“They were popular in India at the time this city was built, so I figured a maharajah would put one in. Look, it even has a privacy screen, so we can both bathe at the same time.”
“I won’t peek,” Ethan promised, and looked away. But Destiny stuck around to help him pull off his boots, which was hard to do when it hurt to both use your left hand and bend over. He shooed her away before she could do more. “I got the rest.”
He had to peel off his clothes, which were covered in mud and blood and river gunk. When he saw the disgusting heap they made, he felt bad for Destiny for having to touch them—and him. That bath was coming not a moment too soon.
He slid into the water. It was lukewarm, a little cooler than the air, but incredibly refreshing. When he sluiced off all the mud and dust and blood and river water, he felt as if he was also washing away his pain and weariness, leaving him clean in every way.
He could hear the cheerful splashes of Destiny bathing beside him, and see the shadows of her curvy body through the paper-thin marble. No details, or he’d have felt like he was spying and turned away; just the shape and movements of a gorgeous, sexy woman.
A gorgeous, sexy woman who doesn’t want you, he reminded himself. So hands off.
He pulled his filthy camouflage uniform into the pool and scrubbed it against itself, watching as swirls of mud were caught by the current and rinsed away, leaving the water in the pool as clear as ever. When he was finally sure it was as clean as he could get it without soap, he laid it out on a sunny patch of marble. It would dry soon enough, and in the meantime, he could just stay in the water.
“Ethan?” Destiny called. “I’m going to poke around a bit. Do some reconnaissance. I’m leaving you the gun.”
“Sure,” he called back. “I can’t get out anyway without flashing you and all the monkeys.”
Her laugh echoed in his ears as her footsteps receded.
“Ethan? Hey! Ethan!”
He woke up, startled, and floundered for a moment before he remembered where he was. “Yeah?”
Destiny was crouched by the side of the pool, carefully staring out and over his head. “Your clothes are dry now. I’ll just turn my back.”
Ethan dragged himself out of the pool, feeling like he weighed as much as the hell pig. It took forever just to get dressed, and he was trembling from exhaustion by the time he was done.
“Okay,” he said, still sitting by the edge of the pool.
Destiny turned around, and seemed to see him for the first time. Creases of concern appeared around her beautiful brown eyes. “I wish I hadn’t left you here. I didn’t think you’d just sit in the water this whole time!”
“I didn’t mean to. I dozed off.”
That only made her look more worried. “Ethan… Don’t take this the wrong way, but you really don’t look good.”
He opened his mouth to deny it, then reconsidered. She was his friend and his partner on this mission. She needed to know what he was and wasn’t capable of. Pretending he was stronger than he was to save his pride could put her at risk.
“I don’t feel good,” he admitted
She squatted on her heels beside him and laid her palm on his forehead. It was cool and soothing. “You’re so hot. Damn, I wish the med kit hadn’t come open.”
Absently, he said. “Wish in one hand, shit in the other. See which fills up first.”
Destiny made a face. “What a charming image. You learn that saying in the Marines?”
“Worse. My dad.” He wanted to bite his tongue as soon as the words were out of his mouth. As far as he was concerned, and definitely as far as Destiny was concerned, that asshole didn’t exist. “Hand up?”
She put her arm around his waist, he draped his arm across her shoulders, and they stood together. The world swung around in a sickening yellow blur, then stabilized.
“I found a good place,” Destiny said. “Secure. And not far. It even has beds!”
“With mattresses?” Ethan asked.
“Yup. They’re kind of dusty, but I pulled a couple off and banged them around some, so they should be good.” She met his incredulous gaze, and said, “I’m not joking. Apparently the palace got furnished first—which stands to reason, right? No gold or anything. Looks like the real valuables got cleaned out. But the furniture and some of the furnishings are still there. You’ll see.”
He knew she wasn’t making it up, but he still didn’t quite believe it until he saw it for himself. The palace was unmistakable for anything else, a beautiful confection of ornately carved towers and elegant domes, and surrounded by a moat with an actual drawbridge. The stream which flowed from the baths was channeled into the moat, though the water wasn’t as clear as it was in the baths. Lilypads floated in the greenish water, and fish swam lazily within the depths. And—
Ethan recoiled. “Is that a snake?”