Chloe debated it then lied, “No.” His shoulders bunched up.
“Fine.” He picked her up again and set her into the hot, steamy water. Chloe sighed in bliss and wanted to close her eyes and go back to sleep. The soft rustle of a washcloth across her ankle had her eyes flinging open.
“Oh, you don’t have to—” It was a weak protest to say the least.
“It was my duty to protect you. It would be my honor to care for you now.” Chloe’s
eyebrows shot up. She’d never heard of such a duty before, but seeing the Commander of the Atal Warriors on his knees cleaning her was priceless. She nodded for him to continue, feeling every bit like a queen, and laid back to watch him.
He soaked the cloth until it bubbled with white frothy suds then cleaned her feet. She giggled and squirmed away, but he only snatched her foot back with one big hand and cleaned it until she was full out laughing.
“Stop it! Stop it, please!” Shaking his head grimly, he finished with the other foot. Chloe smiled languidly at him. “You know you’re very handsome.” His head stopped shaking, his brow furrowed. “Oh come on, you must know you have a killer body. What’s with the gauze on me, by the way?”
He soaped her calf and knee, gently removing the wet gauze as he did. “Our healer Nanu had to make specific cuts in order to drain some of the blood from your body,” he said, soaping the cloth again. “Warriors are not attractive, Chloe. We are scarred and imperfect.” His words were laced with ice.
Chloe lifted her free knee and poked him in the chest with it. “Don’t get grumpy.
Besides, I completely disagree. Scars are a sign of your strength and courage, the pain that you’ve endured. It’s made you stronger which, at least in my eyes, makes me want to kiss you silly.” The washcloth splashed into the water. He quickly grabbed it, but not before she saw him staring at her sex, which was parted open from her knee poking him. He finished her other leg and removed the gauze behind her knee.
“The new moon has passed,” she said softly, thinking about how the edginess was no
longer there. “I would still have you, Tyrian.” Was she laying herself out there? Yes. Was he going to reject her? She was certain. So why the hell was she doing it? She had no flipping clue, but it might have something to do with the way her heart skipped every single time she was around him.
His jaw flexed in the barest of movements. “That is not a good idea. I’ve already decided that you and I will no longer...participate in those activities.”
“Oh please, as if I haven’t heard that before. I don’t understand you, Tyrian. I like you. I actually like you. I think there was a reason my papa left me to you. Against all his teachings about raising self-serving, independent woman, he left me to you, gave me no choice in the greatest event of my future. Papa wouldn’t do that for nothing, wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t for a great reason.” She hoped.
“People make mistakes all the time.” He grabbed her hand and started soaping and
rubbing her hands and between her fingers. She moaned as her muscles relaxed blissfully. Chloe watched him work, then squinted as she realized his cheeks held more color than usual.
“Do you become flushed from feeding?” His eyes jerked to hers.
“What do you mean?” he asked icily.
She ignored his unwelcoming tone and traced her fingertips over the heat of his cheek.
“You’re flushed. Is it the bath water? Or am I just that sexy? Maybe it’s from when you drank from me?” A flush of her own crept over her cheeks.
He looked down at her stomach and started washing it gently. “The water.”
“Oh,” she said softly. “So you actually brought Lily here?”
“Yes.” She smiled again. He had no idea how sweet he was. He was trying so hard to
come off as mean and uncaring but instead she saw his caring nature in spades.
“Do you feel well enough to go back to Telal’s? The demon has news for us. I would like you to be there in case he has any questions for you.”
Chloe nibbled on her lip and wondered what Lily would think of meeting the infamous demon—a whole year before she would be his.
“Yes, I should be good to go. Do you really think he’ll be able to help us figure out how to kill this demon that’s following me?”
Tyrian nodded. “If anyone can, it’s him. He knows more about myths, legends, and
demonic lore than anyone I know.”
“Oh, so he’s like a librarian type.” Chloe had a hard time picturing the blue-haired, golden-skinned demon reading a book. He looked too hardcore, like he should be riding a motorcycle in a black leather jacket, while drinking a beer and smoking a cigar at the same time.
Though now that she thought about it, he was wearing an expensive looking suit when she met him. Guess he really was more of the stiff type. What a shame. Lily always loved men in leather.
“Yes, he comes from a royal family in the nether-realm. That, too, is one of the reasons he has been allowed to stay atop the rift.” Chloe tried hard to picture the stiff demon with her wild, bold sister and couldn’t. It’d be a mess of a relationship, if that was even what they tried to have.
Chloe relaxed and enjoyed the feel of Tyrian’s hands soaping and cleaning her. She felt weak after being poisoned; she shivered at the thought. It would take awhile before her body was back in perfect working order.
When his hands dipped into her hair, she let him dunk her then shampoo and condition her hair. The feel of his strong, sure fingers massaging her scalp so gently, flared pulsing warmth inside her. She wanted, envisioned, prayed that his hands would dip down to cup her breasts, follow the trail of her stomach to her sex.
If her sisters would have told her two weeks ago that the Commander of the Atal
Warriors would be cleaning her and shampooing her hair in a few weeks, she’d still be on the floor laughing. It was amazing how quickly she was softening towards him, much faster than he was to her. But she wasn’t sure if she wanted to stop it or not.
She’d always been a risk taker, and that part of her now said ‘jump!’ ‘Take the leap!’ The bad part was her heart was entirely in on it too, happy to let herself go completely with the cold warrior. She’d seen those beautiful, warm glimpses inside him but it wasn’t enough. Could she get him to open completely? A part of her swore the he was dying to. In the warm, gentle caresses over her body, in the way he’d warmed to her even if he didn’t realize it.
“You are clean,” he announced. He didn’t meet her eyes as he scooped his arms under her and started to lift her.
“Wait!” He hesitantly turned to her, his face mere inches from hers. Her heart fluttered, stomach clenching with desire. Chloe licked her lips and said, “I need something else from you.”
Ice froze over his eyes.
“No. I shall bring Draven or Rayn or anyone else you wish here for you. I will not be doing that with you. I advise that you find a partner to secure your daily needs. I can’t do it.” He sounded almost desperate.
Honestly baffled, Chloe ran her hands over the wisps of hairs that fell over his cheek.
“Why?” He closed his eyes as if in pain then set her back in the tub. Her stomach tightened with that alarming feeling and quickly she added, “And don’t lie. Please.”
He stood completely and walked to the door. She thought he was leaving but he turned back at the last second. “A warrior does not tell his secrets to those who could use them against him.”
“But I would never hurt you.”
He looked away, a haunted look coming over his face. “One doesn’t always plan to hurt, but does anyway.”