Dave broke the kiss so he could work on undressing her. He let the dress Lily was wearing fall to the floor, kneeling down to pull her panties down next. Once she was naked, he lifted her into his arms and carried her to tub. Easing her into the steaming water, he smiled as she sighed. "The cost is of no importance to me, to see you relax I would have gladly paid three times as much. Now just enjoy the bath, I will go take care of the rest of the items we purchased." He was just turning to leave when she grabbed his hand and stopped him. He turned to look at her.
"Stay. Join me. I told you we both needed to bathe and this tub is more than big enough for the two of us. Please." Lily smiled at him and tugged at his arm. Her smile only grew wider as she watched him undress, then climb into the water across from her. "The water is the perfect temperature, after the night of walking around those woods, you could probably use some relaxation of your own." Lily reached for his hand again, smiling as she examined the differences between it and her own. "I am a good listener; will you not share with me what bothers you so much you would take off into the trees?" She looked over at him.
"How can I explain this to you? I am not even sure how to explain things to myself. I am with you and then I am with Lilith. There is no warning, no signal, just the switch. At first, I enjoyed it, but in the process of being with her last night, I realized that I could hurt you. The fact you are so sore today is proof of that. Lilith is enjoying this. She is enjoying the fact that she is getting what she wants and can hurt an innocent person at the same time. Lily, I love you. If I ever hurt you, even by accident . . . " Dave's sentence was cut off, Lily had placed her hand on his cheek.
"I am fine, I told you earlier. Dave, do you think I am foolish? I realize that she is playing with me. She thinks I am weak, but I am not weak! She and I will have our battle, but that is between her and I. Do you know that she has been completely quiet since I woke up this morning? Usually she is constantly chattering inside my head, but today, nothing. Quiet. I do not know why, but I plan to enjoy it. As for hurting me, I trust that you would never do that, not truly hurt me anyway. You were rough, that is true. Look at me!" Dave looked shocked and truthfully, she was as well. It was unlike her to raise her voice like that. She successfully gained his attention and he was looking straight at her. "I am not afraid of you. If you mean what you say, that you love me, do not pull away from me."
Lily's eyes were fierce and passionate. He was blown away by it. He had never experienced anything like it. Another person was fighting for him. He tried to form words, but could not find any that seemed accurate enough to express how he felt. How his heart swelled, it felt like it might explode inside of him. She was not weak and at that moment he realized that Lilith would have a fight ahead of her. His mouth opened to speak, but then he thought better of it and just pulled her to him. He held her smaller body to his, letting the back of her head rest against his shoulder. The smell of roses in the air, the softness of her skin; this was the closest to heaven he had been since falling. Time seemed to stand still, only the temperature of the water betrayed how long they had been laying in the tub. "Lily, the water is getting cold, let us leave and go some place warmer." His voice was deep, but soft at the same time. He helped her from the water and wrapped a cloth around her.
The master bedroom in the castle had never been used, Dave did not require much sleep. He was now glad that he had the forethought to have prepared it before the bath. It had only needed a few finishing touches and once the fireplace was lit it would be perfect. Despite the fact he had never used it, he had been working on it for years. Gathering objects from his travels to complete it. He hoped she liked it, he had planned it to be a honeymoon suite of sorts, for the day that he would be reunited with Lilith. Tonight, Lilith was the furthest thing from his mind. He stopped at the door. "If you do not like it, I can change it to suit you," Dave whispered to her before he opened the door. He watched silently as Lily walked inside and looked around.
"How?" It was the only word that Lily could manage to speak as she looked at the lush green color and the living plants that grew happily there. Flowers and scents she could not even identify were in the room, but they all worked in harmony together. It was a garden inside the castle. She imagined it must be as close to Eden as he could reproduce. It was meant for Lilith, she had no doubt, but she was not in this room. His love was in abundance and for that reason she loved it. She saw the concern in his face and moved to kiss it away. "It is beautiful, and I would not allow you to change a single thing."