When I straightened, I felt him, hot and heavy against me before he stepped back. I glanced at him. “You didn’t . . . ?”

“I’m good. Give me your arm.”

I lifted my right arm and he pulled me deeper into the spray of the shower, then began working on the knots in my upper arm muscles. “But,” I protested, with a wordless wave downward.

He tipped my chin up until I met his eyes. “I’m good,” he repeated. “I am not some untried youth with no patience. I can wait for what I want.”

“And what do you want?”

“You,” he said, expression fierce. “When you are ready and comfortable. Until then, I will wait.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

I awoke around midday, feeling rested and relaxed. I’d fed Luna before falling into bed this morning and had left her roaming the house, so I hoped all of Torran’s furniture had survived her curiosity.

At the thought of Torran, a warm flush washed through me. True to his word, last night he had massaged my arms, wrapped me in a long, fluffy robe, and sent me off to my bedroom—alone. Lines had been bent but not crossed, much to my mingled relief and regret.

I dressed in the base layers required by the Valovian armor and then put my normal pants and shirt on over them. Tonight we would infiltrate the bunker under the monitoring station. I tried to temper my expectations, but, like Kee, I wasn’t very good at it. If we didn’t find Cien tonight, I would be devastated.

A tray was waiting outside my door with my name neatly written on a luxurious envelope. I turned it over and found a wax seal set with the same looping insignia that lived on Torran’s transport and gates.

I slid a finger under the seal and popped it open. Inside, a single card with Torran’s bold script waited. The note was short and sweet: Dearest Tavi, I hope you had pleasant dreams. If you need anything, I am at your service. Torran had signed it with a spare, neat signature.

I tucked the card back in the envelope and then slipped it into my bag of personal belongings. Maybe it was sentimental, but I wanted a little token of my time here, even if things didn’t work out.

I picked up the tray and made my way to the kitchen. It was late enough that Eli, Chira, and Havil were eating lunch. They all poked good-natured fun at me, but admitted that Kee and Lexi were still asleep, and Nilo and Varro had awoken only a little while ago.

“Have you seen Luna?” I asked. “I’m surprised she’s not demanding lunch.”

“She’s outside with Torran,” Chira said.

My gaze leapt to the door, and I wondered if he would mind if I joined him.