The fire in him had quieted, but it hadn’t vanished. I could still feel it thrumming beneath his skin where his chest pressed to mine, caged and waiting. Tan didn’t sleep. Lou didn’t rest. But for now, the storm had bent its head and let me hold the reins.
He pulled back slowly, as though afraid I might vanish if he let go too quickly. His eyes, still burning but softer now, swept over my face, my shoulders, down to where my hands had lingered over my abdomen.
“You’re trembling,” he murmured. His voice had dropped low again, not the thunder of a king, but the gravel-and-velvet of my mate. “Come.”
I didn’t argue when he lifted me, cradling me against his chest. His steps carried us through the chamber to the side alcove where basins of warm water steamed, always kept ready. He set me dow
