Page 278 of Elemental Becoming

Gods.

I have pushed my body to its limits. Trained through exhaustion. Ignored pain until it became background noise. But this? This unravels me. Because he isn’t asking anything from me.

He isn’t trying to teach me. Or challenge me. Or push me harder. He’s simply taking care of me.

Thane takes his time. His thumbs press into the arch of my foot first, kneading with the perfect amount of pressure, tracing every curve and hollow. He adjusts, placing one leg back in the bath and gently pulling up the other. His thumb presses into myother foot.

I didn’t realize how sore I was until now, hadn’t realized how much I needed this. I sink farther into the bath, my muscles softening under his touch.

And still, he doesn’t rush. His hands move up my calf, kneading away the lingering ache left behind by hours of training.

The warmth of the water makes his touch effortless. But the way he kneads into the muscle, the certainty in every movement, makes my pulse stutter. Because this isn’t just about touch. This is about him knowing my body better than I do.

My breath catches when his thumb drags along the inside of my knee, lingering there, tracing light circles. His hands are still moving. Higher. My pulse kicks.

I should say something.

I should tease him. Make light of the fact that Thane Caelum—Fire Warlord, feared warrior, respected commander—is kneeling before me.

But I can’t. I’m lost to the quiet of it. To the patience. To him.

His fingers skim the inside of my thigh. His grip shifts, and my skin begins to hum with anticipation. Because I cannot help myself, I shift forward. My fingers skim up his forearm, intent on pulling him closer, on reversing this moment.

He catches my ankle before I get very far. His thumb brushes the hollow of my ankle as his gaze lifts to mine, heavy-lidded and glazed.

“Not today,” he murmurs.

Not a command. A promise.

The look in his eyes makes it difficult to think. I swallow.

“Thane, I—”

“You give,” Thane cuts in. “You always give.”

His other hand trails up my shin. The warm water laps gently against my skin, disturbed by the movement of his touch. Steamcurls in thick tendrils around us, wrapping the air in something hazy and intimate.

“Right now, you don’t have to.”

Thane lowers his head, his breath skimming my damp skin as he presses the faintest brush of a kiss against my knee.

“But you don’t—” I begin, but he hushes me with a soft “Shh.”

His hand slides higher, sending shivers of anticipation along my skin.

“You’ve been teasing me all day,” he murmurs, his voice low and husky.

“Oh? You don’t like being toyed with?” I reply, my voice full of mock innocence.

His lips curve into the faintest hint of a smile. Not quite amusement. Not quite surrender. Just the promise of both.

“Doesn’t matter. You could set the realm on fire, and it wouldn’t change a thing.”

His hand moves again, slow, dragging heat along my skin.

“You exist—” His voice drops lower, reverent. “And it ruins me.”

The words steal the breath from my lungs.