Chapter 28 — First Bath, First Mishap

Part 1 — Exile, Then Saving the Nation

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The housewarming feast was a hit. Ellie and Meg outdid themselves, grilled river fish, savory stews, fresh breads. The others raved about it.

I, however, spent most of the night dodging disasters. Chloe got drunk, declared clothing optional, and had to be restrained by Liza. Bill flung himself at me to shield my eyes and promptly got punted across the room. Somewhere along the line someone shoved me toward the bath. I didn’t argue. After weeks of tents and cold water rinses, the new bath was irresistible.

The tub was, as feared, enormous. I sank into the steaming water with a sigh. “Too big,” I muttered. “Thanks for nothing, Chloe.”

“You’re welcome,” purred a familiar voice. Wet footsteps approached from behind.

I nearly jumped out of the water. “Why are you here?”

She stepped in without shame, pale skin gleaming with steam. “Why else? It’s my bath, too.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Stop whining,” she said, sliding in beside me. “You see me as a mother or sister, do you not? What’s there to hide?”

“Everything?” I squeaked, staring resolutely at the opposite wall.

She laughed. “Yet another topic you complicate. Fine. Face forward. We need to talk.”

“About…?”

“You and Ellie,” she said. “Heard you snuck off last night.”

I froze. “We just talked.”

“Sure you did,” she drawled. “Berating her with ‘young lust’ in public? Naughty, naughty.”

“We didn’t—never mind. What do you want?”

She shifted closer. Water lapped at the rim. “What are you doing with the twins?”

Not the topic I expected. “Letting them stay until they’re ready to go,” I said, still staring at the cedar wall.

“You realize their past could bite you?”

“I’m not interrogating them,” I said. “They’ll talk when they’re ready.”

Chloe sighed. “Your compassion is going to kill you.”

“Thanks.”

“And your ‘issues’?” she asked softly. “Still losing control?”

My shoulders tensed. “Only if I get blindsided. I can handle it.”

“If you can’t, I’ll help,” she said.

“With what, exactly?”

“Letting the urges out.” She slid onto my lap, face inches from mine. “You could always practice on me.”

“Nope.” I yelped, shoving her away. She splashed into the water with a yelp, resurfacing with a pout.

“I’m not that repulsive,” she huffed.

“That’s not the point,” I said. “This isn’t how normal people solve things.”

She flicked a sheet of water in my face. “Then at least find out who those twins really are. If they bring danger to this house, I’ll deal with it myself. Agreed?”

I wiped the water from my eyes and nodded. “All right. I’ll talk to them.”

She relaxed. “Good. Now finish soaking. I’m not leaving until I prune.”

I groaned, but stayed put. Some battles weren’t worth fighting naked.

----- End of chapter -----