rose and crossed to the cabinet, pulling out a fluffy gray towel.
“Help her out of the bath, pet.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
I rose immediately and stepped beside her, my hands hovering before settling gently on her arms.
Even if Niko demanded complete obedience from me, anything I did with Sina was her choice. I would never do anything again without her explicit consent.
“May I help you out, Sina?”
She nodded again and offered me her hand as she stood. My gaze roamed helplessly over the swell of her breasts as bubbles slid down her stomach toward her navel.
“My beautiful goddess.” I tentatively cupped her jaw. She leaned into the touch without hesitation, her eyes closing. Something cracked open in my chest.
Together, Nik and I helped her out of the tub. Her legs wobbled slightly from exhaustion, and instinctively I steadied her against my chest while Nik wrapped the towel carefully around her shoulders.
Nikolai then stripped off his shirt in one smooth motion.
Sina slowly blinked. Her gaze slid over his broad chest and down his torso before she seemed to realize she had been staring. A blush spread across her cheeks .
I couldn’t stop the small smile tugging at my mouth. “He’s beautiful, isn’t he?”
Her eyes flicked back to mine before drifting to Nik again.
“Gorgeous,” she admitted softly.
Nikolai snorted under his breath, but handed me the shirt anyway.
“Put that on our mate when she’s dry.”
I once again waited for my angel to allow me to dress her.
I helped dry her carefully before guiding Nikolai’s shirt over her head.
The dark fabric swallowed her slightly, so the sleeves covered most of her hands.
She looked impossibly soft like that. Fragile.
Precious in a way that made something fiercely protective rise in my chest. When she swayed slightly on her feet, I didn’t hesitate.
I lifted her into my arms. She let out a quiet sound of surprise before settling against my chest, her arms slipping loosely around my neck.
“I’m sorry, I should have asked.”
She smiled up at me and rested her head on my shoulder, her hair dampening my skin.
I carried her back into the bedroom, the massive bed waiting in the center of the room. Carefully, I lowered her onto the mattress and pulled the blankets up around her shoulders.
For a moment, I started to step away.
Her hand caught my wrist. “Eli.”
I froze. “Yes, my angel?”
Her tired eyes searched mine for a long moment before drifting past me. She looked toward the other side of the room where Nik stood watching us, silent and steady as always.
“Please stay.” Her gaze flicked between us both, her voice quiet but certain. “Both of you.”
Something warm and fragile settled in my chest at that .
Nik’s mouth twitched faintly. Without a word he moved toward the bed, the mattress dipping as he climbed onto it behind Sina. He stretched out along her back, one arm settling loosely around her waist as she shifted instinctively into the warmth of his body.
Only then did I move.
Slowly I climbed onto the bed beside her. The moment I settled in place, she turned toward me, curling against my side with a content sigh. Her head rested against my chest, her damp hair spreading across my arm while Nik’s hand rested gently over her hip from behind.
For a moment, none of us spoke.
My raven gave a soft, contented croon deep in my mind.
And for the first time since the day I met her, I allowed myself to hold her. To imagine a future where she was mine too.