Cyrene didn’t know how many soldiers it took to draw and heat a bath for her, but by the time it was finished, she really didn’t care. A ship might not be the best place to take a long, luxurious bath, and she certainly wouldn’t get to fully relax until she was back in Byern. As long as they didn’t prosecute her for witchcraft. But this would do.

It was a large white claw-foot bathtub with the fresh scent of roses wafting from its depths. With all the grime and salt caked into her skin, she wasn’t sure if she would ever feel clean again. But she would give it a good try.

She hastily stripped out of the ragged dress that she had been wearing and piled it onto a stool. Then, she dipped her toes into the steaming water to check the temperature before dropping her whole body into it. She sighed with pleasure. The first pleasure she’d had since that fateful day that changed everything. Ruined everything.

Her heart constricted, and she forced her eyes shut. Thinking about it all would only overwhelm her. Wondering why would only suffocate her.

Perhaps she would never know true luxury and pleasure again. It would always be marred by an open wound that would never heal. A crack in the facade that she could never patch.

With force, she grabbed the soap and scrubbed her body clean. Removing every last reminder of that dreadful day, every last recollection of what her body had endured, and every single last memory that would come back to crush her. When she was finished, her skin was as pink as a newborn baby.

She felt like a new woman.

A different woman.

She had walked into the Nit Decus castle in Byern almost a year ago with no other desire in her heart than to become an Affiliate and, ultimately, the Consort. Her goals had changed exponentially since then. Between the discovery of her magic and all the broken hearts, she felt like she had aged a decade rather than a single year.

With a sigh, she closed her eyes and sank back into the tub until her hair was completely covered. She sat there until the water turned lukewarm, verging on flat-out cold. Her teeth were chattering, and she wished she had her magic. She certainly hadn’t mastered fire yet. Water was the only element she had any control over. She hesitantly reached for the powers just to see if they were there. The water heaved over the side of the tub and soaked the flooring.

She cursed noisily and sat up. She was never great at using magic without Avoca, but with her magic on the fritz, even attempting something so small, she messed up. All she wanted was for the water to heat up.

As soon as she had the thought, the surface of the water actually froze under her fingertips. On instinct, she screamed and jumped up out of the tub. Little crystalized pieces of ice fell off her bare shoulders and fell to the floor just as the door flew inward.

“Are you all right?” Kael asked at once. His eyes were wide, and his sword was out.

And Cyrene stood there, stark naked.

His sword arm dropped, and he stared. She was sure that this was the last thing he had expected.

She scrambled for a towel on the bench and wrapped it around her body. “What are you doing in here?”

“You screamed,” Kael said. His eyes were still roaming her body, as if the vision of her naked figure would be forever branded on his retinas.

“Yes, because the water was cold! Not because I needed help.”

“How was I to know the difference between your screams?”

“Well, you claim to know me! Figure out my screams.”

His smile was wicked. “I’d like to.”

She shook her head and huddled deeper into the towel. She was shaking slightly from the chill of it all. The cold had gone straight to her bones.

“Why must it always come back to this?” she asked in frustration. If she was going to have to be here with him for who knew how long before she got back to Byern, she wanted to get this sexually charged conversation out of the way.

“Because you’re a beautiful woman who is attracted to me.”

“I am not,” she spat furiously.

Okay. Kind of a lie. Kael Dremylon was…gorgeous. Even with his more sinister, dark undertones, he was still shockingly attractive. But that didn’t mean she wanted to be with him.

“Cyrene, you have been lying to yourself from the day you met me.”

“The day I met you, you tried to force yourself upon me.”

“Your version of history is amusing,” he said.

“My version?”

“Indeed.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Kael stared at her with a cocked eyebrow and a silent smirk. He made her feel as if she were somehow missing an inside joke in all of this. Then, he placed his hand on the tub. The ice thawed and melted, and suddenly, steam was billowing out of the tub once more.

“Let me know if there’s anything else I can do for you.”

Her eyes narrowed at the insinuation, even as her cheeks heated. Though she wanted to blame it on the steam, she knew it was because there was an inexplicable electricity between them.

Then, he disappeared back through the door from where he’d come.

There wasn’t anything in the small bathroom to fling at his exposed back as he exited other than the towel wrapped hastily around her body. When he closed the door, she dropped it and immediately hopped back into the tub. She could enjoy the heat he had given her, even as she puzzled over what he had said and how he had heated the tub.

What version of history had he been referring to? She remembered perfectly well what had happened that night. She would make him tell her. Though…she didn’t know how to do that at this point.

She hated to admit it, but Kael Dremylon had the upper hand.

It made her grit her teeth in frustration. No matter what her traitorous body felt in his presence, he was her enemy. After what had happened on the docks, how could she think otherwise? Not to mention, she knew all-too well what the cost of the magic he possessed was.

She shivered again, as if the water had iced over.

When she had been shipwrecked on the beach with Dean, another vision of Serafina had come to her. She had watched as Viktor Dremylon murdered his firstborn daughter and used a spell to gain dark blood magic. Then, he had bound himself to Serafina for all of eternity.

Cyrene’s head spun as it all came back to her so quickly. What kind of powers did it give someone to take magic from murder? How did it corrupt them? And was that how Kael had achieved his own powers?

She might be relishing in his warm bath, but that didn’t mean this was all okay. It was far from okay. Because, if what she had seen from her vision was correct, then Kael had murdered someone.

The thought chilled her completely, and she gave up on enjoying the rest of her bath. She hurried back out and wrapped herself in a fluffy towel. She found a comb resting on the counter and dragged it through her knotted hair. It took forever before it was in one long mass down her back. She pulled it all to one side and then plaited it simply. In dismay, her eyes turned to the dress she’d been wearing. She didn’t have any other clothes.

With a huff, she left the bathing chamber and entered the thankfully empty living quarters. She rummaged through a wardrobe and found that Kael had actually accounted for her stay. She’d thought he’d have relished in the fact that she’d have had to be naked around him all the time.

Pulling a shift over her head, she climbed into the enormous bed stuffed full of the softest goose down. She tried to bring up some kind of shield to keep Kael out, but it was no hope. She didn’t think she could hold a shield like that in her sleep even if she knew how to conjure it. And beyond that…Kael had more power than her at the present moment. If she put up resistance, he could probably slice through it like butter.

She was too tired to figure out an alternative option. As soon as her head sank back into the pillow, she promptly fell asleep.

Time was a wily beast.

It stole. It destroyed. It healed.

Constant and immovable.

And each day brought a new morning.

Time was dependable. And only time could move the world forward.

Time had slipped away from Cyrene. It was a thief in the night, scrubbing away the hours and leaving her disoriented.

At first, all she could feel was the soft bed beneath her body. For a moment, she thought of Dean. Lying against his chest, waking in the morning with his arms wrapped tightly around her, knowing that another night had passed. Another night closer to their wedding.

Then, another second ticked by, and that memory stabbed her in the chest. There would never be another morning like that. There would never be another dawn with Dean. There would never be another moment in Eleysia. For she was bound to Byern. And always would be.

Her eyes flew open, and she scrambled across the bed in horror. Her hand touched her mouth…and Kael Dremylon’s eyes slowly opened with a lazy smile on his pretty face.

“Morning,” he said, biting back a yawn.

“What in the Creator’s name are you doing in my bed?” she all but shrieked.

“Sleeping.”

“How dare you come into my quarters and share my bed with me! Do you think I have no honor? Do you think I have forgotten what you tried to do to me?”

She had woken up curled around Kael! Her leg wrapped around his. Her arm flung across his bare chest. His arms cradling her, as if he even knew what comfort was.

Now, he was staring at her as if she had gone completely insane. How could he possibly think this was okay?

“Do you know where we are?” Kael asked.

He sat up and leaned on one elbow. The sheet slipped off his body, revealing every rippling muscle. She snapped her gaze back up to his face.

“I don’t see how that matters.”

“We are on a Byern warship. This is the only room on the ship with quarters this nice. Otherwise, you can sleep below decks with the crew. Is that what you want?”

She shook her head. “Surely, there must be somewhere else. I can’t be expected to sleep here. What will everyone think?”

He laughed a bitter, rough laugh. “Now, you are concerned about this?”

“If I am to be carted back to Byern, then I should have the luxuries of an Affiliate.”

He held his hand out. “And you are afforded those luxuries.”

Cyrene opened her mouth to argue, but he cut her off.

“This is a war vessel, not a pleasure ship. We are not on procession, like the last time you had the full attention of Byern royalty in your bed,” he said viciously. “If you do not sleep with me, in my rooms, then you sleep below decks. With the crew.”

Cyrene glowered at him. Of course, he would use every advantage that he had while he had her here. And, even though she had never slept with King Edric, it still prickled her to think that everyone, including Kael, believed that she had. But, if it irritated him to consider it, then she wouldn’t contradict him.

“So, you expect me to sleep next to you the entire time I am trapped here?”

“Yes,” he said simply. “Now, if you want to roll back over and lie on me again, I won’t object.”

She ground her teeth and turned away from him. She hated that she had done that. She hated that she couldn’t control her body in her sleep. And, right now, she really hated Kael for making her do this.

Of course, she couldn’t sleep below decks with the crew. She didn’t have her magic to defend herself, and she didn’t have any delusions that someone wouldn’t take advantage of the fact that a pretty girl was all alone. Her fury built like a fire being stoked.

“What do you want from me?” she asked softly, staring down at her hands clasped together. It was the first time in a long time that she felt helpless, and she didn’t like it. It made her want to fight harder.

“Why do I have to want something from you?”

“Because you’re Kael Dremylon.”

“Believe it or not, Cyrene,” he said, his voice drawing nearer, “I have always wanted what is best for you.”

“You’re right. I don’t believe it.”

His hand went to the tie at the end of her plait. He slowly removed it and then trailed his fingers through the braid until her hair was loose once more. It fanned around her face and down her back. She could feel the way he practically breathed her in. And she had to remain ramrod straight and still the whole time. She didn’t trust whatever passed between them when he touched her. And she couldn’t trust him.

“You should,” he whispered into her ear before disappearing completely.