Page 19 of The Shattered Kingdom
“Out.”
The room is cleared within seconds. The men scramble out of the pool, water still dripping from their bodies as they disappear into the hallway leading to the changing room. That was rude. They weren’t bothering anybody.
I pull my knees to my chest, hiding my body from view. Kie and Mason can see through the water, and I’m not offering a free show.
Kie lingers by the entrance. “What do you two think you’re doing?”
Lill shrugs. “Relaxing.”
Mason looks like he’s about to burst a blood vessel. “Get out.”
I don’t appreciate being told what to do. Neither does Lill if the sudden stiffening of her spine is anything to read into. The four of us are at a standstill, nobody moving. I’m not leaving this pool until Kie and Mason are gone.
Kie is the first to break. He rolls his shoulders back, his jaw set firm.
“Very well,” he says. “Let’s make this quick.”
He spins on his heel and storms away. I relax only slightly. Mason remains where he is, showing no signs of leaving. Lill mustbe quite pleased by his possessive, dramatic display.
I’m happy for her.
Those feelings vanish as Kie reemerges, now naked.You’ve got to be kidding me. I sink further into the water, averting my gaze as he slips into the pool beside Lill.
“What are you doing?” It’s Mason who asks the question.
I’d also like to know what Kie thinks he’s doing. I expected them to get angry with Lill and force us to leave, notjoinus. I would’ve never agreed if I had known this was how her half-cocked experiment would turn out.
“I’m joining our guests in the bathing pool,” Kie says through clenched teeth. “Get. In.”
Mason shakes his head. “No.”
I love it when Kie and Mason argue, and I settle into the water as their explosive anger unfolds. I hope it’s dramatic.
“Get in, Mace. They’re already here and forcing them out will draw attention.”
Mason shifts his weight from foot to foot. “I don’t want to.”
My lips twitch. He sounds like a pouting child.
“Very well,” Kie finally says. “You can stand there and watch.”
Kie’s trying to poke at Mason’s jealousy, but I can’t tell if it’s going to work. It doesn’t seem likely. Mason is pissed, but his anger doesn’t scream,‘I’m angry my naked mate is in a public bathing pool with Kieran.’
My observation appears incorrect, though, as Mason glances between Lill and me one final time and stomps out of the room. He returns a minute later, and I avert my gaze as he slips into the water between me and Lill. He keeps a safe distance between the two of us.
I tilt my chin up, staring at the ceiling. This is awful, and I count the seconds until it’s over. I’d dunk my head under the waterif Kie and Mason’s exposed balls weren’t currently soaking in it.
Lill clears her throat. “Have either of you ever been inside the baths?”
“No.” Kie and Mason speak at the same time, but Kie is the one who elaborates. “It’s untraditional, and noblewomen can be opportunistic.”
The water comes to the tops of my shoulders but ends at the center of Kie’s and Mason’s torsos. Both men are muscular, with broad shoulders and strong arms. Kie’s frame is leaner, like maybe he was a runner at some point. Mason’s bulky, which I suppose fits. He very literally turns into a wild animal.
Kie leans back and spreads his arms along the pool edge. His bicep is dangerously close to the back of Lill’s head, his fingers ending near Mason’s face. The shifter adjusts, moving farther away from the faerie. It brings him closer to me, so I stretch out my leg.
It has the intended effect. Mason jolts, darting away when my toe gets within a foot of where I assume his thigh to be. I want my space.
“Abby,” Lill lightly scolds.
