Page 82 of Taste of Death

Once in his bedroom, I left Novak by the door to start the massive four-headed shower. When I returned to him, he was looking down, seeming to notice the black sludge on his shirt for the first time. Tempting as it was, it wasn’t the right time to make a joke about a shirt famine.

“Do you want me to help you?”

He didn’t answer, so I gently steered him toward the shower and began undressing him. I wadded up the shirt when I removed it, careful to not let the dark stain touch anything else. There was no washing that thing. It probably had to be burned.

My hands shook slightly as I removed the rest of Novak’s clothes. He let me take everything off without comment, even lifting his feet for me to remove his socks and shoes. When he was completely naked in front of me, all my sexual attraction to his body was overtaken by my concern for him. He was beautiful, statuesque, but also profoundly sad. His arms were limp at his sides, shoulders rounded forward, and his stare blank.

I tested the temperature of the water before taking his hand. “Come here. You’ll feel better soon, at least physically.”

I directed him to sit on one of the benches jutting out from the wall, and got to work on scrubbing him. The blood had only touched his forearm but I had a feeling he’d want the whole experience washed away. So I did my best to stay out of the direct spray of the water while washing him from head to toe. I even washed his hair, massaging my fingers into his scalp until his eyes closed softly.

After rinsing and then toweling him off, some life seemed to return to Novak. He embraced me, not caring that my clothes were soaked from staying fully dressed in the shower.

“Thank you, akra.”

He sounded exhausted, weary, and I felt the same fatigue in my bones. Dawn had to be approaching soon.

“Of course. I can’t imagine how difficult that was.” I reached on tiptoes to kiss under his jaw. “Let’s get you into bed.”

His arms around me tightened. “Are you staying?”

I didn’t hesitate. “Yes. I just need to change into something dry and then I’ll be right there.”

After swapping out my wet T-shirt for a fresh one, and quickly texting Tavia that I was alive and well, I slid into bed next to Novak.

He embraced me from behind, molding his chest to my back and lining his hips with mine. All at once, his body relaxed with a massive sigh that ruffled my hair, and sleep overtook us both.

The moment I was awake,I rolled over to check on Novak. His side of the bed was empty, the covers rumpled and pushed back. On my nightstand sat a steaming cup of coffee and two small cookies on a saucer. A slip of paper under the saucer read,In the office. – N

I sat up with a smile and popped one of the treats into my mouth, rolling my head around on my neck as I fully joined the waking world. The cookie was more like a miniature scone, buttery and flaky, and went down well with my first sip of coffee.

Rising from the bed with mug and second cookie in hand, I headed for Novak’s office in nothing but my sleep shirt and panties. It was almost alarming how quickly I became comfortable in his house, but he didn’t seem to mind.

The office door was open as I approached, with a flurry of movement within. Novak was surrounded by boxes and piles of papers on his desk. He sorted through notes and journals, organizing them into various stacks.

“Akra.” A smile touched his lips when he looked up and noticed me. “How are you? Did you sleep all right?”

He was dressed down as well, at least for him. His slacks were unbelted, the top buttons of his shirt undone, along with his signature rolled-up sleeves.

“Definitely, I’m fine.” I set my mug down on a side table before turning to him. “How are you?”

I reached for his face, relieved to find his warm red eyes alert and focused.

“I’m… good.” He leaned into my touch, nodding as if confirming to himself that his words were true. “I am. Good, that is.” His smile widened. “I’m free.”

“You are.” I stepped back to take in the boxes and piles of documents everywhere. “So what’s all this? Are you tidying up?”

“Sort of. I’m finding all the clan decrees, everything referring to assets, customs, and clan laws of Rathka’s Order. It’s all going into this box.” He pointed to the one sitting in the center of his desk. “And then it’s all going into a fire. Because Rathka’s Order is no more.”

“And your brother?” I asked hesitantly.

“Yeah, I…” His voice took on a somber tone as he raked a hand through his hair. “I cleaned up downstairs and performed a death ritual. He’s at peace now.”

“And you’re okay?”

“Yes.” His expression softened. “I could feel Rathka taking him away and that gave me closure. I’m good, really.”

I nodded, relieved. “So, what does this mean for you?”

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