Page 48 of Expose Me

Zey gave me a gentle smile and a nod, and I escaped into the bathroom before he could say anything. I didn’t often feel awkward around people. Even shifters didn’t scare me—much. But Zey had been acting more and more ...attentive or something. Caring? I wasn’t sure it was all about ensuring I lived long enough to lead him to his Onuei.

He’d definitely been jealous when Abraxos had flirted with me. I didn’t know what to do with this crap. He was getting his things and going back to where he came from. This was a business transaction.

Ugh! Who was I kidding? I’d been checking him out since he chose his human form. Maybe the feeling was mutual. Maybe ...

I shook my head and used the bathroom as quickly as possible. Like the rest of the mansion, the bathroom was all marble walls and solid rock with ornate faucets. Not an amenity was spared, and I took full advantage of the toothbrushes, soaps, razors, oils, and myriad other things in there. I contemplated running a bath—in the tub carved out of what looked like a massive amethyst—but decided it could wait.

Wrapped in a fluffy robe, I made my way to the terrace, my stomach constantly grumbling.

Zey stood at the railing, looking out over the landscape and Sky City floating in the heavens. I plonked myself down at the table laden with food and dug into the first thing my fingers wrapped themselves around. Some kind of fruit that tasted a bit like banana.

The terrace was as grand and opulent as our room, with a table setting and two loungers. There was even a pool tucked into one corner, although it looked more like a naturally occurring grotto embedded in the cliff. There was water trickling from a hole in the stone wall and cascading over the edge of the terrace where the pool ended.

I broke the silence as I poured myself some coffee. “Still salty that we can’t go racing into Sea and Serpentine HQ immediately?”

“Salty?” Zey turned to face me, his lips pulling up in an amused smile.

“You know—like, pissed.”

He glanced down his front. “Are you insinuating I’ve soiled myself?”

I chuckled and shook my head as I picked a pastry covered in powdered sugar and leaned back in my chair. “No, it means annoyed, irritated. You know, despite the fact you’ve ruined my life, I’m gonna miss this.”

“No. I have accepted this is the best course of action. I trust your judgement, Sky.”

We’d discussed how Abraxos would deliver on his end of the deal over dinner the previous night. My head was pounding, but I was well enough to have the conversation. He pointed out that the easiest way to sneak us in would be when there were distractions. We all agreed on this. When he told us the best opportunity would be in a couple of days when the House of Sea and Serpentine would be hosting their yearly ball, Zey got a bit impatient. I was used to his incessant drive to get the Onuei and get themnow, but Abraxos got rather defensive, and it nearly escalated into a fight. I pointed out that we already had one of the Onuei and the Lineg Legion didn’t have any. Plus we only had one shot at this, and I wasn’t interested in getting captured. Again.

This seemed to defuse the situation somewhat, and we headed to bed not long after, Zey still grumbling about having to wait and not trusting Abraxos. I guessed he’d slept on it and come to his senses.

“You are right about the Onuei.” He pulled the hand crank out of his pocket and set it on the table. “Even if the Lineg get the other two Onuei, they can’t do anything without having all three. And they don’t have you to search for them.”

“That’s right.” I flashed him a smug smile. “I’m fucking awesome, and don’t you forget it.”

Popping the last of the pastry into my mouth, I got up and went to the railing, curious about what was beyond.

“Yes, you are,” Zey said, and I could feel his gaze on me, but I was too focused on the terrifying drop below us to pay much attention.

Abraxos had built his home at the very precipice of a crater that led to Magma City. The water trickling out of our little pool looked like tiny droplets as it fell into the fathomless depths, swallowed up by the darkness before it ever reached the bottom.

“Damn, that’s high as fu-uuu ...” I trailed off and had to clear my throat when I returned my attention to our terrace.

Zey was no longer next to me. He’d made his way over to the grotto—but not before removing all his clothing. I stared with my coffee halfway to my mouth as he slowly waded into the water. His powerful thighs and perfect ass flexed with each leisurely step. I couldn’t seem to tear my gaze away from the spot where the water slowly moved up his body, hiding more and more of him from view as he waded deeper. It wasn’t until the water was up to his waist and he dipped his whole body under the surface that I shook myself out of it.

I took another sip of my coffee and started to make my way back inside, but I couldn’t stop myself from glancing over again.

He was floating on his back, eyes closed and a serene look on his face, his junk just sitting there, resting on his stomach. The water looked very inviting, and it wasn’t like I had anything else to do ...

But I didn’t have a bathing suit.But neither does he!I thought, reminding myself that I refused to be embarrassed by someone else’s nudity—or be chased away from food by it!

Not that I was really interested in the spread on the table anymore.

I set my mug on the table and turned to the pool. I wore nothing under my robe, and I let it fall to the floor without hunching my shoulders or trying to hide my bits.

Zey opened his eyes and sat up as I stepped into the water. He watched the waterline as it moved up my body, just like I’d done to him moments earlier. A lot of shit had been confusing and uncertain lately, but there was no mistaking the heated look in his gaze.

The water was the perfect temperature and somehow felt softer than regular water. I sighed as I dipped my body in to my neck and propelled myself to the edge where it was trickling off the balcony.

“Abraxos may be a pain in the ass, and I may very well have started something chaotic for the angels and demons by giving him what he wants,” I sighed, making a mental note to try to negate the damage when this was all over, “but you gotta hand it to the guy—he knows how to make his guests comfortable.”

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