Page 115 of A Darkness So Sweet

Ragnar led her into the water. She stepped first one foot, then the other, into the heat that sent relaxation into the arches of her feet. Then her calves were finally not so tense, her thighs finally didn’t hurt any more. She sank into the depths, all the way up to her neck, and let out a long, relieved sigh.

Finally, all the tension in her body eased. She hadn’t realized she was still carrying so much of it.

Ragnar leaned against the stones beside her, resting his head against the edge. The strength of his throat caught her attention. Powerful muscles worked in a swallow, almost graceful if his build wasn’t quite so blocky.

Enchanted waters, she mused as she tilted her head back as well. This was what it felt like to have magic surrounding her. As she let her eyes drift shut, she could feel it. All the sparking energy of magic, but none of the strangeness that she’d thought to feel. Instead, she luxuriated in the sensation of unknown power slowly healing her body. It was more than that, though. This was strangely similar to how she’d felt in the troll wife glen, when she’d mingled her magic with all the troll wives who had come before her.

The burden of what they had been through didn’t disappear entirely. It was still there in her head, not gone, just dormant. The magic flowed through her body. Healing all the pieces that were broken, but not just in the flesh. It helped her to let go of her anxiety.

“Why don’t you bring patients here?” she asked.

“I do.”

“Mortal wounds?” She peeled one of her eyes open to look at him.

“They won’t heal in these waters. Aches, scratches, bruises—all of that can be helped here.” He tilted his head to the side to look at her. “It helps us relax. It eases the pain of emotional turmoil as well. I’m sure you’ve noticed that.”

“I have.”

Dark green feet padded around them. Maia closed her eyes as Gunnar dropped his pants on the stones, and then she waited until she heard the sound of splashing water before opening her eyes again.

He looked exhausted. There were deep rings around his eyes and a pain that was bone deep. “She wouldn’t come,” Gunnar said before she could even ask. “I tucked her into bed in the barracks and left her there. I think she’ll do better alone.”

“And her leg?”

He grunted. “Very much broken. I offered to bring a healer to her, and even to get Ragnar, but she wouldn’t stop shrieking, so I just left her alone for now.”

Maia wasn’t sure what the connection was between Rose and Gunnar, but she had a feeling it was one that was more long lasting than either of them was willing to admit. Such a bond was hard to break, after all. They’d both been through a nightmarish experience, and now they had each other.

She startled when fingers sank into her hair. Ragnar’s hand landed on her thigh, holding her in place when she might have splashed into the center of the pool. But Maia still covered her chest with her arms and found herself breathing a little too quickly.

“Sorry,” a light, feminine voice said. “I thought you knew I was here. I forget humans aren’t as aware of their surroundings as we are.”

Maia relaxed when she recognized Rota’s voice. “We just don’t have the same hearing as you.”

“I wasn’t that quiet.”

Tilting her head back, she looked up into the soft smile that made Rota’s face even prettier than before. She knelt on the lip of the hot spring, her knees pressing against Maia’s shoulders.

“What are you doing here?” Maia asked.

“This is what we do after a harsh battle, or after something tragic happens. Ragnar didn’t explain it?”

When Maia shook her head, Rota sent a glare over to her husband. “You can’t keep throwing her into situations and not explaining them, Ragnar.”

Her husband shrugged. “She’s doing fine now, isn’t she?”

“She’s naked in a pool with your brother. You know how sensitive humans are!” Rota huffed, but then tunneled her fingers back into Maia’s hair. “Let me take care of you, sister.”

“Sister?”

Rota slowly pushed Maia’s head, sinking her under the pool’s surface so her hair could get wet before coming back up. Blinking the water out of her eyes, Maia looked up at the troll maiden, who smiled down at her. “Yes, sister. I thought you knew that.”

Looking over at her husband, she looked back at Rota. “You’re related?”

“No. I adopted you. That’s what happened when Hulda, Inkeri, and I welcomed you into Trollveggen.” Rota’s finger traced over Maia’s ear piercing. “We marked you. You’re family to us. One of ours, even if we aren’t blood related.”

Blinking back tears, she shook her head. “I had no idea.”

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