Total pages in book: 222
Estimated words: 213974 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1070(@200wpm)___ 856(@250wpm)___ 713(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 213974 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1070(@200wpm)___ 856(@250wpm)___ 713(@300wpm)
“Your head would be underwater,” I pointed out as he leaned back slightly, keeping us balanced.
His eyes were like pools of molten silver. “And my mouth would still be fastened on you.”
“That…that sounds really, really nice.” A bolt of lust pulsed through me, causing me to wiggle a little in his lap.
Ash groaned, dropping his forehead to mine. “It sounds better than nice.” His lips brushed mine. “I can practically taste you on my lips and tongue.”
Tingles of desire and need pooled low as the fizzing water danced over my legs and between them.
“Anything,” Ash repeated in the heated, damp air between us. “Whatever you want.”
I wanted to take those promises and turn them into action. The steady, welcome throb in my core was all about it, and how his heart pounded beneath my palm told me it would barely be a heartbeat before he fulfilled what he’d promised. But…
I just need to take care of you.
That’s what he’d said he needed, and these moments weren’t just about assuaging my fears. The anxiety-riddled voice had quieted, proven wrong by Ash’s words and what I felt pressed against me.
“Take care of me,” I said. “Please?”
Ash shuddered against me, and I knew he got what I meant.
Falling silent, I relaxed against him as I watched him take one of my arms, bringing it below the water. He rubbed his hands over mine and then my arms, scrubbing away the blood. Before he moved onto the other arm, he lifted it to the narrow streaks of sunlight, inspecting his work. Once satisfied, he moved onto the next and did the same. He had me lean back so all my hair fell below the surface and held me as he reached around, gently running the strands through the churning water.
When he was done, I took his hand and brought it to my mouth. I kissed the glimmering imprint, then washed his arms as he’d done with mine. Scooping water, I bathed his chest, his face, and while his eyes were half-closed, I knew his gaze never wavered from me. Not even afterward, when he did what I asked for next.
As the hot springs bubbled and churned around us, Ash held me in the sweetly scented air.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
“Thirty-six.”
His flesh was even cool underwater.
Water bubbled around us as I lifted my head. “Were you counting my freckles again?”
“Possibly.” Wet strands of his hair clung to the sides of his face and neck as he smiled at me.
We sat silently for a little while, lulled by the tinkling sound of the churning water. It was so peaceful here. I imagined the Vale was like this.
My stomach hollowed. “Can I…can I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
I nibbled on my lower lip, struggling to ask what I wanted to know. It was not something I had allowed myself to wonder about.
“Liessa?”
Squeezing my eyes shut, I took a reedy breath and searched for courage until I found it. “What…what will happen when I die?”
Ash’s chest rose sharply. “Sera—”
“I just want to know. Like will I be judged at the Pillars, or will my soul need the extra-special Primal of Death judgment?” I lightened my tone, even as my chest felt tighter. “Better yet, will I have to wait in line?”
He didn’t answer.
I opened my eyes to the wisps of steam whirling above the water. “I know this isn’t the greatest topic of conversation.”
“It isn’t even something you should be thinking about.”
“I try not to, but it’s hard.” My fingers curled slightly. “Especially now. I just want to know what to expect.” I sat up, facing him. “And I don’t want to hear that I don’t have to expect it.”
Ash opened his mouth.
“We both know that’s not true,” I said before he could deny it. “And knowing just a little bit will…I don’t know. Maybe it will help me.”
A glow of eather appeared behind his pupils. “Will it help? Truly?”
I…I wasn’t sure. “Perhaps knowing will make things worse. Maybe it won’t. But it can’t be worse than this.”
He turned his head, and a line of sunlight glanced off his cheekbone. “I don’t know.”
“Ash.”
“I’m serious, Sera. I cannot answer whether you will pass through the Pillars or if you’ll need to be judged in person to determine your fate.”
I started to frown. “But—”
“I know what I said before, but I cannot see what that journey will be. Just as I couldn’t see Lathan’s journey,” he shared, the glow pulsing behind his pupils. “It was hidden from me. As is yours.”
“Why?”
“The moment I considered Lathan a friend, my role in his eternal journey ended. It’s why—”
“The Primal of Death was not allowed to form bonds with another,” I murmured.
A streak of eather lashed out from behind his pupils. “Kolis told you that?”
I nodded. “If a…a bond is formed with another, the Fates balance it out by preventing the Primal of Death from knowing the journey of a soul or taking part in it.”