Free West of Want (Hearts of the Anemoi) by Laura Kaye Page A

angry red mottling his forearm. “Oh, I’m so sorry. We should run that under some cold water.”
    Zeph attempted a small smile. “It’ll be okay, but thank you. Right now, you are our first priority.”
    She looked doubtful, but finally nodded. “Okay, so, about this marking thing.”
    He stepped back. “Right. It will likely wear off, after a time, though there’s no telling how many small misfortunes will befall you in the interim. My brother’s a death-by-a-thousand-cuts kinda guy.”
    She swallowed audibly. “Uh-huh. And option B? Please tell me there’s an option B.”
    Of course there was. But how could he expect her to agree to it? He pressed his lips together and inspected his arm. The skin already felt cooler, the burn fading from red to pink.
    “Zeph?”
    She really had no choice—so neither did he. The marking ensured things would continue to get worse, much worse, before they got better. “There is,” he finally said. “A cleansing.”
    “A cleansing. As in, get a shower? I was going to do that anyway, before all this.” She waved her hand between them.
    Zeph crossed his arms over his steam-dampened chest, hiding the fists clenching and releasing as he imagined running his hands over her body. “That’s the basic idea. Though it’s a bit more involved.”
    Fuck if this wasn’t probably part of Eurus’s plan, too .
    She gestured as if drawing the words out. “Okaaay.”
    “First, a bath, then a shower. I must wash you with my hands. Only a g—” Good gods. He’d nearly divulged his identity. He shook his head, regrouped. “Only I can remove my brother’s…influence.”
    “Why is that, Zephyros? What were you going to say?”
    He turned away, focused on his distorted reflection just visible through the condensation on the mirror.
    “Please tell me what you were going to say.” She grasped his shoulder. Skin-to-skin, the strange, wondrous elemental connection they somehow shared flared. Zeph sucked in a breath. “I hate not knowing the truth.”
    He sighed and glanced at her. The humidity in the air made the soft cotton cling to her body. The outline of her bra became just visible through the fabric. He’d already revealed so much that must seem strange, could it really hurt to fill in the gaps for her? “Cleansing first, my story second. Please. It’s imperative I take care of you as soon as possible.” He turned and grasped her hand.
    Her gaze followed the gesture and she gasped. “Your arm. It’s…all better. How…” Her face paled. “You heal?”
    No sense holding back, really. The evidence was right before her. “Yes.”
    “Jesus. I guess that shouldn’t surprise me, given what you did for me.” She carded the fingers of her free hand through her hair. “But will you explain that later, too?”
    “Yes.”
    “I want it all. How you got in my house. The healing. The deal with your brother. What you were going to say. All of it.”
    The thought of such a conversation made him weary, but it was also one full of potential—for acceptance, for sharing just a little of his load. Assuming he didn’t scare her so bad she banished him forever. He nodded once. “Okay, all of it.”
    She pressed her lips together, twisted them. “And it will be the truth,” she stated. Demanded.
    “Yes. Always.” Her insistence on the truth piqued his curiosity and tugged at the center of his chest.
    Sagging back against the counter, Ella released a long breath. “Okay. Thank you.” She braced her hands behind her. Jumped right back up. “Ah!” She flew forward, cradling one hand against her chest and pointing at the scissors on the counter with the other. “I just cut myself on these,” she growled, showing him the angry red mark just blooming with blood. “Your brother?”
    He scowled at the shears, as if they were responsible for attacking Ella’s hand all by themselves. “Yes,” he bit out.
    “Zephyros, I want this cleansing. Whatever it entails, I want you to do it.