I leaned to his ear and whispered, “How’s that for anticipation and response?”
He released his sword. I smiled in my victory, dropping my sword as well, and released his hands. I leaned up from him to judge his reaction, only to get caught by the way his gaze had softened. The world had slowed around us again as he slid his hand to the back of my neck and pulled me down to him. He stopped before our noses touched.
“I must warn you,” he paused, “I’m faster than you think, and I only play at being submissive.”
He put me on my back faster than I could blink. I waited for the room to stop spinning and the rush to subside.
“You will be sore tomorrow. You may want a hot bath to help soothe your muscles.” He brushed my hair from my face.
“How did you do it?” I panted.
He smiled. “Do what?”
“How did you manage to make me fall in love with you so quickly? I don’t understand. It’s like I’ve been put under your spell and held under your power.”
“I don’t hold any more power over you than you do over me. I’m your equal.”
“Then how? I’ve built a tower of stone around my heart, and within days, you’ve knocked it down.”
“Years, actually, and persistence is the key.”
He stood then led me to the bathing room. He left me to attend to whatever he needed to do. The sconces were lit, filling the room with the light absent from the sky above. The bath was already full of steaming water with the bottles of soap on the edge. Fluffy white clouds of suds floated on the water’s surface. A set of clothes waited for me on the bench along the far wall. I couldn’t place the lingering mood in the air, like a weight that covered everything in a warm blanket. It was faint and loomed out of reach until it dissolved beyond my senses.
I undressed and climbed in, already experiencing the pain of overusing my muscles. My legs protested when I lifted them into the bath. I slipped to the center and sunk down to let the hot water relax them. The bubbles fizzed and popped around me, releasing the scent of dried rose petals into the air.
I dipped the back of my head into the water and then stood straight. The steam lifted off my body in billowing clouds until they cooled and disappeared into the air. Something sharp sliced through my torso. I curled over, wrapping my arm around myself and trying to keep my head above water. Smooth skin and small raised bumps where the scars were returned my touch. Nothing that would shed reason for the pain.
I stood straight as the pain subsided, gasping for air. I pulled my gaze to the night sky. The stars shone against the black of night, like tiny bursts of flame. A light shone toward the rim of the glass. The moon was rising. The pain had to be another sign of the change. I walked to the edge of the tub and draped my arms over it, resting my head against the cool stone. I focused on breathing and relaxing my muscles.
The water shifted. I knew who it was before I turned to face him. His bronze skin reflected tiny beads of light, and his hair was pulled back and tied with a leather lace that had bright colored beads at the tips and dangled over his shoulder. He focused on me, taking me in. His lips parted when I stood and stepped in front of him.
“You decided to join me?” I asked as his lips curved. His hands glided along my skin from my sides to my back, firing off bolts of lightning.
“How can I resist, waya uwoduhi?”
The buzz of his enchanting words filled my head. “You’ve mesmerized me.”
“You’ve had me under your spell since the first time I saw you.”
“Tell me about that time. I want to know what you thought and felt.”
“It’s of a night you would much rather forget than to be reminded of.”
“Five years ago?”
“Yes.”
I wrapped my arms around his thick, hard body. The sensations within me conflicted in a struggling war of which one would be the strongest and win out. “That’s amazing and horrible at the same time.”
“There were moments when I was weak, needing to see you and assure myself you were okay, like that day in Hafton. I think the wait was worth it.”
I touched the beads on the lace. “What are these for?”
“Just a decoration for those who are coming. It is a symbol of who and what I am.” He escorted me to the underwater seat then proceeded to bathe me.
“What is this company? I see you tense each time you mention them, and it seems you become more lost in thought the closer the time comes.”
“They are the Ancients. The leaders of the immortal realm who enforce the laws to be obeyed for those of us who crossover.”
“And they think you’ve done something to break those laws? How could they possibly even know?”
“Because someone in my house told them.” The level of bitterness was thick in his words. “And yes, they think I have, at least that was what was stated in the letter. I’m not allowed to change anyone without the consent of the Ancients, unless they are my heart song. Which you clearly are.”