Chapter Thirty-Four

KEYARA

When Key woke, Ash was sleeping peacefully beside her, his arms holding her protectively against his chest. She pressed her nose against his bare skin, inhaling deeply.

Her senses were continuing to grow and expand as her body became less human, and everything was becoming more acute.

His extensive run had enhanced his natural scent of pine and spice, and it overwhelmed her as she took it in.

She realized this must be why he often smelled her neck or head; it really did calm her and relax her tense muscles.

For a moment, she almost felt normal, the pain momentarily dulled. She sighed happily, glad to have him beside her, thankful he wasn’t angry with her for needing some space from his powerful emotions as she struggled.

She rubbed her nose back and forth against his chest, savoring his scent. He grumbled deeply.

“That tickles,” he told her, his voice heavy with sleep.

She laughed softly, pressing a kiss against his chest. She felt him hum in pleasure as her lips touched his skin and could feel his satisfaction through the mate bond, which he had been unable to block in his sleep.

Suddenly the moment was over, and the pressure returned to her head in full force. She bit back a moan, raising a hand to her temple.

She felt him cut off the emotional connection between them, but he didn’t move from her side, gently rubbing her back in comfort. They stayed that way for a long while, until she was able to regain her bearings.

She opened her eyes, studying her sleeping shift where it disappeared under the blanket.

She became very aware in that moment of the sweat that stained the fabric and suddenly realized she was covered in old sweat and sick and who knew what else.

“Ash?” she asked suddenly, before reconsidering and hesitating, not wanting to be a bother.

“What is it, Key?” he asked, urging her to continue.

“Well, I was just wondering if I could take a bath,” she continued apologetically. “I’m sure I look disgusting. I feel disgusting.”

He laughed and rolled off the bed. “You will never be disgusting, my luna,” he said with forced cheerfulness.

The worry was evident in his eyes, but she knew he was keeping it light for her sake.

“But I will be happy to prepare you a bath,” he continued, bowing to her and leaving the room.

She heard his deep voice on the other side of the door, speaking to the men, no doubt instructing them to fetch water to heat for her.

Keyara sighed, feeling slightly uncomfortable. She was not yet used to others jumping to do her bidding. She sat up slowly, letting her legs hang over the side of the bed, testing her body’s reaction to the movement.

While her head was hurting intensely, she was feeling stronger than she had the day before, and her nausea was completely gone.

The room had finally stopped moving as well, she realized as she looked around, the steadiness a nice change.

Her muscles were still tight and cramped, but she was almost able to ignore them by now. The feeling had been so constant the past few days, it was starting to feel normal.

She wondered if Luca was somehow wrong about things getting worse, pleased with the improvement she was currently experiencing.

She could hear footsteps down the hall and voices in the room beside her. They must be filling the tub in another room, giving her privacy.

She decided to take full advantage of it. She stood and pulled the shift over her head, wrinkling her nose at the sight of it.

How Ash had slept beside her wearing this filthy thing all night was a mystery to her. She tossed it on the floor.

She ran her fingers through her hair, quickly untangling it, grimacing at the tension in her aching head as the motion pulled at her scalp.

She moved across the room and stood in front of the mirror, studying her naked form.

The bite on her neck displayed an impressive range of colors, the heavy bruising evident even though the puncture wounds had healed to barely noticeable scars.

Her eyes moved lower, to the stab wound just below her left breast, which also boasted a completely healed scar, slightly raised to her touch.

She furrowed her brow at the sight at her ribs, the outline of them prominent beneath her pale skin, and moved her gaze to her hips, where the bones stuck out sharply.

Luca’s concern about her weight became heavy on her mind. He was right, after all, she was very much undersized.

She had never looked at herself all at once like this before. At home, they had only a small handheld mirror, no larger than a book.

She frowned at what she saw looking back, studying herself for a long while, her frown only growing as the time passed.

Suddenly Ash’s hands slithered around her waist, pulling her against him. She had not heard him come back in, and he had been dutiful about blocking his emotions and concern from her, so she hadn’t sensed him either.

She leaned back against his chest, and he held her, studying her face in the reflection of the tall mirror, his expression unreadable.

“Why the frown, my love?” he finally asked her. “Are you in pain?”

“No,” she said, meeting his eyes in the mirror and forcing a smile. “I’m feeling a little better, actually. I feel stronger today.”

“Good,” he replied, relief flooding his voice. “No reason for a frown, then.”

“I’ve just never looked at myself like this before,” she said dismissively. “I look like hell,” she stated, her tone dark, and turned away from him suddenly.

For the first time, she found herself doubting what a man like Ash saw in her, mate bond or not.

Seeing their reflections together in the mirror made her realize just how thoroughly plain she looked next to him, and that realization made her very sad.

He caught her hand, pulling her back to him. “You’ve been through hell, Keyara. The bruises will fade,” he told her, caressing her face gently.

She nodded, not meeting his eyes. She didn’t have the heart to tell him that she wasn’t talking about the bruises.

She hardly knew what was getting into her. She had never once worried about her appearance before.

She had never been one to fawn over her hair or clothes, and she rarely even bothered to look in a mirror. It simply wasn’t important to her.

This wasn’t like her. With everything else that was going on right now, it made no sense to be concerned about whether or not someone found her pretty. The thought of it was laughable.

But she couldn’t shake the nagging feeling of inadequacy suddenly introduced to her consciousness.

She slipped on a robe and followed Ash to the room next door. At least the dizziness had not yet returned, and she was able to walk more easily, even if the ache in her head wouldn’t cease.

She let him lead her to the steaming tub. Lavender petals floated on the surface of the water and filled the room with their perfume.

She forced another smile; he had clearly wished to please her, and she kissed him lightly to convey her thanks before slipping off the robe.

His hands were suddenly around her waist, lifting her into the tub as if she weighed nothing, settling her into the water. She leaned back, sighing at the warmth. It helped to ease her cramping muscles.

He sat on a stool by the tub and picked up a clean cloth. He dipped it into the water and began to lather it with a bar of sweet-smelling soap. Key watched him with half-closed eyes.

He suddenly stood, moving behind her, and she felt his hands move over her skin, the cloth slippery with soap. She blushed, stopping his movement with a light touch, trying to take the cloth from his hands.

“I can do it,” she said, embarrassed.

“Please, Key,” he said, his voice heavy with emotion. “I want to.”

The way he said it seemed to leave no more room for argument. She lay back and closed her eyes as he continued to wash her carefully.

Her worries were momentarily forgotten, and she focused on the feeling of his hands moving over her body under the water, blocking out the pain in her head.