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My father gives me nothing, so I expect nothing.
“Are we finished?”
“I have a word of advice for you, my son. Don’t waste your royal blood on barren creatures. If you insist on a ‘suitable’ match, make sure she is suitable in all areas.”
I can no longer keep a lid on my anger. My father attacks everything about me and then expects me to fall in line.
And knowing the way he treated Laura. She is the reason he has so many options and the ability to build this formidable army of his, and yet he tosses her aside the second she is no longer useful to him.
His lack of loyalty has left him with one tool. Fear.
But my father’s wrath does not deter me anymore.
“Once again, your advice is useless to me.” I storm out of the room before my father can say anything else to me. I’ve already crossed a line with him, and it’s only going to get worse the longer I have to be in his presence.
I start heading back to my house. I want to see Laura. She is the only thing that can help quiet the storm my father has awakened in me. Maybe it is foolish to rely so much on a human, but she’s already wiggled her way into my thoughts.
And I’m starting to like having her around.
51
LAURA
I wake up, and Rej’thorek isn’t with me any longer.
I can’t help but feel a little disappointed. I would have liked to wake up with him beside me after the night we shared, but I understand that he is a Prince. He has duties and expectations. Us ending up together was an accident.
It was misfortune that led me to Rej’thorek.
I don’t quite know how to feel about that. I have many regrets in my life, but I can’t imagine life without Rej’thorek. It’s crazy to think we’ve spent so little time together, but my feelings for him are so strong.
I miss him. He was so sweet last night. Maybe that sounds crazy given the angry marks he left on my body, but sweetness and gentleness aren’t synonyms.
He was insistent and diligent, and I could tell he was holding back, taking into consideration the limits of my body. It was like nothing I had ever felt before.
I don’t deserve such kindness. I probably should have let that beast in the arena kill me. It’s what I deserve for leading my family into ruin.
It’s hard not to think about the captured women being kept in cages. A cage that I was in not so long ago. How did I end up basking in such luxury while those who had done nothing wrong suffer?
It makes my head hurt.
I sit up, wrapping the blankets around myself. Pity does nothing. Life has shown my time and time again that it is cruel. Maybe it is better to cling to whatever kindness there is, as long as I'm allowed to.
I slide out of bed and put my clothes on. The soft fabric hangs loosely around my figure, fitting itself seamlessly to me and turning an impressive shade of maroon. So much in Rej’thorek’s home is soft. I wouldn’t have expected that in a kingdom full of demons. Everything about them is sharp. Their teeth, fingers, bodies.
Maybe that is what draws them to softer things.
I walk over to the mirror to get a good look at the marks on my skin. I turn around and see long harsh lines running down my back. I grow warm, remembering the positions Rej’thorek put me in last night.
I have a feeling he will like seeing evidence of our tryst scored all over my body.
I go to the door, testing if it’s unlocked. I don’t know how much freedom I am truly allowed. He didn't comment when I said the servants barely allow me to move about, but Rej’thorek seems more permissive than the dark elves I used to work for.
But I can’t claim to know him or completely understand our relationship. I just know that there is something going on and it’s intense and maybe even a little scary.
With my developing bruises and scars covered up, I turn the handle and find I am not confined to the room. I do bump into one of Rej’thorek’s slaves. It so strange seeing dark elves as slaves. So much in Ti’lith feels upside down to me.
I wouldn’t say it’s unpleasant. Just- different.
