Page 57 of Atop the Faerie Throne
“Ta-da!” Lore calls, blinking into the room alongside a huge wooden tub full of steaming water withrose petalsscattered over the milky surface.
“Whose bath is this?” I ask, tracing the ornate whirls painted along the sides with confusion.
Lore shrugs. “They hadn’t gotten in yet, if that helps.”
It does. The water smells heavenly, and I quickly slip free of my boots and torn leggings, then the poncho and my top.
Oooh, thank the Goddess.
The bath is steaming, and the heat instantly gets to work on the tension in my muscles as I submerge.
“Are you joining me?” I ask.
He doesn’t answer, and I search for him, only to find he’s crouched on the seat of the armchair in the corner, his red eyes unfocused and levelled at the place where my breasts disappear under the water.
“Lore!” I flick droplets at him, and he sighs, shaking his head as if to clear it.
“What? Sorry, your tits were distracting me.”
“I asked if you’re joining me.”
He looks down at his blood-and-dust-splattered clothes, then back at me like I’m the mad one here. The golden morning sunlight streaming through the window reflects rainbows where it catches the glitter my wings have left on him, and my cheeks heat again as I realise just how covered in the stuff he is.
“Why would I wash off all of this blood and your lovely dust? I worked so hard for this!”
Of course. Why would I expect anything else? I sink lower in the water as he disappears again—probably off to steal some poor fae’s towels next.
How do I face anyone after that?
Hundreds of fae just saw me fuck Lore, and I wasintoit. I’m not sure whether to be more embarrassed by my sex being on display, my orgasm face, or the fact that, if Lore asks to do it again, I want to say yes.
“You’re overthinking,” Titania tells me, popping into being beside me as I soak. “How did Aiyana react after you watched her being serviced by her harem?”
Completely unperturbed. As if she’d been doing something so banal, it wasn’t worth mentioning. “You think I should just pretend it didn’t happen?”
“I think,” Titania says, “that you’re questioning this as a result of your mortal upbringing.”
“I’m not questioning it.” I cross my arms churlishly. “I wanted it. I enjoyed it.”
“But are you ashamed of it?”
My throat seals up, and my grandmother pets my head soothingly, her ghostly hand evoking a chill across my scalp.
“Shame sometimes exists to teach us about our own limits,” Titania murmurs. “Is this one? Be honest with yourself. Would you do it again?”
“Yes.” It’s not even a thought. “I trusted Lore, and he kept me safe. I just… I worry that my other mates will…” I don’t know how to finish, but I swallow the anxiety pooling in my chest and continue. “I could take the judgement of the minor royals—probably—but if any of my Guard looks at me like what we just did was dirty or immoral or wrong…”
I can feel their concern for me down the bond, and the more I focus on it, the more comforting it becomes. Lore is preening like a hyperactive peacock, practically buzzing with excitementand more than a little cocky smugness. Jaro is fraught with worry, there’s anger there, but it’s directed at Lore, which seems to be the case for the rest of them… except for Caed, who’s just jealous and turned on.
“Dear heart, they’re fae. The thought has never crossed their minds.”
Titania doesn’t need to say it, but it soothes the worst of my nerves until all that remains is a tremulous thread of embarrassment that probably won’t fade until I see the proof for myself.
“Would it help to turn your mind to the upcoming tasks?”
Not really. That’s just exhausting. I dunk my head under the water to buy myself time to think, scrubbing at my tresses before I resurface. The water is already a soft pink, reminding me ominously of the iron-filled fountains in Elfhame.
“How are we supposed to remove all of that iron?” I ask candidly as I scrub away the dried blood beneath my fingernails. “It’s everywhere. I can’t stay in the palace until it’s dealt with, and?—”
