ERIS
The bath was less a tub and more a subterranean pool, carved from a single slab of dark, volcanic stone. Steam rose in thick, aromatic clouds, curling around the ice-encrusted pillars that supported the vaulted ceiling. The water was a perfect, bone-deep warmth, yet even as I let it soak into my aching muscles, I felt the familiar, localized chill of Soren behind me.
He wasn't rushing. For once, his energy wasn't a frantic storm; it was a slow, steady tide. He held a wide-toothed comb of polished bone, gently working it through my damp hair. His fingers followed each stroke, running through the strands with a tenderness that felt almost reverent.
"How was your first day, Empress?" he murmured, his voice vibrating through the water and into my spine.
I leaned my head back against his chest, closing my eyes. "It would have been great if I didn't have to nurse the physical presents you left me. Every time I stood up in my office, I felt like my legs were going to betray me."
