Blood Oath (Darkest Drae #1)(48)

Lord Irrik had shifted.

His dragon head was at least four hands wide, his horned crest extending higher than I stood. His scaly hide was as dark as the sky on a moonless night, and he took up the majority of the huge room. He exhaled warm air through his nostrils, so hot it shimmered and steamed, billowing around me. His dark eyes were level with mine, and my heart pounded with acknowledgement they were Irrik’s eyes.

I should’ve been terrified, but the air, much like his persuasion-breath, only warmed me, making me relaxed and a little sleepy. He pushed me toward the doors with his snout, and I batted him with my open hand.

You need a bath, he spoke in my mind.

Talking animals were too much for me right now. “I’m tired,” I slurred. “Why can’t I just sleep?”

He snorted and turned his head away. I knew what the Drae was saying without him voicing the words. I stank. I’d sweated in the dirt all day. Of course I stank. My stink just didn’t bother me. In fact, I felt reasonably clean compared to the dungeons, like I was an aired-out rug. Clearly, there was no reasoning with an eighteen-foot Drae. “Fine, but then I’m going to sleep.”

He snorted again.

I pushed through the doors then slammed them shut and looked straight at the large copper tub full of water. Holy pancakes. I shed my clothing, tripping and stumbling in my haste to reach the liquid bliss. I slipped into the tub with a sigh. The water was lukewarm, but there was no way I was complaining. The water circled and swirled with the intrusion of my body, and I dunked my head under the surface, holding my breath. I let the water pull away my tension along with the dirt and grime. Perhaps there was a little reluctant gratitude to the Drae for making me bathe.

I came back up, gulping at the air, and my eyes inadvertently went to the door. The open door!

Where Lord Irrik stood in his black aketon and breeches.

“Stop looking, creeper.” I’d meant to yell, but the words came out in a whisper. “What are you doing in here? Go away.”

“You don’t want hot water then?” he asked, his lip curling. “I can’t very well have you drown yourself, Phaetyn. When you’re done bathing, you need to eat.”

Nuh-uh. “You said I could sleep.”

The Drae raised his brows and replied, “No, you said you wanted to sleep. But you’re far too scrawny, and I’ll not have you collapse out in the fields because you wanted a few extra minutes of sleep and didn’t eat anything.”

I glared, wishing I knew a way to hurt him.

“Cover up,” he said, drawing closer.

“How am I meant to do that?” I screeched. “I’m naked.”

His face paled, and his eyes flashed black once more. Recovering, he averted his eyes with a look of annoyance and approached the bath. I froze as he dipped one of his fingers into the water by my hip. The water nearest to the tip of his forefinger rippled, and the temperature rose to steaming within ten seconds.

I groaned, resting back. “I finally see a point for Drae.”

He choked, and I cracked open an eye to check if the sound was somehow laughter. It wasn’t. The scales were reappearing rapidly, and he was already back at the doors.

“Thank you. But next time, please do it before I get in,” I mumbled.

“Next time don’t rush in here and strip off your clothes while I’m shifting back.”

“Next time, don’t throw me in that general direction and then turn into a Drae.” I listened and celebrated with a smile when he didn’t reply.

“If you want sleep,” he said, leaning in the doorway, though he rotated so his back was to me, “hurry up. You’re exhausted, and I’m not leaving. If you die, the next decade will be hell for me.”

I grabbed a bar of soap and scrubbed, all the pleasure of a steaming hot bath now gone. He didn’t need to be here, what with his stupid Drae powers. But the living nightmare in front of me probably got off on intimidating me. “I hate you.”

Irrik glared over his shoulder. “You’ve made that abundantly clear. If you don’t pick up the pace, I could send for Tyr. Perhaps having him here will help you speed up the process?”

My heart stopped as did my scrubbing. How much did the Drae know? I knew he’d sent Tyr to clean up my Phaetyn blood, but Irrik’s tone implied he knew more. Did he know things between Tyr and me were changing? Were things changing? Had Tyr said something to him about our meeting the other day? I wouldn’t have thought so.

But clearly, Lord Irrik knew enough to threaten me . . . I swallowed and shook my head. The last thing I wanted was to bring the Drae’s wrath on someone who had only ever showed me kindness. Whatever Tyr might feel for me, I definitely cared for him. “That won’t be necessary. I apologize, my lord. I’ll hurry.”

Irrik growled another curse in his Drae language and threw a towel on the floor by the tub. “Your continued attention will eventually cause him harm, Phaetyn.” He threw a new set of clothes by the towel. “The king will seek to control you through him. Tyr and everyone else you think you care about.”

His words strangled me, more so because I could see the truth in them. I was the most important thing to the king. Anyone I tried to contact, anyone I was close to was a way to manipulate me. They would be the ones to pay for anything I did wrong or failed to do right.

“Why bother with the warning? You’ve made it clear how you feel about me, so why expend the energy and do something nice? You give me a warm bath, make sure I don’t fall asleep in it, and then threaten me. Why?”