Chapter 16 #2
“Hot springs,” I repeated, feeling remarkably stupid for not figuring that out. The hole had just looked so dark that the idea of climbing inside seemed undeniably insane .
“It’s quite relaxing. I highly recommend it.
” He leaned casually on the doorframe, his arms crossing to accentuate the thick muscles of his biceps.
Today he wore a sleeveless tunic open at the chest, which, I gathered, was the style for the male royals.
His trousers came just past his knees, clinging to his toned legs, and, once more, he was barefoot.
I realized my mouth was still open, so I clamped it shut and jerked my gaze back to his face. A smirk played on his lips as if he’d noticed I’d been staring.
He seemed so… at ease. As if our conversation yesterday hadn’t happened at all.
“For the record,” I said in a clipped tone, “I have bathed since arriving. Enzira and I… Well, there was a communication issue, and she ended up bringing me buckets of water for bathing. Which was fine, of course. I just… didn’t know there was an alternative.”
“Why didn’t you just ask her?”
My mouth formed a thin line. “It is… difficult to ask for things. I am still a stranger here, surrounded by strange creatures.”
“And do you think one of us will harm you if you ask a simple question?” His voice turned sharp, and thin shadows appeared at his feet, revealing his anger.
“No,” I snapped. “I only mean I am a stranger here and don’t quite feel comfortable bothering everyone with my confusion and my needs. Do you honestly expect me to become acclimated to this infuriating enchanted castle after only a few days?”
“Of course not.”
“Glad we are in agreement, then,” I muttered sarcastically, turning away from him to close the desk drawer, hiding my incriminating letter from view.
Then I busied myself with opening my trunk at the foot of my bed.
I sifted through several garments until I found a clean shift, then straightened and found the king staring at me, his expression inscrutable.
My eyebrows lifted. Why was he still here? “Well, I’ll just be testing out the hot springs.” I gestured to the bathing chamber.
He arched a single eyebrow, half his mouth curling in a smirk. Too late, I realized my statement sounded an awful lot like an invitation. My face heated. “I mean—I don’t—what I meant was, I’d like some privacy. So, please tell me why you’re in my rooms, or get out so I can bathe in peace.”
His smirk vanished, and his nostrils flared. “You dare speak to your king in such a manner?”
“You aren’t my king.”
He stepped farther into my room, shadows swelling behind him. “You are my wife and a resident of the Shadow Court. My court. So yes, I am your king.”
My chin lifted at the sharp tone in his voice. “But I am not your subordinate. You hold no power over me.”
His lips curled into a sneer. “Bold words, coming from a human whose spine I could snap like a twig.”
Fear twisted in my gut, but I forced myself to stand up straighter, looking him directly in the eye. “Go ahead and kill me, Wraith King. See how well you do with those shadows if I’m dead.”
It was a bluff; I actually had no idea what my presence did for the shadows. But he had alluded enough for me to infer that I was important.
At least important enough not to kill.
He bared his teeth at me, fangs gleaming as a low growl built in his throat.
It seemed to rumble from the very floor beneath my feet, and it took all my willpower not to stagger back a step.
The shadows behind him darkened as if made of ink, spreading and thickening until almost all the sunlight from the windows was blocked out.
Still, I held my ground, hands forming fists at my sides. I would not be cowed. I would not falter. Varius was a bully and nothing more.
He wouldn’t hurt me.
At least, I told myself he wouldn’t.
“Watch yourself, human,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “There are worse things than death.”
“My name is Sybelle ,” I snapped. “Not human . ”
“And I am no wraith ,” Varius spat. His shadows darkened further, and I gasped as his eyes shifted to all black, leaving no traces of white.
He looked all animal now. Nothing but a deadly predator.
“Fine,” I said, my voice slightly higher than normal as I tried to force a bravado I did not feel. “I’ll call you Varius, and you’ll call me Sybelle. Agreed?”
Varius blinked at me, the darkness in his eyes receding until they looked normal once more. Still coal black, but the whites of his eyes made him seem less monstrous. His shadows curled inward, the darkness thinning and allowing light from the windows to seep through.
A long, tense moment passed between us. I stood there, rigid and waiting for him to advance on me. He pinned me with his loathsome stare, fangs still bared.
At last, he said gruffly, “Agreed.” He turned away, then said over his shoulder, “Sybelle.”
He went through the door connecting our rooms, and it closed shut after his departure. I let out a long exhale, my frame sagging and my pulse racing. For a moment, I sank to the edge of my mattress, pressing a hand to my chest as I waited for my heartbeat to slow.
I still wasn’t sure why Varius had come to my rooms at all. Had he only wanted to fling accusations at me? Or was there something else?
Either way, I was regretting moving to the queen’s chambers. He was a brute, and every encounter only revealed how loathsome he was.
Shaking my head, I moved to the writing desk and scribbled out the mean old codger part . Next to it, I wrote, He is exactly as we thought he would be. Only more frightening.
After penning the rest of my letter, using vague references to our past conversations, I sealed it up and put Eira’s name on it, hoping Enzira would be able to mail it for me.
I honestly wasn’t sure if I would ever get to see my friend again. But it would be nice to know that we could still correspond with one another.
I grabbed my shift and made my way to the bathing chamber. After glancing behind me to ensure Varius hadn’t returned, I removed my clothing and approached the gaping hole with trepidation.
I was trusting in Varius’s inability to lie; if this weren’t actually a hot spring, he wouldn’t have been able to tell me so.
But despite the logic behind this, my heart still hammered painfully in my chest at the prospect of stepping into a large, black abyss.
With a shaky breath, I sank to the ground, sitting with my bare bottom on the stone floor. It was warmer than I expected.
I frowned, scooting forward until my legs dangled over the edge of the hole.
Steam and heat swirled around me, making the skin on my thighs pebble.
I inched closer to the edge, and my toes met bubbling hot water.
I gasped at the contact, jerking my feet back.
After a moment, I eased them back in, then sighed with pleasure.
It was hot, but not painfully so, and the water was close enough to the edge of the floor that I knew I would be able to climb back out with ease.
Assuming the bottom wasn’t too deep. If this place was suited for large unseelie creatures, would a tiny human like me be able to stand ?
Only one way to find out, I thought before sliding all the way in.
The jolt of sudden heat around my body made me stiffen and gasp, my legs flailing and my skin burning.
I scrambled for purchase, my head going underwater for a few seconds before my feet met solid ground.
I came up for air, choking and sputtering, then swam toward one end of the cavern.
I hit the wall, and my feet bumped against a thin ledge that had been built into the ground, almost like a small step for the fae to climb out of the springs.
Relief spread through me as I put my weight on that ledge, allowing me to stand up high enough for the water to rest just below my chin.
I could make this work.
I lifted my arms, barely able to see them in the darkness of the hole. Bubbles continued churning around me, tickling my skin and making my stomach rumble. A small smile spread across my lips, and I flicked the water, then dove underneath once more, allowing the heat to rush over me.
When I emerged once more, a laugh burst from me, echoing in the small cavern.
Varius might have been an ass, but he was right about one thing: The hot springs were delightful.