Chapter 17 We All Stink - Adele's POV
I glared at Craven, but wasn’t sure what to say. So, I turned and went to my room, sighing once the door was shut behind me. I wasn’t sure what was going on with Darren or why he’d die of embarrassment if I apologized to him. We just bumped hands…and his wings popped out. It was probably just some kind of weird reaction. Right?
Instead of dwelling on it, I headed straight to the bed and almost sat down before I realized I was dirty and sweaty. I should have taken a bath before even thinking about going to bed, but no one had told me where I needed to go and I was too afraid to ask.
A soft knock on the door stirred me from my thoughts and I watched as the door swung open without me telling them to come in. Arwen stepped inside, looking at me standing beside the bed.
“Don’t you want a bath before you lie down? You’ve worked hard and sweated,” he mentioned, his throat bobbing. “I thought you might want to keep your sheets clean.”
As if on command, the smell of my sweat assaulted my nose, and I gagged. I knew I was dirty, but it’s not like I had attempted to actually smell myself. “Yes, I do, but I don’t know where it is.”
“It’s just upstairs. You could have asked at any time.” He glanced around the room and then back at me. “Well, aren’t you coming?”
I slowly headed for the door, but then heard someone just on the other side of it. Tyler was standing there, eyeing me cautiously. Then he took one sniff, his eyes widening.
“Bath? We all do, because we reek.”
“Gee, thanks.” I stared him dead in the eye. “No one said a word about any stink until me.”
Tyler eyed me, then sneezed. Once he had gathered his bearings, he looked back at me, shaking his head. “No, it’s not just you. I’ve been telling all of them to shower, but no one has made a move to the bathroom yet. If we don’t shower, the stink becomes ingrained into the house.”
As Tyler walked off, he sneezed a few more times.
Arwen turned with his brow raised. “Tyler is the bossiest one out of all of us, but I blame the Alpha genetics.”
“I didn’t know werewolves sneezed,” I said, not paying a bit of attention to what he just said.
“Ah, yes. He sneezes when we dust.”
“No kidding,” I said, just as he did it again. “Well, show me to the bath. Do you have any extra shampoo and such for me to use?”
Arwen shrugged his shoulders as he motioned for me to follow him. “I’m sure we have something you can use until you can visit the shop and pick out your own. We forget to grab any today.”
He headed up the stairs, and I rushed to keep up with him. His long legs gave him an advantage, and he kept getting too far ahead. Finally, he stopped at a door down the hallway and swung it open. Steam wafted out, filling the hallway.
Brantley stepped out, smoke pouring from his nose. He was only covered by the towel wrapped low around his waist, his chest exposed. “Ready for a bath? It’s nice and warm in there.”
My jaw fell open as he walked by. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from his chiseled muscles. He didn’t even act like he cared that I saw them, either, which made this entire moment that much worse.
Arwen cleared his throat. “Are you finished ogling him?”
Shutting my mouth, I turned and looked at him, my face flushing at the thought of what I had just done. “I wasn’t ogling him.”
“Oh, really.” Arwen’s finger slid under my chin, tilting my head back to meet his gaze. “I watched you, so don’t deny it.”
“But he came out unexpectedly, and I wasn’t ogling. I was just stunned, that's all.”
A smile spread across his face. “He’s a dragon shifter. They’re all beautiful and have muscles, but they’re all brawn. No brain.”
After a few tense seconds, I cleared my throat and looked back at the bathroom door. “Well, thank you, Arwen. I can take it from here.”
His brows rose high as he continued to stare at me with an amused grin. “I’m glad you can handle it from here. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call me. I’ll gladly help you bathe.”
With a wink, he disappeared down the hallway, leaving me to bathe alone. I looked at the steam rising from the bathroom, filling the hallway with its heat. It felt nice and I couldn’t wait to plunge into the water, whether it be a bath or shower.
I stepped inside, the steam intensifying and leaving my skin moist. The bathroom was expansive, covering at least half of the second floor. I’d never seen anything so wondrous.
Along the wall to the right were at least seven showers, which I found amusing. Do they come in here and shower at the same time or is it just for emergencies? My gaze moved to the left, admiring the row of five tubs lined along the floor with just enough space between them to get in and out. Racks for towels hung on the wall in various locations above the tubs and near the showers.
“What kind of bathroom is this? Do they not want privacy?”
I took another look around, doing a small circle as I continued to gaze at everything. My eyes finally landed on the cabinet in the far corner of the room. It wasn’t just any cabinet either. Just like the many tubs, this one had many doors.
I walked over to it, yanking one open to peer inside. This one contained various soaps and oils. Something named lilac rain sat near the back and I wondered which one of these numb skulls it belonged to.
Darren floated across my mind, but I guessed I’d never been close enough to smell him to see. I’d have to remember that for later.
I looked in the cabinet above it as I slowly closed the door. This one had more soaps, oils, and even something to wash my hair with. Most of these I’d never heard of, but at least they were labeled. I picked one up with another odd name, something about spring sunflowers. As I sniffed the top, I couldn’t smell it well, so I flipped the top to get a better sniff.
It filled my nostrils with the most dreamy smell and I realized this was the one I had to use for my hair. I shuffled through the rest quickly and pulled out the ones that smelled the best. Once I had finished, I looked through the other various cabinets and hoped to find a towel. My search seemed endless because at least half of the cabinets were dedicated to washes. I finally pulled open a cabinet with the towels when I heard a knock on the door.
Darren peered inside, an impish grin on his face. At least until his gaze met mine. He let out a squeal and shut the door behind him.
“I guess he thought he’d sneak in here to bathe alone.”
“Yes, I did. Carry on,” his voice carried from outside the door. “I’ll guard the door for you.”
I rolled my eyes as I finished grabbing the towels. “Guard the door? Well, okay then. I’m sure none of you want to get an eyeful of me.”
He made a sound that was almost a groan, but said nothing.
I went to one of the tubs in the far corner of the room, hoping to hide in case someone made it past Darren. As my hand reached for the faucet, I trembled with excitement. Back on the mainland, I had never been able to use something as fancy as this and I wanted to ensure I enjoyed every single moment of it.