water’s great.”
Mica tried swallowing, but his mouth was dry. Lust enveloped him like an inferno.
He must have been crazy to take her bathing. Was he trying to tempt himself away from the Priesthood? No. She was perfectly safe. She hated the sight of him. No matter how beautiful he found her, all he could do was dream.
Blaze dropped his robe as well, leaving his body bare except for a loincloth. His tall body was incredibly lean, so much that every hard, supple muscle and bone shone beneath his flesh. In spite of his gentle ways, this man was all warrior. He reminded Mica of a bamboo lash, thin yet made to inflict pain when necessary.
Sun laughed, pointing at her mentor. “And you say I’m practically naked. If you come in this pool, the fish might mistake you for a water snake.”
“Laugh not, brat.” Blaze half smiled. “This water snake showed you how to bite in combat.”
“That’s true enough.” Sun’s blue eyes gleamed. “Can you believe a skinny thing like him once kicked the stuffing out of ten armed men at once?”
“I’ve learned not to judge by appearances.” Mica shrugged off his robe, pleased to see the Dame’s gaze sweep him from head to foot.
Sun tried to keep her expression impassive when Mica’s robe fell to his feet, revealing the most exquisite male body she’d ever seen. This was no small praise from a woman who’d grown up surrounded by Knights of the Ruby Order, men who spent their lives perfecting their physiques through grueling training sessions.
Sculpted muscles played sensuously beneath Mica’s smooth, dark skin. Naked except for a loincloth, he walked toward the pool. His legs were incredibly long and well shaped. Curling black hair dusted the hard curves of his thighs and calves. A flat abdomen trailed up to a broad chest and powerful shoulders that Sun imagined sinking her fingers into. Like the rest of his body, his biceps and forearms were well developed, though not too bulky.
The man personified strength and grace. Sun’s gaze riveted to his cock pressed against the loose fabric, creating almost a tent of passion.
When Mica’s gaze met hers, she detected tenseness in his expression before he waded into the pool, hiding his telltale erection. In the water, his hair lashed behind him like a demon’s black tail. With a few long strokes, he was directly in front of Sun, so close she saw droplets of water clinging to his thick lashes.
“Do you like the bathhouse?”
“What’s not to like?” Sun swam away, not trusting herself to keep her hands off him. Her reaction to this man infuriated her. He was the last person on earth she wanted to find attractive, yet she couldn’t seem to help herself. Just looking at him made her tingle. If he ever touched her, she’d probably come on contact.
“There’s much for you to see in Ademene. I wish I could stay longer and show it all to you myself, but tomorrow I must join in the search for the rebels.”
“You really think there are people still loyal to your father’s ways?”
“I know some believed in his ideas of conquering. We fear they will grow strong enough to plan another attack against Ademene. Whoever rules the city has power over all of Upper Kenna. If that power falls into the wrong hands, then Lower Kenna is also
in danger. We are basically a peaceful people, but there are those who would like to see violence done.”
“Better to find them before more lives are taken,” Blaze agreed.
“Do such uprisings happen often?” Sun asked.
Mica shook his head. “We’ve had few since the emperor returned to power. Things are as they should be.”
Sun stared hard at the Priest in Waiting, baffled by his complexity. A one-time general, a Holy Man and a joker, he was so serious about his beliefs that he’d supposedly risked his life to save others. Sun still refused to believe any child of the man who’d destroyed her village could be anything but evil.
“Why did you go against your
Mica tried swallowing, but his mouth was dry. Lust enveloped him like an inferno.
He must have been crazy to take her bathing. Was he trying to tempt himself away from the Priesthood? No. She was perfectly safe. She hated the sight of him. No matter how beautiful he found her, all he could do was dream.
Blaze dropped his robe as well, leaving his body bare except for a loincloth. His tall body was incredibly lean, so much that every hard, supple muscle and bone shone beneath his flesh. In spite of his gentle ways, this man was all warrior. He reminded Mica of a bamboo lash, thin yet made to inflict pain when necessary.
Sun laughed, pointing at her mentor. “And you say I’m practically naked. If you come in this pool, the fish might mistake you for a water snake.”
“Laugh not, brat.” Blaze half smiled. “This water snake showed you how to bite in combat.”
“That’s true enough.” Sun’s blue eyes gleamed. “Can you believe a skinny thing like him once kicked the stuffing out of ten armed men at once?”
“I’ve learned not to judge by appearances.” Mica shrugged off his robe, pleased to see the Dame’s gaze sweep him from head to foot.
Sun tried to keep her expression impassive when Mica’s robe fell to his feet, revealing the most exquisite male body she’d ever seen. This was no small praise from a woman who’d grown up surrounded by Knights of the Ruby Order, men who spent their lives perfecting their physiques through grueling training sessions.
Sculpted muscles played sensuously beneath Mica’s smooth, dark skin. Naked except for a loincloth, he walked toward the pool. His legs were incredibly long and well shaped. Curling black hair dusted the hard curves of his thighs and calves. A flat abdomen trailed up to a broad chest and powerful shoulders that Sun imagined sinking her fingers into. Like the rest of his body, his biceps and forearms were well developed, though not too bulky.
The man personified strength and grace. Sun’s gaze riveted to his cock pressed against the loose fabric, creating almost a tent of passion.
When Mica’s gaze met hers, she detected tenseness in his expression before he waded into the pool, hiding his telltale erection. In the water, his hair lashed behind him like a demon’s black tail. With a few long strokes, he was directly in front of Sun, so close she saw droplets of water clinging to his thick lashes.
“Do you like the bathhouse?”
“What’s not to like?” Sun swam away, not trusting herself to keep her hands off him. Her reaction to this man infuriated her. He was the last person on earth she wanted to find attractive, yet she couldn’t seem to help herself. Just looking at him made her tingle. If he ever touched her, she’d probably come on contact.
“There’s much for you to see in Ademene. I wish I could stay longer and show it all to you myself, but tomorrow I must join in the search for the rebels.”
“You really think there are people still loyal to your father’s ways?”
“I know some believed in his ideas of conquering. We fear they will grow strong enough to plan another attack against Ademene. Whoever rules the city has power over all of Upper Kenna. If that power falls into the wrong hands, then Lower Kenna is also
in danger. We are basically a peaceful people, but there are those who would like to see violence done.”
“Better to find them before more lives are taken,” Blaze agreed.
“Do such uprisings happen often?” Sun asked.
Mica shook his head. “We’ve had few since the emperor returned to power. Things are as they should be.”
Sun stared hard at the Priest in Waiting, baffled by his complexity. A one-time general, a Holy Man and a joker, he was so serious about his beliefs that he’d supposedly risked his life to save others. Sun still refused to believe any child of the man who’d destroyed her village could be anything but evil.
“Why did you go against your
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