TWO HUGE WYVERNS pulled the carriage.
Annie didn’t want to cry, she tried not to but tears lingered in her eyes.
Wyverns, freaking wyverns. It explained everything. I’d just never imagined in a million years that their cities were this big and that there were actual humans fighting their side. Guess I was wrong that they could be tamed. Still I wanted to meet this wyvern king. Could it be Paul’s father? I couldn’t remember anything they’d spoken about in that cavern the day Lucian had died. Something about a Cain.
The other thing was that some wyvern breeds could read minds. I had to be careful.
Men who spoke Wyvic surrounded us.
They were speaking about Annie, but what they said exactly I didn’t pick up. They spoke way too fast.
The wyverns flew low to the ground, as if they couldn’t really carry the weight.
Why couldn’t dragons fight them? There still had to be plenty around. Wyverns were vicious, but dragons were much bigger and stronger.
Nothing made any sense.
The other question was that the Council I knew wasn’t behind this. This was a wyvern council, and that scared me even more. I should never have run away.
If Paul saw me, found me, I was screwed. And it was too late to change my appearance. Way too late. They would know I could do magic, which was my secret for now.
Annie stared at me. I knew what was going on in that mind of hers. She was wondering how I’d kept the others safe.
I gazed at my lap and out the window, flying over the rooftops; barely missing them was more like it.
The flight wasn’t that long, and when we landed, two huge women grabbed us. They pulled Annie and me into another carriage, one drawn by horses.
They started to speak to one another. One had a strong European accent, another, a slight Scottish accent. I could take her, but the European, she reminded me of a female wrestler.
She held a clipboard and was starting to discuss where they were going to place us as if we were some kind of order that needed to be dropped off.
“I’m not going anywhere without her,” I said to the European, gesturing to Annie.
“Sweetheart, I don’t care what you want. You will go where I tell you to.”
“Not if I’m dead.”
She stared at me.
“I promise you, if you split us up, I will kill myself.”
“You are bluffing.”
I chuckled. “I have no more reason to live, so call my bluff, I don’t care.”
“Elle, shhh.” Annie bumped me.
I ignored her. “I think the consequences will be much worse for you if I’m dead, so the choice is yours.”
“Who are you, how do you know about our affairs?”
I didn’t but clearly something I’d said made her worry that I knew how their organization worked.
“I’m someone that should’ve killed a bastard when I had the chance.” I made my voice sound venomous and the European jumped slightly as she saw something, or someone that I reminded her of. Maybe my mother but then again, I looked like my father.
She snapped out of it and scratched Annie’s name off the one board and added her to mine.
Annie continued to study me.
My heart dropped into my stomach. Who would’ve thought that in real danger I was seriously becoming the shining star?
When the carriage stopped, we were in some sort of city. It was nighttime and we were pushed up onto a set of stairs leading up to a huge building.
When doors opened, we found a staircase that was lined with red carpet. It smelled awful and Annie winced.
“It’s one of the best bordello houses in Eikenborough. I can’t believe I’m back here.”
“Eikenborough, this is where we are?”
She nodded.
“The guy that let Daisy go, his father runs Eikenborough.”
I remembered the guy. Lucky for me it wasn’t the other one.
“Get them into a bath. They are going to Lord Creptone’s.”
“Oh, no,” Annie uttered softly.
It wasn’t good news.
“Both of them?” a younger woman said.
“Don’t ask questions, stupid. You are paid for sucking dick not your opinion.”
She rolled her eyes. “Come,” she said and we both followed her. She smelled sickly sweet, but at least she was clean. I hated that European woman, she was so mean and vulgar, and it reminded me of the words Blake used to utter into Tabitha’s ears.
I felt bad when her name popped out of nowhere. I’d killed her boyfriend, and while he was cheating on her, which was ironic as he’d cheated on her so many times with Arianna.
Still, he hadn’t deserved to die.
We were taken to another room. It had two huge bathtubs with sofas lined against the wall. There was even a stage way up front. What the hell was this place?
The girl ordered it to be filled.
“You need to get dressed in proper dresses for the lord.” She gawked at Annie. “We’ll figure out what to do with you. You are hardly lord material.”
She disappeared, and apart from the girl who was pouring the bath, it was only Annie and me.
“Everything will be okay.”
“How did you keep them safe?” Annie asked.
“It doesn’t matter how, they are safe.”
She stared at me and flung her arms around me. The hug felt good. “I’ll keep you safe too. Whatever it takes.”
She broke the hug. “I can actually take care of myself. I was born here, almost died here too. But thanks.”
I didn’t like that part. It was as if she was used to all of this. Nobody should be used to all of this.
The door opened and the woman who had left reappeared with the most beautiful princess dresses. I huffed slightly.
For what they were planning to do with us, princess dresses were hardly the right attire.
Then another group of girls entered and started ripping off my clothes. I pushed them away.
“I don’t need people to help me get out of my clothes,” I said through gritted teeth.
“She is a feisty one, isn’t she?”
“Uh-huh. Whoever she is, she’s got Madam Mesousa jumping like a bag of beans,” the one who had brought us here said.
“Who are you?” the one girl asked.
“Nobody, now can we have a bit of privacy?”
“No one gets privacy, princess.”
I swallowed hard as she said it.
“Things work different here than up north. So if I were you, I would start getting afraid.”
“Enough, Gabs, she won’t break. For all we know, she is hiding a mark underneath her clothes. You can smell them miles away.”
“Mark or no mark, this one is going to break the hard way.”
The girls laughed and left. It was only the one who had brought us here who stayed.
“Thank you,” I said, and she flinched a bit. It was weird, as if nobody had thanked her before.
“You are welcome.”
She went to sit on a couch as Annie and I approached the bathtubs. I undressed myself and lowered my body into the water. It smelled sweet.
“Seriously, who are you?” Annie suddenly asked.
“Nobody,” I answered and left it there.
WHEN WE GOT out, new fancy underwear and the beautiful dresses waited for us.
The girls returned when our undergarments were on to help us with our corsets.
Annie had small breasts so she was gorgeous, but mine, mine showed cleavage and I feel so cheap.
Our hair and makeup was done afterward and when I glanced into the mirror, I almost didn’t recognize myself.
I looked cheap, I smelled cheap. If Blake was still alive, Eikenborough would’ve not been standing here anymore and not by his doing, he never did shit for me, except saving my life twice. My abilities had died the night he did.
It was still a hard pill to swallow.
We were taken back to the carriage. Madam Mesousa, who I assumed was the European woman, she was different – elegant and smart.
She huffed as she saw Annie. “Guess Amelia is still good for something. Never thought in a million years she would make you look anything like this.”
Annie sat next to me. Why she said these things, well, I could think of a few reasons. This entire city was evil.
The horses pulled forward with a jolt and my corset pressed hard into my ribs. I could hardly breathe.
I didn’t know what was waiting for me tonight, or rather who, but I knew that I didn’t want this at all.
I should’ve just taken my punishment with whatever our Council was going to do to me, not run away and get myself into further trouble. Still, my mother’s journals stayed with me. The stories that she’d told of how she’d lift her chin and find ways to survive. That was embedded into my mind and it would be something I would hold onto for dear life. I would use her bravery and make it my own.
The carriage stopped in the courtyard of a beautiful building. I didn’t know if it was a hotel or a house, it had so many rooms.
We climbed out and walked up the steps. My heart was beating like mad. I didn’t want to become one of these women.
“Whatever he says is final. If he doesn’t want her, she comes back with me,” she told me.
“Oh, he will take her,” I said. The woman ground her teeth but she held her tongue as she just stared at me.
I lifted my chin and walked the last few steps right next to Annie.
The door opened and we entered.
The foyer was marble and crystal. Madam Mesousa was right behind us.
“You can tell Lord Creptone that Madam Mesousa is here with his new order.” She spoke as if we were some delicacy.
The lady bowed and disappeared.
Right then another woman wearing a black dress appeared from another hallway. She held a bottle of alcohol and looked as if she was crying. She was a mess.
“Why you and your filth always show up here, is beyond me,” she said to Madame Mesousa. “It’s because of them my husband is dead, and my brother and father are going to land in their footsteps.”
“It’s not my fault your husband couldn’t keep his hands off your father’s property.”
“My father’s property?” The woman glared at us. “You should be ashamed of yourself,” she spat and walked the other way.
I watched her as she disappeared. I pitied her and felt exactly the same.
“They have no idea where you get these girls from, do they?”
Madame Mesousa stared at me. “If I were you, now is the perfect time to hold that tongue of yours.”
“Eva,” a man said from the stairs. I turned to see a salt-and-pepper-haired man in his late fifties, who was wearing some sort of animal skin over his shoulders. He seemed friendly but I doubted he was.
Annie drew a deep breath and her hands were trembling softly.
I wanted to go over to her and give her a hug, but she shook her head.
“Lord Creptone. I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long.”
“Not in the least. What do we have here?” he said as he studied me and then at Annie. “This one.” He pointed at Annie. “I don’t need, but this one.” He ogled at me.
“Only comes when you take her.” I nodded toward Annie and swallowed hard. The old man regarded me for a few seconds and then at Madam Mesousa, who seemed as if she’d had enough of my mouth.
“She is well spoken,” he simply said.
“I would do anything if you would find it in your heart to take her in as well.” I stood my ground.
He squinted. “Anything?”
I swallowed hard and nodded with a hint of a fake smile. I wasn’t so sure about that anything anymore, but we weren’t going to be split up.
“Okay, the half-breed can stay.”
I hated that word. Annie was gorgeous, racially mixed just like Cheng. She was anything but half-breed.
“Anastasia.” His voiced echoed through the walls.
“Yes, my Lord.” A small tiny housemaid ran toward him.
“Take…” He looked at me again and had his arm stretched out toward Annie.
“Annie,” I said.
“Take Annie and show her to her room. I’m sure there is some space for another housemaid around.”
“Yes, my Lord. Thank you, my Lord.” She bowed and grabbed Annie’s arm and led her out.
Lord Creptone handed Madam Mesousa an envelope, which she took with open hands. “You impressed me this time. Well done.”
“Thank you, my Lord.” She bowed too. “Goodnight.”
She turned around and disappeared.
“Now, let’s go to my room and see just what exactly I paid for.”
MY HEART WAS pounding, as I stood naked in Lord Creptone’s room. I tried my best to not shed one tear tonight, but I didn’t know if I was going to manage it. He kept staring at my mark that was showing between my thighs close to my knee.
He huffed. “I wanted to say that you, my dear, have a fighting spirit.” He grinned.
He fiddled with his pants and my heart beat like crazy. He stopped. “Relax,” he said and only let part of his pants fall open to show me his mark. I frowned.
“I was part of the Dragonian race too, a very, very long time ago.” He buckled up his pants again, turned around and walked to his liquor trolley. “What is your name?”
“Elle.” It was so easy now.
“Elle?” he asked again and I nodded. “Let me guess, you are from up North.”
I nodded again. “Yes.” I remembered my mother’s journal said you must always speak up when you talk to men and women of status. Not that he was.
“Can I pour you something?”
“Sure, that would be nice.” If I could get drunk then maybe I wouldn’t remember any of this.
He chuckled. “You have impeccable manners too, I see. I wasn’t lying when I told Madam Mesousa that she delivered this time. I’m sick and tired of the women doing everything I say, and then using my secrets as leverage. You are like a breath of fresh air.”
I offered a fake smile, but was glad I’d opened my mouth a few minutes ago.
“Are you cold?”
“A little.”
“Here.” He picked up his fur coat and wrapped it around me. It was warm and I was thankful I wasn’t naked anymore.
“Now,” he said, still standing in front of me.
Don’t ask me to sleep with you, please.
“I have a confession to make, one, that if it gets out, they will kill me for. I’m not interested in women. My affections, well they lie more in the other direction.”
I swallowed hard again. Okay, I wasn’t quite expecting that.
“Then what am I doing here?”
“To play a role. Pretend that you are my mistress, and in return I will keep you safe from all the men here, and your friend can stay on as a cleaning lady.”
That sounded way too good to be true. “Do I have your word?”
“If I have yours.”
“I promise, I won’t tell a soul.”
He reached out his hand. “Then we have a deal, but I have to tell you, you really need to play your role convincingly, especially in front of the public and other court members.”
I nodded. As long as I didn’t have to sleep with him, he could do whatever he wanted. I’d even kiss him if I had to.
“Your room is through there. I keep my mistresses close, so that I can keep a really good eye on them. I promise you nobody in my household will ever harm you.”
“Thank you, you are very kind.” I didn’t know why I said that, but he was kind this very moment, sort of.
His lips curved and hope, something I hadn’t seen recently, sparkled in his eyes. “It’s something one hardly hears around here anymore. Gratitude is just as rare as compassion.”
I followed him to my room. It was huge, suited for a princess rather than a mistress. The bed was so big five to ten people could sleep in it. The bed’s linen was pure gold in color. It had so many pillows on it. A Victorian chair stood by the biggest window I’d ever seen, draped with a darker gold color. A fireplace was situated in one corner and Lord Creptone seemed to have a fondness for fur. It was evident in the carpets. The room was simply gorgeous.
Maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as I thought. The silver lining around my dark grey cloud….
BLAKE
“I’M BROKEN!” I yelled at her and kicked the dustbin that was against her table. Papers scattered everywhere.
“Blake.” Constance tried to calm me down. “You are not broken.”
“Then why can’t I find her? Why?”
“I don’t know.”
“It’s either that.” I didn’t want to think about it and I shut my eyes tightly. “Or it means that she is…”
“Don’t say it. You of all people should know that she is much stronger than that. She is not dead, you hear.”
“I don’t know,” I said. My full body’s weight rested on both arms, leaning on her table. I’d never felt this way before, so useless. “Ever since I woke up I have this nauseated feeling in the pit of my stomach, I can’t reach her anymore. It’s like there is this huge wall surrounding her mind, and my mind can’t pick her up, nothing. I need her here!”
She stared at me with big gray eyes with little brown spots dancing in her irises. They were different from Mom’s, that I know now, but when I was little, I hadn’t been able to tell the difference between them.
“You will find her,” she said softly.
“When?” I hit the table hard with both my fists, making her jump. “You need to do more tests.”
“There is nothing wrong with you.”
“Yes, there is because I can’t sense her, know where she is. My tracking ability doesn’t pick her up anywhere. She was right. This bond is all fucked up.”
“Blake, please. The two of you are so complicated; I just don’t have all the answers. Have you spoken to Irene yet? Maybe she can help.”
I started to laugh. “Irene can’t see shit from me anymore. Ever since…” I couldn’t say it, but since she’d became closer to me, breaking down some of my own walls, subduing some of my anger and dark side, Irene’s sight was completely blocked from me. It was as if Elena’s affections for me had started to protect me from the Moon-Bolt’s sight. I’d hated it then, but I loved it now, because of what it stood for. She was protecting me from evil, and I couldn’t even find her.
“You’re looking at this the wrong way,” Constance said. “She is still alive.”
I glanced from the table back to her.
“If she wasn’t, Irene would’ve seen your future.”
