Emerge: The Captive: (Book 3)(20)

“I did that to Lennox,” Quinn said softly.

“No, you didn’t. You cannot think like that or she will win. Look at me,” she commanded. “Would you ever make a conscious choice to do that to a child?”

“No.”

“Then it wasn’t your fault. She forced your hand. Now stand up if you can manage it.”

Quinn grabbed the edge of the bench, willing his legs to work.

“I’ve got you.” Santi’s voice was so calm and sure. And her hands against his tortured body were nothing but gentle. Kindness. He’d almost forgotten what that felt like. With his arm around her shoulders, he managed to get to his feet where he swayed, dizzy and disoriented.

“Don’t lose your balance. If we go down, I’ll never get you back up,” she groaned under his dead weight.

“Sorry.”

“Hold onto the wall if you need to.” She reached for the hem of his tattered shirt and lifted it up over his shoulders. She couldn’t quite get it over his head, even on her tiptoes.

“I got it.” Quinn flung the remnants of his smelly shirt to the floor, but he flinched when Santi reached for the waistband of his jeans.

“Don’t tell me you’re shy?” The hint of her teasing tone made him smile. He hadn’t smiled in ages.

“I don’t know you.” He shrugged. “And I’m not at my best at this particular moment.”

“You don’t have to impress me,” she said. “If I thought you could get out of those awful clothes and into the bath by yourself without drowning, I’d leave you to it. But the second I turn away you’re going down, you know that, right?”

“Probably, but I can handle my pants by myself, sweetheart. Turn around.”

“Seriously?” Santi laughed as she turned away.

Quinn struggled with the zipper, but he finally shed his jeans and turned toward the welcoming bath.

“Hold on to me. I won’t look.” She offered him her shoulder to keep him steady as he climbed into the scalding hot water.

“You trying to boil me?” He winced at the sting of the water.

“Yes. You and I have to share the floor by Liv’s bed and you reek.”

“That’s right. I remember that first night on her floor. She likes to keep us close and under the thumb of her power.” Quinn eased himself into the steaming hot tub. The water turned milky-white with bubbles as the jets kicked on.

“Smells fruity.”

“I put bubble bath and every kind of essential oil I could find in there. Lavender and eucalyptus to help you relax and ease your muscle aches. Lemongrass to cleanse your wounds, and the sweet orange oil is just to make you smell like a person again.”

“Thank you.” Quinn sat back against the edge of the tub, his back like a live wire in the hot water.

“I didn’t see anything important, by the way. In case you were wondering.” She winked as she knelt by the tub. The delicate chain of her tether was just long enough to reach him. He didn’t like the glaring reminder of her captivity, but she seemed used to it.

She plunged a sponge into the water. “Lean forward.”

He did, and she squeezed the sponge, letting the water cascade over his shoulders. Blood and dirt rolled off him, staining the water brown. He cringed. By the time this bath was over, his ego would be as bruised as his body.

“Cálmate. I’ve been right here. Many times. There is nothing to be embarrassed about.”

With his hands clenching the side of the tub, dried blood and dirt ran down into the water.

“Put your hands in the water. It’s going to hurt like hell, but you have to get them clean. Best just to get it over with.”

He slipped his mangled hands beneath the water, hissing at the sting. He clenched his eyes shut, trying to keep the tears back.

“May I touch you with my gift?” she asked as she continued washing his back and shoulders. “What little bit I can manage. It will give you comfort.”

Quinn nodded. He recognized the flicker of her aura and her hands grew warm against his back.

“Just breathe. Relax, and give yourself a break, Quinn.” Her gentle hands wandered across his shoulders and neck, filling him with a sense of calm. A moment of blissful peace and serenity washed over him, soothing his tortured mind. And then it was gone. But it was enough.

“Thank you.” He rested back against the tub. “That was amazing.”

“Not even a fraction of what I can really do.”

“What did you do, just now?”

“I touched your soul.” Her hands swirled in the water, lifting his hand to clean the wounds there. “It can be very invasive. I can tell a lot about a person once I’ve touched them with my gift. The touch is pleasurable, but I can use it to give pain too. I don’t like doing that. I much prefer giving others a little moment of peace when they need it most.”

“So you know more about me now?” Quinn frowned. He didn’t like the thought of her seeing more about him than he wanted her to know.

“A little. But I would never go looking for information without your permission. Not that I can see much in my current state,” she said bitterly.

“Tell me what you saw of me.”

“You are a broody young man.” She smiled. “Very hard on yourself. And you care so deeply for those you love. And … you are an addict,” she added softly.