Chapter 34

Hannah’s POV

“Everything is so hot…” Nora breathed restlessly.

We had only been back at the palace for less than an hour, but ever since I kissed Sebastian outside the library, everything just felt so hot. My entire body felt as if it was on fire. My cheeks were reddened, and I had to keep my legs closed tightly to maintain myself.

We were going into heat. That much was obvious.

The scent of Sebastian filled me, and I knew he was nearby, but he wasn’t in our bedroom. He probably wouldn’t give me what I wanted at that moment, which was fine, but I needed to figure out how to calm myself down.

“Where is he?” Nora asked, impatiently. “Why had he left us?”

There was only one way she wanted to calm down, but I wasn’t going to give into her temptations. I shook my head without responding to her and threw the blanket over my head, lying down in the bed I shared with Sebastian. It smelled so much like him; it was driving me crazy.

I soon sat up as an idea roamed through my mind; I remembered the last time I had gone into heat; was the day I saw him with his mask off. His handsome features took me by surprise, and I felt my cheeks redden on the spot. Just the memory was making me blush. Sebastian had me take an ice bath to calm myself down.

“Please don’t make us do that again…” Nora pleaded.

We nearly froze to death last time we had to take an ice bath. But I didn’t know any other way to calm us down.

“It worked, didn’t it?” I asked, slipping out of the bed.

“Yes, but it was so painful,” she whined.

“It’s better than spending the night in this heat,” I told her in return as we made our way towards the bathroom.

As we got closer to the bathroom, Sebastian’s scent only grew more intense. He must have been in the bathroom. I didn’t have the time or patience to wait for him; there were many other bathrooms around the palace, but this bathroom had all my stuff in it already, and it had the biggest bathtub. Also, it was the only bathroom I knew of that had a freezer full of ice.

I didn’t bother knocking on the door; it’s not like Sebastian would give me the same courtesy. As I walked in, I paused immediately when I noticed a broad-chested Sebastian sitting in his own ice bath.

My eyes widened and my breathing got caught in my throat.

“Oh my…” Nora breathed.

He even bathed with his mask on? How was that even remotely comfortable for him?

He acted as though he didn’t see me at first, but once he turned to me, he stared me over, a little puzzled that I was standing there.

“What are you doing?” He asked, his tone deep and almost husky.

I realized I was wearing my thin pajamas and felt embarrassed almost right away. But I remembered that he had seen me fully naked on countless occasions and he was my husband after all.

After we returned from the library, he must have needed to calm himself down as well and decided to take an ice bath.

“I need to take a bath,” I told him, I began lifting my nightgown and he turned away.

“Can’t you see I’m using it? Use a different bathroom,” he barked.

“I need an ice bath,” I told him.

I threw my nightgown on the ground and made my way closer to him. He tensed as he looked back at me, scanning me from my eyes and down to my bare toes.

“You can’t wait?” He asked, there was annoyance in his tone, but he didn’t stop me as I climbed into the tub.

I shivered as I sat in front of him, covering the top of my breasts with the ice water. I trembled and tried not to look like it was painful.

“Why waste the water?” I shivered trying to lighten the mood.

He was at a loss for words, but he didn’t make me get out. As cold as the water was, there was something about him being there and close to me that kept my insides feeling warm. It wasn’t as painful as it was the last time.

Nora was nearly in bliss having him near us and I knew she no longer resented me for taking an ice bath. Though the outside of my body was no longer on fire and my features weren’t red and flustered any longer. If anything, I was probably pruning and pale.

“I usually do this alone,” he muttered. “It’s my personal time.”

He looked away from me, leaning back in the tub.

“I was going into heat,” I told him. “I needed to do something quickly before I lost my mind.”

I watched as his hands went across his chest, rubbing the water down his biceps and dripping back into the tub. He was a lot calmer than he was at the library, but I found it odd that it didn’t seem like the cold of the water was affecting him as it was affecting me. I found the water to be freezing enough to where I could hardly move to clean myself, but to Sebastian, it was like taking a normal bath.

“He must be used to it,” Nora agreed with my inner dialogue as we both admired him.

He was so good-looking I was shamefully drooling and hating myself for it.

I realized he was staring at me, and my face reddened automatically. He caught me hungrily gazing at him. Why did I feel so embarrassed by that? He was my husband.

“Can I ask you something?” I asked, trying to avert his attention away from what was going on.

He didn’t answer, he stared at me blankly for a moment until I continued speaking.

“It’s about Emily,” I told him; he sighed and looked annoyed.

“What about Emily?” He asked; his tone was kept calm.

“Were you married to her?” I found myself asking.

He didn’t seem phased by the question.

“No,” he answered. “We were a couple, but we never got to the point of marriage.”

I must have looked startled because he gave me a lopsided grin that nearly made my heart melt.

“I assumed you were because of the media statement,” I told him, feeling ridiculous.

“The media fabricates their stories,” he told me, narrowing his eyes to focus on my expression. “I’ve told you that.”

“I know…” I said softly, staring down at my hands. My fingertips were already becoming raisins. “You must care for her deeply though considering you haven’t left her side at the hospital.”

I hated how stupid I sounded; I wasn’t sure where this was coming from.

“Hannah, she’s an old friend,” Sebastian said to me, keeping his eyes locked on me. “She’s been there a lot for me growing up. She was there when my mother died, and she never let me grieve alone.”

I looked up at him, startled by his words.

“I had no idea,” I told him; it was true. I didn’t know she was there during all of that, and I felt even more foolish to sound so jealous.

“She’s always been like a little sister to me. I owe it to be there for her, just as she was there for me,” he explained; his tone was even but there was a hint of compassion that I wasn’t expecting.

I met his gaze and I saw there was concern in his eyes as well. He was worried about me being upset.

“Are you going to the hospital again tomorrow to see her?” I asked.

Tomorrow was my day off and part of me was hoping we would be able to spend a little time together. Of course, I didn’t tell him that.

“In the morning,” he answered.

“I hope all is well with her,” I told him; and I meant that.

I decided that while he spends time with Emily, maybe I’ll go to see Liam. I checked on him before leaving work and he seemed well, but I didn’t want him to be too lonely. I worried he wasn’t getting enough attention at the hospital, and I needed to see for myself that he was okay.

I was feeling a lot calmer and I decided I was done with the ice bath. I wasn’t sure how much longer he expected to remain in the tub, but if I stayed any longer, I would surely freeze to death.

I stood to my feet and attempted to get out of the tub. But my foot slipped on something, and I felt myself falling almost instantly. The wind got knocked out of my throat and my heart fell into my stomach as my naked body fell hard and painfully on Sebastian.