My heart thumped as they entered the chamber, walking in a single, neat line. Each one carried a large bucket. Were they the same as those I’d seen in the other chamber the day before?

As the Chosen approached the cage, Callum sighed and then moved—so damn fast—to stand behind the first Chosen.

I hadn’t done as he ordered.

Shooting to the side of the cage, my feet slipped on the tile. “No. No—”

Callum smiled.

His hands went to the sides of the veiled head—

Bone cracked like dried branches snapping in the wind.

I jolted at the clang of metal hitting tile. I didn’t want to believe what I saw as the Chosen’s legs collapsed, and they slumped to the floor. I shook my head in denial, but the embers of life throbbed in response to the death, pressing against my skin, demanding that I use them to restore life to the Chosen. Horror swamped me as I stared at the crumpled pile of white. Dimly, I became aware of my hand lifting halfway as if that could fend off what I’d witnessed.

Or do something else. But what? I couldn’t restore life without touch.

 “You…you didn’t have to do that,” I said shakily. “I can bring them back.”

Callum slowly turned to me, his brows rising. Then he moved to stand behind the second Chosen—

“Don’t!” I hurried toward the divan as nausea rose. “I’m moving. Look! I’m doing what you asked. You don’t have to hurt them. Please.”

Callum’s eyes locked with mine, and my stomach pitched. A second passed. Two. Then he moved away from the Chosen, his haunting smile never fading.

Trembling with barely restrained anger and disbelief, I watched him approach the cage. He fished out a key as the Chosen waited behind him.

Did Callum not realize the key he’d used before had gone missing?

The cage opened, and I curled my arms around my chest, stopping myself from rushing the door and launching myself at the fucking Revenant.

My gods. I was going to do terrible, permanent damage to him one of these days.

Just not today.

I focused on the Chosen. None of them had reacted to the murder. Not a shout or a jerk, yet they’d screamed when they saw me. It was likely these were different Chosen, ones too familiar with this kind of violence.

Sickened, I stood by the divan, my stomach twisting and turning as my toes curled into the thick, soft rug. One by one, they entered, disappearing momentarily behind the screen and then returning with their pails in hand. They didn’t look at me. No one spoke. The only sound was the whisper of robes across marble.

By the time the bucket that had hit the floor earlier had been refilled and added to the water in the tub, the embers in my chest had finally calmed. Callum locked the cage door as the last Chosen left the chamber. The approach of heavier footsteps drew my attention.

A dark-haired guard appeared in the hall, crossing the room in his knee-length, white tunic and gold greaves. The bright light of the chandelier reflected off the sigil engraved on the golden armor: a circle with a slash through it. His face was painted the same as Callum’s.

But I recognized him.

It was the guard who’d been with the draken, the one who’d knocked me out.

As he neared the fallen Chosen, his head lifted just a bit. Amber eyes lit by the glow of eather glanced over me as he lifted the body. Then, without saying a word, he left. The guard was a god, yet he’d used none of his godly abilities against me yesterday.

Neither had any other guards, and the draken had only appeared close to attacking me once I hit him with that bolt of eather.

The reason was suddenly clear to me in light of Callum’s actions. It was likely the guards and Kolis’s loyalists had been warned not to harm me. I could exploit that.

To a point.

Because Callum had shown exactly how he would ensure my cooperation.

“Make use of your bath,” Callum said, drawing my attention to him. “If you do not do so, I will bring another Chosen in here, and they will meet the same fate as the other.”

I turned to where he once more stood before the cage. “I’m going to kill you,” I promised.

Callum laughed softly. “I suggest you bathe and change. Kolis will be most displeased if he finds you in this state.”

“Fuck Kolis,” I snarled, once more losing control of my temper.

“He would enjoy that, I’m sure.” Callum winked. “Your bath water is growing cold.”

Whatever caustic response I had died on my tongue as Callum bowed and turned. I stared numbly as he left, the wide, heavy doors swinging shut behind him. The click of several locks followed.

Callum hadn’t touched those doors.

Either that was something the doors did on their own, or Revenants had some of the same abilities as a god.

An unkillable god.

That potentially made the Revenants as dangerous as a Primal, and that was yet another problem.

Worry gnawed at me. Kolis could return at any moment, but I still hesitated at the tub, my hand pressed lightly to the base of my throat. Just the sight of it full of water caused a knot to swell in my chest.

Having been nearly choked to death in a bathtub had kind of tainted what used to be a luxury I enjoyed.

Even to this day, I still felt the sash coming around my throat from behind, cutting off my airway before I even realized I’d taken my last breath. Damn, the memory was even fresher now.

I didn’t want to get into the tub, but it was too deep for me to dunk my head like I had been doing in the Shadowlands until Ash noticed I wasn’t using the tub to bathe. Instead of making me feel foolish, he’d understood the trauma and sought to work around it. He’d brought me into his chambers and stood guard in his quarters so I felt comfortable bathing.

That wasn’t the only thing he’d done. My skin briefly warmed at the memory of him climbing into the tub, leathers and all…

But Ash wasn’t here to have my back and help me feel safe.

I had to do it for myself and had a lifetime of practice doing just that. Today would be no different. At least, that was what I told myself.

A tremor started in my legs as I shifted from foot to foot. I needed to get over this. No one would choke me. Hopefully. What would happen was retaliation from Callum if I didn’t bathe.

I was a quick learner—contrary to what my mother believed. It had only taken once with Callum. I disobeyed, and someone died.

I peeked around the screen and gave the chamber beyond the cage a hard scan. I knew no one was there, but I needed the reminder. Once I had it, I hurried behind the screen again and peeled off the bloody gown, wishing I could set fire to it as tiny bumps appeared all over my body. The feeling of hundreds of unseen gazes pressed upon my flesh.

“Stop it,” I hissed. No one was watching me.

That I knew of, anyway.

I rolled my eyes. I really needed to learn how to be more reassuring.

Cursing, I stepped into the warm water. The knot in my chest expanded as I gripped the sides of the tub. Focused on my breathing, I lowered myself until I could sit.

The water reached just below my breasts, and my sore muscles immediately got on board with the whole soaking idea, but I wasted no time. I bathed as quickly as possible, using one of the pitchers filled and left by the tub to cleanse my hair. Only a handful of minutes could’ve passed when I stepped out of the tub and pulled the plug at the bottom that allowed the water to flow down the drain beneath it. Grabbing one of the towels, I dried off as I stepped onto a rug, my toes curling into the soft material. I turned, looking at myself in the mirror.

Wide, green eyes stared back at me, and without the blood splattering my face, the freckles dotting my cheeks and nose stood out in stark contrast.

But something else snagged my attention. I leaned in closer, my mouth parting with a sharp inhale. “What the…?”