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I swallowed a scream and scowled at him.
“I would rather die,” I said.
“Suit yourself,” said the beast with a lazy shrug of his shoulder, and then he vanished, leaving me to face the bloodied creatures. They scowled, red eyes alight and angry as they melded with the dark once more. For a brief moment, I thought they might leave me alone—until one launched a stone at my head.
I managed to dodge it, only to be hit square in the face by another.
Blood gushed from my nose, and I hid my face as more rocks pummeled my body.
“Fine! Fine, you miserable fuck!” I screamed. “I’ll bathe in front of you!”
The attack stopped, and when I uncovered my head, I found the elven lord had returned. He stood near, a smug expression on his pretty face.
“I suppose I should have mentioned that the red caps throw stones,” he said.
I glared as I rose to my feet and spit blood in his face.
“I hate you.”
He did not wipe his face or approach me. Instead, he smiled, wicked and cruel.
“Oh, vicious thing, you do not know hate. Give me time.”
I had never felt so murderous and wondered what the consequences were of killing two elven lords. My thoughts were interrupted when another rock flew from the dark. This time, the beast snatched it within his clawlike hand, lobbing it back. A loud crack followed, and one of the red caps fell facedown, blood pooling around its head. Seconds after, taloned hands tugged him back into the shadow while they muttered angry curses.
No more rocks were thrown.
The beast looked at me.
“Bathe. They will not bother you so long as I am here.”
“Will they watch?”
“Likely,” he said. “But do not worry. They will lust only for your blood, not your body.”
I pressed my lips thin and then looked at the pool. It was slightly elevated, accessed only by a set of narrow steps. I considered refusing the bath altogether, but one glance down my front only made me want it more. The mud made it hard to tell just how injured I truly was—not just my ankle but my entire body. Not to mention the blood from my nose was drying on my face and chest.
I approached the pool, eyeing the water. Would a sprite surge from its depths and drown me? Did I really care? It had never occurred to me until now that I had little to fight for beyond myself. What freedom lay beyond these walls but loneliness?
I shrugged off what remained of my nightgown and took the steps slowly, and though I led with my uninjured ankle, keeping weight on the other was near unbearable. I started to kneel, thinking that I might be able to crawl over the edge of the pool, when the beast offered his hand, long nails like sharp blades. Tired and not wishing to injure myself further, I took it. He held my fingers and I slipped into the pool.
The water was not as deep as I had hoped, hitting midthigh. I waded until I was at the center and then turned and held the beast’s gaze as I settled into the pool. The water was surprisingly warm, and while it soothed, it also drew attention to how much I ached.
I took a breath, moaning as I exhaled.
“Did my brothers hurt you?” he asked.
He had not taken his eyes off me, and there was a harshness to his face. If I had to guess, he was asking because of the bruises blooming across my body.
“No. Your brothers were not the first unfortunate thing to befall me today…or perhaps that was yesterday.”
I did not know the time and I did not explain further—not the curse of the well or even the toad, because none of it mattered. None of it was going to change my present or my future.
The beast did not ask.
“Is this what it means to be your prisoner?” I asked. “To never have a moment of privacy?”
“Do you wish to be stoned to death?”
