Jax stretched and pulled himself off her bed. It was much smaller than his. The mattress sagged noticeably. "Seriously," he teased, "This bed is about as comfortable as a thorn bush."
She chuckled, a faint light in her eyes. "Not when you're in it with me."
He grinned and reached out and brushed a knuckle along her jaw. "Come back with me — to my quarters. To our quarters."
Her throat tightened for a moment, emotions rising like a tide she couldn't name. A swirl of something settled in Jax's chest too—something sharp and hot. Desire… was he feeling jealousy? He swallowed it down, unsure of what to make of it.
"Okay," she said softly.
They walked hand in hand through the quiet castle halls. The moment the doors to his quarters closed behind them, a hush settled—warm, still, safe.
Steam curled from the bathing alcove, scented with lavender and cedarwood. The bath was drawn as he had already mindlinked an omega to prepare one.
Nova hesitated, her face flushing. Jax stepped closer, brushing his lips against her temple.
He helped her out of her training suit, slow and patient, like unwrapping something fragile. He noticed the training suit had a hard shell to it and frowned. But he immediately got distracted by her blush. Tension in her that wasn't there before.
"You act like I haven't done this before," he said with a crooked smile, "or like I haven't seen you naked."
Her blush deepened, and he laughed under his breath.
"Why are you shy with me?" he murmured, kissing her gently—once on her cheek, once near her jaw, and again on the corner of her mouth, each word punctuated with a kiss. "You are so beautiful."
She didn't answer, but her lashes fluttered as she looked down.
When she stepped into the bath, he guided her down gently, and she let out a soft exhale as the hot water embraced her skin. He watched her shoulders relax.
"I don't think I'll ever get used to this," she whispered.
He tilted his head. "The bath?"
"No," she said, eyes still closed. "You taking care of me."
His chest ached in that way it always did when she said something like that—unguarded. Honest.
"You'd better get used to it," he said. "I'm not stopping."
He slid in behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her back onto his chest, breathing in the scent of her. For a moment, neither of them moved—they just breathed.
Then he reached for a cloth, lathering it slowly before dragging it across her arms, down her back, over her stomach, his touch reverent. Her head tilted back as he ran his fingers gently through her hair, washing it with care.
When she turned in his arms, she took the cloth from him. He raised an eyebrow but didn't stop her. She moved gently, wiping down his chest and shoulders, her fingertips lingering just a little longer than necessary. She soaped his hair and rinsed it, water trickling down his temple as he smiled softly.
"You're smiling again." she whispered with a grin.
When the water began to cool, he stepped out first, grabbing one of the thick towels and wrapping it around her before she could protest. He dried her gently, careful and slow. Then another towel for her hair, dabbing at it with soft hands, brushing it out with slow strokes like she was something precious.
She pulled on her training suit and he watched her.
"Fin told me what happened. You almost died, again," Jax whispered, voice cracking.
"I'm fine." she answered softly.
"I don't see fine," Jax said quietly, his eyes dropping to her neck.
The faintest bruise still lingered there—evidence of just how close he'd come to losing her. Her body had mostly healed, but not entirely. And he saw it, even if she tried to brush it off.
"You're still not fully healed," he added, brushing his fingers gently over the fading mark. "I know you have duties today… but you need rest."
She met his gaze. "I'm okay, really. You don't need to worry. I already promised Elle I would be there… she needs me. She'll have to spar with Ash or Milo if I don't go."
His jaw clenched slightly — the mention of those boys touching Nova for sparring set a fire that ran down his spine. The thought of her going toe-to-toe with anyone today for that matter. His jaw flexed, and he didn't say what he was thinking, which was Not a chance in hell.
Instead, he pulled her closer and kissed her temple.
"I don't like it," he muttered.
She smiled into his chest. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." She kissed him one more time slowly and turned to walk out of the room.
The door clicked shut behind her.
Jax was conflicted. He wanted to chase after her and tell her absolutely not and put his foot down.
But he had just gotten her back, and the thought of upsetting her made his heart ache.
Aeron or Elias would have said something if she wasn't fit to train, right?