AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I pause in gathering my clothes together, almost startled. "My mother? I almost forgot! Thank you," I say fervently, throwing my arms around Hadria.
She seems taken aback by the depth of my gratitude over such a simple thing, a faint tinge of color in her pale cheeks when I pull back. For all her power, and for all the times we've made love together, Hadria always seems discomfited by open displays of appreciation, as if unsure how to respond.
She turns away quickly, and I know that the intimacy we shared through these last few hours is over again, over until the next time our desires make us lose control. "You should make sure you get enough rest before she arrives," Hadria says gruffly after a pause. "I know you're not a night owl, not really. Not like me." She sounds almost forlorn…if a crime lord could ever sound forlorn.
I move towards the door. But some reluctant force stays my steps, and I linger a moment longer.
"Thank you," I say simply. "For allowing my mother to visit. It means a great deal to me."
Hadria nods. "I know you've felt isolated here. It seemed prudent to allow some connection to your past life."
There is a clinical distance to her words that rankles slightly.
Hadria is Hades once more.
And I am once again her captive.
How is it that I keep forgetting my place when she reminds me of it so often?
Suddenly exhausted, I make my way out and head back to my own room. The hallways are hushed, only a few house staff moving silently about their tasks. I arrive at my own chambers just as the clock ticks over to 3:19.
I give a hollow laugh when I realize that 3:19 a.m. is actually early for my bedtime now—veryearly. I usually go to bed only when the dawn turns into light. But having spent so much time with Hadria—having spent so much emotional energy—I'm tired.
I'm tired of it all. Tired of the push and pull, the way she runs hot and cold all the time.
So I complete my bedtime rituals with mechanical detachment, brushing out my hair and donning a silk nightdress. And then I lie down and luxuriate for a time in the comfort of the bed, its velvet softness a far cry from the lumpy mattress I had at home. My father always scoffed at spending money on frivolities like furnishings, not when there were debts to be paid and horses to bet on.
Here, I want for nothing material.
But I would still trade all the luxuries in a heartbeat for one day of true freedom, something I've never had.
I turn over and snuggle into the blankets, letting their softness envelop me as completely as Hadria did just a few hours ago. And when I inhale deeply, I catch Hadria's scent still lingering on my skin and in my hair.
I need to stop…doing whatever it is that I'm doing with her. I need to remember that she's theenemy.
Tomorrow. My mother will be here tomorrow.
She might be my last chance for freedom.
CHAPTER 27
Aurora
Trepidation and excitementwar within me as I pace the foyer, awaiting my mother's arrival. My hands smooth over the blush-colored dress I chose with care to make my complexion seem brighter. The rouge I dusted on my cheeks can only do so much to hide the pallor brought on by endless days of night. But I need to appear healthy and thriving. I can't have Mama fussing over me in Hadria's presence.
I need Hadria to remain convinced I'm content to stay here. Hadria, who said she would let me welcome my mother myself, since she had work to finish up.
But I suspect she's probably watching me on one of the many hidden cameras around the house. I know there are a lot of them, because she always seems to know exactly where I am, where I've been. Just one more way to keep me under observation.
On the video monitor by the door, I watch the sleek town car pull up at the gate, sent by Hadria to collect Mama so that my father couldn't sneak in with her this time. A few moments later, gravel crunches beneath tires, and I fling open the front door. The carcomes to a stop, and Mama emerges. The sight of her beloved features, so like my own, steals my breath. Laugh lines crease the corners of her eyes and mouth, souvenirs from a happier time before gambling debts and ravenous card sharks consumed our family. Before my father's desperation ensnared me.
I rush down the steps and into her arms, crying out like a child. "Mama!"
She clutches me tightly, only to push me back, holding me at arm's length. Her gaze sweeps over me, and I pray the dress and artful makeup have done their work. But shadows still pool in the hollows of my cheeks, impossible to disguise fully. Something sorrowful flickers in Mama's eyes, but she forces a smile.
"Let me look at you, darling." She brushes back the hair from my forehead, a familiar, comforting gesture. "You look..."
When she trails off, I supply brightly, "Happy? Hadria ensures I want for nothing." Taking her hand, I guide Mama toward the garden. "We have some time before dinner, and Hadria said I could show you my haven here in Elysium."
