Air slowly left my lungs, and I placed the soap in the small caddy on a nearby bench, letting my hands fall into the water. “Is that where he is?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

His head tilted to the side, and a long moment passed. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. I thought you’d be finished with your bath.”

I forced myself to relax. “You’re not interrupting.”

“I’m not?” His brows rose.

“No.”

“You’re bathing,” he replied. “Are you not worried about me spying upon your…unmentionables?”

A dry laugh left me. “You saw far more at the lake than you can see now.”

“True.” His lashes lowered halfway as he drew his bottom lip between his teeth. “I brought something for your back that should help with the wounds.” There was a pause as he lifted a hand to reveal that he held a jar containing some kind of white cream. “This will ease whatever pain they may be causing and ensure they don’t scar.”

“Thank you,” I murmured, the words sounding strange on my tongue. I didn’t say them often. I didn’t have a reason to say them often.

Ash said nothing, but he didn’t move from where he stood. He didn’t look away, and I wasn’t sure if it was the water or his regard that made me feel overheated. Finally, he spoke. “I can help you with the ointment once you’ve finished your bath.”

I tilted, letting the strands of my hair fall forward to float on the surface of the water. There hadn’t been nearly enough time to decide how I would go about fulfilling my duty, but I had enough sense to recognize the interest in Ash’s stare. The why behind the fact that he lingered instead of leaving. “I need to wash my hair, and then I’ll be done.”

“Do you need help?”

His offer surprised me. The word no rose so quickly, I almost spoke it. I nodded instead.

Ash pushed away from the doorway, placing the jar on a shelf just inside the bathing chamber. He came forward, lowering to his knees behind the tub. Brushing his hair behind an ear, his gaze flicked up from my back to my face. “How bad does it hurt?”

I swallowed. “Not that much.”

“You lie so prettily,” he murmured. “So easily.”

Facing forward, I drew in a deep breath. “It could’ve been worse.”

“We will have to disagree on that.” The tips of his fingers brushed the curve of my arm, sending a tight shiver of energy over my skin. He gathered my hair, pulling the strands away from my shoulders. “Tip your head back.”

Glancing down at the soapy water, my breath caught. The tips of my breasts were clearly visible, and as close as he was, as tall as he would be even on his knees, I knew they were also visible to him.

The Primal of Death.

Who was about to wash my hair.

“Sera?” he said softly, his breath against the top of my head.

Another shiver curled its way through me at the sound of my name. I tipped my head back, thoughts racing too fast to really make much sense of them.

Ash picked up one of the pitchers, slowly pouring the water over the lengths of my hair. “I have some questions for you.”

“I too have questions.” My heart was beating too fast again as I sat there, struck by the instinct carved into me that demanded that I seize this moment and use it to my benefit. The other half simply had no idea what to do. A part of me was utterly bewildered by this act, transfixed by it. No one had ever done this. Not since I was a child, and Odetta had washed my hair.

“I’m sure you do.” His hand curled around the nape of my neck, supporting my head. “I’ll start first. What has your life been like these last three years?”

His question caused me to squirm. “The kind of life any Princess lives.”

“I do not believe that for one second. You are quite confident with a dagger and sword for a Princess.”

“I thought we already established that you don’t know many Princesses,” I retorted.

“I know enough to know that most wouldn’t fight a Hunter without fear or even know how to. Someone trained you,” he said, wetting the strands on the back of my head.

“I was trained,” I admitted, knowing that if I lied, it would be even more obvious that I had something to hide.

“With what weapons?”

“All of them.”

“Why?”

“My family wanted to make sure that I could defend myself.”

“You didn’t have Royal Guards to do that?” he asked. “Tip your head back a little bit farther.”

“No one wants to rely on guards. They wanted to make sure I stayed alive to fulfill the deal.” To keep my balance, I lifted my arms and rested them on the sides of the tub. My back arched as I tilted my head back more.

“Perfect. That’s…perfect,” he said, his voice rougher as water cascaded over the rest of my hair. “Who trained you?”

“A knight.” Every part of my body became aware of the water slipping farther down my breasts to lap at my ribcage. “It’s my turn to ask a question.”

“Go ahead.” Ash shifted forward, the coolness of his body pressing against my back. The rosy-pink skin at the tips of my breasts tingled.

This did not feel like those times Odetta had washed my hair. At all. My eyes drifted shut. “Did you really believe that I had simply gone about my life and forgot the deal?”

“That’s what I hoped.” Ash sat the pitcher aside to pick up one of the bottles from the caddy.

Irritation spiked. “Did it never occur to you that I hadn’t, considering you were summoned three more times?” I asked.

“What do you mean?”

The confusion in his voice made it even harder to rein in my temper. “You were summoned three times since the…” Realization flickered through me. I started to face him.

“Don’t move,” he ordered.

I halted, not because he’d commanded it but because that roughness had returned to his voice. Opening my eyes, I turned my head just enough to see the heat of his gaze scorching the skin of my chest. My pulse skittered as I fought to gather my thoughts. “The Shadow Priests didn’t summon you?”

“Why would they? They knew my decision just as you did. If you came back, they would’ve either ignored the request or humored you by pretending to summon me.” He began working the soap through my hair. “But why would you or your family even attempt to summon me again?”

A prickly sensation blistered my skin as I realized I’d exposed a rather shameful secret with my questions. “I…I didn’t tell anyone what you said to me that night.”

The Primal was silent.

“I was surprised and disappointed.” I managed a partial truth. “And…and too embarrassed to tell them you rejected me.”

“It wasn’t personal.”

“Really?” I sucked in a laugh.

“It wasn’t.” He was careful not to tug on my scalp as he continued working the vanilla-scented cleanser through the strands. “You have beautiful hair. It’s like spun moonlight. Stunning.”

“I think I will cut it all off.”

Ash chuckled. “You would, wouldn’t you?”

I didn’t respond, my eyes drifting closed as his fingers massaged the strands and my scalp. Somehow, the touch eased the muscles in my neck. “You’re good at this. Do you often wash others’ hair?”

“This would be my first.”

“Mine, too,” I admitted in a whisper, and I felt his hands still for a moment before returning to his gentle scrubbing. In the pleasant haze of his ministrations, something he said tugged at my memories. My suspicions of his experience resurfaced, but so did what he’d said about his age—about how he was younger than I would expect.

“There are some things we need to discuss once you’re settled,” he said before I could ask about his age. “But there’s something I want to make clear. You didn’t do anything wrong to cause me not to fulfill the deal.”

I opened my eyes. “Because you changed your mind and simply had no need of a Consort?”

“Especially not one who stabs me,” he remarked.

I frowned at the hint of teasing in his voice. “Are you going to bring that up continuously?”