LUCY
By the time I finally find myself alone, I've already turned away three maids in the space of barely ten minutes.
Each had come bearing the same polite smile, the same rehearsed offer—bowing before asking if they could prepare my bath, lay out fresh clothes, brush my hair, or attend to whatever the Dragon Alpha might require. They were unfailingly courteous. I thanked every one of them before sending them gently on their way.
It isn't personal. They're only doing what they've been assigned to do. But right now, the last thing I want is another pair of eyes on me.
More than anything, I need to be alone with my own body while I figure out what it's becoming.
The bathwater is almost scalding by the time I lower myself into it, heat biting pleasantly against skin that still remembers last night's agony. A slow breath slips from my lips as I sink deeper, steam curling around my shoulders until the room softens into a hazy blur.
