As if my thoughts summon him, a knock sounds at the door.
Bael disappeared downstairs in order to discover more about de Mahl’s auction and give me a chance to bathe in privacy.
“Wait!” I snatch a towel and haul myself out the tub, swiftly drying myself. The silky nightgown will have to do, though I feel worse than naked with no drawers on. I tug it over my head.
“Are you decent?” Bael calls.
“Nearly!” I glance at the wine glasses, then dart toward my supply of Amara’s well water and fill his glass. I add normal water to mine. Now I just have to make him drink it. “Ready!”
Bael enters the room, his hair still wet from his bath. He dumps a bag on the bed, and a collar and leash spill out. “Supplies,” he says. “If you make your decision.”
“Thanks. Water?” I offer him his glass.
“Talk to me,” he says. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
I roll my eyes. “Drink, first. Then we’ll chat. I want to clean away these dishes.”
Bael tips the glass to his lips and swallows. He finishes half the cup as I sip my own.
What now?
How long will it take?
“Did you hear anything else about Kari?” I ask as I grab the hair brush and sink onto the footstool.
“Here,” he says, dragging one of the armchairs behind me. “Let me.”
I freeze as he takes the small pot of oil from the tray in front of us.
“Relax.” Bael gathers a fistful of my hair up, running his hands through it until he’s captured it all. My hair spills over his hands like dark silk and he begins to massage the oil through.
The smell of it takes me back to my childhood.
“My mother used to do this for me,” I murmur, muscles easing as he digs his fingers and thumbs into my scalp, applying just enough pressure that I’m forced to catch the low moan I make in my throat. “And then my sister and I did it for each other once Mother was gone.” Again, that hint of tension returns. “But it’s not common among those who are not of my people. How do you know to start at the scalp?”
“My brother has a bride who oils her hair once a week,” he murmurs, slowly working the oil through to the tips of my hair.“He does it for her. I’ve watched them enough times and…” His fingers still for a moment, before he continues. “I’ve always wondered what it would feel like to do this.”
I glance over my shoulder. His enormous, callused hands gently coax the tangles from my hair, his expression seemingly absorbed in the task. “For a mate?”
Hot amber eyes lift to mine and that distant mask returns. “I’m not here for a mate for myself.”
“Why? You’re attractive. Powerful. A fierce warlord who could provide for a wife.” I can’t resist a small shrug. “It’s not as though it would be difficult for you to find one.”
He continues to work on a particularly stubborn knot. “No?”
“You’re handsome. And… protective.” I blurt the words, searching desperately for something to say that won’t condemn me. “And you have all your teeth.”
He barks a laugh. “Are those the traits that would tempt you?”
“Tempt me to do what?” I half turn, but he captures my hair, insisting I straighten. “Take a… husband?”
Bael laughs under his breath. “I didn’t ask you to kiss a rat. It’s merely marriage, not something distasteful.”
“Spoken like one who holds all the power in such a relationship.”
He’s silent for long moments.
“I understand why you would think such a thing. My people… we are not like the others in this world. Females are to be cherished and protected, but they are also powerful in their own right. A mate is taken to stand by one’s side. To respect, to fight with shoulder to shoulder, and to yield to at times.” His voice roughens. “I’m a naturally dominant male, and I won’t pretend that I wouldn’t be in control when it comes to matters of the bedchamber, but you and I?—”
