The water was too hot.
Kaelen had drawn the bath himself, sending the servants away with a look that brooked no argument. The beast watched from the edge of the tub, its ember eyes tracking his every movement. Twist, had perched on the windowsill, his neck coiled into a shape that resembled a question mark. Iron the pig had wedged himself between the wardrobe and the wall, his golden eyes half-closed, his breathing deliberately even.
None of them wanted to be clean.
Kaelen didn't care.
"You," he said, pointing at Sprite. "In."
The beast hissed, a wet, offended sound, and retreated to the far edge of the tub's rim.
Kaelen scooped it up anyway.
The water was steaming, scented with lavender oil and something sharper, like pine. The beast's fur hit the surface and the creature 'screamed' a high, thin sound that was more outrage than pain. Its claws scrabbled against Kaelen's forearms, leaving thin red lines that welled up with blood.
