Missy Jane - Born of Stone

Astrid gasped when they stepped into the bathing room, and Orestes looked down to gauge her reaction. Awe shined from her eyes as she took in the large pool, steam billowing off the clear water. He hid his grin, but satisfaction filled him at her response. Her small, fragile frame intrigued him. He’d never been interested in a human woman before because they looked so weak. However, something about Astrid called to him and he couldn’t dismiss her so easily.

He was wary of frightening her again and had no clue how she would react to his bathing her. However, he had no intention of leaving her alone to tend to her own bath. The poor thing was exhausted, swaying on her feet. She’d had a rough evening and he feared her falling asleep in the water. He didn’t know if she could swim and the water reached his chest. The top of her head barely hit the same spot. He smiled at the direction of his thoughts while he tried to justify his decision to stay. He was confident she wouldn’t argue if he simply didn’t leave.

Testing that theory, he led her to a marble bench and sat down. She watched silently while he removed his boots and socks, then he stood and removed the holster he wore like a vest. He unbuckled the second holster around his waist and laid his weapons on the bench, showing her more trust than he gave even his brothers. He doubted she would realize the significance of his removing all weapons in her presence, and tried not to consider why he was even doing it. Her eyes widened when he pulled his shirt off and dropped it to the floor, but she still said nothing. He loosened the ties on his pants before looking up into her curious gaze.

“Are you going to bathe in your dress?”

Her eyes widened further and she looked down at the rag hiding her body from his starving eyes. “Oh. Uh…”

He flashed a reassuring smile before stepping to the side of the pool and removing his pants. Without looking back to see her reaction to his nakedness, he dove head first into the warm water. By the time he surfaced, she had joined him, her dress in a puddle beside his pants. Disappointment flittered through him at missing her initial unveiling. He wanted to know if the scars he’d spied on her back were on other parts of her body as well. She had removed the feeble tie from her hair and a riot of curls framed her pale face.

He stood and walked over to where she clung to the wall. As he’d suspected, her feet couldn’t touch the floor if she wanted her head to stay above water. Moving slowly, so as not to frighten her again, he took her by the arms and pulled her against his chest. She gasped and blushed prettily, lowering her eyes to where her hands now rested on him.

“M-Master?”

“Orestes, sweet Astrid. You needn’t call me Master.”

Amazingly, her blush deepened while she nodded in agreement. “Orestes, what…uh, what are we doing here?”

He smiled at her but she still wouldn’t look up. He sighed and turned toward one end of the pool.

“We’re bathing, little star.”

“Oh.”

She didn’t say anything else when he pulled her to the small waterfall streaming over a manmade cliff. Her head turned from side to side as if she was trying to see everything at once. Orestes looked around at the room he’d taken for granted for years. Human houses tended to have bathing rooms as well, though none as large or opulent as this. The Masters had constructed their home on their own, planning and arranging each room with care and consideration. The castle boasted eighteen bedrooms, four bathing chambers, a massive kitchen, a large dining room and the biggest library in the kingdom. Not even the king owned so many books and scrolls as the brothers. Orestes had never been proud of that fact until he had seen the fascination on Astrid’s face while she gazed longingly at his books.

He set her down so her bottom rested on an outcropping. That put the waterline just below her neck and he couldn’t help a sigh of disappointment. Though he could see through the crystal clear water, he ached to get a full view of her small, round breasts. They would barely be a handful but he bet the light brown nipples would be sweet as honey. She seemed to finally notice the direction of his gaze and slowly raised her arms to cross them over her bosom. He looked up into her large brown eyes and was surprised to see confusion there.

“M—uh…Orestes, did you want me to bathe you?” she asked.

He nearly laughed but settled for wrinkling his brow and shaking his head. “No, sweetness. I shall bathe you .”

Her pretty mouth dropped open but no words emerged. Rather than wait for her permission or her anger, he reached for a tray of soaps on a nearby ledge. Most were masculine scents for him and his brothers, but there was a glass vial with a swirling pink concoction he hadn’t ever used. He pulled the stopper and sniffed, instantly pleased with the scent.

Astrid closed her mouth and remained silent while he poured a few drops onto the palm of one hand. Then he motioned to the waterfall with his chin.

“Lean over and wet your hair. I’ll wash it first.”

She glanced at the waterfall then back at him. With only a small hesitation, she dropped her arms to grab his shoulder so she could do as instructed. He remained stock still while her small hand gripped his skin. It nearly burned where her slender fingers held him. Arousal instantly shot through him from that innocuous spot to his groin. He was hard and ready in an instant and prayed she wouldn’t notice, lest it frighten her. He wanted her without a doubt, but he would cut off his own arm rather than scare her away.

“Enough?” she asked.

Her light voice brought him out of his lustful thoughts and he looked to see her mass of curly hair plastered to her head. It was an amusing sight but he sensed laughing would embarrass her. Instead he merely smiled and tilted her chin up with one hand.

“Yes, that’s good. Hold your head up so the soap doesn’t run into your eyes.”

She obeyed and shut her eyes tightly. It was another comical look but he again fought his humor. He rubbed the soap between his palms before smoothing it over her head as gently as possible. Then he eased his fingers through the tangled strands. It wasn’t an easy task. He didn’t want to hurt her but her hair appeared to not have been brushed properly for days. Luckily the soap he had chosen had a soothing property and within a few minutes, his fingers were easing between the strands unhindered.

As soon as he was satisfied that her hair was completely covered and the tangles smoothed, he cupped the back of her neck with one hand and her shoulder with the other. He eased her beneath the waterfall and rinsed the soap from her hair.

“There, now. Isn’t that better?”

She wiped her eyes before opening them. He was again struck by the innocence in her gaze. It was quickly replaced by wonder when she ran her fingers through her hair.

“Oh! It’s so smooth and soft. What by the Goddess did you use? It’s a miracle…or magic.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “Neither miracle nor magic. Just a good soap crafted by a villager. Of course, it is possible she’s a witch. One never does know these days.”

She stared at him a moment as if to gauge his seriousness and he let out a laugh. “I’m joking, Astrid. No magic at all. I promise.”

She wrapped her arms across her breasts again and his amusement died. With a sigh, he grabbed another soap for her body.

Astrid was humiliated beyond all reason when Orestes bade her to stand on her perch. She nearly refused, but the look of determination on his face kept her mute. Why did he want to see her body, anyway? It was hideous, covered in scars and bruises. She was ashamed of the indentations from her ribs, which were clearly visible to his eyes. She slowly turned her back when he said and kept her arms over her breasts. He hadn’t ordered her to drop them so she held onto what cover she could. The hair between her legs was uncovered but there was nothing she could do about that. And why would he care anyway? She knew she was nothing in comparison to most of the women in the village, much less the women of Keva.