Chapter Six #2
Wilder watched the exchange unfold between the trio, studying Thea for any signs of uncertainty, of hesitation.
He saw none. Had he been arrogant enough to think that the mere sight of him would unravel her?
That in his presence, upon meeting his gaze, her magic would break through those walls in a tidal wave?
He’d been a fool. He had to try to bring it back, bring Thea back, before he met up with Adrienne and the others.
He rested his chained hands on the table. ‘I have a counteroffer,’ he said, looking at only her, only Thea. ‘I’ll come with you willingly, if you give me a fair hearing.’
‘Furies save us,’ Cal muttered, downing his tankard and reaching for another.
Thea scoffed. ‘It’s not up to me to put you on trial. I’ll save that for the rulers. They’ll decide your fate.’
Wilder swallowed the lump in his throat. ‘I don’t mean for my crimes against the midrealms.’
A muscle twitched in Thea’s jaw. ‘What, then?’
‘Everything else.’
Thea’s hands clenched around her tankard, her knuckles paling.
Kipp, however, knocked his drink against hers. ‘Sounds like a fair deal to me.’
She shoved him off. ‘We don’t make deals with traitors.’
‘Of course not,’ Kipp continued. ‘But I for one don’t fancy lugging the likes of him from here to Vios. Come on, Thea. Listen, don’t listen. But for Furies’ sake, look at him. He’d be fucking heavy.’ He looked to Cal for backup.
Cal studied Wilder, seeming to weigh up their options. ‘Make him remove his armour. If he tries to run, if he tries anything at all… I’ll shoot him through the heart with a flaming arrow.’
‘Fair,’ Wilder agreed, offering one of his bound hands.
Kipp leapt to his feet. ‘Now that we’re all in agreement, I’ve had baths drawn for us —’
Thea threw her hands up in frustration. ‘Kipp, I said one fucking pint —’
Kipp levelled her with a firm stare. ‘And I said, if you’ll recall, nothing of the fucking sort.
We haven’t washed properly in weeks. I’m not going another yard on the road without a bath, a hot meal and a nap.
If you don’t like it, oh royal one, you can drug me up with your moody friend there and carry me to Vios too. ’
Thea’s mouth fell open and Wilder fought to keep a straight face as Kipp scooped up as many tankards as he could carry and made for the stairs.
‘Three hours, Kristopher!’ Thea barked after him. ‘I’ll give you three hours and no more.’
Kipp made an offensive gesture over his shoulder and didn’t look back.
Cal made his excuses, looking relieved to get away from the pair of them. ‘See you in three hours, then, Thea. I’ll make sure Kipp’s ready.’
‘Thank you,’ she muttered, staring at her drink.
‘Just…’ He hesitated, long enough that Thea looked up, brow furrowed.
‘What?’ she demanded.
‘Just don’t do anything stupid,’ he said quickly, before darting towards the stairs.
Wilder raised a brow at Thea. ‘What exactly is he worried you might do?’
‘Slit your throat in your sleep.’
Despite himself, Wilder chuckled. ‘I don’t think that was it.’
Thea was on her feet. ‘Get up.’
‘Going to give me a sponge bath, Princess?’
She grabbed him and shoved him towards the stairs. ‘Fuck off, Hawthorne.’
That made him smile, just a little.
An inn worker on the next floor pointed them towards another set of stairs. ‘That’s the room the other two left for you. It’s in the attic.’
‘Bastards,’ Thea muttered, shaking her head.
Wilder made a mental note to thank them later. He needed to talk to Thea alone. He needed to make her see him as something other than a traitor to the realm, a traitor to her.
The attic room was tiny; Wilder couldn’t even stand completely upright inside. But there was a wooden tub, full to the brim with steaming water, and he nearly sighed with relief at the sight. A single chair stood in the corner, fresh towels atop it.
‘Ladies first,’ Wilder said, motioning to the tub.
‘You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.’
‘Wouldn’t be the first time we’ve shared a bath…’ he ventured, hoping his audacity would hit that raw nerve of anger that sparked her power back to life.
But Thea simply swiped the towels off the chair and sat down, crossing her ankles and holding his swords unsheathed across her lap. ‘Get on with it, then.’
His brows shot up. ‘You’re just going to sit there and watch me bathe?’
Her face betrayed nothing, but he could see the flutter of her pulse in her neck as she spoke. ‘I don’t trust you. If you want to bathe, then bathe. But I’m not going anywhere. One false move and I’ll shove your own blade through your heart.’
‘You going to take these off, then?’ he asked, rattling his irons.
‘No.’
‘How am I meant to —’ He gestured to the armour across his chest.
Thea traced the edge of his Naarvian steel blade with her fingertip, a flush creeping up her neck as she considered him with narrowed eyes.
Time stretched between them, until at last she stood, and dragged his own blade to his throat. ‘You don’t move a muscle.’
Wilder didn’t think she’d appreciate the reminder that some physical reactions were beyond his control. He remained still as stone as she reached for the buckles of his breastplate. She was close enough that he could feel the kiss of her breath on his skin, close enough to make his cock twitch.
Thea undid the first strap, then the second, refusing to look at him as he gazed down at her. Gods, she was beautiful, even more so with fury rippling off her. Lips pursed, she removed the protective plates from his torso, her fingers brushing the bare skin of his collarbone.
He heard her intake of breath at the same time he felt the fire of her touch, sending him almost feral with the need for her. A year without her had been a lifetime.
But her face was a mask of cold indifference. She dropped the plates onto the floor before removing his gauntlets, which were in pieces anyway.
‘There,’ she ground out.
Wilder gave his shirt and pants a pointed look. ‘You don’t want to help me out of the rest of my clothes, Princess? You used to like doing that.’
He was met with a razor-sharp glare. ‘Figure it out.’
Wilder shrugged, surveying his tattered clothes. ‘Fine.’ And then he tore straight down the middle of his shirt, ripping the ruined fabric away completely, the manacles jangling as he did.
He didn’t look at Thea as he worked the buttons of his pants, but he could feel her gaze like a brand on his naked skin, could hear her breathing turn shallow as he slid the material down his thighs.
When his trousers were off and he was naked but for his chains, he turned to her, letting her see every inch of him.
Her mouth parted, her cheeks flushed, and he swore that beautiful body of hers tensed as her legs clenched together.
‘Nothing to hide from you, Princess,’ he told her, before he stepped into the tub and sank beneath the hot water.