Chapter 66

• Chapter 66
• A Dance of Shadows and Steam
• The bathroom was a haze of steam, the air thick with the scent of lavender and eucalyptus from Aurora’s bath oil. The clawfoot tub sat in the center of the room, its porcelain edges gleaming under the soft glow of a single sconce on the wall. The rest of the light came from a cluster of candles flickering on the vanity, their flames casting long, wavering shadows across the tiled floor. Aurora sank deeper into the water, her auburn hair spilling over the tub’s edge like liquid fire, her eyes half-closed as she tried to let the warmth melt away the day’s chaos. She hadn’t expected company. Certainly not *him*.