"You should try it too, mage."

"No," William replied curtly.

"It would do you good; you're far too stiff."

Reyne's fingers glided along his collarbone, then lower, brushing against his chest. The tip of a tongue caressed Alex's earlobe and licked away a few drops of moisture; two fingers closed around a nipple.

Alex flinched and opened his eyes. "You're overdoing it."

"You're tense, Your Highness," Reyne murmured. "I'm trying to help you relax."

"Do it without… anything too inappropriate."

The prostitute smiled, and his ointment-slick fingers grazed his chest.
The scent of violet and jasmine filled the hot, humid air, and Alex started to feel confused.

And far too sensitive.

Reyne leaned toward his ear. "Don't you want me to help you?"

"I…"

"I can bring you to the height of pleasure."

Alex closed his eyes. But that wasn't what he had asked for, was it? He wasn't sure; his mind felt shrouded in a fog.

Or maybe… he wanted it. That young man, the pleasure, all of it.

Alex tilted his head back, searching for the prostitute's face, but instead of soft, warm lips, he felt slender fingers press against his mouth and the now-familiar tingling.

"Out." William's voice was like a torrent of icy water.

"But His Highness…" Reyne murmured.

"I said out!"

The prostitute jumped, gathered his ointments, and fled the baths. The thud of the closing door echoed like a lid slamming on a coffin.

Alex glared at the mage and freed himself from his grip. That man had just ruined his moment of relaxation. "What's your problem?"

"I warned you."

"Well, you could've left if you didn't want to watch."

William's irises flared a bright green. "Leave? But you were the one who told me to stay!"

Even if he had, would it have mattered? He was the Crown Prince, the future ruler; he could say whatever he wanted, right?

Alex clenched his fists, anger burning uncontrollably through his veins. Hateful, frigid, lowly mage! Who did he think he was? "You keep forgetting who you're speaking to!"

William stood, rivulets of water sliding down his pale skin and the contours of his muscles. "I remember perfectly, or else by now you'd really be a toad."

Alex swallowed, and something stirred deep in his abdomen, a sensation he couldn't decipher. A fire burned low in his loins. For some reason, it felt right that the mage should pay for ruining his fun.

But it felt wrong, too. He shouldn't be angry with him, should he? He had promised not to do anything improper, so why was he excited? Why did he feel confused?

Alex grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him back into the water. William pressed his palm against his chest.

"Your Highness—" He glanced down and blushed. "By the spirits, why are you aroused?"

"I don't know, but you need to fix this." Alex leaned closer, heat surging in his gut. "Please, I need it. I'm burning inside."

"What do you mean?"

"Touch me." His body was so hot it felt like a fever; his cock was painfully hard between his legs, and he was sure he couldn't handle it anymore. "Please, I need to come. I need you to fuck me—"

A slap echoed in the silence. Alex's cheek burned, and he brought both hands to his face.

He blinked, confusion washing over him again. What had happened?

William straightened, studying him with a strange expression. "I'm sorry, Your Highness. This won't be pleasant at all."

"What are you talking about?"

He caressed his face gently, his eyes a green so bright they seemed drenched in poison. "I beg your pardon."

He grabbed Alex by the shoulders, tripped him, and pushed his head underwater.