Chapter 158 chapter 158

Chapter 158 chapter 158
I opened the door to find Nayara standing there with a fresh towel and a small bundle of clothes folded neatly in one hand, while in the other was a pitcher of steaming water. “Fresh clothes and a bath. The luxury experience,” she joked, making my earlier nerves unravel. Each interaction with this eccentric woman made me see her differently each time.

She was dramatic, terrifying, yet kind, all at the same time. I never imagined I would ever meet a woman like this in my life. Then again, I never imagined I would one day end up in a library run by a raven shifter with a tiger cub, a demon, and a werewolf Alpha. Life really was full of twists.

“I figured after today you’d appreciate a nice bath.” She placed the stack in my arms and turned around. “Alright, come along with me; there’s a washroom down the corridor.”

I gave her a nod, but before I followed her, I turned back to Asher, who was already staring at me.

“Go on ahead.”

I turned back to Nayara, who was waiting for me, then followed her out to the washroom. It was another small room. A single kerosene lamp was hung in a corner, burning steadily as it cast the room in an orange glow. I placed the clean clothes by the sink, and stared at the mirror before me. It was filthy, and the grime was thick. Using my open palm, I rubbed at the surface hard enough to be able to see the reflection of my face.

I stared at myself for a moment longer than I should have, then I smiled. But it felt off. I tried a bigger one, but still nothing. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail to try out a different look, but each one left me more unsatisfied than the last.

“What am I even doing?” I muttered under my breath as I allowed my hair to fall back down.

I always kept my physical image back at covenant city, all in hopes that Vincent would see me and think ‘wow,’ but even a single compliment, I never received. But with Asher? He hardly said the words, but whenever he looked at me, it was as though I was made out of precious gems. But looking at my own reflection now, I couldn’t help but wonder what exactly it was he saw whenever he looked at me like that.

There had been mornings I'd spent brushing my hair three different ways before work, only for Vincent to walk straight past me without noticing I'd even changed it.

My brows creased, and I looked away from the mirror with a sigh. Stripping out of my clothes, I stepped into the small bath and washed my skin with the water that felt just right.

I poured the remaining water over my shoulders, watching as the warmth carried away the dust and exhaustion that had settled into my skin throughout the day.
For the first time since arriving in this place, I actually allowed myself to relax. The silence was comforting too.
There were no monsters.
No scary-looking masks.
No desperate chase through unfamiliar woods.
Just me and the gentle crackle of the lamp and the occasional drip of water against the stone floor.
I allowed my eyes to flutter shut for the longest of moments, and if I hadn’t been careful, I would have fallen asleep right there and then. But when a cold draft blew in from somewhere in the room, I saw it as my cue to leave before I caught a cold.
After I got out of the water that was slowly turning cold, I dried myself with the towel Nayara had brought before I slipped into the fresh clothes.
The dress was simple, made from soft linen dyed a muted cream, with long sleeves that hung loosely around my wrists. It wasn't extravagant by any means, but it was impossibly comfortable.
I smoothed the fabric over my waist before looking back at the mirror one last time, my hair slightly damp as I used the towel to dry the tips that got wet.
The grime I’d wiped away earlier was now replaced with steam from the water that now crept back around the edges, leaving only the center clear enough to reflect my face that was rosy.
I studied myself again.
The same violet eyes.
The same loose strands of hair framing my cheeks.
A bitter smile tugged at the corner of my lips.

“Get a hold of yourself, Crystal.”

When I returned some time later, the room was already dim, lit by the only dying glow of a single candle on the bedside table. And Asher was already in bed.

“Did I stay that long?” I muttered quietly.

The man lay perfectly straight on the bed, his fingers intertwined together over his stomach. And aside from the pants he’d had on, he was bare from the waist up. His skin was tanned in the low light, scarred in places I had never noticed before. Even sleeping, every line of him spoke of control and discipline.

I stood by the door for a moment longer, just admiring him silently. The way his dark hair fell over his forehead, the way his jaw was set even in stillness, the steady raising and falling of his chest. I swallowed hard, rebuking the shameful thoughts that were trying to enter my head.

I was the one who told him we would be adults and share the bed evenly, but here I was, drooling over an unconscious man who managed to look handsome even in sleep.

I exhaled through my nose and carefully padded my feet across the old wooden floorboards and silently crept into bed, the mattress dipping underneath my weight. I made sure my back was to him as I stuck to the edges. But I could still feel the heat coming off of him anyway.

I closed my eyes, forcing myself to relax because this meant nothing. But every breath suddenly felt too loud, every shift too obvious.