the slow unveiling—the excruciating interplay between the hidden and exposed.
Samael pulled off his cloak. When he looked at me, the air left my lungs. It still struck me—a beauty so exquisite, it was like a knife in my heart. Why make a death angel look like that?
He pulled off his shirt. “You should sleep.”
Now, I could no longer remember my battle plan, or how words worked, or much of anything. Corded with muscle, he displayed the sculpted chest and abs of an angelic warrior. Dripping with the cold of the river, I stared at him, wide-eyed.
Completely unfair that he should look that way when I was trying to mentally prepare for battle. This was not a fair fight.
He was crossing over to a wardrobe, and I stared at his muscled back.
I closed my eyes, thinking of Alice, of the murdered women. Stay focused, Lila. This is all-out combat. This is war.
I bit my lip. "I wouldn’t mind a bath.”
The old bath trick, naked in his room.
His ice-cold gaze slid to me. “Fine, then bathe." A low, velvety voice with steel underneath. “I’m going to dress, and then interrogate my soldiers about the attempt on your life.”
I tried not to gape at him as he dressed himself in dry clothes.
I crossed to the bath, turning the tap to fill it with hot water. “Do you have any whiskey?”
He pulled on his cloak. “I don't drink alcohol.”
Of course not. He loathed fun of all kinds. And to my disappointment, he stalked out of his room.
Bollocks.
The war was not over yet, though. When he returned, I’d be ready. Finn had told me that Samael killed the servants. And if I learned for certain that he’d killed Alice, I’d kill him myself. And that meant I had to make sure he was properly vulnerable. Seduced.
Steam curled from the bath, and I pulled off my dress. Naked and cold, I crossed to the wardrobe where my clothes were kept. Which underwear had made Finn blush crimson? The red knickers and bra, wasn’t it? The lace would just barely show off my nipples, so that seemed perfect. I took the underwear with me, and went back to the bath.
I stepped in, sinking into the warm water. In the heat, my muscles started to relax. Candles washed the room in ruddy light, and cast long shadows over the flagstones.
I still didn’t know why the Clovian soldiers had come for me, or how they’d known my real name. If they knew I’d killed two of their kind, why not take it up with Samael?
I slipped under the water, holding my breath. If Samael hadn’t come to find me, I’d be shattered at the bottom of the river now.
Images of Alice flitted through my mind—sinking beneath the dark water. She was always scared of the river, wouldn’t learn to swim. In my worst nightmares, she was floating in the water, headless.
I rose from under the surface of the bath, gasping for breath.
This was all temporary. The bath, the luxury. I couldn’t get used to it. Because before I knew it, I’d be trapped in a gilded cage, a slave to the evil angels. A complete traitor to my kind.
Once more, I slid under the surface, then held myself under the water as long as I could, until my lungs started to burn. This would be a reminder that death was all around me. That any day now, I could follow Alice. Feel the pain. Feel your lungs exploding.
Bubbles floated up from my nose, and my throat was tight, squeezing. My chest screamed.
Only when panic started to rip my mind open did I let myself come up for air.
I gasped, deep and loud, arms gripping the edge of the copper bath. Air filled my lungs, glorious air.
And then I realized I wasn’t alone. No, there was an angel in here. Leaning against the doorframe, Sourial was frowning at me. The candlelight danced over his bare chest—he wore his low-slung leather trousers, a cape, and nothing else.
“Do you mind?” I hugged my legs to my chest.
He shrugged, then took a sip from his bottle of whiskey. “Well I didn’t know you were in there before I came in. How did you stay in the water that long? Were you trying to drown yourself?”
“Do you just randomly barge into Samael’s room?”
“He’s executing soldiers, and I thought you might know why. He was wearing his true face, which meant he wasn’t able to speak. Just slaughter.”