Serena sank a bit lower into the hot tub, closing her eyes and letting the almost scalding water bite into her skin.
She took great liberty in letting the water boil over the stone hearth, steam filling the large kitchen. Serena was giddy as she ran up the steps, a bit careless with the kettle in her hand.
The heat clung to her skin, soaking into her muscles, loosening the tight knots of exhaustion that had settled there for far too long.
The scent of lavender drifted around her now, calming, familiar. She had found the bath scents in the corner of the room and had generously helped herself. Gods, it had been ages since she had bathed like this.
Two years.
Two years since she had last felt the comfort of a steaming wooden tub. Two years since the exile.
She realized, with some degree of annoyance, that she had adopted Darius's habit of sighing audibly. Still, it was hard not to let her mind wander.
