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So much for‘he’d never hurt me.’I snort out my detest. How naïve could you be, Alice? Apparently, all it takes is a smooth-talking man for me to forget all sense. What’s worse is I understand his logic–mostly. He’s scared, not that it makes what he did right. But people do crazy shit out of fear, just as those villagers did when they went after my cat.
I’m just stupid for believing that over time he’d see that I was able to take care of myself, that he’d learn to trust me. It’s been a year and if he hasn’t come to that conclusion by now, he’s never going to.
Tears bubble up in my eyes for the umpteenth time and this time, I don’t have the will to stop them from falling. They streak down my cheeks as I plop down to the ground, sitting in the grass and staring at my cage. What do I do now? I have to figure something out, but it’s not like I can remove my arm and so long as it’s still attached to my body, I’ll never get to her before the villagers do.
Then there’s the mess of my relationship. If I somehow manage to make it past that barrier, my freedom will be short. Kai will find me and when he does… I’d hate to see what he does next. I’m sure it will involve actual bars. That’s no way to live. Butthisis no way to live, either.
“Mi lady!” Clamara’s singsong voice hits my ears. Darting a glance over my shoulder, I find her, formal skirts and all, standing near the garden entrance. “Oh, thank the goddess. His highness has been looking for you.”
I turn back to the barrier, eyeing everything that’s just out of reach. “You’re going to have to be more specific than that.”
“Lucifer is looking for you,” she says. The way she speaks his given name is awkward and clumsy.
“You can relay the message for him to fuck off.”
I can hear her gasp, even from yards away. I’m in no mood to play mind games, and even less of one to hear what he or Kai has to say right now. Picking up my whiskey bottle, I lift it to my lips and take a deep swig. It burns down my throat, warming my stomach.
“Mi lady. Are you alright?” Her voice is closer this time and I peer to find her standing behind me. I lift the bottle to her, silently offering a sip. “Oh no, thank you.”
“Well, that’s unfortunate for you.”
Clamara places her hand on my shoulder and instantly I’m flooded with so much happiness that I have to restrain myself from laughing. Her hand slips away, taking the feeling along with it as she moves to crouch in front of me.
“I know you won’t want to talk about it, but I’m not going to leave you here alone, either.”
I flick my eyes up to her face, then dart them away, resuming my angry staring. “Thank you.”
We stay here, sitting in silence for a moment before she finally speaks again. “Dinner will be ready soon. We should go inside so you don’t miss it. SoIdon’t miss it.” Her lips quip up into a smirk. She stands and offers me a hand up. “Oh, come on. It’s not going to bite you.”
Slapping my digits in hers, she pulls me to my feet and we head inside. The castle is a ghost town, nearly as vacant as the town. Around mealtimes, there are usually dozens of servants scampering around the halls, but tonight we only saw one.
“Where did everyone go?”
“The meeting with the village masters is still going on. Has been for two hours now. Whatever they’re debating must be serious. And the rest of the castle staff are likely preparing the guest floor. The masters will return to their homes in the morning, so they need a place to sleep tonight.”
So, the meeting hasn’t ended… Then there’s still hope.
We hardly make it inside our room before she’s shuffling around, barking orders. She thrusts a folded towel into my hands as she speaks. “Here, you go wash up and I’ll take these,” she tugs at my shirt, “to be laundered. So, come on, off with them.” I swear the woman missed her calling. She’s a perfect mix between Mary Poppins and an army drill sergeant.
Lifting my shirt up and over my head, I hand it to her, then work to undo the plethora of buttons on the pants. Who freaking needs this many? One and a standard zipper would suffice. Clamara’s gasp catches me off guard, dragging back the memories. Shit… Well, that’s embarrassing.
“I didn’t know you got a tattoo. It’s beautiful.”
“I didn’t.” I force the word through my gritted teeth.
“If you… By the gods.” I turn to see her hand covering her gaping mouth. “Who did that to you? Does the prince know?”
“Believe me, he’s well aware,” I snap, continuing to finger my buttons. It’s interesting that she knew exactly what it was, though.
“Hedid this?”
“Yup. My stereotypical Prince Charming. Am I right?”
Finally getting the buttons undone, I shimmy the leather down my legs.
“It’s a boundary mark,” she says. “Is that why you were in the garden?” I nod, handing her my worn pants. “I am so sorry…”
“Don’t be. The only person who should be sorry is Kai because I swear the moment I get a chance, my foot is going to go so far up his ass he’ll need surgery to remove it.”
