Chapter 27

Raven

The scent of sulfur stung my nostrils as I sank down into the pool, but the heated water instantly soothed my muscles. I leaned back against a warm rock, shutting my eyes as I let out an involuntary little moan of relief.

“Much better than training, right?” Castor chuckled, settling into the pool across from me.

I nodded, letting the heat work its way through the knots in my back. “Way better,” I agreed with a small smile. “Although I could do without the rotten egg smell.”

“You will get used to it,” he said, swirling his hand lazily through the water. “Besides, it’s good for you. Better than those fancy perfumes you like to wear.”

I shot him a glare before splashing water his way. “Hey, my perfumes don’t smell like rotten eggs.”

“That’s up for debate,” he teased, his grin widening.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head good-naturedly. It was easy with him. Easy to laugh, easy to forget—for a few brief moments—that I was an outsider here. That I didn’t belong.

Castor didn’t make me feel like that, though. Around him, I could relax, lower my guard a little. I never thought I would feel as if a Lycan was my friend, but he was quickly becoming the closest thing to it.

“Speaking of perfumes,” Castor said, “the Queen has supposedly been asking about you. She says that sleeping balm you made her works wonders.”

I couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at my lips. “Really? That’s good to hear—”

Suddenly, heavy footsteps echoed through the cave. My stomach flipped uncomfortably as I turned and saw Neil striding toward us with Ember trailing close behind him.

They were both still fully clothed, and I wondered if I was about to be scolded for giving Ember an attitude earlier. Or maybe I was about to be dragged out for some harsh afternoon training since I had missed it this morning.

But then, without hesitation, Neil began to strip, tugging off his shirt to reveal the muscular lines of his torso, the wolf tattoo stark against his tanned skin. He didn’t look at me for more than a moment, but I sank down into the water until it came up to my chin.

Next to him, Ember’s face flushed bright red as she fumbled to unfasten her own clothes. I caught her glancing at Neil, her gaze lingering on the curve of his shoulders, the powerful muscles of his chest.

There was no denying it—Ember was beautiful. Her golden hair fell in soft waves down her back, and her body, all lean muscle and graceful curves, looked sculpted from years of training and archery. I couldn’t help but wonder if Neil had really never noticed.

I clenched my jaw, suddenly feeling small and awkward in comparison. I didn’t have Ember’s effortless grace. I was still pale, still skinny and delicate. It was funny how something that made me feel so gorgeous in the Werewolf world had me feeling like I wasn’t good enough here.

Neil waded into the water without a word.

“Joining us?” Castor asked, to which Neil nodded and sat against the edge of the pool, still hardly seeming to notice my presence. Ember hesitated for a moment before slipping in after him. She glanced at me, her gaze hardening momentarily, but said nothing.

The four of us sat there in silence for a while, more awkward than usual. I kept shooting surreptitious glances toward Ember, whose mouth was pressed into a thin line just above the water’s surface.

Castor’s earlier words kept flickering through my mind, and I found myself chewing the inside of my cheek, wondering how it must feel for her to pine after Neil for so long. I couldn’t blame her; he was attractive. But so was she. And if he was dumb enough not to notice on his own…

Suddenly, I had an idea.

“We should play chicken fight,” I said, blurting out the suggestion before I could stop myself. “Since we’re all just sitting around.”

Ember, Neil, and Castor suddenly looked up at me with raised eyebrows. “Why?” Neil asked.

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I thought it might be fun.”

The three of them hesitated for a moment. Castor was the first to shrug, and Ember moved her head from side to side. I could see her cheeks tinge pink as she glanced at Neil.

“I guess I could play,” she said.

“Fine.” Neil stood, his skin glistening in the flickering torchlight as the water rolled off of him. “Castor, you partner with Ember. I’ll partner with Raven.”

For a second, I hesitated. I could feel Ember’s gaze on me, the hope in her expression dimming. I didn’t want to be the cause of that disappointment, not now.

“Actually,” I said quickly, forcing a smile, “you and Ember should partner up. You’re better matched height-wise.”

Neil’s jaw tightened at my words, his eyes narrowing, but before he could argue, Castor had already lifted me onto his shoulders with ease, his hands gripping my thighs securely. I felt Neil’s eyes burn into us, his gaze hard as he watched the guard’s fingers move against my skin.

The game began, but I wasn’t really playing. I put up a fight for all of thirty seconds before I decided to let the other team win.

Ember pushed against my shoulders, and I let myself go easily, tumbling backward into the water with a splash. I surfaced a moment later, shaking the water from my hair, just in time to see Ember beaming, her golden hair plastered against her skin as she sat triumphantly on top of Neil’s shoulders.

“You two make a great team,” I said, forcing another smile.

Ember quickly looked away, although I saw her cheeks flush before she did.

Meanwhile, Neil’s expression was unreadable, a storm still flickering in his eyes. He lowered Ember before turning to her and Castor. “Ember, Castor—get back to the castle. You have duties to attend to.”

Castor raised an eyebrow at the sudden dismissal, but he didn’t argue. He shot me a questioning glance, but I just shrugged. Ember gathered her clothes quickly, a look of confusion crossing her face as she followed Castor out of the cave.

And then I was alone with Neil.

I moved to climb out of the water, suddenly eager to put some space between us. But I wasn’t fast enough. I felt Neil’s presence looming behind me before I even turned, his form casting long shadows across the rocks.

“Are you involved with Castor?”

I froze, the question hanging heavy in the air. Slowly, I turned to face him, finding his face mere inches from mine, his eyes dark with something I couldn’t quite name. My pulse quickened, heat rising in my throat.

“Why?” I asked, my voice sharper than I meant for it to be. “Jealous?”

His nostrils flared slightly. “Of you? Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Then why do you care?”

His eyes flicked down to my mouth, then back up to meet my gaze. It was the briefest of gestures, but I saw it before he could hide it. He was jealous, which was rich, coming from him.

“I don’t care,” he lied. “In fact, if you are interested in him, then I think you should pursue it. Goddess knows you could use a good Lycan man to resolve some of your… issues.”

My chest tightened at his words. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.

Neil’s lip curled. “Just that any Lycan worth his salt would gladly give you one night of pleasure. Though I doubt they’d want more than that with a Werewolf—especially one so weak she can’t even win a simple game of chicken fight.”

The words, so unlike the man who had helped me last night, left me reeling. Unbidden, my mind flashed back to Nathan, to the cold look in his eyes when he had told me that our relationship was nothing but transactional. Hot tears sprang to my eyes in an instant.

Before I could stop myself, my hand flew up. I slapped the Lycan prince hard across the cheek—so hard, in fact, that my hand stung from the impact.

His head snapped to the side, the sound of the slap echoing through the cave. “Jackass,” I hissed, grabbing my clothes and my towel.

I didn’t even get dressed, didn’t even wait for his reaction before I was turning on my heel and storming out of the cave.