12
On the way home, Paix came to a decision: he wasn't giving the Family a five dollar bill ever again. He stopped by the bank just before it closed and broke the fiver in his secret pocket.
Paix and Reina had a leisurely dinner, then he handed her one of the dollars. "I want you to go to that apothecary and set up an account to get the blood tea. I don't want you to ever go through this again."
She smiled, blushing. "I will."
"Are you fit for the tub?" Reina had said the apothecary forbade her to sit in water until her bleeding had stopped.
Reina considered this. "I am."
"I feel relieved," Paix said. "Tonight, I shall draw us a bath. Then I shall brush your hair and love you as you deserve."
Paix woke curled on his side to the warm sound of dripping. Reina hummed a quiet tune from
