The steaming pool is built to fit ten people, but it’s just the two of us. I gulp. It’s not right for an unmarried man and woman to bathe together. But in his mind, he owns me. He could do whatever he wants without repercussions.

I kneel by the corner of the pool and splash some water over my arms and face.

“If you don’t bathe properly, you’ll spend another night in jail,” he says, “I can’t sleep near such a smell.”

I rise to my feet and turn to the doorway. “I think I’ll find another bath. This one’s full of crap.”

A hand on my dress pulls me off balance, and I go tumbling backwards with a scream. The water engulfs me whole, soaking through my soiled clothes in an instant.

I shoot to the surface and wipe my eyes clear. Rahlan is back in his corner.

“You’re an asshole,” I grumble.

“You behave like a child,” he says.

“I do not!”

The corner of his lips curl up into a smirk. I fold my arms. Whatever.

“Disrobe,” he orders.

“Get lost,” I spit.

“Stop being difficult.”

“Sorry, you’re right,” I say with a sarcastic tone, “I’m just being difficult not wanting to be nude in a bath with a man who would happily have me prostituted.”

His mouth opens, but no words come out. He knows what he did was wrong. Even with his twisted form of justice, where kicking me while I’m down and locking me in a pillory is a fitting response for trying to get away, I’d done nothing to provoke him to sell me to a brothel. I followed his every command that day, and he threw me to the wolves.

“I made a mistake,” he says, “You need not fear such a thing happening again.”

I turn to face the wall. Venting my anger is the only easy way to talk about it.

His words do make me feel a little more secure. I pull the soaking dress over my head and place it on the ledge.

My hands rest on my muddy underwear. I peek back around my shoulder at Rahlan. My glance catches his attention, and I quickly look away. Granted the murky water hides my body, the thought of being naked in a bath with him still makes me nervous.

Taking a deep breath to relax, I pull off my muddy bra and underwear and drop them on the old dress. Done.

With my back to him, I scoop handfuls of warm water over my hair, cleaning it out.

“You’re just going to pretend I’m not here?” he says.

“I’m nothing if not determined.”

Scooping more water, I’m a little surprised that he didn’t swim over and twist me around to face him.

“Is the water to your tastes?” he asks.

I haven’t had a warm bath since I was a child – back when I could fit in the cooking pot. “How do they heat such a large pool?”

He points to a rectangular slit in the wall beside him.

I glide through the warm water to get a better look. It’s a channel, guiding a thin stream into the bath.

“’Tis from a hot spring,” he says.

I scan the pool until I spot the outlet. It’s another channel in line with the water level. They must’ve carved crevices throughout this whole building, which couldn’t have been cheap. This is a luxury only for their lords.

His hands land on my bare shoulders, making me jump.

“Hold your breath,” he says. My face goes pale. He’s going to dunk me under. What if he doesn’t let me back up again?

“No,” I whip around and jerk my shoulders loose.

His hands quickly retreat. “What are you doing?” He stares at me like I’m mad. “Your scalp’s not clean.”

I sink in the water, bringing it up to my chin. He’s just after a little bit of mud I missed. “You won’t hold me down, right?”

He appears puzzled. “You’re not making sense.”

His actions weren’t malicious. I just hadn’t had time to prepare myself. He wouldn’t save me from an arrow just to drown me in a pool the next day. I suppose I do trust that he won’t kill me… at least not for no reason.

I turn around again, facing my back to him. “I’m ready.”

His hands rest on my shoulders. I bring my legs up, and he applies just enough pressure to dunk me under the surface.

His strong hands rub circles around my head. I would’ve thought the pressure would be uncomfortable, but it’s oddly soothing.

Just a moment later, his hands snap to my sides, and he pulls me to the surface.

I almost thank him on instinct, but I hold my tongue. He’s the one who had me pelted with mud in the first place.

I float over to the opposite side of the pool. Rubbing my head with my hands doesn’t give the same soothing feeling.

A man’s feet appear in front of me. I squeak and dip down until the water reaches my nose. I wasn’t expecting other people.

The human man carries a goblet in each hand. “Lord Rahlan?” he asks.

Rahlan nods. The man places the goblets on the ledge just a foot away from me before leaving.

“Would you be so kind as to bring my drink?” Rahlan asks.

I take a goblet in each hand. One is filled with blood and the other with water. “Only because you asked politely,” I say, hoping to reinforce the behavior.

He takes a sip from the blood goblet and sighs with satisfaction.

I gulp down the water goblet without taking a breath.

He wipes the line of blood off his lips after finishing his drink.

“You drink from a cup now?” I ask. Will this be the new norm?

“You haven’t eaten in a while, and I’ve spent enough hours carrying you around.”

“Or you’ve turned over a new leaf?” I ask, hopeful.

He smirks, and alarm bells ring in my head.

“Grawr!” He reaches for me with a fake roar, fangs on display.

I squeal and dive away. His hand grazes my foot, but I slide out of his grasp and pop up on the opposite side of the pool.

“Nothing’s changed,” he says, “That felt just as exhilarating as it always does.”

His silly stunt makes me smile.

“Your gown awaits,” he gestures with his head towards his clothes. “I’ll purchase a more suitable outfit tomorrow.”

I float over to the ledge and find a white linen nightgown folded beside his things. It looks about my size, but it sports a deep v neck that’s not as modest as I’d prefer.

A silver sparkle catches my eye – his curved sword. It’s wrapped up in his cape, just begging to be taken.

I shake my head at the thought. I don’t think I’d have what it takes to beat him in combat, and he wouldn’t take too kindly to having his own weapon drawn on him. Besides, I don’t think I’d have it in me to maim someone.

My gaze falls back on the gown. The thought of having new clothes that fit properly makes me giddy. I’m about to climb out when I realize that he’s watching. “Do you mind?”

He lays back in the water, letting his gaze drift to the ceiling. “How can a shy girl have such a sharp tongue?” he says.

I climb out of the bath and flick the water off. He’s confusing shyness with self-respect.

I pull the gown over my head while keeping my back to him. My skin is not completely dry, but it feels better to be covered sooner.

Having the gown on reveals that the deep v neck is more than just a fashion choice. The base of my neck is left bare. The garment only just covers the edge of my shoulders, leaving my entire collarbone vulnerable to fangs. I wonder if all humans are forced to dress like this.

He steps out behind me, and I hurry to the doorway to stay out of his way. Should I leave the room to give him more privacy, or does he want to keep an eye on me? I stand awkwardly on the threshold with my back to him.

An arm wraps around my middle, and I jump. He squeezes me against his side. “Need I hold you the whole way back, or will you walk beside me?”

“I’ll walk,” I mumble.

He releases me, and we leave the bathhouse.

The soft gown hugs my thin frame. It does a decent job keeping the cold air out.

We turn the corner and stop at a small inn. An inn? Why not his home? Is he going to drop me off here? Is he that confident that I can’t escape?

The building is joined to the homes on either side, like it’s part of one giant structure. Its warm candles light up the street where we stand, almost as if it’s inviting us in.

Rahlan opens the door. The small room is crammed with two dining tables on the left, a reception desk on the right, and a set of stairs in the middle.

He greets the innkeeper behind the desk, a vampire woman with sleek black hair. She doesn’t look twice at me, as if humans are part of her everyday life.

Without another word to the woman, he nudges me to go ahead of him up the wooden stairs. With Jaclyn’s inky scar in mind, I’m careful to stay out of the woman’s bite range on the way past.

His key unlocks a room on the third floor. It overhangs both floors below and has a window overlooking the street. I’m immediately drawn to it, kneeling on the bed to get a look. Though the streets are empty at this time of night, peering out such a high window is very different to what I’m used to.

Rahlan closes the door and lights the fireplace.

His bag is waiting in the corner. I poke inside in search of an apple. My hands land on the cold metal eyeball flask, and I quickly drop it in disgust. I don’t know why he has the need to collect his dead victim’s eyes, and I’d prefer never to find out.

There’s just one apple left. I quickly munch through it, but it’s not nearly enough to fill the hole that’s been growing for the last day and a half. It’s too late to fetch food now, but hopefully we’ll get some tomorrow.

A piece of paper catches my eye. It’s the letter he took from the human men we encountered at the river. He doesn’t seem to mind me digging through his stuff, so I pick the letter out of the bag.

I never learned to read, so the letter is not much more than a series of endless repeating symbols and scribbles to me. I was hoping for a map or diagram to decipher. One symbol stands out – the bow crest. This is a letter about the Huntsmen. Based on the way Rahlan was smiling when he read it, I’d bet it leads to Ivan, or at least he thinks it will.

My attention is drawn to another symbol. It looks almost like a stylized blacksmith anvil, different from the surrounding rushed scribbles. It doesn’t ring any bells. I bet the content of the letter would explain it. I’m tempted to ask what the scribbles say, but I figure that it’ll be better to appear oblivious about the Huntsmen and their dealings.

Rahlan unclips his cape, takes off his boots and hangs his coat on the door.

I grab the sleeping pouch from his bag and unroll it beside the fire. This cozy room is warm enough that I could curl up and just sleep on top of the pouch.

Rahlan pulls back the bed’s duvet. “Climb in,” he says, patting the sheet beside him.

I don’t fancy sharing a bed with him.

“I’m happy here,” I say from my spot on the floor.

“It was not a request.”

I clench my jaw, and his eyes narrow.

At a slow pace, I make my way over to him and crawl under the blanket. He wraps his arm around my torso, and the feeling of his icy chest on my back makes me squeak. A human at that temperature would be dead.

I’ve slept up against him before, like when he kept me from falling from the tree, or carried me when the ravagers were on our tail, or when we were crammed into the narrow sleeping pouch, but this bed is more than big enough for the both of us to lay without bumping into each other. Why is he holding me?

“Can’t I sleep in the cell instead?” I ask.

He lets out half a chuckle, then rests his nose on the crook of my neck and takes a deep breath.

“If you bite me, you’ll be sorry,” I warn.

“Oh, will I?” The smile is evident in his voice.

“I wet the bed when startled in my sleep.”

“You’re lying.”

“Well you better be really sure,” I say with a smirk.

His nose backs off, but his arm stays wrapped around my chest.

“You don’t have to hold me. I’ve learned my lesson. I won’t try slipping away,” I say. Though I have every intention of getting away from this man, I won’t try anything tonight.

“You are like a little fire,” he says.

So the vampires want to syphon both my blood and my warmth. I sigh and wiggle around until I’m comfortable in his hold. At least the bed is cozy. Being a Lord, his bed at home must be even better.

“Why are we sleeping at an inn?” I ask.

“You prefer the wilderness?”

“Instead of your house?”

“I have no home in this city,” he says.

“But we traveled so far?”

“This was the closest mounting city.”

“Mounting city?”

“A gathering point for mounting the next offensive. I, and by extension you, have joined a campaign.”

Author’s Note:

I hope you liked the chapter. I'd been really looking forward to publishing this one. If you're enjoying the story so far, please tap the heart to like.