Chapter 12
Konrad
Iwasn’t sure if it was going to be normal for me to wake and find myself alone. If that were the case, Aleric and I were going to have to have a discussion about that.
I sat up and looked around the room. I vaguely remembered Aleric bringing me something to eat yesterday, but then I fell back asleep. One would have thought that after spending a month in a cave doing nothing more than making love and sleeping, I would have been fully rested. Apparently not.
I desperately needed to relieve my bladder, so I tossed the blanket back and slid from the bed.
I stretched, working out the stiffness in my back before I located my clothing.
It was folded neatly and was lying on the trunk that was at the end of the bed.
I remembered dropping it on the floor, so that told me Aleric had picked them up and folded them for me.
That was sweet of him. Then again, he always seemed to be doing things like that for me.
Now, if I could keep him from leaving me before I woke.
I quickly dressed, wondering if I’d be able to find the chamber pot somewhere without having to snoop around in Ferdinand and Egon’s house.
I was certain that at this point, they thought I was a layabout and their son had been given a worthless mate.
That was the absolute last thing I wanted them to think about me, but what did I expect?
I’d spent the last half of a day in Aleric’s bed.
I groaned. Not a good first impression.
I opened the door, listening to the quietness of the house.
If they were here, they weren’t being loud at all.
I stepped into the small hallway, and that’s when I heard humming.
It had to be Egon because the voice certainly didn’t belong to Aleric or Ferdinand.
I followed the sound, which wasn’t difficult because the house wasn’t that large.
I found Egon in the great room. He was in the back, working on the table, preparing what looked like meat of some sort.
“Good morning. I hope you slept well,” Egon said without raising his head.
“I did, yes. And good morning.” I glanced around, hoping to see Aleric. I could always use our bond to talk to him, but I was a grown man. I should be able to have a conversation with my mate’s omega father without needing my own mate there.
“I bet you would like the washroom,” Egon said.
I turned back to focus on him and saw he had a huge smile on his face. I nodded because I desperately needed it, yes.
“Come with me. I’ll put water on, and you can have a nice, long soak, and I’ll bring you breakfast. The alphas have gone off flying and hunting. They will be back by the time the midday meal is ready though.”
I let Egon usher me to the back of the house. There was a door off to the right, and I had assumed it was the back door to the house. I was wrong. It was the washroom. I would have argued about the long soak until I saw the tub. I couldn’t keep from gasping in surprise.
“I agree. It was a very unexpected surprise from Ferdinand. I won’t take no from you. You deserve a long soak after the long flight you had. I’ll bring you something to eat, and if you’re comfortable enough with me, I can sit and we can get to know one another a little better.”
I could only smile at Egon and nod. Aleric had told me how amazing his fathers were, and I’d seen nothing that would say otherwise. They were very much in love, that much was obvious.
Egon left me to take care of business, and I hurried to the chamber pot and did just that.
It was such a relief. I looked around the room, completely surprised by the luxuries that were there.
There was a chair in the corner for dressing and undressing, a shelf that had linens, another that held bottles and other jars.
There were two chamber pots and, of course, the massive tub.
It was big enough that I could stretch out and still sink down and be covered with water.
It would take forever to fill, I was sure, but I absolutely was not going to say no to a soak.
I wasn’t above bathing in the river nor in the pool of water that was in Aleric’s cave. But I would love to soak in Egon’s tub if he was willing to share. I had just finished taking care of other needs when there was a knock on the door. I was turning to cross to the door when it cracked open.
“Are you ready for water?”
“Oh, yes. I thought you said you had to heat it,” I said as I hurried to the other side of the room.
Egon pushed the door open, then moved out of sight before returning. He had two large cauldrons full of steaming water. I tried to reach for one, but he shook his head.
“No, I have them. You go to the shelf there and grab the blue bottle.” Egon indicated with a nod of his head.
I did as he’d said and carefully picked up the blue bottle.
Egon was dumping the steaming water into the tub when I returned.
I held the bottle, not quite sure what I should be doing with it.
“I’ll get another hot one as well as two cold ones, and it should be about ideal. That is, if you prefer your baths warm?” Egon said with what I would consider a hopeful look on his face.
“I do, yes. I am not overly picky though. I will bathe in a river if it’s what I have.” I glanced around the room. “This is all a luxury that I haven’t had the privilege of experiencing before. We had a small tub that we used to wash the clothes with. It didn’t allow for soaking. Not really.”
“I’m still not quite sure how Aleric got this back here for me, but I know Ferdinand had ordered it the time before for me. He often has a surprise or two for me when he comes back from his trips.” Egon grinned. “I’ll be back with more water. Put a few dribbles of that oil in the water.”
I stood there as Egon disappeared out the door. It took a moment for me to completely process what he’d said. Aleric took trips. I wondered if he would be leaving anytime soon. I knew he and Ferdinand sold the hides from the meat they caught and ate.
Deciding to worry about that later, I opened the bottle and took a sniff. It scented of lemon and lavender, and I did as I’d been instructed. After a few dribbles were in the water, the scent quickly started to permeate the air in the room. I grinned. That was a nice scent.
I was looking at the bottles that were on the third shelf.
There were bars of soap as well. I picked one up and was scenting it when I heard someone at the door again.
I saw Egon over my shoulder. He dumped a third steaming cauldron of water into the tub, then added another that I was sure was cold as it didn’t steam when he poured it in.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to help?” I asked. I felt terrible just standing here while he was doing all of the work.
“I do not need your help. I appreciate the offer though. I had two of the waters heating already. I started them when Aleric and Ferdinand left because I figured you would like a soak. I know I would if I were in your position. I remember that flight across the ocean.”
“Thank you.” I didn’t know what else to say.
“I’ll be back with one more cold water, and then it should be ready for you. There is soap for your hair in the opaque white bottle that was beside the blue one.”
“Thank you,” I said again. I was being repetitive, but I had only met Egon very briefly the day before.
I would feel so much more relaxed if Aleric were here.
But Egon had been nothing but welcoming, and I knew he was trying to make me feel as if I belonged.
I hadn’t yet talked to Aleric through our bond, so I didn’t know what he had shared with his fathers, if anything.
It was something I would do once I was in the tub and relaxing.
I picked up the white bottle, as well as the bar of soap that had scented nice. It wasn’t just plain lye soap, that was for certain. I would have to ask Egon about it once he returned.
I placed the items next to the tub and pulled my shirt off over my head. I draped it over the back of the chair and was just pushing my trousers down when the door opened again. Egon came in and dumped the water in the tub.
“Would you check the temperature and tell me if it’s to your liking?”
I tossed the trousers next to the shirt and stuck my hand in the water. I swirled it around and was unable to keep the smile from my face. “It’s going to feel amazing.”
“Good. You get in and soak for a bit while I get you something to eat.”
I tried to argue, but Egon wasn’t having it.
“I can wait.”
“Nonsense. Aleric said you would be hungry when you woke. I assured him I would take care of you. He didn’t want to leave you, but there are new shifters in the area, and Ferdinand wanted to show him where.”
“New shifters?”
Egon nodded. “Get in and we’ll discuss it while you eat. I’ll tell you about us, and you can share whatever you feel comfortable with sharing with me.”
Egon grinned, then was gone. I watched him go before I sighed and carefully stepped into the tub. The water was hot, and when I sat down, I moaned. It felt amazing, and I quickly leaned back and closed my eyes. I could certainly see why Egon soaked often. This was so nice.
“Aleric?”
“Good morning, Konrad. Did you sleep well?”
“You should have woken me. I fear your omega father believes me to be a layabout who needs to be catered to because I expect it or something.”
I heard chuckling through our bond. It came out as a deep rumble of his dragon though, which told me that Aleric was in his scales and most likely flying.
“Da thinks no such thing. He remembers what it was like to be pregnant in the early days. He also knows that we had a very long flight and how difficult that can be. Why would you think he felt that way about you?”
I snorted. “Probably because I fell asleep yesterday midmorning and did not wake until now. Then he insisted on heating water for me in the tub. Which is amazing, by the way. I’m not sure how you got it back here, but it’s wonderful.”
“You are in the tub, then?”