“So much for a bath,” I manage.

“Oh, we’ve just begun,” my mate purrs, rubbing a big hand down my spine. “I can bathe you while knotted inside you, my pretty human.”

I whimper, because that sounds both obscenely delicious and like far too much. Nemeth is determined, though. He tugs me upright, our bodies still locked tight, and when I flail, he wraps a big arm around my waist, holding me anchored in front of him. With that, he spreads his wings for balance and climbs into the pool.

And I moan as the heat of the water soaks into my bones. “It’s warm. Gods, this is amazing.”

“Here I thought you were tired of water,” Nemeth murmurs, sinking our joined bodies deeper into the bath.

“I am absolutely sick to death of the sea,” I point out. “A nice clean hot bath is a completely different thing.” I lean back against his broad chest contentedly…or at least, as contented as one can be when currently knotted by their Fellian lover. Every twitch of his body ripples through mine, making my cunt clench tight around his thick knot. A repeat of our furious lovemaking is not far from my thoughts.

Nemeth must be thinking the same sorts of things because he cups one hand, dribbling water over my breasts, and then begins to wash them as if they’re the dirtiest part of me. I moan when he drags his thumbs deliberately over my nipples, causing me to squirm atop his cock. “Unfair,” I pant. “I can’t get away from you.”

“That’s why this is the best time to do this.” His hand slides lower to my belly, caressing it. “How do you feel?”

I know the question is more than how I feel. He’s asking how the baby is, too. “I think everything is fine.”

“Does anyone suspect…” He brushes his fingers over my stomach again.

I snort. “Please. I couldn’t even get them to believe that I was Princess Candra. You think anyone stopped to look at me closely?” I lean back against his chest, closing my eyes as he pours more water over me in the laziest, sexiest bath ever. “It’s weird, actually. I thought we’d have people throwing rocks at us the moment we showed up, but no one seems to believe me when I tell them who I am. They think Princess Candromeda Vestalin is still in the tower. But if that’s the case, wouldn’t they notice the weather? How awful things are? Surely the goddess’s wrath is a noticeable change.”

“Aye,” Nemeth says in a quiet voice, his fingers skimming down my arm. “I’m not sure I understand it myself. Darkfell is…different. Quiet. Empty. I don’t understand it. I hope my brother can give me answers.”

“You need to tell him to free my sister,” I say. “And Riza. And⁠—”

“One thing at a time,” Nemeth interrupts. “I know you are worried, but Ivornath does not like to be told what to do. I will have to be careful when dealing with him.” He drags a wet finger up and down my arm and then shifts his weight, seating me more heavily upon his knot. “I do not want to think about my brother right now. I want to think about pleasuring my beautiful mate so hard that she will never entertain the thought of leaving me.”

I nearly choke at that. Pleasure me so hard I won’t leave? Where by all the gods would I go? There’s nothing left. “I don’t think you have to worry about that.”

Nemeth’s arms tighten around me and he holds me close. “I never planned this.”

Planned what? There’s such frustration in his voice. “Nemeth⁠—”

“I never imagined we’d come to Darkfell,” he tells me, one arm locking around my waist and the other skimming up my throat in a possessive gesture. His hips twitch under the water, pushing him deeper into me, and I suck in a breath. “I thought that when we left the tower, I would follow you. I’d follow you anywhere. You know that, don’t you, Candra?”

I whimper, because his cock is swelling inside me, his words a teasing whisper against my ear.

“My plan was always to return with you. To be yours.”

Is that what he’s worried about? I know Nemeth is a plotter. I know he likes to have everything thought out and figured in advance. “This isn’t your fault,” I breathe, biting my lip when he shudders and I feel every bit of it. “Fuck the plans. We’ll make new ones.”

“Just…never lose faith in me, Candra. Everything I do is for you. For us.” His arms harden around me, that hand gripping my throat just tight enough that I feel the prick of claws. It sends a shiver of arousal down my spine. Nemeth lets out a ragged breath that sounds curiously close to a sob. “I thought I’d lost you yesterday. I thought I lost you and there was nothing left for me…”

I reach behind me, caressing his jaw. “You’re stuck with me, I’m afraid.”

And I wriggle against his cock in a very deliberate manner. He doesn’t need to dwell on the past, I decide. For now, we think of the future. And when he bends me over the edge of the tub again, his hand on my clit, I can’t think of anything at all.

I wake up some time later, my hair dry, my body clean, and I’m alone in the bed in Nemeth’s chambers. Yawning, I sit up and eye the statue sitting in the center of the teleportation circle. There’s a note on the bed, too, and I squint at it, sounding out the words because I really am shite at reading.

Have gone to speak to my brother. Stay here. There is a food tray in the antechamber. I will return soon.

Hmm.

I move around Nemeth’s home, eyeballing his belongings. It’s strange, because this place is absolutely not built for humans. The bed is large and circular and low, designed for wings and thick legs that bend backward. There’s a lavatory on this floor, along with the bathing pool, but other than that, I can go nowhere. I pick up a mushroom from the tray and eat it like a piece of fruit, moving to the ledge and eyeing the spread of rooms below. I know he spent most of his life at the Alabaster Citadel, preparing for a life inside the tower. Did he come home often? Was this a refuge for him or just another prison?

More than that, is he glad to be back?

I wander around his quarters for a bit longer, then dig into the tray. There’s a bitter cheese and some bread, and a handful of nuts, along with more mushrooms. I eat everything and avoid the wine carafe, drinking water instead. When Nemeth doesn’t return, I yawn and retreat back into the bed.

Nemeth must be meeting with his brothers. He’s rarely ever mentioned them to me. While I’d bring up Erynne regularly, he never talked of his family. At first I thought it was because he was deliberately hiding information from me, but I think he’s just not close to them. After all, I rarely speak of Meryliese.

Still, I hope they are being kind to him. I hope they don’t rage at him for leaving the tower.

I wish I was there. Nemeth is too polite, too kind. I’d let his brothers know what I truly think of them and the fact that they left us to starve in the tower.

Perhaps that’s why I’m here alone while he’s visiting them.

I doze throughout the afternoon, only to awaken again to a large body sliding into the bed next to me. I roll over to my side, and Nemeth tucks me against him, spooning my smaller form against him. He holds me tight for a long moment, then sighs heavily.

“It went that well, hmm?” I ask, tucking my arms against his.

“My brothers can be very stubborn.”

Not surprising, given that one is the king. “What did you talk about?”

He hesitates, then presses his mouth against the back of my head, breathing in my scent. “They were surprised I left the tower. They said they sent a delegation with food but they must not have made it.”

“Dragon shite,” I mutter, rolling over to look at him. “Do you buy that?”

He thinks for a moment. “No.”

I study his face. He seems as if he’s aged in the last day. Nemeth’s expression is worn and tired, as if the weight of the world is suddenly upon his shoulders. For what feels like the millionth time, I wish we were back in our tower, alone and oblivious to the world outside. “Did you tell them that I’m here with you?”