“Oh, you two are assholes,” I muttered and snagged the washcloth from the bottom of the tub. “Just get out. I can bathe myself.”
“Oh, now, come on, Wraith Lord,” Xae said. “You can take a little teasing if I can.”
“Get out.”
“Nope.” Xae kicked off his shoes and unbuckled his belt.
“You are not getting in this water with me, Xaedren.” I pointed at him. “This is my bath.”
“Oh, you used my full name. You must be really serious.” He took off his tunic.
I shut up. Blinked. Closed my mouth before I started drooling.
“I refuse to be outdone,” Rath said and started to strip.
“Fine,” I huffed. “Just get in already.”
As the men—the gorgeous, hard-bodied men who loved me—climbed into the huge bathtub, raising the level enough to spill onto the floor, I hid my smile. Thank the Goddess for Xaedren and Ratharin. Without them, I don't know where I'd be. Probably still lying in graveyard dirt.
Chapter Ten
After our bath, Xae, Rath, and I went downstairs to join the meeting. I didn't think it would still be going on, but it was. And everyone went quiet to stare at us when we entered the room.
Then my stomach rumbled, sounding like thunder in the silence.
The entire congregation laughed, several calling out that the dinner buffet was still available. I made faces at my friends as I strode down the center aisle between Rath and Xae, all three of us heading for the food.
“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, chuckle-heads,” I said. “It's so funny that Ember's starving. Ha-ha.”
“It's not your hunger that's funny, it's your stomach's impeccable timing,” Nex tossed back. “Now put some food in that belly so we can get back to our discussion.”
“I'm trying to.” I stuck my tongue out at him, then quickly retracted it when I saw who was sitting across the table from Nex. Jath. Fuck, that man was everywhere I didn't want him to be.
“Don't stick that thing out unless you're going to use it,” Keltyr called out, earning a scowl from Jath.
“Is there anyone here who isn't panting after Ember?” Jath grumbled.
I felt my face go hot. After his outburst in the entry room earlier, I thought Jath might have been letting go of his anger, maybe even liking me a little, but I guess I'd misinterpreted things. He was just as bitter as I'd suspected.
“Only the straights, the takens, and me,” Nex said. “Even the bottoms are willing to switch it up for our boy.”
“Iam not panting after Ember,” General Ranor, standing in the aisle at the end of the tables, growled. “My sexual orientation is no one's business, but what I am is seriously annoyed.”
“Straight,” Xae whispered to me.
“Sorry, General,” I said as we drew abreast of him.
“I'm not annoyed at you, Ember.” He patted my back. “Get yourself some food and then I'll catch you three up on what we've discussed.”
“Thanks, Sir.”
“Of course.” Then Ranor faced the room. “It's the rest of you fuckers who have pissed me off. This isn't the time for that kind of crass shit. We need to figure out what to do about this. In case you've forgotten, we are the only defense against the Corrupter. The whole fucking world is counting on us to be men, not little boys, giggling about their tiny dicks and where they can stick them!”
“What can we do?” Lord Finn asked. “The only one who can tell us what the Corrupter's up to is the Corrupter. And I don't think he's going to feel up to sharing.”
“We need to set a watch on the Corrupter,” the General said.
“The soldiers at the fort watch the perimeter of his death-mist,” Keltyr said.
