I stiffen at his words, thinking about the situation that we’re in. He’s right. I shouldn’t say things like that until I’ve made up my mind, which I haven’t. It’s barely been a week. Marik is the prince that I’ve grown the closest to, but is it fair to make a decision on that alone? I’ve spent the most time with him and barely any time with the other princes. They deserve equal time with me so I can make the right choice.
“Want to go grab some breakfast downstairs?” he asks me, bringing me out of my thoughts, which were starting to spiral into a negative space.
I nod eagerly. “I’m a little nervous to do the walk of shame, though,” I admit.
“I’ll go downstairs and see if there’s anybody here that you would walk into. My guess is everyone is still asleep, though.”
“While you do that, can I use your bathroom?”
After checking the hallway, he leads me to a door at the end of the hallway. It’s a full bathroom, complete with a toilet, aclaw-foot tub, and a wooden vanity with two sinks and oval mirrors. I quickly sit on the toilet and release my bladder, sighing with relief.
I look in the mirror. My hair looks crazed. It must have been damp last night when I fell asleep on it, so it’s curly and sticking up everywhere. I throw it into a messy bun on top of my head, centered between my antlers. I see some toothpaste in the vanity and rub some on my teeth, rinsing my mouth out with water before spitting it out. There. Good as new.
A knock raps on the door, and I freeze. Fuck. I pause, hoping they’ll go away, but the knock comes again. I open the door slowly, praying it’s Marik.
But it’s not.
It’s Koa. In his underwear. My mouth dries when I see the size of his bulge, and I resist the urge to drop my jaw.
He’s looking down at the floor when I open it, his hands in his messy hair, but he looks up once he hears the creak of the door opening. When he sees it’s me, his eyes widen, and he takes a step back.
“Oh,” he says, clearly surprised to see me. “Shit, sorry. Wait, what are you doing here?” He surveys me and asks, “Did you spend the night here?”
I hesitate before nodding.
His face falls. “Which one?”
“What?”
“Which prince did you stay the night with?”
“Um…Marik? But it’s not what you think, Koa,” I say hurriedly.
His lip curls in disgust. “Great. He gets jealous and runs off, and you comfort him by sleeping with him?”
Now my jawdoesdrop. Is he fucking serious? I take a second to think through what I want to say to him, but he doesn’t give me the chance. He takes my silence as confirmation.
“Nice, Mae. You’ve known him a week, and you fuck him.”
I freeze, not even knowing what the hell to say to that. My shock only lasts a moment. I push past him, not deigning to give him a response. Let him think what he wants. The bathroom door shuts behind me as I open Marik’s bedroom door.
“Hey, you,” he says, a genuine smile on his face. He opens his arms as I walk toward him. I step into them, and he hugs me around my waist, still sitting on the bed.
“It looks like most of the guys are still home. I figured we could just order breakfast in from the kitchens and eat it in my room?” he asks me.
“Honestly, I would like to go back to my room and take a shower,” I say, my voice sounding hesitant like I’m asking for permission, which makes me cringe. I was never the type to ask permission from a male.
“Oh. Yeah, that works, too,” he says, a slight frown appearing on his face.
“I’m sorry, Marik,” I say. “I just…I could really use a nice, hot shower. And I just saw your shower, and it doesn’t have my favorite body wash,” I say, forcing a laugh.
“Yeah, I get it. You’ll have to risk seeing everyone, though,” he warns me. “I think Asmo is the only one who isn’t here. Probably went to the training center or something.”
He walks me downstairs, and miraculously, we don’t see anyone else. He kisses me at the threshold of the door and says, “Send someone to let me know when you get back to the castle, please. Ivan and Elle would kill me if they knew I was letting you walk back by yourself.”
After we say our goodbyes, I head toward the castle. Before I get back, though, I make a sudden change in direction, veering off and heading toward the training center. I’m still in my outfit from last night, but if Asmoisthere, I want to see him. I can’t explain why, but I feel like I need to.
I step inside of the training center but don’t see him on the main floor. I hear someone, though, so I head downstairs. I find him inside the weapons room, throwing axes at the impact wall. He’s in a gray oversized hooded shirt, sweat dampening the back. He turns as the door opens.
