Alex entered the baths, and the steam from the water curled around his skin and clothes. He let out a sigh of relief—it was exactly what he needed.
He tilted his head back and glanced at William.
"Don't tell me you're embarrassed."
The mage didn't reply and came closer.
His face was bright red, and his long black hair clung to his cheeks and shoulders like strands of seaweed. He looked like a water spirit that had just emerged from the ocean depths.
Alex placed a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, it's just a bath! Don't make that face—you look like a man on his way to the gallows."
William pulled away. "Why wouldn't you let me leave?"
"You've been riding all day, and this water's a real tonic for your muscles. Trust me, your back will thank you later."
"But I don't like undressing in front of strangers."
Alex scratched the back of his neck. "Right. Just so you know, even if I do like men, I'm not a creep."
William shot him a glare. "I never thought you were."
"Your Highness!"
Alex turned around.
A young man with short brown hair had just stepped out from a servants' passage and was walking toward him with a cheerful smile. He wore a light robe that concealed nothing—neither the graceful lines of his body nor his nudity—and his eyes were beautifully painted.
A prostitute.
So that was the Castellan's surprise? What did they think he was, someone who spent his time in brothels?
William's annoyed expression froze into cold fury.
He shot Alex a sharp look, but the prince only shrugged.
"I didn't know, believe me."
The young man had stopped at a polite distance, watching them uncertainly.
"The Lord Castellan didn't tell me there'd be… uh…" He gestured toward the mage, who stiffened.
Alex flashed his best smile. "It's a pleasant surprise, I assure you, but we won't be needing your services. And certainly not the mage."
"You can just watch, if that's what you prefer."
"No need, we're tired."
The prostitute took a step closer and gave him a pleading look. "May I at least help you undress?"
It was an act—he only wanted to soften him—but Alex gave in anyway, even knowing that. He simply couldn't resist a man looking at him with puppy eyes.
"Alright, but just the undressing."
William turned toward the entrance. "Enjoy yourself, Your Highness."
Alex caught him by the wrist before he could disappear behind the door. "Wait a second!"
"Let me go."
"No. You're staying—that's an order."
"Absolutely not. I don't want to watch you… amuse yourself."
"What do you take me for? I'm not going to do anything. You have my word."
William pressed his lips together and stared at him for several long seconds. "If you start fooling around, I swear I'll turn you into a toad."
Alex smirked. "Then you'll have to kiss me to turn me back into a prince."
"Don't count on it. As far as I'm concerned, you can stay a toad for the rest of your life."
------------------------------------------
Alex slid into the tub and sat on its bottom.
The warm water enveloped his muscles and melted away all the tension of the day.
"By the spirits, I've missed these baths!"
He glanced at the prostitute, who was carefully folding his clothes. He had kept his word and only undressed him, but his presence made Alex uneasy. Could the nobles really think he was a lazy, perverted prince?
His eyes shifted to William, submerged up to his nose, his ears red. Alex barely suppressed a smile. He looked sulky.
"Is it warm enough?"
"Too warm for my taste, but I can endure it."
The mage's gaze flicked toward the prostitute, as if he considered him some kind of dangerous creature.
Alex looked at the young man, who had just sat down on a bench, then back at William.
"Don't worry, he won't eat you."
"I don't like it. I'd rather he left."
"I could tell him to leave, but that would be rude to Lord Lynden."
"That's ridiculous."
"I don't make the rules. Anyway, if you want, you could always get a massage."
William stiffened and made an displeased sound. "Don't joke. I don't want anyone touching me."
"A massage would do me good, though."
Alex leaned back against the edge of the tub and raised a hand. The young man sprang to his feet and approached with a radiant smile.
He bowed deeply, hands joined, forehead brushing the marble floor, damp from the steam. "Your Highness. Ask whatever you wish. I am your humble servant."
"My shoulders are sore."
"As you desire."
The prostitute retrieved an inlaid wooden box and sat behind him. A strong scent of violet and jasmine filled his senses and eased his nerves.
By the spirits, he really needed that.
"What's your name, boy?"
"Reyne, Your Highness. My stage name is Golden Lily."
Alex had never heard of him, but he usually frequented the same brothel back in the capital.
Reyne's hands slid over his shoulders and rose to his neck. They were soft, warm, and slightly slick with some ointment. Gradually, with skilled circular motions over his shoulder blades and nape, Alex's muscles relaxed.
He squinted, a wave of comfort and calm washing over him.
"You should try it too, mage."
"No," William replied curtly.
"It would do you good; you're far too stiff."
Reyne's fingers glided along his collarbone, then lower, brushing against his chest. The tip of a tongue caressed Alex's earlobe and licked away a few drops of moisture; two fingers closed around a nipple.
Alex flinched and opened his eyes. "You're overdoing it."
"You're tense, Your Highness," Reyne murmured. "I'm trying to help you relax."
"Do it without… anything too explicit."
The prostitute smiled, and his ointment-slick fingers grazed his chest.
The scent of violet and jasmine filled the hot, humid air, and Alex felt flushed.
And confused.
And far too sensitive.
Reyne leaned toward his ear. "Don't you want me to help you?"
"I…"
"I can bring you to the height of pleasure."
Alex closed his eyes. But that wasn't what he had asked for, was it?
He wasn't sure; his mind felt shrouded in a fog.
Or maybe… he wanted it. That young man, the pleasure, all of it.
Alex tilted his head back, searching for the prostitute's face, but instead of soft, warm lips, he felt slender fingers press against his mouth and the now-familiar tingling.
"Out." William's voice was like a torrent of icy water.
"But Your Highness…" Reyne murmured.
"I said out."
The prostitute jumped, gathered his ointments, and fled the baths. The thud of the closing door echoed like a lid slamming on a coffin.
Alex glared at the mage and freed himself from his grip. That man had just ruined his moment of relaxation.
"What's your problem?"
"I warned you."
"Well, you could've left if you didn't want to watch."
William's irises flared a bright green. "Leave? But you were the one who told me to stay!"
Even if he had, would it have mattered? He was the Crown Prince, the future ruler; he could say whatever he wanted, and no one had the right to oppose him.
Alex clenched his fists, anger burning uncontrollably through his veins. Hateful, frigid, lowly mage! Who did he think he was?
"You keep forgetting who you're speaking to!"
"I remember perfectly, or else by now you'd really be a toad."
William stood, rivulets of water sliding down his pale skin and the contours of his muscles.
Alex swallowed, and something stirred deep in his abdomen, a sensation he couldn't decipher. A fire burned low in his loins, and he twitched involuntarily.
For some reason, it felt right that the mage should pay for ruining his fun.
He grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him back into the water. William placed his palm on Alex's chest.
"You are not yourself."
"What are you talking about? You chased the boy away and ruined my fun. Now you have to fix this."
"Your Highness—"
"What? Don't tell me you can't fuck me."
Alex leaned toward his neck, but the mage pushed him away firmly again.
"You are not yourself; I beg you to stop."
Anger burned through his veins again. "Who do you think you are? I am the prince and—"
The sound of a slap echoed in the silence. Alex's cheek burned, and he brought both hands to his face.
He blinked, confusion washing over him again. What had happened?
William—was that his name?—straightened, studying him with a strange expression. "I'm sorry, Your Highness. This won't be pleasant at all."
"What are you talking about?" He squinted. "Who are you? Why do you seem familiar?"
The man caressed his face gently, his irises a green so bright they seemed drenched in poison.
"Forgive me."
He grabbed Alex by the shoulders, tripped him, and pushed his head underwater.