Page 68 of Prize for the King
“I should thank you. It’s a lot of work to get me clean.”
Arvi’s eyes widen, and I press my hand to my mouth, knowing immediately what I said was an innuendo. He closes his eyes andtouches both thumbs to his forehead, bowing his head as he whispers frantically under his breath.
“What are you doing?” I ask, getting vertigo. Arvi is difficult to keep up with.
“Thanking Amoya, the goddess of love and sex, for this miracle.” He looks up with a snicker, dropping his hands. “Not really because fuck the gods. Thank you, my queen, and I’ll do whatever you ask. After Magnar got you off, it’s fair game, you know. I used to be very good with my mouth. I can also massage your feet, feed you grapes if Raduna gets some, or perform for your pleasure. I can dance traditional Agnidari courting dances.”
I shake my head in bewilderment, and Arvi’s eager smile shrinks. He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, releasing air in a long stream through pursed lips. “Bath. Right. Focus on the bath.”
When he looks up, his expression is calmer. “I am very chaotic when I get excited and I need to help my mind calm down sometimes. I hope you won’t think I’m deficient.”
“Deficient?” I repeat the word with disgust, because I never even thought to use it in relation to him. “No, absolutely not. I am just overwhelmed. And tired. And hungry. It’s difficult to keep up with you right now, but that’s not a fault of yours.”
He nods and takes another big breath, releasing the air slowly, then turns on the water, adjusting the knobs until he’s satisfied with the temperature. “Sorry. All right, so how does this go? I never prepared for bathing duty like Khay, so I’ll need some direction.”
I press my lips together, battling embarrassment. But it’s no use being modest anymore. My wedding night is a few days away, and Arvi will be in the room, like all my knights. He’ll see everything.
“I need help undoing the hooks,” I say, motioning at my bodice. My hands shake from hunger.
He drops to his knees, his flexible fingers flyingdown my front, his claws clicking until all hooks are undone. I reach back to undo the ribbons of my skirts and petticoats, and he gets up fast, walking around me until he sees what I’m doing.
“Could you?” I ask with a sigh, and he takes over, my skirts pooling around my feet in no time.
“The rest is just ribbons,” I say tiredly, the faintest flutters awakening in my belly, but exhaustion finally descends, overshadowing everything else.
Arvi gets busy undoing my blouse, then my chemise, and I raise my arms shakily to help him take them off. He doesn’t stop to stare at my breasts, falling to his knees to deal with my shoes and stockings instead. He fingers the male underwear hanging wide around my thighs and clears his throat.
“Whose are they?”
“Raduna’s. Khay lays out a pair for me every morning. Nowadays it’s either Magnar’s or Raduna’s. I punished Khay, quite unfairly.”
Arvi scoffs. “He humped you like a pubescent boy. I say you were extremely fair.”
I manage a tired smile. “You really do share everything.”
“Yes. I even had the displeasure of hearing Magnar wax poetic on the joys of riding a full day with his cum slowly drying in his underpants. But then, he also told us how nicely you came… How you felt on his fingers… And what you like.”
His voice softens as he slides the stockings down my legs. I step out of them, and Arvi divests me of the rest of my clothes, his fingers gently trailing my skin. Suddenly, he presses his face to my belly and inhales, nuzzling his cheek into my skin.
“You smell really good,” he murmurs, his hot breath tickling my skin. “Thank you for letting me do this.”
Before I have time to reply, he’s up again, adjusting the faucet. He gives me a long, careful look, but not to ogle me. His eyesare narrowed on my face.
“I need to step out for a moment. Since you’re swaying on your feet, please, don’t go in the bath until I’m back.”
I nod sheepishly, remembering how I fell asleep and almost drowned. Arvi walks out into the bedroom, where he wrestles with the window until it slides open.
“Oi! Gunnar! Will you bring me the queen’s bag? Thanks, you’re a champ!”
He comes back, rubbing his hands together. “Right. Do I put you in? I guess it’s kinda high. Hang on.”
One arm under my knees, the other supporting my back, Arvi picks me up with concentration, then lowers me into the warm water, wetting his arms in the process. I sigh and lie back, but then remember the pins still in my hair. I straighten with a grunt and reach up, only to have my hands swatted away.
“I’ll do it. Fuck, what’s taking him so long? You’re faint with hunger.”
Not five minutes later, the bedroom door opens, and Raduna announces himself. “I brought food and the bag. May I come in?”
I nod tiredly, because in for one knight, in for all three. Arvi bids him to enter, and Raduna stops in the threshold, balancing a large tray in one palm, my bag held in the other. For a moment, he freezes, his avid gaze tracing my body. Arvi huffs in impatience.
