Which, in turn, meant making sure she gave him something he couldn’t easily get somewhere else.
Georgia dipped the sponge into the warm water by the demon’s side, then brought it to his wide shoulders, squeezing it out over the scales to wet his skin. When she dipped it again, she rubbed soap into the sponge, then began gently lathering his shoulder with soothing circles.
A low, involuntary groan rumbled out of the beast’s chest.
She dipped the sponge in the water again before returning to his shoulder, this time washing off the soap. He exhaled, low and deep. Strong muscles softened ever so slightly under her touch.
Georgia glanced up at his face, half expecting his usual glare, but he had his unsettling black eyes were closed, long eyelashes fanning his cheeks. She bit her lip to keep the small smirk there in check and kept her attention on bathing him. Turned out, not even big, grumpy demon lords could resist the magic of a sponge bath. From the way small tremors crossed his stark features now and then, he hadn’t expected her plan to bring him comfort to be quite this effective.
It was oddly… Endearing wasn’t the right word. Demons weren't incapable of being endearing. But there was something surprisingly… almost sweet about seeing a hulking, battle-hardened monster-like the prince relax under her touch.
Carefully, she washed the dried blood and dirt off his face, then turned to his long, matted hair.
The long, low rumble that escaped him when she dug her fingertips into his scalp had her unable to hold back a giggle.
Kesh cracked an eyelid, lips flattening disapprovingly. “What do you find so funny, Breeder?”
“Nothing,” she said, hastily reining the amusement back in, but the damage had been done.
His eyebrows pulled down in a frown, and she sensed his shoulders tensing.
That wouldn’t do. Not if she wanted him to realize just how beneficial bargaining with her could be for him, too.
Georgia speared her fingertips through his hair again and gently scraped her nails along his scalp as she massaged the shampoo deeper.
“Mmm… damn it all.” This time, it was a full moan. “What kind of fucking witchcraft is this?”
“It’s okay to enjoy touch,” she said softly, making sure to keep her fingers rubbing the same, enticing patterns through his strands. “To relax. I couldn’t hurt you even if I wanted to. The battle is over. You won. Let go of all that responsibility for a little while and let me take care of you.”
Kesh grumbled something under his breath, but his shoulders relaxed, and he sank deeper into the tub, eyes closing again.
“That’s it,” she murmured, keeping up the scalp massage until the prince had melted fully into the bath, his head leaning back against the rim, eyes closed. Throat bared. Vulnerable.
Well, as vulnerable as a huge, battle-hardened monster got. She was pretty sure she’d need to be hiding a very sharp machete up her sleeve to be able to do any damage to the prince, even in this state. But the sentiment was there.
“You don’t allow anyone to see you like this very often, do you?” she asked, still keeping her voice low and soothing to avoid riling him up again.
“Of course not. At the best of times, demons tend to slice the throats of anyone standing in their way to power, if given the chance. I’m a prince, and we’re at war.” Despite his terse words, his tone was almost drugged from relaxation.
“I bet your cortisol levels are sky high,” she said, frowning when she realized she didn’t know if demonic biology had human stress hormones. “Or… is that a good thing for you? Since some of you feed on misery…?”
Kesh scoffed, but didn’t deign to give her an answer.
Choosing to refocus on keeping him relaxed, she pushed her curiosity aside and scooped up a pail of water to pour over the prince’s head, making sure not to get any in his eyes. He released a soft exhale, and another when she ran her fingers through his strands to help rinse out the shampoo. It took five pails to get his hair clean—it was thick and long, and felt lush to the touch, if a little rough with enough split ends to suggest he didn’t take any care of it.
There hadn’t been any conditioner among the supplies in the bathroom, but a woman could improvise.
She popped the cork on the body oil and began massaging it into his lengths. The parched hair sucked it up in seconds.
“I thought royals were supposed to be pampered,” she mused.
Kesh snorted. “I’m sure the Europeans have plenty of little human servants enthralled for this purpose. We’ve been a bit too busy trying to survive to really establish the appropriate life of luxury just yet.”
“You don’t seem… keen. On the whole prince-thing,” she said as she moved the stool so she could resume washing his body. There were sprays of blood all over his chest, and she had to scrub a little harder with the sponge to get it off. He didn’t complain at the treatment, but his black eyes opened to watch her while she worked.
“It’s a responsibility I didn’t ask for.”
“But also power, I imagine? You said demons will slice the throats of anyone in their way to get to power.”
