Page 39 of Kiss of Fire

“Give her a bath. And do something with her hair. I will be back shortly.”

Shade turned and dived full length through the entrance, his wings unfurling to carry him out over the chasm and up into the air.

There was a short silence as Leona and Raya sized each other up.

“Well. I have my orders.” There was a trace of bitterness in Leona’s voice. Raya didn’t blame her.

“Look, I can bathe myself, thanks. Just point the way.”

Leona waved her hand.

“Through there. There’s plenty of soap and cleansing lotions.” She looked Raya up and down. “Use it all. Twice.”

Cheeky bitch.She wasn’t wrong though. Raya went through to the bathroom and the first thing she saw was her reflection in a floor-to-ceiling mirror. She stared at herself. Dear God.

Her hair was matted and there were dark hollows under her eyes. She was still wearing the same baggy clothes from the fight with the jotnar, and somehow she’d managed to tear a big hole in the trousers which she hadn’t even noticed till now.

No wonder Shade had used his shadows to carry her. Compared to Leona, she was about as enticing as week-old cat food.

And that’s how I want it. Right?

Shaking off the thought, she inspected the bath. It wasn’t so much a bath as a small swimming pool set into the floor with steps down into it. There was seating round the edge but she could see immediately if she filled it to the brim, the water would almost cover her head.

And how on earthdidyou fill it? There was an array of buttons and knobs around the side.

Throwing caution to the winds, she pushed and twisted all of them. Hot water gushed into the bath at impressive speed. By dint of trial and error, she managed to get it half full in a short space of time.

She upended every bottle she could find until the bubbles reached a preposterous height and the room was filled with exotic aromas.

She took the photo of her mother and put it next to the sink. Then she dropped her clothes on the floor and stepped into the bath.

“Oh. My. God.” She groaned with pleasure as she sank into the scented bubbles, the silken water caressing her skin.

Closing her eyes, she slid below the surface.I wish I could just stay here forever,she thought, as she floated languorously and held her breath for as long as she could.

When she surfaced, Leona was sitting on the edge of the bath.

“You look like you’re enjoying yourself,” she commented. Raya folded her arms around her breasts, even though Leona would have needed X-ray vision to see through the bubbles.

“I prefer to bathe by myself,” she said stiffly, hoping she didn’t sound like a prude.

“Really? I always prefer to bathe with someone else.” Leona dipped a hand into the water. “I enjoy having someone wash my back.”

“Is that what Shade does for you?” Raya hadn’t mean to ask such a personal question, but she was curious. Shade acting like a boyfriend seemed such an unlikely prospect.

“Shade? Is that what you call him? How sweet. Yes, he washes my back. He also enjoys washing my front. Especially my…”

“Yeah, I get the picture. So you and him, you’re an item?”

“An ‘item’?”

“You’re together. A couple.”

Leona shrugged.

“He likes my company and I like his. We’ve been together for a while. But a creature as volatile as Shadeed… it’s not wise to think you could ever tame him.” Her gaze sharpened. “He is the kind of man who would drop someone without a second thought as soon as he’s done with them.”

Raya had the distinct impression she wasn’t talking about herself.

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