It took her under a minute to get under the spray, and while she was there, she washed her outfit and hung it up. The sweat was removed, and she was less tense than she had been facing Cain. He had looked like he wanted to kill her. It wasn’t a great look.
The peacekeepers were good for one thing. Confining other alphas.
She sighed and finished her shower, squeezing the water out of her clothing and wrapping herself in a towel. She took her clothes to the balcony and draped them on the edge of the railing.
Xeti and Terus watched her move through the room. The heat of the evening wrapped around her, and it would either dry her clothing or leave it clammy.
She looked at them. “Do either of you know if there is a hairbrush?”
Terus rose to his feet and twisted his wrist. A silver comb was in his hand. He walked behind her and started working on her hair.
“Wow, you two went quiet.”
Xeti said, “We didn’t want to ruin the illusion. If you were a creature of our imagination, we didn’t want to scare you away.”
Terus murmured in her ear, “Which side do you want the braid on?”
“Left? It’s traditional, right? Just behind the ear.”
Xeti came around and brought his finger to his lips, and then she smelled blood in the air. She smelled it when Terus did the same.
Rache waited, and Xeti got Terus’s braid in place and then looked at her. “Can you do mine? He is all claws.”
She walked over to the bed and stood on it, separating his locks and getting the three strands. She held her finger out to Xeti and said, “Bite.”
He grazed her finger carefully, and she patted his head. “Thank you. Is the placement okay?”
He chuckled. “It is perfect.”
Three minutes later, her blood was locking her own braid, and she felt her soul shudder and lock. Two bright emotions that didn’t belong to her were suddenly in her mind.
She sucked her finger and said, “Okay, that’s done. I am heading to bed. Join me or not; it is your choice.”
Xeti grinned, and they were both naked in a surge of power. She flipped her towel off and climbed between the sheets, and she sat and wrapped one of her webs around the bite mark.
The bed was huge, but it felt much smaller when they each crawled in next to her, one on the left, one on the right. They were on their sides next to her, bracketing her. She found it rather pleasant and let the security of being guarded take her to sleep.
* * * *
TERUS CHUCKLED SOFTLY. “Two naked elves in her bed, and she’s sleeping.”
Xeti looked down at her. “Does she sleep after she’s stressed?”
Terus blinked. “I don’t know.”
She didn’t open her eyes but said, “Yes, I do, and facing Cain while he wound up to beat the hell out of me wasn’t a fond moment. I prefer my scares to come in the form of bad wiring.”
Xeti asked, “Do you mind cuddling?”
She rolled toward him, and he wrapped his arms around her. Terus muttered, “Fuck.”
Rache nuzzled Xeti’s neck. “You lose; I snooze. See you tomorrow.”
Xeti was laughing silently and holding her close. He kissed her temple and cheek. He kissed her softly, and she smiled against his lips. She murmured softly, and he grinned and said, “I look forward to seeing the result of that.”
Rache snuffled and slid into a restful breathing pattern.
Terus whispered, “What did she say?”
