"I'm really not."
"You are." She wiped her face with her sleeve, smearing mascara across her cheek. "Thank you. God, thank you."
"You don't have to thank me."
"I do. You have no idea what this means."
A knock at my bedroom door made me jump.
"Princesse?" Etienne's voice, muffled through the wood. "Can I come in?"
I looked at Maeve.
She was smiling, though tears still streamed down her face.
"Go," she said. "Your alpha's calling."
"He's not my alpha."
"Whatever you need to tell yourself, Pres. Oh and Mr. Cheddar has been pining at your caravan door."
I pressed my hand over my heart. "He misses me."
"He is probably wondering where to hide the mice."
I laughed as I ended the call, then crossed to the door, opening it to find Etienne standing there with an armful of fluffy white towels.
"I wanted to run you a bath," he said. "Help you relax before the heat really hits."
My throat tightened as I looked up at Etienne, at his kind eyes and his gentle smile and the way he held those towels like they were the most important thing in the world.
"What about the other two?" I asked, my voice small. "Hastings and Fritz. What if they're not here on time."
"They will be," Etienne said firmly. "And so you know. They're good men, Princesse. They'll take care of you. All of us will."
"How do you know?"
"Because the way Hastings looked at you through that screen today. And the way Fritz grinned when I toldhim I knotted you. They're not indifferent, Princesse. They're just scared."
"Of what?"
"Of wanting something they think they can't have."
"And you?"
"I don't hang about when I know."
I smiled. "And you know."
He held out his hand. "I do."
The bath was perfect.
Etienne had thought of everything. Lavender oil in the water. Candles on the edge of the tub. A glass of cold water on the side table within easy reach.
He helped me in, then sat on the floor beside the tub, his back against the wall.
"Thank you," I said quietly.
