Chapter 23

Wolfe

Her long black hair floated around her still body. I wasted no time scooping her from the water and lifting her onto the edge of the hot spring before heaving myself up after her. I'd followed her down shortly after receiving a note under my door in the early hours of the dawn.

She'd gone to fulfill a death order without me. It wasn't that I didn't trust Senka to do it on her own, but in this palace filled with spies, traitors, and those who might benefit from turning over a dangerous undesirable to the emperor, I chose to stick close to her.

"Stay with me," I growled and I pressed down on her chest. Once, twice and a third and fourth time before bringing my mouth to her blue-tinted lips.

I forced my own air into her lungs and continued pushing so hard that I was afraid I might crack one of her ribs. There were no signs of a struggle as far as I could see. Lady Saldan floated in the hot spring as well, her eyes sightless as she stared up at the ceiling.

Senka wore a simple black nightdress and a black silk robe that matched her long hair. If anyone happened upon her, they would have assumed she was heading down for her own bath in the hot springs and wouldn't think twice about it.

Senka's body lurched, and she coughed, so I tipped her to the side and water spilled from her mouth. Relief slammed into me so hard that it made me dizzy. I needed to get her up to her room so Valera could check her for internal damage.

With a final burst of coughing and sputtering, Senka"s body collapsed onto the cold, wet floor with a thud. As she weakly wiped her lips with the back of her hand, I noticed a small pool of blood forming where her head had rested just moments before.

A pang of fear shot through me and I cursed under my breath. The metallic smell of blood filled the air, mixing with the dampness of the mineralized water.

"Did you..." her words faltered, each breath a struggle as her eyes found my face.

"Did I what?" My hands were gentle as they brushed wet hair from her face. She was so pale, and her lips were just beginning to get some color back in them.

"Save me?" she managed, her voice barely a whisper, silver eyes rapidly flitting over my face.

Those eyes. Those fucking eyes had been my gods damned weakness from the moment I stared into them as a boy.

"Always," I said roughly,

"Thank you," she breathed out, the gratitude mingling with a vulnerability I wasn"t used to hearing from her pretty lips. "I don't know what happened. I felt dizzy and then suddenly I was in the water and…"

I studied her for a moment, put off by the frantic way she tried to explain herself. It was so unlike the Senka I knew. The cocky, arrogant deathbringer that never, ever wavered. With a nod, I helped her to sit up, supporting her weight as if she were made of glass. She leaned into me, allowing me to steady her.

"Can you stand?" I asked, eyeing the way her eyes blinked rapidly as if trying to reorient herself.

My eyes drifted to the closed door to the baths, hoping that nobody would wander down here until long after we were gone. I didn't want to have to kill unnecessarily, but I wouldn't hesitate either.

"I think so," she answered, though doubt threaded through every word. "Here, help me…"

I rose to my feet, taking the hand she held out. She swayed slightly. "Let"s get you to Valera," I said, swooping her up into my arms before she could protest.

She didn't even try. She just let her head loll to the side, pressing against my chest as her eyes fell closed. I paused for a split second, realizing just how light this woman felt cradled in my arms. This deathbringer…this force of fucking nature, felt so utterly delicate with her wet hair and sopping dress draped over my arms.

We moved through the dimly lit corridors, the chill of the predawn air clinging to our damp skin. To my immense fucking relief, we didn't pass a single soul. When they inevitably discovered Lady Saldan's body in the baths, there would be no witnesses to Senka ever being there.

"Thank you," she whispered against my neck, breaking the silence as we neared my quarters. Her voice was cracked and low from drinking in so much water.

I couldn"t resist smirking as I gazed into her unusual pale silver eyes. "You don"t need to thank me. It"s what I'm here for, right?" I cleared my throat as we approached the door. "Partners, remember?"

"Partners?" She choked on a laugh. My pulse quickened at the sound, though I masked it with a feigned scoff when she said, "Last I checked, we were rivals."

"Rivals who save each other"s lives," I amended. "Rivals who conspire together, who kill together, who drink together and…other things."

My cock pulsed as heat filled her eyes. Yes. We were rivals who did other things as well. Or wanted to. Craved it even. So many times I found myself dreaming about the taste of her lips, needing to know if the sounds she made matched my imagination.

"Careful, Wolfe," she murmured, a playful warning laced with an undercurrent of raw candor in her scratchy voice. "Keep this up, and I might start thinking you really do care about me."

"Maybe I do," I said honestly. "Maybe that's my whole fucking problem."

She opened her mouth to reply, but no words came out. Instead, she reached out, her fingers grazing the rough hairs along my jaw. For an instant, I closed my eyes and leaned into the touch.

"Senka," I breathed out roughly, my cock pulsing painfully at just the slightest fucking touch.

I knew about her and Cross. I'd known since it began. I'd seen the spark in the underlord's gaze when he looked at her, and I felt the dynamic between them shift so suddenly that it was impossible to mistake for anything but what it was.

One thing I couldn"t decipher was how she truly felt about him. And did she feel anything for me at all? Was I consumed with jealousy that Cross had the privilege of touching her in ways I yearned for? More than just jealous. Sometimes I wanted to crush his head beneath my boot for being in her fucking presence.

But deep down, I also knew Senka wasn't the type to commit to anyone, or need anyone for that matter. Yet, there were moments when I caught her staring at me too, and it wasn"t just a passing glance. The fire in her kisses told me I wasn't imagining things.

I wanted her, and she wanted me too. Eventually she would stop denying herself the things she wanted. Until then, I'd wait for her to realize it.

"Let"s get you inside," I said abruptly, as if snapping out of a trance. Before I could say something stupid, I pushed open my door, carrying her across the threshold.

My living quarters were connected to Senka"s by a single door. While her suite was spacious and elegant, my room was much smaller, but still nicer than what I thought a personal guard would be given.

Initially, I had assumed that we would be staying in the barracks with the other soldiers or at least with the Tonne, but I was pleasantly surprised when I was led to this comfortable space.

The darkness embraced us, the only light filtering in from behind heavy velvet curtains as the sun rose higher into the sky. I laid her down on the bed and pulled the covers over her when she began shaking. Chills covered her brown skin, and her hair was a tangled mass of black waves splayed out across my pillows.

"Rest," I whispered as I brushed her hair back from her forehead. "I need to find Valera."

We needed to make sure there was no internal damage, and hopefully, no water left in her lungs. I'd heard of people drowning in their sleep long after being in the water, and we couldn't risk it. I just hoped there was something Valera could do. Her blessing as a healer was unlike anything I'd ever seen.

I opened my mouth to ask if Senka needed anything before I left, but she was already asleep.

My chest warmed as I stared at her for a few moments too long.

Moving slowly, keeping my footsteps light, I quietly bent over her and placed a gentle kiss on the cold skin of her brow.