Page 14 of The Unwanted Mate of the Lycan Kings (Unwanted #1)

“Wait!” My face heats as she turns back to look at me.

“Yes, Miss?” she asks, and I sigh, feeling stupid.

“Can you show me how to work the shower?” I ask, feeling like an idiot, but it looks nothing like the ones from Granny’s old magazines.

It has buttons and a panel on the wall inside the shower, multiple shower heads, and whatever that weird silver pipe thing is in the wall.

This shower does not have twisty handles, and why are there so many niches and heaps of potions and lotions?

Surely one does not need all these to feel clean.

Shelley blinks at me in confusion. “I came from the North Mountains. There were no showers or baths or toilets in the caves,” I tell her.

“A cave, Miss? In these modern times?” She stares dumbfounded before clearing her throat.

“Right, well.” She waves me over, showing me how to work the panel.

I instantly forget as she presses different things and options pop up on the screen.

She explains there is a way to adjust the temperature and water pressure, yet why I need to know this is beyond me, and quite frankly, it’s all very confusing.

“Why not just a simple on and off?” I ask. People complicate things that do not need to be complicated.

She smiles and shakes her head. “You try,” she says, turning it off.

I blink at her, having forgotten everything she just told me.

Chewing my lip, I glance down at Hunter, who is at my feet, watching expectantly.

Stepping into the shower and taking Shelly’s place, I start pressing buttons. Lights on the screen go berserk.

“No, no...the other. Wait...” I look at her as she steps in with me.

“This one?” I ask, pressing it as I do. Her hands move to grab mine and stop me when water shoots out of the wall, smacking her right in the face.

I jump back while she shields her face, the water bursting out of the wall and narrowly missing me.

Where the heck is that coming from? She fumbles with the panel blindly.

Well, I guess I know why there are those weird pipe looking things between gray tiles.

“Turn it off,” she sputters, choking on the fountain of water blasting her. Yeah, I’m not winning friends here! Jamming more buttons, I try to shut it off, but I only manage to saturate myself instead. I am drenched as I fumble with the controls.

Shelley moves toward the door, and not seeing that it closed behind her, she smacks right into it. The screen rattles, and she shakes her head, turning just as I hit the reddish button on the screen. Surely red means stop, right?

Wrong!

More water spurts out from the other wall, blasting us both with scalding hot water.

This is so ridiculous that I can’t help but laugh as I hiss at the hot temperature.

Shelley blindly smacks the panel with her palm.

We look like two drowned rats, and by the time she manages to shut it off, what is left of my tattered white dress clings to me like a second skin.

Chuckling, I look at Hunter, who has his paws over his eyes like he is embarrassed for me.

“Well...” Shelley stands limply next to me with water dripping from her nose and chin.

Her eyes are bloodshot from the blast to her face, and her hair hangs in wet ringlets having pulled from her bun.

She wipes her face dramatically, and the top button on her soaking wet blouse pops open, revealing a very lacy undergarment and a crystal necklace tucked into her cleavage.

I stare at it. Her gaze follows mine when I notice the faint rune burned into her flesh just above the undergarment. She quickly closes her top and clears her throat. I avert my gaze as she steps out of the shower.

“Well, now we have had a thorough tour of the shower and its pressure system...” She looks at Hunter.

“Think you can handle it?” she asks with a snicker, swiping her hair behind her ear.

I am nearly tempted to ask her about the runes burned into her chest, remembering what Malachi said about witches.

I can tell she isn’t one, but she clearly knew a witch at some point.

Either that or she hasn’t practiced in a long time, which might explain her aura if she was a light worker or earth witch.

“Definitely not,” I tell her. She sighs, moving to show me again. Honestly, if I were in her shoes, I would have told me to figure it out myself.

“Just on and off would be good. I don’t care about the temperature. The rivers are cold, so the fancy mumbo jumbo we can skip.” I give her an awkward smile.

“On, off.” She points to a red and green button, and I nod.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to show you again? The water is quite cool. Not that we really need a shower now, anyway. I’m pretty sure every inch of me has been thoroughly blasted and burned,” she chuckles. I let out a breath. At least she doesn’t hate me for my blunder.

I shake my head, already feeling awkward enough. When she moves to walk out, another thought occurs to me. “Ah, Shelley?” I ask, and she stops at the door.

“Yes, miss.”

“Please don’t call me that. Zirah is fine. I came from a cave, remember? Titles mean nothing to me. Besides, I just showered with you. I am pretty sure we are past first base now.” I laugh, and she smiles.

“Considering your caveman upbringing, Zirah, you seem to be up with the times and modern-day language.”

“I enjoy reading. My granny used to bring books home she would scavenge. Unfortunately, she brought no shower manuals home, but I assure you, I can work a toilet as long as it isn’t controlled with, whatever that thing is.” I tell her, pointing at the screen she tried to teach me to use.

“Thank God, I don’t fancy being flushed down the toilet, Miss,” and as she smiles, I raise an eyebrow at the term miss.

“Right, raised in a cave. Sorry, mi...Zirah it is then.” I nod, and she waits for my question while I tug at my wet dress.

“You said you had to retrieve some clothes for me?”

She nods. “Yes, but we haven’t got anything other than maid uniforms here. So I will head into town to grab you some dresses.”

“No dresses,” I tell her.

“It is customary for princesses to wear purple or blue, Zirah. The king won’t be happy if I allow you to wear a maid uniform, not with what he has in store for you.”

“You know he is marrying me off to one of the kings?”

“Yes, though one was supposed to win the trials, but since no one did, I think his plans have changed.”

I sigh, the reality truly settling in. “Why?” I ask. I have so many questions because none of this makes sense to me. Why would a lycan want to be married off to a human?

“I am not at liberty to say. The king will tell you if he wishes for you to know his reasons, but I must head into town if I want to be back before dark. The streets are not safe at night.”

“No dresses, and not the royal colors or whatever you just said. It needs to have long sleeves too.” I tell her.

“Zirah, the weather here is strange. You’ll roast. The nights may be freezing, but the days have been long and hot.”

I tug the soaking wet dress off over my head, and it plops on the ground with a wet thud. Her lips part, and she quickly glances over her shoulder as if she is worried one of the kings will burst in and drag me to be burned at the stake. She turns quickly, slamming the door shut.