The Bridge Kingdom (The Bridge Kingdom #1)(14)
His expression didn’t shift. If anything, he appeared bored with her. “The only thing I’m due for is a bath before dinner. Dragging your ass back from Southwatch was sweaty business. You’re heavier than you look.”
Lara’s cheeks flamed.
“That said, if you are inclined to do the same, you are welcome to go first. Given you haven’t seen a wash in three days, you probably need it more than I do.”
She stared at him, at a loss for words.
“But, if you’re only out here to admire the . . . foliage, perhaps you might grant me a modicum of privacy.” He gave her a lazy smile. “Or not. I’m not shy.”
That was what he expected. For her to be dutiful little Maridrinian wife and attend to his needs, whether she wanted to or not.
It was what he expected, she thought, watching him watch her, but it wasn’t what he wanted. Thoughts flicked through her mind one after another. Of the clothes he wore, the colors intended to blend into jungle around them. The scars, which had clearly come from battle. The bow he’d held in his hand, ready to use at a heartbeat’s notice. This man is a hunter, she decided. And what he wants is a chase.
She was more than happy to give him one. Especially if it meant delaying a certain inevitability that she was desperate to avoid.
“Then you can wait.” She smiled inwardly at the surprise that lit up his eyes. Unbuckling her belt, she dropped the weapons next to the edge of the pool, then turned her back on the king, pushing the straps of her dress off as she did. Peeling the damp silk from her body, Lara kicked the garment aside, feeling his eyes on her as she stepped into the pool, with only her hair hanging to the small of her back to conceal her naked flesh.
It was scorching hot. A temperature that one needed to ease into, slowly, but Lara gritted her teeth and waded down the steps, only turning when the swirling water covered her breasts.
The king stared at her. She gave him a serene smile. “I’ll let you know when I’m finished.”
He opened his mouth as though to argue, then shook his head once and turned. Lara allowed him to take three steps before calling out, “Your Majesty.”
The King of Ithicana turned to regard her, not quite hiding the anticipation in his expression.
Lara let her head fall back so that the waterfall poured over her hair. “Please leave me the soap. I’m afraid I forgot to bring any out with me.” She hesitated, then added, “The towel, too.”
The bar landed in the water next to her with a splash. Lara opened her eyes in time to watch him remove the towel from his waist and toss it on a rock, his feet smacking against the path as he strode naked back to his room.
Biting the insides of her cheeks, Lara struggled to contain her grin. This man might be a hunter. But he was mistaken if he believed she was prey.
7
Lara
Lara stayed in the hot springs until her skin was pink and wrinkled, half to annoy the King of Ithicana and half because the sensation of being wholly immersed in warm water was an unfamiliar delight. In the oasis, bathing had been limited to a basin, a cloth, and lots of vigorous scrubbing.
Back in her rooms, she took care with her appearance, selecting a sky-blue gown that left her arms and most of her cleavage bare, braiding her wet hair into a coronet that revealed her neck and shoulders. In her trunk was a chest of cosmetics, the false bottom concealing tiny jars of poisons and drugs, from which she tucked a vial into her cleverly designed bracelet. She darkened her lashes and swept gold dust across her skin, staining her lips a rosy pink right as the clock on the desk struck the seventh hour. Then, taking a deep breath, she stepped out into the hallway and followed the smell of food.
The polished floor of the hall reflected the light from beautiful sconces made of Valcottan glass. The walls were covered with a latticework of thin pieces of amber-colored wood, on which several bright paintings framed with bronze were hung. The end of the hallway led to a kitchen, so she took the door leading left, and found herself in a foyer tiled with marble, a heavy exterior door framed with windows revealing nothing in the growing darkness.
“Lara.”
Turning her head at the sound of her name, she looked through the open doors into a large dining room, which was dominated by a beautiful table made of wood inset with squares of enamel, around which a dozen chairs were placed. Ahnna sat with her chair pushed back and a glass balanced on one trousered knee.
“How was your bath?” The amusement in Ahnna’s eyes suggested she was not unaware of Lara’s conversation with her brother.
“Delightful, thank—” She broke off with a surprised gasp. Sitting on a chair across from the princess was the largest cat she’d ever seen, at least the size of a dog. Regarding her with golden eyes, it lifted one paw and licked it, proceeding to groom itself at the dinner table. “Good god,” she muttered. “What is that?”
“That’s Vitex. He’s Aren’s pet.”
“Pet?”
The other woman shrugged. “Aren found him abandoned when he was just a kitten. Took him into the house and then couldn’t get the damned creature to leave. He does keep the snakes out, I’ll give him that.”
Lara watched the animal warily. It was big enough to take down a human, if it got the jump. “Is he friendly?”
“Sometimes. Best to let him come to you, though. Now shoo, Vitex. Shoo!” The enormous creature gave her a look of disdain, then hopped off the chair and disappeared from the room.