Jasper's POV

We didn't speak on the way back. I couldn't blame her; she had taken a beating and most likely hadn't eaten or slept in 24 hours. Fresh blood started to drip from her head again. The wound must have reopened.

I brought her to our healer, who took a look at her. The healer decided to stitch it because the bleeding wasn't stopping on its own. She barely flinched as the healer used a needle to sew her wound closed. I honestly think it was because of exhaustion; she lay there with her eyes closed, wincing here and there.

Once the healer finished, she told me that Brenna should be alright but would need rest. I took Brenna in my arms again and carried her upstairs myself. I wasn't about to let her out of my sight again. At least not for a while.

I decided that I'd feel more comfortable with her staying in my sleeping chambers. I took her to my room and placed her on my bed. She looked at me with a confused expression.

"What? You didn't think I was going to let you stay by yourself after all this, did you?" I said playfully, trying to cheer her up.

Her face looked more concerned. "Wouldn't that be inappropriate? Where would I sleep?"

"Don't worry about etiquette. We don't have such ideals. Plus, anybody who knows what's happened would understand. I'll be right back. I'm going to grab a few things for you."

I went to get her a nightgown and some things to bathe with from her room. It was getting late, and I'm sure she'd feel better after a bath. I picked up the nepeta flowers. She hadn't used them yet. I thought I'd draw a bath and add them to help with any pain she was having. I also found a servant girl and requested the rest of her things to be brought over in the morning.

When I came back, she was looking around from the bed. "Your room is so big."

She wasn't wrong, but it wasn't without purpose. I requested a large room to have a living area for when I needed to get away for a moment. Plus, I have a personal armory for my weapons and armor. I also have a large bathroom with a granite bathtub. There wasn't a door that closed it off from the main room. There was just an open archway made of intertwined roots.

I walked to the tub and started drawing a bath for her. I added some oils and soap as the water poured in, creating a thick layer of bubbles on the surface. I reached into the bag of nepeta flowers and took a handful to sprinkle in the water.

I looked over at her. She looked mortified; her face was as red as a beet. "What's wrong?"

"I... I have never had a man help me bathe." She wrapped her arms around her knees protectively.

"You don't need to be afraid. I won't do anything to you that you don't ask for". I said reassuringly. I didn't know what Brenna knew about mating, but that wasn't my motive. As attractive as she was, I only wanted to make her comfortable. She was visibly weak and couldn't bathe herself.

"If you don't want me to, I won't. You need help, and I don't feel comfortable letting anyone else do it," I pleaded.

She exhaled and looked down, "Fine."

I grabbed a towel and walked over to her. I sat behind her on the bed to undo the laces on her dress, revealing a thin chemise under it. I looked over the gown. It was the one I'd bought from the trader. Half of the cape was missing, and the whole thing was dingy.

"I'll see if Helena can do something with this," I said.

I moved in front of her and held up the towel. It was like a blanket compared to her. I looked away. "Take off the rest then."

I leaned forward, wrapping the towel around her to cover her. I scooped her up in my arms and held her close to my chest. I walked over to the tub. There was no way I could go about setting her in the tub without putting her down first and requesting her to let me take the towel off. She wasn't strong enough to get in on her own.

I looked away again, and she let the towel drop to the floor. I kept my eyes to myself as I lifted her and sat her in the tub. I did my best not to look unless I had to. She was so soft and had beautiful olive skin and long legs. I could feel her breasts press against my chest.

"This is going to kill me," I thought.

Brenna's POV

I couldn't believe I was allowing a man to bathe me. I could feel my cheeks burning as he lifted me against his body. I was completely naked and vulnerable in front of him. If he wanted to, he could see everything, but he looked away.

He sat me down in the tub. It was huge. I could've swam around in it. I guess it was that big to accommodate him. I mean, he was nearly triple my size. The water felt so good. My body ached from being drug around on the back that thing on top of having been hit... twice.

The bubbles added some privacy, so he couldn't see anything that wasn't above the water. He took a sponge and began bathing me. He started with my arms and back. He moved to the end of the tub and waited for me to give him my leg. I hesitated at first, but I gave in.

I felt like I was dreaming; a massive Orc was bathing me. His hands reached further into the water up my thighs. I gulped when his hands went closer to my privates. He stopped before he went all the way up. He moved his hands back down my legs to massage my feet. He handed me the sponge to wash that area myself.

Finally, he took a wooden cup and asked me to lean my head back. He poured water over my hair a few times and gently massaged shampoo into my hair, working out the dry blood. He was especially gentle around the stitches on my scalp. After rinsing the soap from my hair, he took a comb to the knots in my hair.

"Stand up," he asked softly.

I did as he asked. Again, he looked away while wrapping me in the towel. He lifted me out of the tub and looked at me as he took the towel out from around me and used to pat me dry. He was so gentle with me. I felt butterflies in my stomach, but it was different. I hadn't felt this way before. It was almost like the sensation was reaching down between my legs as he touched me to dry me off.

He pulled me back against his chest. I was getting cold, so I knew he had to feel my breasts pressing into him. He set me on the bed and handed me the nightgown. A servant served dinner once I was clothed.

He went and took a bath himself while I ate. When he came back, he was in nothing but thin trousers. He climbed into the bed next to me and laid on his back.

"Is this alright," He asked.

I didn't answer. I scooted closer to him and snuggled into his side. He smelled amazing, and the warmth from his skin burned into me. He rolled onto his side and pulled me closer. He wrapped a blanket around the two of us and closed his eyes. He seemed so content.

I felt so safe with him, and I was grateful that he was so gentle and kind to me. I wasn't used to being respected by a man. My father was cruel to me, and most of the other men around me were only interested in marrying me for alliances, so they weren't much better.

Before I knew it, I turned my head up and pressed my lips against his.