Page 151 of The Silver Ones
A dark look replaced the fatigue in his eyes before he began to remove his boots. "Oh, really?"
"Last time, your hands were in bad shape, but that did not stop you," she said. Her heart pounded so hard she thought it might cause ripples in the water.
Perhaps all of this chaos had been good for her. It made her less reserved, having stared death in the face.
Rem wanted to live now.
A genuine smile appeared on his face as he raised a brow. "Well, you just keep surprising me… I like that."
She smiled and looked down, trying to think of something clever, but when she glanced back up saw that he was finally nearing the bath, and his hands reached down to untie what was left.
Ronan raised his brow as Rem watched, the muscles in his forearm pronounced as he untied the string for his leather pants. Steam from the bath danced above the water while the candles in the bathhouse softly touched the stone walls.
At the last moment, out of pure instinct, Rem looked down to the water when he went to remove his pants.
She was not used to a man like Ronan blatantly stripping in front of her. She immediately regretted her impulse and was about to look back his way, but by the time her waning courage returned, he was already waist deep in the water, smirking with knowing eyes.
As his body lowered, he closed his eyes, spreading his arms out on either side. She breathed in the oils of the bath as she stared at him.
Aside from regarding the myriad of injuries on his torso, Rem also found a longing to be held in those arms once again. She didn’t know quite what it was, other than a deep, obvious desire for a man she hardly knew.
Either way, she felt safe with him, and that beckoned her the most.
It was strange to be indebted to someone that wasn't family.
It was stranger yet to feel a genuine trust for a shifter that wasn't Nia.
Ronan cupped water and splashed it on his face, wiping at it before cupping more and running it over his hair, slicking it back like Loral had.
"How did you know about Scarlet?" she asked quietly, her voice echoing against the stone ceiling.
"The Arch, Tania, was able to make it to me and gave us a warning," he said, his eyes still closed as he exhaled through his nose, leaning into the wall of the bath.
She was pleased to find out that Tania had lived, nodding to herself. “It is good she is alive… Oh! Lothar! What happened to him?”
The corner of his lips revealed a soft smile. “He has suffered serious injuries, but he lives.”
Relief eased her aching bones, only for her thoughts to drift towards the Callons, speaking with a bite in her voice. “And of Jackson? What happened to him?”
"Bound in silver. Thought you'd want to see Jackson before he dies."
"To see him?"
"To do whatever you want to him,” he said with a wave of his hand, his eyes still closed.
She stared at him with wide, curious eyes, only to stifle a laugh at finding it romantic that someone kept another person alive, just so she could be the one to kill him. It was as if he offered her a bouquet of roses.
"Oliver? My brother Oliver?" she asked, taking a step closer through the water, her knees still bent to keep her breasts concealed. She didn't want to distract him now, not while she was able to ask questions.
His brow raised while his eyes remained shut. "He is healthy and feisty like you. He also eats a lot. Probably growing."
A puff of air escaped her nose, her throat burning with the need to cry. It felt like a real weight had been removed from her heart. Her jaw trembled at the thought of him healthy and well. "Really? What, where... Who keeps Oliver safe?" she asked.
"Gally," he rumbled.
Rem frowned. "Gally? GallyCallon?"
He adjusted his shoulders as he spoke. "She is fond of him, and she has been teaching him how to fight. He was even learning to hunt when I left." He smiled, and it reached his closed eyes. "He wanted to come with me and help rescue you when I gathered several shifters. The child has good spirit. My younger brother—he returned to us from another pack he mated into—is always with them right now, so do not worry. But I allowed Gally to remain with him… For now. He seemed to find a comfort in her, and the boy needed that."
