Once I help her to her feet, to my shock her towel comes undone and slides to the floor, as if the gods are mocking my own thoughts. She gasps, and this time my face flushes red, as I don’t know where to look or what to do with my hands. I chuckle awkwardly, spinning on my heel, but I’ve seen enough. Enough to fuel my fantasies for days and nights to come.
“I might as well just die now,” Rae moans. “How many times do I need to flash you in one day before you kick me out of your rooms?”
She thinks I can’t stand this? That is the furthest thing from the truth.
Keeping my back to her, not wanting to make her even more uncomfortable, I try to make light of the situation. “Walk around naked for all I care, love. It’s just a body.”
She lets out an awkward laugh as she maneuvers around me, heading toward the closet. “I’ll try to watch my step this time.”
I palm my face. I’m in such deep shit. Cold bath it is.
Chapter Thirty-Four
RAELYN
This evening has gone absolutelynothinglike I expected. My body is pleasantly sore from the training, and my skin is still flushed from the embarrassment of Kian walking in on me in the bathandme flashing him moments ago. What in the hells is wrong with me? Did I forget how to walk?
Kian’s words replay in my head. “It’s just a body.”Did he mean to imply there’s nothing special aboutmybody?
I mean, I think he finds me attractive. I can recall multiple occasions now when I’ve clearly felt his attraction due to our proximity.
Sinking onto the floor of the closet, I put my head in my hands. My body is buzzing with energy from Kian’s blood and everything that happened. All I know is that I’ve never been so turned on in my entire life than when I tasted it . . . him. Was that purely the blood, or was it Kian?
I think back to the strength that surged through my body when I had a drop of Stepmother’s blood and how I almost broke through the door with my fist. I wasn’t turned on then . . . andyet . . . the night I tasted the vigilante’s blood, I experienced a similar feeling, only, not quite as strong.
My mind also can’t even begin to wrap around the fact that we quite possibly confirmed I’m part of the sun god’s lineage. Mind blowing. Life altering. What in the ever-loving hells am I to do with this information?
The tonic still hasn’t completely left my system. Hennig told me I should probably take a few small doses over the next week to avoid any terrible withdrawal symptoms. I can’t wait to test out more of my theories . . . see what being out in the sun can do for me. Already, I feel so much stronger.
Just to experiment, I unwrap the thick, fluffy towel from my body and try ripping it in half. To my surprise, or perhaps not, it rips cleanly with little to no effort. I grin. This could be interesting.
I’m desperate to do more research on what this all means, but for now, I pull on a long, comfy tunic and soft pants. Once I get some food in me, I plan on passing out from exhaustion.
Feeling slightly bad about ruining the towel, I decide to sew it back together. I carry both halves into the sitting area and hang them up after using one half to thoroughly dry my hair.
The cozy spot by the fire calls my name, and I sink onto the settee. My heart rate is still elevated from all of the excitement, so I pick up my needlepoint project to work on while I wait for the food to arrive. Ever since Kian said the lion was the sun god’s preferred shifted form, I keep wondering if that’s who I’ve been dreaming of, who I unintentionally created a likeness of. Was he a long-lost ancestor? My gut feeling says that he isn’t too far back in the family line despite the information that says the gods haven’t procreated in hundreds of years. What if Kyros had done so secretly? I can’t help but wonder once again who my true father is. The longing to know who I am and where I came from is overwhelming.
What would the king make of this information? Surely, the godsblood would be my saving grace in society, even if I’m not a true Astoria.
“You look deep in thought.” Kian’s baritone voice surrounds me, making goosebumps break out on my skin. I can’t stop thinking about how good he felt and how much I enjoyed having his arms around me.
“I was just thinking that perhaps we could stop lying to the king.”
He sits down next to me, raising a brow. “How do you figure?”
“Well”—I gesture at myself awkwardly—“would he dare to execute one of the only potential demi-gods in centuries?”
Kian stiffens and leans back. “To be honest, it could go one of two ways . . .” He ticks off one finger. “Either he will be overjoyed at the prospect of adding more godsblood into our family line through you and demand we produce an heir immediately.” He ticks off another finger. “Or he will see you as a threat to his rule, since the kingdom was established by a child of the gods. If your blood is purer than ours—which, let’s face it, it clearly is—he would eliminate you out of fear that you would lay claim to the throne.”
My eyes widen. “But I have no desire to take over the kingdom!”
“You might say that now, but my father holds tightly to his rule. Not just him, but my brother—his heir—will likely see you as a threat to his position as well. I can’t imagine Colin murdering my wife, but I wouldn’t put it past Father.”
“Hells. Another secret,” I moan.
Kian puts an arm around my shoulders and squeezes in what he must think is a reassuring way, but it really isn’t. I’m terrified of what this newfound information means, what my heritage could imply for our kingdom.
“Rae, look at me,” Kian says softly.
