“You guys have an interesting friendship.”
I jerked at the sound of Jo’s voice in my head, having completely forgotten she was even there.
I gave her an embarrassed smile. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to exclude you. And I don’t know if I would call us friends.” I caught Sin’s flinch out of the corner of my eye but ignored it.
“Do not be sorry. I can talk aloud, but honestly, I have spent so long mind speaking it feels uncomfortable to use my voice. I am accustomed to being more of a passive presence during others' conversations.”
I frowned. “Just because you’re used to it doesn’t make it okay. You deserve to be included.”
Jo smiled at me like no one had ever validated her existence before, and it nearly broke my heart.“You are very kind, Rain.”
“I’m glad you think so since it doesn’t seem to be the popular opinion.”
“I never said you weren’t kind,” Sin interjected, and I whipped my head to stare at him.
“You heard her?” I gasped.
“Of course I heard her. She was speaking to both of us.”
“I can speak inside more than one head at a time,”Jo explained. “I choose who can and cannot hear me.”
“Wow,” I remarked. “That’s actually really cool.”
She blushed.“I am glad you think so, but Dreisin is right, Rain. You do seem rather on edge this evening. Is everything all right?”
I hesitated, then said, “Yeah, it’s no big deal. Just been thinking about a lot of things lately. We can talk more tomorrow.”
She must have read my intention that I didn’t want to speak in front of other people because she only said,“I look forward to it. In the meantime you should try to relax a bit.”
“Maybe visit the Laneum,” Sin chimed in between bites of food.
I opened my mouth to ask what a Laneum was, but Jo answered first.
“You have not been to the pools yet? They are my favorite part of the castle. Igniservians are stationed there around the clock to keep the waters hot. They are on the lower level just past the library.”
Well that piqued my interest. This Laneum place sounded like heaven in the form of hot springs.
“They tend to be empty in the evening,” Sin said. He gave me a heated look and added, “They’re the second best thing I can think of for relieving tension.”
I almost choked on my dinner, and my cheeks burned so hot they had to be a mirror of Jo’s flaming tresses.
“Is that so?” I forced out, though it didn’t sound nearly as nonchalant as I'd hoped for.
Across the table, Jo attempted to hide a grin by daintily dabbing her mouth with a napkin.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” I focused on my meal and tried not to imagine Sin joining me in the heated pools. The thought of him shirtless had me surreptitiously clenching my legs together. He was all lean hard muscle that filled out his tunic in a waythat screamed the body hiding beneath would be, well, positively sinful.
If I ever got my hands on his scorching hot body, it would probably burn me alive.
Thankfully Sin behaved himself during the rest of the meal, and I was able to escape back to my room without further embarrassment.
I was contemplating how best to spend the remainder of my evening when Kiahna showed up at my door carrying a pile of clothing. She set the stack on the end of the bed and gave me a small curtsy before leaving.
I was pawing through the garments, grateful to have some new clean tunics and breeches, when my eyes snagged on the last two articles of clothing. They resembled a bra and underwear, but these were far more delicate in design and material. The fabric felt like silk yet had the elastic snap of spandex. Both pieces began as a deep rich purple that gradually darkened to a midnight black.
I picked up the top, similar to a bralette, and wondered if Kiahna had just brought me sexy underwear. I couldn't imagine why she would do that unless… Maybe this was their version of a bathing suit.
Okay, Jo,I thought, bemused.I can take a hint.
