His shoulders were so…wide. I’d never seen a man built like him until the day I’d met the mercenaries.
The thought of that river should have dampened the strange, warm feeling in my stomach, but Lorian’s pants dropped to the floor and I sucked in a breath.
He slowly turned his head, and our eyes met.
His smile was very male. And very smug.
Don’t do it. Don’t you dare do it.
My gaze dropped to his toned ass, and I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry.
“See something you like?” Lorian purred.
“Nothing. Nothing at all.”
He chuckled, turning to the bath, and I slammed my eyes shut. It wasn’t fair that he was so annoying and yet so fucking perfect.
Splashing sounded, and I cracked my eyes open. Lorian wouldn’t know I was watching him in the dim light.
I was pretty sure.
He reached for the soap. The thought of him smelling like vanilla was enough to make me smirk. But he ran his hands over his body roughly, until I practically itched to push those hands away and caress every inch of him.
What was I thinking?
I closed my eyes once more. “You did well today,” Lorian murmured, his voice low. Intimate. As if we were that couple I’d watched when I was a young girl and we bathed in front of each other every day. “With Galon. Your fighting is improving.”
It took me a few tries to reply. “Thank you.”
More infernal splashing. I didn’t understand how I could loathe someone on such a deep level…and then fantasize about his body this way.
It was a stress response. It had to be. I was alone, and my body was reacting to Lorian because it knew he would keep me safe.
I barely suppressed a snort. That thought was weak, even for me.
Lorian stood. I knew that, because I’d opened my eyes to slits once more. He stood facing me, his expression thoughtful as he reached for the bath sheet.
His chest looked like it had been carved from rock. He roughly swiped that bath sheet over his stomach and…lower.
Even his cock was disgustingly perfect. Long and thick and smooth and—
Stop staring at his cock.
I swallowed. Lorian arched his back in a stretch, and I closed my eyes, my body hot and feverish. Awareness crackled over my skin, my core throbbed, and I forced myself to roll over and face the wall.
I could have sworn I was too worked up to fall asleep, but I somehow managed to drift off. Movement made me jolt awake. He was finally getting into bed. I had a sneaking suspicion he was still naked. The thought removed any hope of sleep.
I could feel his gaze on me, and I rolled over. His green eyes shone like a cat’s in the dim light.
He leaned closer. His eyes were so dark they appeared black. I breathed him in. His gaze dropped to my lips, and every muscle in my body went weak. My core clenched. Heat pooled in my stomach…
But I had to know.
“Why are you working with the fae?”
He went still in that strange way of his. It was as if he channeled all his anger and frustration into turning his muscles to stone.
“Go to sleep.” He rolled over.
I blew out a shaky breath and turned onto my side. I knew when a man wanted me. And Lorian wanted me. The thought was heady.
“Sleep,” he ordered once more.
My cheeks blazing, I closed my eyes and willed myself to sleep.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
I woke to the sound of bells ringing.
Ice crawled through my veins.
“No,” I got out.
I turned to Lorian, who glanced at me. He was already jumping out of bed and reaching for his leathers. “We need to go.”
The bells continued to ring, and someone slammed their fist on our door. I jumped. Lorian slowly turned his head in a way that spelled death for whoever was out there.
“Taking,” the voice announced. “Everyone to the square.”
My entire body seized. My lungs constricted. Black dots danced across my eyes.
“Prisca!”
Lorian was crouching in front of me, his hands wrapped around my upper arms as he shook me.
“King’s assessor,” I said through numb lips. “Here.”
“I know.” A muscle twitched in his cheek. “We can’t leave. If we do, the guards will follow us.”
The rules were the same everywhere. Everyone had to attend Gifting and Taking ceremonies with unless they had a written exception.
“I can’t go. The king’s guards are looking for me.”
Oh gods. This was it. They were going to drag me away from this place, throw me in the back of a barred carriage, and take me to the city to burn.