Chapter 74

Unknown POV

The West Tower in the Dark Palace, somewhere in the East Central.

“Hmmm,” I moaned, easing down into the steaming water until it lapped at my skin. The heat seeped into my bones, and I reveled in its embrace.

The entire chamber was bathed in that comforting warmth, and the blue candlelight flickering in every corner seemed to beckon me deeper into its glow. My golden eyes narrowed as I watched the woman reclining half-naked on my bed. She studied me with a sultry gaze that made my arousal thicken with every passing heartbeat.

In my six hundred years of existence, no one had ever stirred me so powerfully, so urgently. She was mine—mine to claim, mine to hold. I watched as she slipped from the bed, her long, slender legs folding beneath her. She moved deliberately, fully aware of the effect she had on me, and I couldn’t help the dark smirk that curved my lips.

She stepped out of the bed’s embrace and approached the tub, her long brown