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“I never want to clean another shit or blood-stained floor ever again.”
Ladon chuckled. “Not used to manual labor, are you?”
“Oh, please. I’m sure you’ve never had to clean up after yourself either, as a precious prince.”
“Maybe not, but I have contributed in other ways.”
“And you don’t think I have? You think I spent my days in Dreslen lounging about?”
“Well, kind of.”
I threw the sponge in my hand at his head and it made a comical slapping noise as it struck his cheek.
He froze, taking a moment to process what had just happened. I knew I was testing his limits, but in our time in Murvort, we’d managed to move from loathing to tolerance to reluctant companionship. It was bound to happen when we only had each other to rely on.
Ladon looked at me with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “You’ll pay for that, princess.”
He leapt across the room, grabbing his own sponge as well as mine. Within seconds, he had me pinned to the floor with his thighs trapping my torso, squeezing the excess water from the sponges over top of my chest.
“Stop! Stop!” I said, while struggling to catch my breath. I couldn’t help but laugh while swatting at his arms. The whole thing was so silly, but a welcome moment of levity in our dire predicament. Somehow, he knew I needed it. And maybe he needed it just as much as I did.
When there was no water left to be wrung from the sponges, he dropped his hands and they rested lightly on my stomach. He was as breathless as I was, and his chest rose and fell while he stared into my eyes.
His gaze tended to make me feel vulnerable. Insecure.
“What?” I breathed out.
He shrugged. His disheveled white hair fell in loose strands, catching on his eyelashes. I reached up and brushed them from his face, not wanting to miss a single sparkle in those silvery eyes.
His body tensed, and I realized what I’d just done. I quickly pulled my hand back.
“Sorry.”
He quirked a brow, but before he could respond, the sound of heels clicked against the stone floor, accompanied by Reyna’s voice. “Well, well. What do we have here?”
I could hear Ladon grinding his teeth before he slid off my body and came to a stand. I sat up and though it did no good, I brushed at my shirt, now damp and splotched with muddy water. Ladon reached out a hand and I took it, letting him pull me up to stand beside him.
“Did I not give you enough to do? I thought for sure cleaning out the kennels would keep you busy today, but clearly not if you had time to roll around in the muck. I guess I need to work you harder.”
She held a pointed nail to Ladon’s chin. “Ladon, why didn’t you tell me you wanted to play with the dogs? I could’ve left Nova and Nox behind.”
Her laugh was sinister. It made my blood boil, but I kept my clenched fists at my side. She scraped her fingernail down the side of his neck, leaving a streak of angry red skin behind.
Something in me snapped. “Leave him alone,” I shouted, stepping in between the two of them.
Ladon stirred behind me, but I held my ground. Reyna tilted her head back, peering down her nose at me. A smile spread across her thin lips, sending a chill down my spine.
“You’re a foolish girl.”
“Reyna,” Ladon growled. I felt his hand on my back and leaned into it. Maybe I was foolish for provoking Reyna, but I couldn’t stand by and watch anymore.
Whatever she was doing to him was draining the life from him. We’d both lost weight since our arrival, but Ladon’s loss was more visible. The dark circles under his eyes never disappeared, even on the rare day we had off and he was able to sleep in.
I could see it in his eyes. I felt it in the way he stirred in the middle of the night. She was killing him, slowly and painfully.
Reyna took a step forward, her chest practically touching mine. She was only a few inches taller than me, but I felt so small next to her. I bumped into Ladon’s chest as I took a step back.
“So far, you’ve been such a delightful guest, Emilie. Staying out of my way and completing your chores without complaint.” She began to walk in circles around us and I turned my neck to follow her. “Perhaps I’ve been too lenient with you. I’ve allowed you to think that you have an inkling of power within these mountain walls. That won’t do.”
