Page 18 of The Shattered Kingdom
Lill chews on her bottom lip, rocking back on her heels. “What if something is wrong with it? What if Zaha altered our bond after I killed His Majesty? What if it’s broken?” She’s desperate, and my already fading resolve crumbles. “Mason refuses to look at me, let alone touch me,” Lill continues, her voice low. “They’re my mates, and I just want them to see me. I want to see that the bond affects them, even if they don’t act on it.”
“Okay.” My heart pounds, and I yank my dress over my scabbed knees. “Fine. The bathhouse it is.”
Lill practically beams, and I wave away her excitement with an exaggerated huff. I’ll join her, but I won’t be happy about it.
I follow her outside, mildly surprised we aren’t immediately swarmed by guards with violet eyes and bayonets. The three lingering nearby turn toward us, though, and one heads in our direction.
“Can you take us to the bathhouse?” Lill asks as he approaches.
If he’s surprised by her question, it doesn’t show. His attention flickers between Lill and me before he nods and turns toward thetwo guards still in the courtyard. One takes off, probably to inform Mason and Kie of our plans. I wonder how long it will take the pair to hunt us down.
I’m going to guess under five minutes.
The guard brings us to a single-story brick building tucked away at the back of the property. It isn’t much to look at, especially compared to the exteriors of the other buildings I’ve seen.
“Thank you,” Lill says to the guard. “We won’t be long.”I hope not.
She grabs my arm and pulls me through the wooden front door. I expect a lobby, maybe a spot to check in, but the door opens immediately to a changing area. A long bench spans the room, and cubbies are built into the walls.
I’m relieved that only a few articles of clothing are folded and hung neatly inside. There must not be too many people here right now.Good.A woman in a simple black, linen dress stands beside an open doorway at the opposite end of the room. I assume it leads to the bathing pools.
The woman looks us over, her cheeks sucked into her mouth.
“Welcome,” she eventually says. She sounds far from happy. “You can give me your clothing after undressing, and I’ll ensure it’s put away properly. The pool is through this doorway here.” She looks pointedly at me as she gestures to the open doorway beside her. “This is a private space. Please act accordingly. No touching.”
No shit.I’m not a child, and I understand what consensual touch is. Humans may not value touch as the faeries and shifters do, but we aren’t heathens.
“So no underwater dick grabs?” I tut. “Shame.”
Lill shoots me a sharp look.
I blink back at her, hoping she can see in my eyes that I’m not happy with this. I was hoping for gendered changing rooms at aminimum, and I awkwardly stand around before beginning to undress.
Lill is already two steps ahead of me. She hands her dress to the attendant and removes the bandage on her back. I’m pleased to see the one deep lash healing nicely, and at a faster rate than humanly possible. The magic here truly is good for her.
“Do you think they’ve been to a bathhouse before?” I ask Lill. She knows who the ‘they’ I’m speaking about are.
She shakes her head. “I doubt it. The risk of skin-to-skin contact is too high.”
“And you think they’ll come because you’re here?”
“I hope.”
I hand the attendant my clothing and cover my chest as we walk through the narrow hallway leading to the pool. The temperature rises with every step, and steam fills the air. By the time we enter the darkened room at the end of the hallway, I’m surprised I’m not choking on it. Several candles are lining the walls, illuminating the room with just enough light to see.
The room is made of stone, and vines grow up the walls. I’m not sure how they survive without sunlight, but I assume it’s a faerie thing. The room isn’t as big as I thought it would be, and the pool is surprisingly small. I’d estimate only ten or so faeries could comfortably fit inside.
Two faeries are at the far end of the pool, both men. Lill’s the picture of confidence as she makes her way to the opposite end of the pool, and I scurry behind like an awkward mole rat. The men seem to be in the midst of a heated discussion, and I’m beyond relieved they don’t look over as Lill and I sink into the water.
There’s an underwater bench, and it’s low enough that only my head and the tops of my shoulders stick out above the waterline.
Lill lets out a quiet groan. “My father used to go on and onabout the bathhouses. They were his favorite place to unwind, and I’ve always wondered what they’re like. This feels amazing.”
I hate to admit that she’s right. The water is warm, and my sore muscles immediately relax. The two men on the opposite end of the pool give us complete privacy, not once looking over. It’s comforting, and I’m confident it would never happen in the human realm.
The relaxation doesn’t last long. Two large figures storm into the room only minutes after we get situated.
Mason turns toward the faeries on the opposite end of the pool.
