Page 16 of Love & Monsters
“Mina.” Vadric’s voice pulled me out from under the covers after it seemed we were alone. I pulled down the blanket and peeked up at him, leering over the bed.
God, he’s so massive! And those horns are intimidating!
“Morning,” I mumbled through my croaky voice.
He glanced back toward where the loud clang came from, then back down at me. “I convinced the servants to bring a bath and hot water down here since Rykan ran off. But we need to use it now while the water is still practically boiling.”
“A bath?” I sat up instantly. “How did you get a bath in a dungeon?”
He shrugged and straightened up. “They like me.” There was something in his smirk that told me he wasn’t telling me everything. “Come on.”
I was so eager for a hot bath that I didn’t stop to think about the “we”that he mentioned. Instead, I shoved off the blanket and followed him across the dungeon, my bare feet padding silently on the chilly stone, until I saw the corner where an enormous copper tub had been filled with steaming water. The servants lit more sconces on the walls in this corner, and the little fire lights flickered with the remaining shadows.
Looking around, I confirmed we were alone and resigned myself to a bath. Then I realized Vadric was standing beside the tub and peeling black leather from his midnight blue skin.
My eyes widened in shock and interest. Did he think we were going to bathe together? I mentally asked myself, standing still as I watched him undress without wavering. I glued my eyes to his massive, wide frame as he revealed inch by inch of dark skin.
Under the light, I noticed slight bumps and ridges on his skin, almost like blunt spikes. Over the curve of his shoulders, along his collarbones, down his biceps, trailing up the back of his forearm, and smaller ones at the top of his ribs nearly on his sides. My fingers itched to touch them.
“Are you getting in?” Vadric finally noticed me standing there, unmoving. Then he noticed my open-mouthed stare at his body, and he grinned, showing off sharp teeth.
“With you?” I squeaked.
“The water won’t stay hot long enough to take turns, little one. Plus, the servants brought more food, and you’ll want to eat that while it’d decently warm still.” As he spoke, his hands went to the ties on the front of his pants. I turned my face as he unlaced them.
“I don’t know,” I mumbled. Nerves made me shiver and my cheeks were turning pink as I blushed furiously.
“Suit yourself, but I warn you. It’ll go cold quick.” I heard the soft swish of the water as he sank into it.
After a second of hesitation, I gave in. I was cold, and the water seemed warm. Plus, I really needed to wash up. Despite Vadric’s immense size, I believed that copper tub was big enough for both of us.
So what if he saw me naked? He was just a demon, and I was a human. His tongue has already been inside of me too…
Nope! I will not think about that right now! And I didn’t look under the water at the parts of him that were hidden.
Without another moment to change my mind, I pulled at the black servant dress, lifting it over my head. The chilly dungeon air instantly whispered over my skin. Goosebumps spread over my body, and I felt my nipples harden from the cold.
Turning back to the tub after folding the dress, I stopped moving when Vadric looked up from the water at me. His hand stopped flicking the surface of the water and his yellow eyes scanned every naked inch of my body. From my breasts to the apex of my thighs and down the lengths of my lengths. He clenched his jaw, and I saw his throat bob as he swallowed.
Vadric didn’t break eye contact with me as he lifted his knees and made space for me at the opposite end of the tub. His burning eyes made nerves twist in my gut, and I wrapped my arms across my chest after stepping in.
The water was scalding, and it felt so good to sink into it. Thanks to the size of the tub, I was safe on the other side, and we weren’t touching under the water. We knew, though, that there was a heated tension between us, not from the water.
I couldn’t move for the longest time. We didn’t speak, instead giving in to our curiosity, gazes roaming over the exposed parts of one another over the water.
Until something snaked past my ankle under the water, and I yelped, jerking back. Water splashed between us, and I curled into myself.
“Sorry,” Vadric’s head snapped to the side, and he rubbed the back of his neck. Then his tail rose from the water as he moved it. “It has a mind of its own sometimes.”
“Oh,” I sagged with relief, seeing it was just his tail and not some random water monster that snuck down here with us. It was a silly thought the moment I had it. “No, it’s okay.”
“Let me give you the soap.” Vadric didn’t look at me as he reached out of the tub and grabbed a bar of soap.
It had the same citrus and pine scent as the healing cream they gave me days ago. Which made me realize that the cuts and bruises on my skin faded, leaving me unblemished and pale once again.
After I washed, I gave the soap back to Vadric. Sharing soap isn’t something I would do on Earth, but I was a prisoner in a monster dungeon. I had to what I could to stay clean.
Since his eyes were unabashedly on my body while I’d washed, I watched him when he did the same. My eyes went where the soap did. Marveling over the ridges on his body and the intensely sculpted muscles and blue skin.
