King of the Underworld by RJ Kane

Chapter Two Hundred Six

Adrik

Sephie and I were alone in the penthouse that afternoon. She had her hands soaking in a bowl of very hot Epsom salt water to try and help the bruising calm down. She was staring at her hands as they soaked. Her expression was somewhat blank, but I knew she likely had more going on in her head than what I could see on the surface. I found myself just watching her, my own thoughts drifting in and out.

I had set a timer for her soak. I was jerked back to reality as it went off. I grabbed ice from the freezer and filled another bowl with ice water, switching it out with the hot water in front of her. She looked worried about sticking her hands in the ice water. She hated it the first time we did this, too.

“Trust me, it won’t feel as cold as you think. You don’t have to leave them in very long, either,” I said, smiling at her.

She sh ut her eyes tightly and held her breath as she shoved her hands into the ice water. “Nope, ha te it,” she said as she pulled them out quickly. She wouldn’t leave them in the ice water for longer than a few seconds the first time we soaked her hands. I think I got her to last ten seconds that time.

“You didn’t even give it a chance, love.” I couldn’t help but laugh at her, but I knew she really did ha te to be cold.

“Don’t need to. Ha te it.”

water, then took her hands and wrapped them in the towel. She sighed. “Slightly better, but still

little bit. It will

“Fine,” she said.

the towel off after a minute and inspected her hands. They were still swollen and her poor knuckles were not the color that knuckles should be. I looked at her, concerned. “Maybe we should’ve x-rayed your hands

one. “I can still make a fist. I can still move all my fingers the way I’m supposed to. It just hurts when I do,”

do this again later, then,”

me, complete surprise on her face. “You’re not

across my face when I thought about everything she’d been through with doctors, now that I knew the whole story. I wasn’t about to make her go to a doctor unless it was life

away, not knowing what to say. She got up and followed me to the sink, hopping up on the counter next to me while I washed the bowl that had the salt in it. When I was done, I stepped between her legs. She wrapped her legs around my waist, her hands on the back of my neck in my hair. She

with her.

from her so I could go get the arnica cream for her hands. She just clung to me tighter. “Nope. Ha te that

counter in between the sinks. She let go so I could get the cream once we were in the bathroom. She had a wide smile on

about her.