Read Online The Prince's Pet by Alexia Wiles - Free Book Online Page B

he had
immersed himself in the steaming water, and was sitting back with his arms
resting lazily on the edge. Steam rose into the air, and as I approached I
could smell some floral fragrance in it. Rose, perhaps. The water was milky,
sparing me the sight of his naked lower half, for now.
    There was a pile of soft cloths,
a brush, three small pots filled with different substances, and an empty vase
sitting on the floor next to the bath. I knelt down on the small, thick rug
that had been spread out, grateful for the reprieve for my knees. “What does my
Lord wish me to do now?” I asked.
    He turned his head slowly toward
me, and I thought how strange it was to see him from this angle, at the same
height. I was surprised to discover that his eyes weren’t wholly brown - they
had a lovely green ring around the iris that hadn’t been visible until he was
close. And they were framed by long dark lashes that now blinked slowly at me.
    “The jars are laid out in order,
left to right.” He said. “The left is for my hair. The next is for my body. The
other is for massage, which sometimes we do after.” He sat up, and cupped water
in his hands then scrubbed his face.
    “Shall I wash your hair for you
then, my Prince?” I asked.
    He nodded once, and I brought
the empty vase over to fill with water. Hesitantly, I moved close, and as he
tilted his head back I poured the water, using my hand to keep it from his face
as it sluiced over him.
    Once more I felt exposed and
vulnerable, as my chest pressed against the edge of the tub, my breasts
squeezed together and pushed up at the neckline of my dress. I was very aware
of him watching me - and to my shame and embarrassment, my nipples began to
harden. It is only the cold marble causing it , I told myself, and tried
to ignore it.
    I lathered his hair, working the
thick soap through with my fingers and massaging it into his scalp. He leaned
back, and began to relax.
    I could feel the tension
draining away from him, his shoulders dropping slightly and his jaw
un-clenching as I worked. In turn, I began to calm down. The silence was
comfortable, and I concentrated on my work.
    I soaped his hair for as long as
I reasonably could, then rinsed it well. It took a long time for me to untangle
his hair using only my fingers. While his eyes were still closed I reached for
the next jar. Using a small cloth I began to wash his body, starting at his
neck and trying to steel myself for the rest.
    “I never asked your name.” He
said suddenly, as I scrubbed his arm, watching the soap lather up on his skin.
    “Eveline, my Lord.” I answered
dutifully.
    “Eveline.” He repeated slowly,
as though tasting the word. My name sounded foreign on his tongue. He paused
for a moment. “How long have you been a slave?”
    I shrugged. Why did that matter
to him? “I... do not know, my Lord. Only since I was taken from my village. A
few weeks ago.”
    “How many masters have you had?”
    I stopped, bemused. “None, my
Lord. I was sold by the raiders, and no sooner had a merchant bought me than he
sold me to Ellys.” I remembered to keep washing then, reaching out to bring his
hand out of the water and hold it so I could sponge the underside of his arm.
    “Really?” He sounded surprised,
and it looked like he was thinking to himself for a moment. He looked away as
he asked, as though the topic made him uncomfortable. “The raiders... did
they... treat you cruelly?”
    I furrowed my brow. Was he
asking if I’d been violated by the brutes? “They beat me bloody, Lord. That is
all. They wanted little to do with the Thessian women.”
    “That is good.”
    “Well... I could have done
without the beating.” The sarcastic words were out before I could stop them. I
held my breath - but his mouth only twitched as though trying to smile.
    “What did you do to earn it?” He
asked.
    “I tried to fight, to resist
them when they put us in the wagon.”
    “Then they were only reminding
you of your place.