CHAPTER 347: 347: ANGRY WIFE AND STEAM

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"I know," he said. "I am here now. I love you. You are my first home."

Her chin dipped. He kissed her hair. She breathed in, and her body went still. She pulled back just enough to look at him. Her nose twitched once like it did when she checked a stew. Her ears lifted.

"You smell like smoke," she said. "And like pine. And like a girl."

He did not flinch, but he did not lie to himself. The scent would be there. Ikea’s hair. Ikea’s skin. Her orgasm on his body. The fire in the small shelter. He chose his next words with care.

"I met a traveler," he said. "She was in trouble. The snake bit her. I killed it. I drew the poison. I stayed near her camp until she could sleep. She was alone. I did not leave the forest until the sun came up."

Luna’s eyes narrowed. "Alone," she said. "A girl. In the forest. And you stayed the night."

"I did not share a bed," he said. That wasn’t true. He had stayed under the same roof. He had held her. He had kissed her and gave her six hours of anaconda pounding. He did not add those pieces. He gave Luna the part that mattered to safety. "I could not leave a hurt person in the dark. I stayed close and kept watch. That is all I will say now. If you want the rest, I will tell you later when we are calm."

She stared at him for a long moment. She could read people. She had learned to listen between words. She found the truth he had put on the surface. She also found the space he had left behind it. Her jaw worked once.

From the side tunnel came fast steps and louder voices. Azhara slid into view first, hair wild, eyes keen. Vel and Sha were right behind her, shoulder to shoulder, the twins moving like two ends of one thought. Naaro came next, quiet, watchful. Akayoroi followed, veil neat, gaze clear. Lirien came last, arms full of rolled cloth and a small basket.

"There you are," Azhara said. "We smelled smoke and battle and you. That is a mix."

Vel peered at him. "Are you hurt? Do you need a bandage?"

Sha sniffed the air and blinked. "He smells like someone’s camp."

Naaro’s eyes flicked once toward Luna’s face and then back to Kai’s. She said nothing.

Akayoroi bowed her head a little. "Welcome back from patrol, my lord."

Lirien hugged the basket to her chest. "I brought clean clothes. And soap stones. And fruit. I did not know which one you would ask for first."

Luna’s ear flicked. "He will ask for answers first," she said. "But he says he needs time to tell the rest. For now he says he met a traveler and saved her from a snake. He stayed near her camp till dawn."

Azhara whistled low. "A traveler. Was she ugly," she asked in a tone that suggested she already knew the answer.

"Azhara," Luna said, warning sharp in her voice.

"What," Azhara said. "It is a patrol report."

Kai lifted a hand. "Enough," he said. "I am dirty. I smell like smoke and snakes. I need a bath. Then we will talk. All of us. No games."

"Good," Luna said. "Because we will talk."

Azhara smiled like a cat. "Bath sounds perfect. We will join you."

Vel raised a hand. "I want hot water."

Sha grinned. "I want cold water."

"We will make both," Akayoroi said, calm.

Naaro gave a small nod. Lirien looked a little lost, then brightened. "I can carry towels," she said. "I am too shy to join."

Kai rubbed his forehead with two fingers. "Fine," he said. "Bath it is. Then food. Then talk."

They moved as a group through the upper passage to the hollow pool that sat near the warm vents. It was a wide basin carved long ago by molten rock, now fed by a thin fall of clean water that streamed down from a crack and split into two channels. The left channel ran over hot veins and steamed. The right ran cool and clear. The two met in the pool and made water that was warm but not heavy.

Shadeclaw and Silvershadow stood at the far end of the room. They had been checking the drains and the vents. When they saw the group, they gave short bows and made to leave.

"Wait," Kai said. "Post on the ledge outside. Give us an hour. No one comes in."

"Yes, my king," Shadeclaw said. He and Silvershadow slipped out as soft as smoke.

Lirien set the basket and cloth by the smooth stone bench. She pulled out the soap stone, a pale block that smelled faintly of herbs, and set it in a small dish. Akayoroi tested the water with her hand, then touched a rune and deepened the warm flow a little. Steam rose and made the cavern feel close and safe.

Azhara stretched like she was home in her own skin and stepped to the edge. "In we go," she said, and hopped down with a splash. Vel laughed and jumped in after her. Sha slid in with care and hissed in pleasure at the heat. Naaro folded herself down, two legs in, then the other two, and sighed as the warmth took her. Akayoroi eased in like a queen. Lirien took a breath and followed, face flushing red and eyes bright.

Luna stood by Kai. She touched his sleeve. "Take the bandage off first," she said. "Let me see the cut from last night."

He unbound the strip along his side. The shallow slice was clean. The edges were pink, not angry. He had healed more than half already. Luna’s fingers brushed near it. She made a small sound, half worry, half relief.

"It will be gone in two days," Kai said.

"You said that before," she said. "I will check anyway."