Once the tub filled all the way up, I removed my clothes and stepped down. There were inbuilt seats along both sides, so I settled back into one, the liquid coating me almost to my neck. It cocooned me, sending warmth through my body and into my bones. It was like being surrounded by my favorite blanket while drinking hot cocoa at the same time.
Closing my eyes, I laid my head back to rest in a perfectly-shaped groove behind my seat. This was seriously the best thing I had ever experienced in my life. It could only be improved by something to wash my hair and shave my legs, since both were in desperate need.
“How’re you doing in there?”
I let out a scream, eyes flying open as I wrapped my arms across my chest. With a huff, I relaxed, realizing it was just Star. She was dressed in what looked like very comfortable sleep clothes: a pale pink pair of short shorts and tank-top.
“Sorry,” she giggled. “I didn’t mean to scare you, but I thought you might need some toiletries.”
She gestured to a pile sitting on a small bench beside the bath. “These are to wash your hair,” she said as she picked up the two clear bottles, orange liquid inside swishing. She then dropped them and grabbed a long white tube and a small bristled brush. “Use these two to clean your teeth.” Next was a small dark tub. She tapped the lid. “The gel inside removes hair from your body. Just smooth it across, leave for about fifteen seconds, and wipe clean.”
She flashed me her broad smile, before shuffling all of those items closer to me.
I returned her smile, already reaching out for them. “You read my mind,” I exclaimed. “Thanks so much. I really appreciate you bringing these to me.”
“I also brought you something to sleep in.” Star lifted a set of clothes very similar to the ones she was wearing, but in black.
I blew her a kiss. “You’re the best, Star. I’m so glad we met.”
“I’m so glad we met too!” she exclaimed, surprising me with a hug. “It was the best day of my life.”
I snorted. “Thank you, but if we could have less naked hugging in the future, that would be great.”
“Oh!” she pulled back, droplets of wate … legreto flinging off her. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t think.” There was no awkwardness as we laughed, and then she jumped to her feet. “I’ll leave you to your nightly routine now. See you in the morning.”
“See you in the morning,” I called after her as she scurried away.
I laughed again, thinking how weird this entire day had been. Weird, emotional, but kind of amazing.
Twenty minutes later I was clean, hairless – in the places I liked to be hairless – and dressed in Star’s clothes. The top had an inbuilt bra and I had new underwear, because apparently Star’s wardrobes on both worlds were filled with many items of clothing that she had never used before.
Weariness pressed on me, but I didn’t want to sleep, so I stared around for another distraction. A basket on the end of the bed caught my eye. Before I could reach out and touch the contents, there was a knock. With a shake of my head, I hurried over to open the door. On the other side were Jero and Marsil.
“Well, hello there, lollipop,” Jero said, leaning against the doorframe. Like Star, he looked to be dressed for bed. Unlike Star he was bare-chested, wearing just a pair of dark gray shorts.
I narrowed my eyes on him, trying not to stare at the wide expanse of skin he had on display. Jero was not as heavily muscled as Lexen, but he still had more than his fair share. Broad shoulders, tapering down to slim hips; the shorts looked to barely be staying up. His hair was damp, the scar visible as the strands were pushed back in messy disarray.
No wonder he could get away with treating women like crap; he was so pretty they probably didn’t even notice. Marsil was thankfully still dressed in the same clothes he’d been wearing earlier, which was a relief. I wasn’t sure I could take any more perfect chests.
“We just wanted to check in on you,” Marsil said, distracting me from my ogling. “Do you have everything you need?”
Warmth filled my chest. It had been a long time since anyone had checked in on me like this. I was finding I could grow quite accustomed to the caring this family showed me.
“Thanks, I’m all good. Uh…” I flicked my head back toward the bed. “Someone left what looks like a knitting kit on my bed, and some books.” Truly the perfect things to keep me occupied.
The brothers exchanged a look, returning their gaze to me. “Wasn’t us,” Jero said. “And Star didn’t mention that when she said she was bringing you clothes and bathroom stuff.”
Which left only one other Daelighter, one who no doubt knew I was going to struggle to sleep tonight and had provided me with something to occupy my mind. Damn Lexen. Damn him being so thoughtful. The asshole box that I had been stubbornly keeping him in was slipping away. No longer could I hold on to those feelings of animosity toward him. But I needed to … I couldn’t fall for him. We were from different worlds. He was going to be the leader of his house. He was an entire universe out of my league.
“Well, well, well, looks like Lexen might just be on team human now,” Jero said, amusement crinkling his eyes. He had deduced the same thing as me. Lexen was the only one who could have left that basket.
“It can’t work, and … and I don’t even care.” The words slipped out, my thoughts unable to be contained any longer.
A blush stole across my cheeks. I could feel the heat, and as my embarrassment grew, so did Marsil and Jero’s grins.
“Shut up,” I snarled, sticking my tongue out at them and stepping back to firmly shut the door. I dropped my head against the wood panel as their laughter echoed through to me. I stayed like that until I felt the warmth leave my cheeks, then I slowly made my way back to the bed. I crawled up onto it, the thick pillow-top of the mattress cushioning me fully.
I was going to struggle to stay awake, but the thought of my dreams … of reliving the smell and feel of the fire … of reliving my parents’ death … I couldn’t go through that tonight. I just couldn’t.
