"No, you love me." She kissed the same cheek she'd just patted.
Thankfully, Shovia dropped the subject, and we reached the officers' wing without encountering any assassins, but I worried about Morek returning to the apartment alone.
He'd stayed behind to continue drinking and flirting, and if he didn't end up spending the night with the girl he'd been trying to charm, he would have to walk all the way to the officers' wing by himself.
Then again, no one was after Morek.
I was the assassins' primary target, which made me dangerous to be around.
"Bathroom's mine first," Shovia announced as we entered our apartment and headed down the hall.
"Can I join you?" Codric called after her.
"Be my guest," Shovia's voice floated back.
As Alar and I settled onto the couch in the common room, waiting for them to vacate the bathroom, he put his arm around me, and I leaned into him, my head finding that spot between his shoulder and his jaw that seemed designed specifically for me.
"It was a good day," he said.
"The best. And what's even better is that we have a day off tomorrow."
I was still riding the high from the bonding, and the boost in energy, and the wine had loosened the last of the tension in my body. I was buzzing with excitement, thinking of all the things I wanted to do with my prince tonight.
There would be no alarm at dawn tomorrow, which meant we could make love for hours. Tomorrow, there would be no training or classes, and I was looking forward to some quiet time to draw, read, or just hang out with my friends. Or maybe go another round with my prince.
Life was good.
Shovia emerged from the bathroom in her nightclothes, her hair damp and her face scrubbed clean. "All yours," shesaid, looking at us, then caught Codric's hand and whispered something in his ear that made him grin and rush her toward the bedroom.
The sound of their door clicking shut was followed by Shovia's laughter, quickly muffled.
Apparently, I wasn't the only one with naughty plans for tonight.
”Come on." I pulled Alar up off the couch and towed him down the hall to our room. By the time I got the door shut, he'd already started unbuttoning his dress uniform. I dug our nightclothes out of the dresser and tossed his at him. "You go first. You're faster. I want to take my time."
“Are you sure?” He shrugged out of the uniform jacket, and for a moment, I forgot what I wanted him to do.
“Yes, go, before Morek gets back.”
“Well, if you insist," he said, sauntering past me and flexing his muscles as he went.
“Show off,” I muttered as he closed the door behind him.
He'd already showered once after our solo flights, before we'd dressed for the luncheon, so he didn’t need to shower again, but knowing Alar, he would, and I was proven right when a moment later I heard the pipes shudder.
While I waited, I hung my dress uniform in the closet, changed into my nightclothes, and planned my seduction.
Alar came back with a towel slung around his neck and nothing on but the bottoms of his nightclothes, his chest damp and his chin-length hair dripping, and the sight of him turned my plans a little bolder.
"All yours," he said.
I took my time in the bathroom, standing under the spray and letting the hot water ease the tension from my muscles.
When I was done, I put on a fresh pair of panties, undid the elaborate updo, and brushed out my hair, letting it fall in loose,long waves that cascaded down my back, and studied myself in the mirror.
I looked different. Not just healthier and stronger but also more confident, and it was all thanks to Morgateth and his subtle presence in the back of my mind. He was like a reservoir of power that I could tap into whenever I needed it. Even now, I could feel him, not intrusively, but still there, a vast warm presence that felt like banked fire.
On impulse, I decided not to put the ugly nightclothes back on and wrapped a big towel around myself instead. If I were a braver soul, I would have walked to our bedroom in just my panties, but Morek could return any minute now, and I wasn't about to traumatize my friend.
