46. Lily

"Is he all right?" I asked, as we staggered into the Cavern and Sel lowered Krynn down against the side of the large marble tub.

"He will be in a while." He was already fiddling with the golden swan's wings so that water rushed out of its beak to fill the tub. "This happens sometimes after his Needing Cycle is finally satisfied," he added. "He gets weak and disoriented. He just needs to get cleaned up and kept warm. I usually let him sleep with me on nights like this—he seems to need lots of extra contact for some reason."

"Well, since we're all sleeping together, that shouldn't be a problem," I pointed out. I looked down at myself and grimaced. "I know that bath is probably for Krynn, but can I get in with him? I'm a sticky mess."

"Actually, I thought all three of us could take a bath together." Sel reached around behind the golden swan's body and pressed something. To my shock, the marble bathtub suddenly began to grow until it was big enough for three.

"Oh my God—how did you do that?" I demanded, when it finally stopped.

"Magic of course. Not mine though—it's built into the tub," Sel answered matter-of-factly. "Come on—let's get undressed and get in."

The three of us stripped—Krynn still moving in slow-motion as though he'd been drugged—and then got into the tub together. Sel sat in the back, I was in the middle, and Krynn was in front with his wings folded back into place. He swayed for a moment as though he might fall over, so I put my arms around him and eased him back until his head was resting against my breasts.

"My Lady," he murmured, looking up at me dreamily. "You are too good to me."

"I'm just trying to take care of you, Krynn." Leaning over him, I pressed a soft kiss to his forehead.

"Thank you, my Lady," he murmured and his eyelids fluttered closed.

Sel watched as I cradled the lighter Fae against me in the warm water that lapped around us.

"I don't know why he gets like this," he rumbled, sounding worried. "So weak he can barely hold his head up!"

"I think I might know," I said, thinking of all the spicy BDSM romance I'd read. "It's something called ‘sub-drop.'"

"Sub-what?" Sel demanded. "What in Lolth's name is that?"

"Sub-drop is the term for the condition a submissive falls into sometimes after a particularly intense scene," I explained to Sel. "Krynn submitted to me completely—he gave himself totally when he let me fuck him and bite him. But in order to do that, he had to get into a very specific mental state called "sub space."

"Is that when his eyes get all unfocussed and he's willing to give you anything?" Sel asked. "I thought that was just part of the Needing."

"It might be," I allowed. "Or it might be a mixture of the Needing and him falling into sub-space. Anyway, coming out of that mindset—coming out of subs-space—can be emotionally and physically draining. That's what causes sub-drop. Which is why aftercare is so important."

"Aftercare?" Sel asked. "What's that?"

"What we're doing now," I said. "Warming him up…cleaning him off and comforting him." I stroked the long silver-blond hair away from Krynn's high forehead and kissed him again. His eyelids fluttered open for a moment and he gave me another dreamy smile.

"Thank you, my Lady. For taking care of me," he murmured.

"Of course, Krynn." My heart squeezed in my chest as I hugged him gently.

"How do you know about all this stuff, anyway?" Sel growled in my ear.

I shrugged.

"I read a lot." For years reading had been my only form of escape from the monotony of everyday life and the fact that my husband no longer loved me. But I had never expected to be able to live out any of the situations in the books I loved so much. Yet here I was, naked in the tub with two muscular Fae. I guess it's true what they say—it's never too late to make your dreams come true.

The three of us soaked in the tub for almost an hour—me leaning against Sel and Krynn leaning against me. It was so warm and comforting between them that I nearly fell asleep. Finally, however, Sel declared it was time to get out.

We all managed to dry off and then we climbed into bed. This time, however, I wasn't in the middle. I asked Sel to sleep in the center of the big, four-poster bed and then I cuddled up to the big Fae's right side.

Krynn lay on his left and both of us rested our heads on Sel's broad chest. With his muscular arms wrapped around us, all three of us drifted off to sleep. I couldn't remember ever feeling so warm and contented and loved in my life—everything felt absolutely perfect.

I had no idea I was going to wake up to a nightmare.