Page 53

I put a hand to my pounding heart with a frown. That was new.

“How’s everything?” I asked, pulling out the bundle I’d been searching for and settling on the floor, back against the bed frame. Luthri collapsed on the mattress beside me with a groan.

“Fine. They’re set up on a ridge southeast of the manor to keep an eye on things. We’ll have to risk the water supply soon, but they scrounged up some tools to try their hand at fishing in the meantime. Resourceful fellows, those two.”

I made a sound of agreement. “Narille can’t see us tonight.”

“No?” Lu raised an eyebrow. “Can’t see us, or… Can’t see us?” He added an ominous emphasis on the repetition, implying what I also suspected.

“Not sure,” I admitted, popping a piece of dried fruit in my mouth. “Savreen—the daughter—passed along the message. I’ll raise a ruckus if the same thing happens tomorrow.” Chewing, I added, “Something creeps me out about this place, but I can’t put my finger on it.”

Luthri nodded thoughtfully. “It doesn’t feel like the townspeople are being threatened, even if that might be the most obvious answer. They didn’t seem scared or nervous. I think it’s more likely they’re under the influence of something. Someone is pulling their strings.”

“Rugaveld. Who else?” My eyes fell on the unassuming dinner tray. “They’ve offered us something to eat a few times… Think it could have something to do with the food?”

Lu swiveled around to follow my gaze. When his eyes fell on the plate, he abruptly stood, walked around the bed, and crouched by the plate to examine the food.

A warning climbed my throat. “Don’t?—”

“I know, I know.” He gave the fish a dainty sniff before sitting back on his haunches. “Hm. Like I said, I can’t think of an herbal compound that could achieve this result, but that doesn’t mean it’s not possible. Perhaps we ought to consult the Aminkinya again.”

Savreen came to mind, the way she’d snacked on sweets from the same plate she’d offered us while we spoke with her father. The thought wrinkled my brow. “Savreen ate the food herself, remember? A drug wouldn’t make sense unless he’s dosing her too.”

“Also not impossible,” Lu countered.

He had a point. “Anyway, I don’t want to stay here any longer than we have to. The mission hasn’t changed—we need to find Narille and leave. First thing tomorrow, if not tonight.”

An inclination of his head told me Luthri was on the same page. Continuing to mull over the possibilities in my head, I returned my attention to my “meal” when it occurred to me that I hadn’t seen Lu eat anything since breakfast on the ship the day before.

“Hungry?” I offered him a handful of nuts. Oh, could he even have nuts?

He shook his head. “I’ll be all right.”

“If you say so. You can bathe if you like; I already took one.”

Lu’s gaze swept over me, taking in the damp tendrils of hair and the way my shirt clung to the lines of my body. My skin warmed under his scrutiny.

“I see that,” he remarked.

I fiddled with the food packaging as I searched for a subject to shift the conversation. “If we can’t find the stuff we lost in the swamp, you’ll have to tell me where you got that bath oil you gave me. It’ll be worth another adventure after this to pick some up. ”

“Oh, you can use mine if you like.” Lu went for his waist, rifling through the personal effects attached to his belt until he produced a stoppered bottle with pale gold liquid inside.

When I opened it to examine the contents, a familiar spiced-orange scent tickled my nose.

To think, he’d been carrying that all this time.

I couldn’t resist the opportunity to tease him.

“Barely made it here with our lives, yet this survived a journey through nykse -ridden waters, the voyage to Munarzed, and a cave-in inside a nightmare den. Goddess forbid you go without your signature perfume.”

“I take care of what’s mine,” was all Luthri had to say.

“Mhm. Use it the same way as the other one?” I held the little flask up to the light and tipped it back and forth so that the oil coated the interior in sunshine tones.

“That’s right. You can put it in the water or apply it to your skin.”

A knuckle skimmed my shoulder, the touch assessing. I pretended not to notice.

“Well, thank you for the offer.” I made sure the stopper was firmly in place and passed the bottle back. “I’m all set for now, but good to know it’s an option. Here’s hoping we won’t have to rush out of here, and I’ll be able to take another bath before we leave.”

“Maybe I’ll join you next time.”

“Maybe you will.”

Lu’s light tone didn’t hide the inquiry underneath, but my answer gave him nothing. The bed frame creaked as he leaned forward. His next words came from right beside my ear. “If I were in there with you, you wouldn’t need a bath oil. I’d gladly lick you clean.”

Before I could formulate a response, he’d gotten to his feet and sauntered off toward the bathroom. I tossed another nut in my mouth and admired the sway of his backside as I chewed.

About fifteen minutes later, the sound of the privacy screen sliding across the floor made me look up from my book. I wasn’t prepared for the sight that met me, but somehow I managed to maintain an impassive stare, which I was quite proud of at the moment.

“Forgot to grab a change of clothes,” Luthri said by way of explanation as he strolled out of the bathroom in the nude, rippling muscle and rich brown skin on display in all their glory.

He was a shower. Or, at least, I hoped he was a shower—if he had much growing to do, I’d be shit out of luck.

My eyebrows rose millimeter by millimeter as I took in the rounded shoulders and sculpted lats, the fit and flare of his obliques, the careful definition between each abdominal muscle.

It was a work of art, the way his wet skin glistened in the afternoon light—like oiled mahogany. Goddess, how I wanted to taste it.

Had the temperature risen in the last thirty seconds?

Having reached the foot of the bed, Luthri bent to rummage inside the bag. I didn’t realize how engaged I was until it registered that I had sat up for a better view of his backside and calves. The former flexed in a hypnotizing rhythm as he dug through our supplies.

“So sorry,” he said breezily over one shoulder. “I’ll be out of your hair in a moment.”

I sat back against the pillows and tossed my book aside with a huff. “Oh, please. You’re not sorry in the slightest. In fact, I’d be willing to bet you didn’t bring a change of clothes in with you on purpose. I’ll give you some credit—it’s a smooth setup.”

Luthri pivoted to face me—certain things taking longer to recover from the momentum than others—and put on an exaggerated pout.

“You wound me, Mar. I mean, I’m flattered that you think I would be capable of such clever manipulation, but I would never resort to underhanded methods to attract the object of my affections. Unless… it’s working?”

He raised his arms and angled his body, striking a pose to accentuate his ample musculature. All right, so he had my attention, but did he think he was being subtle?

I threw my hands up. “You could have, I don’t know, asked?”

“Oh, so you’re going to make me beg?” he drawled.

A denial sprang to my lips, but not fast enough. His knee landed on the edge of the bed. The rest of him followed, prowling forward on his hands and knees. I’d never had a man crawl to me before. The space between us shrank as my mouth opened and closed.