“I knew you were special,” Elijah murmured so quietly that I was sure if I didn’t have enhanced hearing now, I wouldn’t have heard it.
Glancing up at him, my mouth parted in shock. “I…I don’t know what just happened.”
He walked us back down the hall towards my room, chuckling softly as he went.So hedidlaugh. And it was an amazing one, at that, the sound warming my entire body.
“You almost face-planted into a wall.”
Rolling my eyes, feeling a bit dizzy still, I teased back, “Oh really, captain obvious? I meant I don’t knowhowthat happened.”
As he crossed the threshold of my new suite, my mouth parted in surprise at the luxurious formal sitting room full of satin curtains and sheets. I blinked in shock, wondering if I was imagining it, and tried to focus on his answer instead of the space.
“You moved as quickly as a vampyre, Kyella,” Elijah answered as he turned to go through an open door, bringing us into the bedroom.
Lightly depositing me onto the plush mattress, I furrowed my brow in confusion. “That can’t be true.”
He reached out, pressing his finger into the crease in my forehead and smoothed it out. “Don’t overthink it. It seems we all have a lot to process. I promise I’ll get your belongings to you, okay? Just please do me one favor and don’t leave your room unless you’re accompanied by one of us.”
Examining his eyes, I saw only honesty. He would get me my bag. And now that he was holding my gaze, I felt far better. Like we were making small progress, baby steps.
“Okay,” I agreed.
“You aren’t a prisoner here,” he explained further as he took a step back from me, dropping his hand to his side. “It’s just abundantly clear that you’re unique, and I don’t want anyone here thinking they can take you for their gain. I trust no one with you, other than Dakath and Kolvar.”
His words were coated in a protectiveness that had that warm sensation of being cherished running through me, but before I could respond or thank him for bringing me here, he sped out of the room.
My head spun, sort of missing when I hadn’t been able to track them when they moved so fast. Now that I could, it hurt my head.
Heaving out a sigh, I fell onto my back, staring up at the ceiling and contemplating how much had happened in the past two days.
I must have dozed off, because when a soft voice called out, I shot up, blinking away the bleary haze of sleep. “Hello? Miss Kyella?”
I went on high alert, remembering Elijah’s warning to not trusting anyone else.
“Lord Elijah sent us with hot water for a bath for you. We’re going to fill the tub for you and then leave, unless you need anything else from us?”
The fact that they weren’t trying to come into my bedroom, respecting my space, calmed me a bit. Easing off the bed, I padded into the living room and smiled sheepishly at the three maids. “Hi there. Thank you so much for assisting me.”
They dipped into curtseys. “Of course.”
I stood to the side as they entered the bedroom and made their way into where I assumed the bathroom was. I hadn’t even taken a moment to explore this new space. I made a mental note to do that as soon as I was done with the bath. I didn’t want to let their hard work go to waste and let it cool while I wandered.
Attempting to stay out of their way, I sat on the bed until they announced it was ready for me and that they’d placed some bottles of oil for me to choose from on the counter.
Thanking them once more, I stood to my feet and made my way to the bathroom once I heard the door to my room shut. The last time I bathed, it had been to force me to be clean for the party so that I wouldn’t repulse the Lords that were to feed from me.
My skin crawled, and a cold sensation washed over me at the memory of being at Malakai’s feet in a daze as fangs sank into my arm over and over. I didn’t even want to look around the bathroom, needing to immediately feel the warmth of the water and soap washing away the ghost of their abuse from my skin.
Stripping out of my clothes quickly, I stepped into the steaming porcelain tub, sinking all the way under so that no air touched my skin. Holding my breath, I focused on the warmth of the water seeping into my muscles until the chills subsided.
I didn’t know how long I stayed under, but I remained until the last chill faded from my body. It had to have been far longer than a regular human could’ve held their breath, but my lungs hadn’t even burned with the need to take in oxygen as I broke the surface and inhaled. It was both alarming and interesting, but also far too much to wrap my head around this moment.
Instead of pondering the implications, I selected some lavender oil for the water and set to work with washing my hair and body. When I ran the sponge over my left arm, the bite marks I prepared myself to see…were completely gone.
Smooth skin stared back at me, free of any scars—even the old ones from Malakai. Dropping the sponge, I ran my fingers along the skin in disbelief.
I had healed completely.
Tears ran down my cheeks as I realized I wouldn’t have to carry around the physical marks of their abuse anymore.
