AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I slipped off my nightgown, not wanting to think about how I’d gotten it on in the first place, and then I gingerly stepped into the boiling hot bath.
I sighed as I sank into it, wanting to stay there forever and escape from everything.
"Rune," a voice jolted me from my daze, water splashing over the sides of the tub.
I gazed around the room, expecting someone to pop out from the closet or the toilet or the bedroom…but there was no one there.
Obviously the stress was making me break.
I settled back into the water, deciding I’d just imagined the voice…or something. Steam rose up from the water, coating my face with moisture. The burn felt good on my skin, centering me from the chaos of my thoughts. A sob slipped from my throat as I once again thought of the reality that my mother was gone. I squeezed my eyes closed, wishing I could open them back up and it would all just be a dream. She would have wanted me to be strong. I knew that. But the fact that she’d been underground for almost a year was gut wrenching.
"Rune!"My eyes ricocheted open and I once again stared around the room. The voice was so loud…so real.
Like it was being spoken in my head.
The queen had probably tortured me while I’d been gone…and I’d cracked, that had to be it.
But why had the voice sounded so upset?
And why had I felt the urge to make the owner of the voice feel better?
Evidently the bath wasn't the answer. I grabbed some shampoo and conditioner and methodically washed my hair before grabbing the washcloth I’d pulled from a cabinet and cleaning my body.
I only felt slightly better as I pulled the plug on the water and got out, wrapping myself with a fluffy towel that had been warming on a heating rack. I thought of the simple way my mother and I had lived. It was like I'd stepped into a whole new world.
And the crazy thing was, I desperately wished I could have the old one back.
Pulling the towel tightly around my body, I walked into the closet, thinking I could at least grab one of Alistair's shirts and maybe tie some drawstring pants tight enough to stay up, but I was shocked when I saw that one whole side of the closet was filled with designer women's clothing. Everything looked to be pieces that showed a lot of skin, not something I was used to wearing.
I found a dress that would probably cover at least some of my chest, and then I grabbed some underwear and a bra, somehow in my perfect size. That was kind of unnerving. Had I had a discussion that night with a member of his staff about my sizes? Everything in the closet was new with tags and perfectly my size, so I assumed they hadn’t been bought for another woman.
Why did the thought of another woman not make me as upset as it should have?
I groaned, wanting to dive back under the covers and forget today had ever happened. Although evidently today was much better than the life I had been living over the past year.
Once I was dressed, and I’d found a comb to run through my hair, I tentatively walked out into the hallway, wishing something looked familiar to me. Had he given me a tour the night of the party, or had I seen him, realized he was my mate, and that was the last thing that happened before the Fae Queen had invaded the party?
My wolf growled inside of me, clearly as upset as I was, but at least she was there. She'd been quiet up to now.
It was quiet, alarmingly so. And every footstep I took echoed down the hallway. The place was like a maze, and I took several wrong turns, ending up in a broom closet at one point. Finally, I turned a corner and heard the low din of voices.
Except, I had no idea what door they were coming from.
“What took you so long?” Alistair’s voice came from my left. I jumped, almost tripping on a chair behind me.
His features were tense, suspicion in his gaze. What did he think I’d been doing?
“I—I finished my bath and then it took a while to find you. This place is huge. I didn’t know I would need directions,” I tried, and failed to joke.
The fierce snarl on his face faded, something like relief in the depths of his gaze.
Maybe he’d been worried I’d been kidnapped again?
“Right. I’m sorry, I had a phone call I had to get to, and when I went to the room to find you, you weren’t there. I just panicked.”
Hmm. It hadn’t looked like panic, but maybe I was just seeing things. Maybe that was how he panicked. It’s not like I would know since we didn’t know each other at all.
“I’m sorry,” I offered.
