Total pages in book: 401
Estimated words: 390373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1952(@200wpm)___ 1561(@250wpm)___ 1301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 390373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1952(@200wpm)___ 1561(@250wpm)___ 1301(@300wpm)
Kieran.
He was in the chamber to the right of the Solar.
Surprise rolled through me, breaking my concentration as my eyes snapped open. The humming settled in my veins. Ever since the notam had kicked in, I’d been able to sense the wolven. But I hadn’t been able to do that before.
Forcing myself to move before I tried something else, I hurried into the bathing chamber. I couldn’t believe I’d actually fallen asleep after being stuck in a bed for as long as I had. Pushing the door shut behind me, I went to the tub. Having no idea how much time had passed or where Casteel—or whoever had been in the chamber to cover me—had gone, I turned on the faucets. Water poured into the tub, splashing against the porcelain base as I stepped back. I pulled the stopper on a jar of pink crystals. The soft, musky scent of sandalwood reached me. I sprinkled a handful into the rushing water and put a bar of soap on the tub’s wide ledge. Foamy bubbles had already begun to appear, filling the air with the sweet, woodsy scent as I stripped off the robe.
Spotting hooks on the half wall, I stepped from behind the privacy screen. I hung the robe, thinking about the upcoming conversation with the generals.
I doubted any would protest our decision regarding the Ascended. Knowing Aylard, he’d celebrate.
The soft fabric whispered over my skin as I lowered the straps of the sleeping gown.
The remaining generals could also—
What felt like a cool breeze brushed against my bare hip as the gown puddled on the floor at my feet. I froze, my heart stuttering. A prickly sensation crawled down my spine, raising the hairs on my arms as an unsettling awareness settled over me. My skin pimpled as I folded an arm across my chest and turned. My gaze landed on the bathroom door, and the breath I took caught in my throat.
The door was halfway open.
My body flashed ice-cold as I stared, knowing damn well I had pushed it closed.
But in my hurry, I hadn’t made sure it shut behind me.
Forcing a swallow, I crept toward the door and peered into the bedchamber. Everything was as I’d left it. I started to step back when I saw the window by the bed.
The shutters.
I’d forgotten they were cracked open, which explained the cool breeze.
A low, shaky laugh left me. The nightmare had clearly messed with my head, causing my imagination to run wild. I still sensed no one.
After turning off the faucet, I climbed into the steaming water. Sinking deep enough for the popping bubbles to tickle my chin, I kept my eyes open wide, unable to shake the skin-crawling sensation of being watched.
CHAPTER 23
POPPY
I’d just finished washing my hair when I felt the faint throb of the notam in my chest.
“Poppy?” Kieran called out.
I looked at the stool, realizing I’d forgotten to grab a towel. My gaze swung toward the wall as the footsteps drew closer.
Damn it.
Strands of hair floated around me, and my knees broke the surface as I sank until the frothy water reached my chin.
Whoever it was halted, and then the half-open door creaked.
“Poppy?”
Briefly closing my eyes, I exhaled slowly. “I’m in here.”
As his steps drew closer, I glanced down and immediately wished I hadn’t. While bubbles still swirled on the water’s surface, they had thinned out, leaving vast swaths between the foam clusters.
Kieran stepped around the privacy screen, and in the silence that followed, I peeked up at him.
He must have bathed because he was clean-shaven and had changed into a black, short-sleeve tunic made of soft leather and fitted at the waist. The sunlight caught the golden threads of the embroidery along the shoulders and on the two front panels. My gaze lifted.
The hue of his eyes was a bright, glacial blue as his gaze swept up from the foot of the tub to mine. A muscle spasmed in his jaw, and it was only then that I realized my arms had remained nestled against my sides, and there were a lot of gaps in the bubbles near my half-submerged chin.
His jaw loosened as his gaze met mine. “Did you fall asleep in the tub again?”
My mind immediately flashed back to New Haven when I woke to find Kieran kneeling beside the tub. To say I’d been surprised to find him there would’ve been an understatement. I’d been convinced that he held no fondness for me then, and I was pretty sure I’d been right.
“No,” I said. “I heard you come in. I just forgot to grab a towel.”
Amusement flickered across his features as he looked down at me, but there was something else to his stare and in his eyes—an edginess that brought a flush to my cheeks.
“You’re uncomfortable.”
The frankness of his statement caused my brow to furrow.