Page 141 of Veinblood
“Enough to fill the tub, and some extra.” I pause, meeting both their eyes. “This must stay between us. No one needs to know that we left the Spire without guards. If anyone asks,tell them I wished to bathe.” I have no doubt that they’ve had stranger requests in the middle of the night.
“Yes, my Lady.” Fists hit their chests in acknowledgement.
One leaves to follow my orders, while the other remains where he is. I return to our room. Sacha is sitting in the chair by the window, still staring at his hands. When I enter, he looks up.
“They’re organizing everything.”
He nods, but doesn’t speak. There’s something in his expression that I can’t quite read. A quiet stillness that isn’t regret or satisfaction for what he just did.
Twenty minutes later, there’s a quiet knock at the door. Four servants bring in a large tub between them when I open it, followed by five more carrying buckets of steaming water. They work quickly and quietly, setting up the tub in the bedchamber and filling it. They leave two buckets full of water beside the tub.
When they’re gone, I lock the door and turn back to Sacha. “Ready?”
He stands and follows me, stopping in the doorway to work at the fastenings of his bloodstained shirt. I cross the floor and place my hands over his.
“Let me do it.” I work the ties loose and pull the material over his head. The blood is mostly on his hands, forearms, and face, with a few splashes on his chest where it soaked through the fabric.
“Your pants too. All of it needs to come off.”
He strips quickly, then steps into the tub. A soft exhale escapes him as the hot water surrounds him when he sits.I kneel beside the tub, and reach for the soap and cloth the servants brought, along with one of the extra buckets of water.
“Give me your hands.”
He holds them out. I dip the cloth into the bucket beside me, and work it between his fingers. The blood comes away, turning the water in the bucket pink, then darker, each time I rinse the cloth. I work my way up his arms.
“Thank you.” His voice is quiet.
“For what?”
“For being there tonight. For helping.” His eyes stay fixed on his hands. “For being here.”
I pause in my scrubbing to look at him. “I told you. I’m here. I’m always going to be here. That hasn’t changed.”
“I know.” His head lifts, and he meets my eyes. “But it helps to hear it again, all the same.”
When I’ve cleaned every trace of blood from his skin, I drop the cloth into the bucket and stand.
“Better?”
He looks down, flexing his fingers. “Much better.”
“Good.” I unlace my tunic. “That water is still hot, and I think you could use the company.” I pull the tunic over my head and let it drop to the floor. “Unless you object, of course.”
A small smile tugs at the corner of his mouth, the first I’ve seen in hours. “I don’t object.”
The water sloshes a little as I step in and sink into the tub. I sit facing him, my legs across his. He watches me, that slight smile tilting his lips.
“What are you thinking?”
He reaches for my hand, and threads our fingers together.
“That I’m lucky. That of all the people who could have found me in that tower, I’m glad it was you.”
“Flatterer.”
“Truth.” His other hand strokes over my jaw, then my lips. “You’ve seen the worst of me, Ellie. The violence, the rage, the need for vengeance. And yet you’re still here.”
“I’m still here.” I turn my face to kiss his palm. “I don’t want to be anywhere else.”
