Page 18 of Imbalance
Zurie would have loved it here.
I was so caught up examining each building we passed that I didn't immediately notice the looks the men were being given—looks that were the opposite of friendly and reminded me of the ones I had received every single damned day growing up. I hesitated for a minute, wondering if this was the right choice, but then remembered how my dad was sitting in captivity at that very moment. How Adrien's little sister was probably scared out of her mind. How there were so many people relying on us to get this right.
My stomach rumbled, and it made Drayven chuckle, his hand wrapping around my waist as I melted into him, taking comfort in his solid body.
"Hungry?" Jace asked, and I nodded. We were approaching a large marketplace, and he looked down at me. "If you want, there is a large spa nearby where you can wash up and relax a bit. It has a salt chamber, and you are more than welcome to go there. They owe me a favor and wouldn't mind. The others and I can get situated as far as accommodations and food for the night while you do that."
Alright, that...that sounded amazing.
"Not by yourself," Damien immediately said, probably still concerned after the assassination attempt he’d prevented.
"Salt chamber?" I murmured and looked around. "Where is this place?"
He nodded towards a large marble entrance, where an older woman stood with a smile on her face as she nodded to Jace. His voice was relaxed and happy, "Go ahead. You can bring people—she won't mind."
Adrien followed after me, along with Damien, and I found myself smiling, glad it was both of them. I wasn't very good at choosing, after all.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Ama
The heat of the salt chamber immediately engulfed us, licking at my skin as we crossed through the marble doors and into the dark room. Only the vats of fire spread along the walls in intervals illuminated the open space. Echoes of pleasure reverberated through the domed area as we walked behind the older lady, who motioned for us to follow her from the entryway.
Her eyes were kind, but I couldn’t help but be wary of this new kingdom and its inhabitants. Despite the fact that they were hybrids and seemed to despise pure-bloods, it didn't make me safe. Because these weremymen. If lines were drawn in the sand and I was forced to choose, it would be to protect them.
My cheeks flamed with heat at the thought of claiming all of them as mine, even the assholes of the group.How the hell had my life changed so drastically in mere days?
I peeked out of the corner of my eye as we continued our walk and saw that the area we were currently in was sectioned off into multiple salt pools that had a plethora of steam rising from them. We had passed down a stone pathway in the middle that split off into eight pools on both sides, each large enough to easily hold six people—and for...the activities that were happening in them.
A touch of my insecurities about my lack of sexual experience seeped back in.
A deep growl from my left side had my head snapping towards Damien. He was staring down a man who was eyeing me from his salt pool as we passed by. The man’s hand was moving up and down beneath the water, his bicep flexing with each pump, making it glaringly obvious that he was stroking his cock.
Damien lunged for the man, who merely smirked at him and winked, making me laugh. Clearly, this guy was open to anyone coming into his pool, no matter the gender. I respected that, but I felt a kernel of my own possessiveness over my mates flaring to life.
Reaching for Damien’s hand, I grabbed it and tugged on it, “Stop, Damien.”
His lip pulled up in a snarl, and he offered one last warning growl to the man before returning to my side and refusing to drop my hand. Adrien grabbed my other hand, leaned into my ear, and purred, “You’ve got quite a lot of attention on you, beauty.”
I questioned whether we were in the right place as I noticed all of the attention on me and people halting their activities. “I think maybe we’re in the wrong place,” I hedged uncomfortably as my eyes darted around.
“Nonsense, you just aren’t accustomed to such a society,” the old woman ahead of us tutted as she motioned with her wrinkled hand. “Come on, there’s a private chamber the prince likes to use. You’ll use that one.”
The prince? Wow. Why were we getting the royal treatment? Would he be offended when he heard we’d used his private chamber? If so, I wouldnotbe kissing his ass in apology. I was just going where I was told.
Adrien and Damien’s gazes were burning into the sides of my face as I nibbled on my lip, debating how to proceed. My body ached for the relief the salt pools would bring, so I gave in and nodded my consent. We quickly caught up to the woman, who was disappearing behind a massive wall with a narrow entryway on each side.
Slipping around the side, my body instantly relaxed at the privacy this alcove offered. It was even darker back here, with only the pool itself lit up by a ring of white candles of various heights around the water, illuminating the steam and lightly bubbling water.
“The prince loves the scent of roses, so this water is infused with rose oil. I hope you find it to your liking.” The woman bowed her head as she left us with those final words.
Roses. If only it was a smoky ash mixed with roses, then it would smell like my favorite perfume. Perhaps this prince wasn’t so bad after all...He had one point in the pro category and none in the con so far. Let’s hope that continued because I really needed help from him and his family.
I sighed dreamily as I gazed at the water. At the same time, strong arms wrapped around me, and a nose nuzzled into my neck, breathing me in deeply. The chest pressed to my back rumbled, and I knew it was Damien’s Hellhound coming to the surface.
Call me crazy, but I knew the sound of his growl, and it turned me on.
“Is he going to come out to play?” I teased in a breathless voice, shocking myself with my forwardness.
