Lupi 04 - Night Season

same ache and fury of isolation, the same certainty of damage, that he’d felt while clanless.
    Cynna’s head was leaning against the wall next to his. She rolled it to look at him. “Is it okay for you here? The clan bond, the what-do-you-call-it…I should have asked earlier. I didn’t think of it. I should have.”
    â€œThe mantle. Yes. I feel it here. Not as strongly…we need the company of others of the clan to feel the connection clearly. But I’m all right.” He could feel it still, and that was what counted. That was what the mantle did. It told him his place, told him where and how he belonged.
    Fear or rage could still take him. They couldn’t swallow him. “You should have been born clan.”
    â€œWhat?” She shook her head, mouth quirking. “Female clan don’t experience the mantle, do they?”
    â€œThat’s not what I meant. You like to fight. You like sex. If you’d been born clan, you’d see those as normal instead of something to worry about.”
    â€œYour female clan members fight?”
    â€œNot all, but some do. One of the members of Canada’s women’s Olympic tae kwon do team is Etorri.”
    â€œYeah?” That pleased her.
    â€œCome on.” Cullen pushed to his feet and held out a hand. “I’m sticky and sweaty, and so are you. Off to the baths.”
    Cynna let him pull her to her feet but released his hand immediately. “I’m not into public bathing.”
    â€œTough. You may not feel them yet, but you picked up a few bruises yourself when I blocked some of your attempts to destroy me. You worked your muscles hard. You need a good, hot soak, and I want one. I’m told that at this hour the baths should be almost empty. A few trysting couples, perhaps, no more eager to be seen than you are. And I’ve reserved a private spot for us.”
    â€œOh, you have, have you?” Her eyes narrowed. “No sex.”
    He could change her mind. He was sure about that, but…his mouth twisted wryly.
    â€œWhat’s funny?’
    â€œI know when to fight with you, but my instincts are mute on when to seduce you.”
    She thought that over, then gave a firm nod. “Good.”

NINETEEN
    C YNNA hadn’t expected the baths to be so beautiful.
    They were underground, part of a cave system that included both hot springs and an underground tributary to the Ka. This struck Cynna as geologically suspect, but what did she know? Maybe hot springs happened all the time next to underground rivers near aboveground rivers Or maybe it was part of the general weirdness of Edge.
    Cullen didn’t know, either. She found that greatly reassuring. Here was an entire area of knowledge he was blank on. “You never studied up on geology?”
    He shrugged. “Never had the need. I can identify some of the useful stones, of course.”
    Magically useful, he meant. She knew most of the magically useful stones, too. Cynna smiled, pleased with his ignorance, and closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth. She hadn’t been this comfortable since she’d arrived in Edge.
    They’d gone to their rooms first to get clean clothes—pants for them both, praise God. Cullen’s servant—a small, dark-skinned man incongruously named Sean—had led them to the baths, which were a sprawling affair, encompassing several small chambers like this grotto as well as three large public areas. A few people of various species were in the public area they passed on the way to their own spot.
    Sean had led them to this grotto, where Adrienne was waiting, reserving the spot for them. She had handed Cynna a small basket of toiletries, explained what was what, then left with Cullen’s man, Sean.
    â€œShould we tip them or something?” Cynna had asked once they were alone. “Not that we have any of their money, but the Council would probably give us some if we insisted.”
    â€œAsk your father,” Cullen suggested. “We don’t know if offering money is expected or insulting.”
    Cullen had stripped as matter-of-factly as if revealing that gorgeous body meant nothing. That was an act. He knew very well how beautiful he was, but Cynna chose to pretend along with him. She’d stripped, too. She wasn’t as casual about nudity as a lupus, but she wasn’t overly modest, either, and Cullen was the only one here. He’d seen her body before.
    Both