He lifted a sapphire glass bottle from the edge of the pool and poured whatever was inside-orchid oil-over his chest. Oh, to be that oil, she thought, mesmerized, her throat constricting as he rubbed the oil all over. The fragrance mixed with the steam, becoming a summoning finger.
"You can still join me, you know," he said, his voice rough.
She yelped and released the curtain. The material fell back into place, completely blocking him from view. Her cheeks erupted into flames.
"No, thank you," she called.
"Didn't like what you saw? Or did you like what you saw a little too much?"
Before she could think up a response, a panting Brenna burst into the room. Her gaze was wild, her dark curls bouncing around her face. She exhaled a huge sigh of relief when she spotted Shaye.
"What's wrong?" Alarmed, she rushed to the girl's side. "Did something happen?"
Behind her, water splashed and the pound of footsteps echoed. Valerian shoved the curtain aside. He was mouthwateringly, deliciously naked, and completely unabashed.
"What happened?" he demanded.
Shaye's mouth fell open at this first, full-frontal glance of him. He was more muscled than she'd realized, and his erection...
Oh. My. Wow!
Longer and harder than she'd imagined, proudly waving between his legs. Water droplets clung to the crown-
Brenna gaped at him.
"Grab a towel!" Shaye shouted. "Right now! And just know that when I-if I-become queen, I'm creating a new law. No twigs and berries on display."
"Ever?" he asked, unperturbed by her outburst. "Or just in public."
She uttered a choking sound.
Brenna's mouth had fallen open, too, and Shaye had to tamp the urge to cover the girl's eyes.
"We're fine." She pointed to a spot over his shoulder. "Go back to your bath. Please! We're going to have a little girl talk and pretend our retinas aren't singed."
He winked at her before disappearing behind the curtain. Only then was Shaye able to breathe again.
"Big," Brenna said in that broken voice of hers, her eyes still wide.
Mine, Shaye almost snapped. She frowned. She had no right to claim him. She'd just turned him down. Again.
Concentrate. "Did someone hurt you, Brenna? Or threaten you?"
Brenna shook her head. "I have a problem."
"What kind? With whom?"
"Joachim."
Her frown deepened. "Is he hurt?"
"No."
"So he did hurt you?"
"No."
Oookay. Shaye clasped her friend's hand.
Was Brenna her friend?
She'd never really had one. Assistants, yes. But had she ever really spent quality personal time with someone else? As a child, she'd been shy and reserved. As a teen, she'd been distrustful of others. As an adult, she'd been too cranky.
Well, whatever Brenna was, Shaye led her to the couch. "What's wrong?" she asked again, settling into the cushions. "Tell me, and I'll do what I can to help."
"Shivawn," Brenna said.
Her brows knit together. "Is he hurt?"
"No."
"So he hurt you?"
"No."
Okay, they were getting nowhere fast. Shaye exhaled with frustration. "I don't understand what's going on. You're going to have to explain."
"I...want." A rosy blush stained Brenna's cheeks. She bit her bottom lip. "I want them."
"You want...them?" Shaye blinked. "As in, the two of them...sexually? Together? With you?"
Her blush intensified, and she looked away. "No. But I think I desire one when I should desire the other, the one who makes me feel safe, and I'm scared. I'm also confused."
"Well, that would scare and confuse me, too." She could barely handle her desire for Valerian. She didn't know what she would have done if she'd felt safer with one of his warriors. "Maybe desire will grow with the one who makes you feel safe?"
Brenna gripped her hands, as if she were in danger of falling and desperately needed an anchor. "Maybe. I just don't know."
"I wish I had an answer for you. These men...these nymphs, they cast a spell over everything female and screw with our common sense." Bitterness seeped through her tone. "I don't like it."
You once mentioned an escape. Brenna mimed the last so there was no chance Valerian would overhear.
Shaye stilled. Escape. What she'd wanted from the beginning. What she wasn't sure she wanted right now, but knew was for the best.
I have a home. A job. Employees who count on me.
"We'll have to make our way to the portal," she said softly. "I tried to leave bread crumbs, removing dust from sections of the wall, but first we have to get to the dusty part."
"I think I know the way," Brenna replied just as softly.