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almost threw him off guard. Was she planning on challenging him again? Or had she noticed the growing bulge in his pants? He turned his back to her and adjusted himself. He couldn’t afford to react this way to her. Stay focused . “Yes, three minutes.”
    He welcomed the cool drafts in the hallway after the heat in the room. He offered a quick prayer to Jussip, the god of soldiers, to keep him from further distractions.

    ***
    Arden jumped to her feet as soon as the latch clicked. The gall of that man, telling her to get dressed in three minutes. It was obvious he hadn’t spent much time around women.
    “ I don’t think I’ve ever seen him with a woman outside of the Mage’s Council ,” Loku said.
    “ I noticed he got an eye-full of you while he could .” A flush spread over her entire body. She rubbed the towel over her bare skin with renewed fervor. She refused to be caught naked again.
    “ You should be flattered he sees you as woman first instead of my Soulbearer .”
    “ Shut up, Loku .”
    She pulled the leggings on and tied the drawstring as tight as it would go. Thankfully, their previous owner seemed to be as skinny as her. She had barely smoothed the tunic over her hips when Dev opened the door.
    He assessed her appearance and nodded. “So you can follow orders.” She snatched the comb and mirror off the bed and glared at him. “It was either that or let you leer at me like a lecherous old man.”
    His expression hardened, and he strode past her. He dipped his fingers into the tub. “You figured out how to the heat the water?”
    “No thanks to you.”
    He swirled the water with his hand. The soap and grime vanished, leaving the water crystal clear. Steam rose from the tub once again.
    Arden gasped. He made it look so simple. When she looked up, he’d already removed his cloak and was loosening his leather jerkin. “What are you doing?”
    “I figured I’d take a bath, too.”
    Her skin burned, and not even the water dripping from her hair soothed it. “Perhaps I should go downstairs to give you some privacy.”
    “No, you’re not leaving this room. It’s dark out. That’s when the necromancer will be at full power.”
    She dug her fingernails into her palms and ran toward the door. Cinder blocked her exit.
    When she whirled back around to give Dev a piece of her mind, he removed his shirt. Her mouth refused to make spit. Sweet Lady Moon, he was as gorgeous as she had imagined.
    Corded muscles rippled down his back, from his broad shoulders to his lean hips. He turned at his waist, allowing her a peek at his carved chest and stomach. Her gaze followed the line of reddish-brown hair that disappeared into his trousers, and an odd ache formed in the pit of her stomach.
    “And you accused me of staring.”
    Her eyes snapped back to his face. His lips twitched, but the tips of his ears appeared pinker than normal.
    “I didn’t expect you to shed your clothes so quickly.”
    “ Not that you minded the glimpse .”
    The god’s taunt added to her embarrassment. With a huff, she sat in a corner of the room so her back faced the tub. The last thing she needed tonight was to have her insides turn into mush over the sight of a naked man, even if it was Dev. She held the mirror up in one hand and started combing her hair with the other.
    “ If you angle the mirror a bit to the left, you might enjoy the view .” Before she could stop herself, the mirror tilted, and the image of Dev’s well-defined behind lowering into the tub came into view. Her breath hitched. It was a crime for such an annoying man to be that tempting.
    “ I told you you’d enjoy it .”
    “ Shut up, Loku! ”
    Arden dropped the mirror and continued combing her hair. “The clothes are a little too big,” she said, trying to act like he wasn’t sitting naked in the tub a few feet away from her.
    “They’re going to be more comfortable than that dress you were wearing. Besides, it’s only temporary. We’ll find you more