Page 42 of A Song of Shadow and Starlight

The man pops out of the water, flipping his dark locks over his face and wipes his eyes. His bronze shoulders are sculpted, and he has black tattoos up and down both of his muscular arms. His back is to me, so I can't make out his face. But he must sense my presence because he turns to look at me and that's when I spy a familiar vertical script tattoo along his neck.

"Peeking, Princess?" Atlas smirks, resting his arms along the golden lip of the pool.

"What are you doing here?" I hiss.

"Relaxing. What are you doing here?"

"Well, I intended to soak in the hot springs," I tighten my towel around my torso, "but I thought no one would be here at this hour." The way his eyes examine me sends my stomach fluttering. "I'll come back later."

"Please don't let my presence hinder you." He motions to the other pools. "There's plenty of room."

"And have you watch me?" I scoff, but he just smiles.

"Last I checked, Princess, I was here first, so it would appear you're watching me."

Ass. "How long will you be in here?" I want, nay, need, to relax and I don't intend to skip out on using these tempting hot springs just because of him.

He shrugs lazily. "I don't know. I rather like it here."

I roll my eyes, trying to ignore the water dripping off his biceps. "You're impossible."

"Not getting your way every time you stomp your foot must be irritating."

I huff and grab my belongings with every intention to leave, but why should I? I have as much right to be here as he does. If he thinks he's going to make me uncomfortable, he's sorely mistaken. Two can play that game. I slam my clothes back onto the bench and march up the stone stairs to the hot spring Atlas is soaking in. Peering into the pool, I see it's bubbling and steaming so there's no visibility beneath the water.

"What are you doing?" He seems amused, fixing his eyes on me.

My heart pounds. I refuse to relinquish my right to the hot springs, and more importantly, I refuse to let Atlas win.

"Close your eyes," I order, but he shakes his head.

"No."

"Turn around then."

He smiles, shaking his head again. "No."

I roll my eyes, unwrapping my towel, but keeping my form hidden behind it as I slip into the scalding water. Once in the pool, I toss my towel onto the dry pavers and sink in to my neck. I nearly moan from the bubbling warmth enveloping me but keep my ecstasy to myself.

I open my eyes to find Atlas staring at me from across the small spring. If he stretched his leg out, he could probably touch me, but it's not our proximity that causes my stomach to flip. It's the scars on his upper chest that make me pause. The slices don't look random. They look methodical, as if someone tortured him by cutting one line at a time.

I'm staring. I know it. He knows it. But for some reason, he doesn't say anything.

"Who did that to you?" I ask, a surprising rage in my tone.

For a split second, his eyes soften, but then a hardness settles in his features. "Afraid that's none of your business, Princess."

"You can call me Shaye, if you want."

"And why would I want to do that?"

"Since we're going to be together for the unforeseeable future, I assumed you wouldn't want to use my title all the time."

He stares at me for a moment before raking his hands through his wet hair. "I'll stick with princess."

"Why? Eris, Nyx, and Finn call me Shaye. Why won't you?"

"We aren't friends, Princess."

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