Noah laughs, dark and low.
“Oh, we will, little warrior.”
And they do, oh fuck, they do.
Nosh
The fire in her eyes hasn’t gone out. t’s dulled now, banked like coals, but it’s still there, glowing under the surface as i help her up from the table. She’s trembling, but not from pain…The exhaustion, the revelations, the weight of what she uncovered beneath Tolaris. Xavier presses a kiss to her temple and mutters something about checking in with Levi and Haiden. He disappears into the hall, and suddenly it’s just me and her. Envy leans into me more than she probably means to. She won’t ask to be held, never does, but I do it anyway. Her arms are loose around my shoulders as I lift her up bridal–style. Gods, she’s soft and warm and still buzzing with power under her skin. Even worn out and half–undressed, she’s lethal, beautiful, and she’s ours. She doesn’t speak as I carry her through the halls toward our room. The silence between us is comfortable in a way that lets her rest her head against my chest and let her walls fall a little. Just for a moment.
“I should shower,” she murmurs.
1 kiss the crown of her head. “Bath’s better.”
She raises a brow but doesn’t argue.
The ensuite is already warm from the heated floors when I carry her in. The oversized soaking tub is built for people like us, fast–healing, high–stress wolves who need recovery to be more than just physical. I set her down gently on the stone bench beside it and turn on the taps, letting the water rise with a blend of mineral salts and something minty and calming Aleisha left behind weeks ago.
Envy watches me in silence as I peel her remaining layers off. She doesn’t look away. Doesn’t flinch. There’s no shame between us. No pretending.
“You’re hovering,” she says softly.
“I’m watching over you.”
“That’s… annoyingly sweet.”
I grin and offer her a hand. “Come on, little Luna.”
She lets me guide her into the water. It climbs over her legs, then her waist, and she exhales like she’s been holding her breath for years. When I kneel behind her at the edge of the tub, she leans back between my knees without being asked. My hands go to work, slow circles over her shoulders, her arms, fingers threading through her wet hair like I’m winding her back down to earth. She melts under my touch.
Her voice is barely audible. “I think I’m scared.”
I pause. “Of what?”
“Of who I’m becoming.”
I rest my cheek against the top of her head, wrapping my arms around her from behind, letting her sink deeper into my chest. “Then don’t do it alone. Let us help carry it. All of it,”
Her fingers lace with mine beneath the water. “I don’t want to need anyone.”
“But you do. And it’s okay that you do.”
She doesn’t reply. But she doesn’t let go.
When the water starts to cool, I dry her off gently and lift her again, placing her on the edge of the bed. I tug one of my shirts over her head, baggy, soft, completely swallowing her frame. It smells like me, and she doesn’t complain. As I tuck the blankets up around her, she watches me with hooded eyes.
1/2
I brush my knuckles across her cheek. “I’ll be back soon, okay? Get some rest.”
This work, Goddess of the Underworld by Sheridan Hartin, is an exclusive intellectual property legally contracted with NovelSnack. Any reproduction, distribution, or upload outside NovelFlow, AnyStories, NovelaGo, and Readink is unauthorized and constitutes copyright infringement.
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