“Yes.” Her voice was softer, breathier. Her flecked eyes darted away as I tasted faint, lemony unease. “It’s a rather nice tub.”
“It also contains a rather nice view.” Stepping forward, I sat on the ledge. “How long have you been in there?”
“Long enough that my skin has pruned.”
Reaching over, I scooped a tendril of wet hair from her cheek and tucked it back. “I didn’t mean to be gone so long.”
“It’s okay.” Her knee disappeared beneath the water. “I figured you needed some time.”
“I’m not sure there’d be enough time to really grasp all of that,” I admitted.
Her chin dipped until it nearly disappeared beneath the water, her gaze sweeping over my face. “You okay?”
I knew she was asking about the shit with my father, so I ignored the twinge in my chest. “Yeah, I am.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.” I dipped my fingers into the water, finding it still very warm. “It’s…” Thinking about what Kieran had said, I watched the bubbles scatter across the surface. “It was unexpected.”
A grin appeared. “That’s an understatement.”
My lips curved, responding to her smile. “True.”
She watched me as I straightened and pulled my hand from the water. “What are you thinking?”
“Honestly?” Reaching down, I tugged off a boot. “Not sure.”
“Are you…angry with him?”
I thought about it as I removed the other boot. “I’m perturbed.”
Her brow rose at my word choice.
“But if he was telling the truth about the Fates, then I’m not angry.” I set the boot beside the other. “Worrying about the Arae getting pissed isn’t exactly something my generation was concerned with—unless you were a wolven. They always act like the Fates watch from every bush and tree.” My grin was fleeting. “But my father’s generation and anyone older? They felt the same as the wolven. If true, my father wouldn’t want to tempt fate.”
“But how doyoufeel about everything?” she asked, her fingers flicking the water’s surface by her knees.
“The same.”
“Cas.” She sighed.
“Seriously. The same.” And that was the truth. “At first, it was…ground-shaking, but who my grandfather or great-grandfather is doesn’t change who I’ve been. It just makes my ancestry almost as interesting as yours.”
“I think it actually does change who you’ve been,” she replied dryly. “But I get what you’re saying.”
I cocked my head. “You really think that’s why I have more eather than Kieran?”
“I do. It makes sense. But…I feel like something else explains why you can shift already. And kill a Revenant.”
“We don’t know if Kieran can,” I reminded her. “Need to find one to know that.”
“True.” She paused. “By the way, I think Valyn was telling the truth.”
“Think?” I cocked my head.
Her head bobbed. “It’s not like thevadentiais telling me anything, but I just don’t see why he’d lie.” She paused. “Especially after what he told me when you and Kieran left.”
I cast her a sidelong glance. “Do I even want to know?”
