13. Lily

Imoaned restlessly as I writhed on the bed. It was hot…so hot! I was burning up and the fact that someone had put me down on a furry blanket didn't help. The soft fur beneath me seemed to hold in the heat and my skin was on fire!

"Too hot!" I moaned, shoving at my clothes, which were also holding in the heat. "Please—can't…stand it!"

"Here you are, Princess—don't struggle. I'll help you," a deep voice said.

Gentle hands eased off my clothes, which helped only a little.

"The fur!" I exclaimed, writhing on the white fur bedspread. "Too hot! Please!"

"Oh yes—of course," the same voice said. It was dark now in the room but I could see a pair of glowing bronze eyes as my helper scooped me up in one strong arm and shoved the furry blanket away. When he laid me back down, I felt the welcome coolness of soft, silky sheets against my back and legs.

"Here we are," another voice said. "Take a damp cloth and bathe her all over."

Another set of glowing eyes—green this time—hovered over me, and unseen hands began wiping my burning body with blessedly cool, wet cloths. It was a relief since they seemed to extinguish the fiery heat that engulfed me.

I moaned as the burning at last began to subside. Part of me was screaming that two strange men were wiping my naked body with wet washcloths but most of me didn't care—it felt too good to finally be cool for me to complain.

But my relief soon turned to discomfort again as the heat that had been filling me suddenly turned to ice.

All at once, the damp cloths which had felt like such a welcome relief became a cruel torture. I was freezing and they were making me even colder!

I wrapped my arms around myself, my teeth chattering as a frozen wave of misery overtook me.

"P-p-please st-stop!" I begged my two helpers. I still didn't know who they were—I had a feeling I ought to know, but the fog filling my brain wouldn't let me think clearly.

"What's wrong with her now?" the one with the bronze eyes asked. "She was hot a minute ago—now she's freezing cold!"

"It's the spell fighting against the Nectar again," the one with green eyes replied. "There's nothing we can do but provide comfort until it's over."

"Comfort her how?" the deeper voice that belonged to the bronze eyes demanded.

"We need to warm her up to start with. Pull the fur coverlet over her," the other responded.

They did just that, pulling the soft fur coverlet over me. Earlier, it had seemed like the worst punishment in the world to be touching all that soft, thick fur. Now it felt like heaven.

But it wasn't enough. Even with the warm fur pulled up to my chin, I was still shivering and shaking.

"She's going to freeze to death!" The one with the bronze eyes sounded worried about me. "We have to do more—maybe we should put her in a warm bath."

"But what if the heat comes back?" the one with green eyes objected. "If she gets too overheated she really could die."

"Well then, there's no other choice." I heard rustling and clanking, like someone putting something metal on the floor.

"What are you doing?" the green-eyed helper objected.

"Taking off my breastplate—I'm going to warm her up but I can't do it wearing that fucking thing," the bronze eyed helper growled. "Come on—you help too. Get into bed on the other side of her."

"I don't know…" The green-eyed one sounded uncertain.

"Look, I know it's improper but we can't help it. You'd rather she fucking freezes to death?" the other one demanded. "Get in here and help me, damn it!"

This seemed to settle the dispute. A moment later two large, male bodies were suddenly in the bed—one on either side of me.

"Come here, Princess," one of them said—the one with bronze eyes, I thought—and then strong arms were pulling me against a bare chest.

I pressed my freezing face to his warm skin gratefully and felt him flinch a little.

"Fuck—your nose is like an icicle!" the deep voice rumbled but the owner of the bronze eyes didn't push me away. In fact, he pulled me closer. I breathed him in—he smelled like lightning and warm, male musk. "Come here," he said and I realized he wasn't talking to me. "Warm her back—she's still shivering."

Another bare, muscular chest came up against my back and a second set of arms wrapped around me. I smelled another scent—cinnamon and green, growing things, and beneath it a male musk which was different but just as enticing.

"Mmmm," I murmured, cuddling shamelessly in between them. It occurred to me that I shouldn't be enjoying this so much—I didn't even know who these people were. But I felt blessedly warm and safe between them—something told me they were here to protect me, not hurt me in any way.

"That's right, my Lady," a voice murmured in my ear. "Just relax. Soon the spell will give up and let you be. You must rest while you can before the next bout."

"You think she'll heat up again?" The deeper voice sounded anxious.

"It's possible. Stay alert to her temperature."

The other voice said something else but at that moment, I finally felt comfortable enough to drift off and I didn't hear any more.