Chapter 21
Topp stirred, coming to slowly with his face smooshed against cold white tiles.
“Now, now, Prince, couldn’t have you causing a scene on our Lady’s steps.”
The woman’s voice swirled around him, sensual and familiar. Gods, he knew that voice. If his brain could just stop swimming, he could place it. Topp attempted to twist, hoping to confirm his suspicions, but his muscles ignored him, still largely paralyzed.
A small throaty laugh taunted him. “My Lady and I simply have a few questions for you, Your Highness, and then you’ll be on your way. I assure you, you’re as safe as ever.”
Topp had been stripped down to his undershirt and shorts and tied up like a pig that wasn’t going to make it through the day. Safe as ever, my ass. Whoever had tied him up like this surely fucking wasn’t.
The prince mirrored his captress, his low voice rumbling right back at her.
“And whom do I have the pleasure of speaking with?” He strained his neck, still trying to see her, but he couldn’t so much as lift his skull.
From what he could see on the floor, he was in a spa dressing room.
A row of single benches sat between tall, stacked cubbies where people had shoved shoes and clothes.
Clean robes were neatly folded and waiting to be used while woven straw bins housed dirtied towels.
Refreshing eucalyptus and lemon permeated the thick moisture-laden air, making him believe there was a hot spring or sauna nearby.
A soft clicking of heels brought the woman to his side. Silky fabric swished near his nose as she crouched down, her full heart-shaped face and curves swallowing his vision.
Topp flopped back, giving up on moving with an unimpressed sigh.
First, he got shoved in a wagon full of dead people, and now he had to deal with this conniving, altruistic bitch.
His green eyes stared at hers, his tone derisive.
“Saved your girlfriend’s life a few days ago, which means you owe me, again. Funny how that keeps happening.”
A small hand snapped out, hoisting Topp up with surprising strength. He was looking straight into the face of Relaclave’s very own Doorman.
He smiled amicably now. “To be fair, Elysia saved her life first because we all know Beatriz is an impulsive, money-hungry idiot, but then I helped save both of their lives. Still counts, right?”
The Doorman’s eyes narrowed, her delicate but wide nostrils flaring, clearly torn between kicking him while he couldn’t move and demanding to know what he was talking about.
Face smoothing, her painted mouth set into a determined line.
“Tell me why you’re here. My Lady does not cavort with the sons of other gods. ”
Annoyance crept into Topp’s voice. “Because I have any idea what you’re talking about.
” An uncomfortable pins and needles sensation flooded his limbs as the paralysis slowly dissipated.
Glancing around, he questioned her roughly.
“Where’s Rollickus? I know he says things, but he doesn’t mean to—you can’t hurt him. Elysia would murder us both.”
The Doorman released her grip on the prince’s shirt, striding away and settling onto the smooth light-toned wooden bench like it was a throne. “Rollickus is perfectly fine. And you know exactly what I mean, Topp Blatz. You don’t belong to this house.”
Understanding dawned. “I’m the heir of Kava, which means regardless of where my shred of magic came from—I don’t belong to any house or religion.”
The Doorman’s gaze held a hint of laughter as if his objections were cute like a child’s. “You know that’s not how it works.”
Able to sit up, the prince awkwardly pulled at the ropes cutting into his ankles until they unraveled, coiling in a heap on the floor.
Biting at the bindings on his wrists, he spoke around a mouthful of rope.
“I don’t care how it works. I’ve taken no vows, completed no rites.
Until then, I belong to no god or house. ”
The Doorman stood, sweeping her silk magenta skirt out like a fan, golden wrist bangles chiming. “Not all of us can afford such naivete. You’ll see.”
A short man with black hair and a white linen uniform walked in and shot Topp a dirty look before speaking furtively into the Doorman’s ear. She nodded and held out a hand to the now standing prince. “Come. Rollickus is ready, and my Lady shall have her answers.”
Topp complied, knowing it was the fastest route to achieving his own ends.
He’d wondered if she was religious. It seemed like every time he went to the House he’d noticed a new painting or icon that had reminded him of the goddess of pleasure.
Hadn’t ever considered she was a priestess in the original temple of Aruza though.
What a busy, busy woman. Incredible she’d never been caught.
Rubbing his wrists, he took his time following the Doorman, his feet striking against the cool tiles.
She strolled ahead, leading them out into a room so humid his skin immediately perspired, tiny droplets bursting along his forehead.
Lush greenery and bright tropical flowers surrounded the in-ground hot spring as steam rolled off it into the air.
Sun drenched the room, shining in through the glass roof that peaked above them, and sitting at the water’s edge was a shirtless Rollie.
Clean and fresh in a pair of loose linen trousers rolled up above his ankles, his feet dangled into the water.
He popped a grape into his mouth, almost choking when he noticed Topp.
Unlike Rollie, who had apparently been given the guest of honor treatment, Topp was still in his underclothes, smelling like the dead with rope burns around his extremities.
Hacking as he swallowed, Rollie continued methodically pulling grapes off the vine and tossing them into his mouth. “How’d you piss her off already?”
The Doorman smiled, relaxing onto one of the beige cushioned lounge chairs. She gestured elegantly to Rollickus. “See? Perfectly fine. Now tell me why you’re here and we’ll see if it meets my Lady’s price.”
Rollie paused with a grape halfway to his mouth. Indignation increased his volume. “You know exactly why we’re here, Lily. And you want a price?” He jerked to standing, knocking half his grapes into the water. “I knew we should’ve started with the temple of ration and reason.”
The Doorman looked scandalized. Topp hadn’t even known her name till now. Tilting his head at her with an easy grin, he pretended to dust off his hands. “You heard the man. Looks like we’re off.”
Rollie was already shoving his blonde head through his new lightweight long-sleeve shirt, grumbling about where his books and maps were. “They better not be wet,” he groused, hair erratic and glasses askew.
The Doorman recomposed herself and swung her high-heeled sandals to the slippery floor. Crossing her legs, she exposed a slit of freshly sun-kissed skin. “It’s true then? Your father intends to eradicate magic as far as he can?”
Topp leaned against the wall near the archway they had entered through and studied her, positive she already knew what Garrison was doing. “Have you not been in Kava?”
“In and out. I oversee Kava’s temple—the House as you know it—but lately, I have been needed here at home.”
He snorted, shaking his head. “I knew there was magic involved in the House.”
The Doorman smiled lazily, accepting a beverage from a server. “Kava and its residents lost their magic. My god did not. She simply…gave us a little boost. Not much given the restraints and how wicked the fates can be when spurned, but even a little goes a long way somewhere like Kava.”
He nodded, thinking of how Elysia had responded to the House. While he didn’t fully understand her magic, it made sense that she’d been unable to resist the thrall of a house soaked in a god’s power.
Rollie marched back in with his books shoved into a lumpy drawstring bag slung onto his back, rolled-up maps poking out the top. He nearly slipped on the wet floor, but the Doorman barely spared him a glance. “Sit down, Rollie, this conversation is finished when I say it is.”
Amused, Topp walked over to the hot spring, stripping off his shirt and slowly submerging himself into its waters. Like he was going to turn down the chance to bathe in a heated indoor spring after the day he’d had. Not fucking likely.
The Doorman watched him indifferently. “So, you plan to visit the temples and what? Petition the gods you don’t believe in?”
Rollie, who had resumed his position by the water, twitched in irritation.
“No, we want you to petition your Lady. Who knows how long it will take Elysia to find the talisman for the god of the dead. We need to involve the other gods—make them realize how easily history could repeat itself, make them want to get involved.”
Her thumb rubbed over flawless skin. “Yes… The death voyage could take years, and Garrison could wreck the world by then.”
Topp flung his head back, shaking water and wet hair out of his face. “Did you just say years?”
The Doorman tucked her smooth black hair behind her ear. “Oh, yes. Based on our records, it all depends on the initiate. The fates can be so fickle about these things...”
Rollie’s shoulders dropped, his face going bleak. “We’re doomed. Elysia is going to hate not being in control. She’ll get so pissed that she’ll go after the fates instead of working with them.”
Neither the prince nor the Doorman disagreed.
Elysia had spent her whole life under someone else’s thumb.
She wasn’t going to be amenable to someone new holding power over her even if they were the ones who crafted fate itself.
Topp scrubbed at his body with the hot water, ridding himself of the stench of death.
Whatever the death voyage entailed, she’d likely try to circumvent it to get the job done faster.
The Doorman opened her mouth to speak when the hot spring roiled to life, churning its waters slowly at first but then picking up speed.
Alarmed, Topp dove for the water’s edge, hauling himself out before he could be dragged into the current.
Water boiling now, the Doorman lowered herself onto one knee, hissing at them.
“Make no promises and whatever you do, do not look her in the eye.”
Head ducked, he fought the insane urge to look. A goddess was about to emerge out of the water’s depths, and he was going to miss it. His neck ached with how hard he drilled his gaze to the floor.
Wet feet slapped closer, and Topp’s pulse grew wild.
Water droplets hit against his bare back with a sizzle.
Muscles bunching, he remained bowed even as rose and jasmine stirred him to move.
Long fingers with well-kept short nails trailed over his cheek.
A luxurious wave of sensual power drowned him, turning his skin sensitive and blood hot.
It was all he could do to bite back a groan.
The fingers gripped his hair, forcing his head to turn.
Gaze on the soft stomach of a goddess, he exhaled into her grasp. The goddess of pleasure gleamed in the natural light. Waist length rippling black-brown hair and dark eyes, her naked golden skin shone as if there were specks of literal gold beneath its surface.
“You are not mine.” Her gaze shifted to Rollie. “And neither is he.”
The Doorman kept her eyes low and her voice a soothing caress. “They say they have news of the death voyage. That the king of Kava may eradicate magic before it can be completed.”
A myriad of colors flashed within the goddess’s eyes, and what Topp saw in her temper chilled him. Beyond the shining allure of her beauty was a core of ice that no touch could possibly thaw.
“He wishes to play games with my youngest brother, the baby of our family? To steal the magic we have generously bestowed upon the mortal children?” Her stunning face hardened protectively, but Topp could scent the fear beneath her bluster.
Keeping his head down, he stole a glance at the Doorman, hoping she would capitalize on the goddess’s evident concern. His gut soured when Rollie spoke around a mouthful of grape, his voice flat.
“Your little brother is the one who made a deal that gave the king the power to destroy magic.” Rollie popped another grape and the Doorman paled.
The prince had grown up with Rollickus. He knew that Rollie despised hierarchy.
It was one of the few things Topp had always liked about Rollie, but something told him the dripping wet, naked goddess might not understand or appreciate Rollie’s disregard for title and stature.
“His only plan for cleaning up the mess he made is through Elysia. What happens when she finds the talisman? Doesn’t sound like he even knows.”
Blatantly ignoring every one of the Doorman’s stipulations, Rollie made hard eye contact with her now.
“The fates seem to care more about her jumping through their hoops than the situation up here. And has anyone considered she might purposely fail? Like, have you met her? She doesn’t enjoy being told what to do. We need another plan. A fail-safe.”
Topp’s fingertips brushed the floor as he readied himself to launch between a man who wasn’t even his friend and a goddess. This kingdom-saving excursion was going to be over before it began because Rollie couldn’t keep his fucking mouth shut.
But to his surprise, the goddess merely appraised Rollie with new interest. She flipped her long, thick hair behind her shoulder. “You will work for me when order is restored,” she purred, one finger tipping beneath Rollie’s chin.
Rollie set down the grapes, finally looking alarmed. “Pleasure isn’t—no, no thank you.” His already sunburnt skin turned red.
The goddess smiled like sunlight hitting ice—sharp and blinding. “It is invaluable to have devotees who are immune to the many charms of my House. And it will anger my dear sibling.”
Squeamish, but curious, Rollie looked her over as if she really were an employer for him to evaluate. Topp had to shake his head. Who knew if Rollickus had ever even been with anyone, and here he was judging the goddess of pleasure like he had any right.
Still blushing, he questioned her. “And what do you propose for our current problem?”
The goddess offered Rollie her arm. “Let’s walk, my pale little dove. I’m sure we can find an answer.”
Brows in his hairline, Topp finally unfurled his large frame as they exited the hot spring room arm in arm.
“Did that just happen?” His voice sounded unnaturally high to his own ears.
The Doorman collapsed to the floor, moaning. “I think I just aged twenty years—all the plants in here used to be mortals.”