Chapter 38
Soren pivots on his heel, looking over my head at his men. "We’re here for business right now. You can come back and fuck whichever one you want later once I’m in my room. I need all of you on guard for now.”
Soren's pale gaze falls down to mine, penetrating me in a momentary dissection before he turns around as we follow Rosmertta. I'm almost used to the exploratory nature of his powers, like it's something I have to accept if I'm to be near him. Peeking around the massive man, I see Rosmertta guiding us through a long hall that’s away from the entrance and up a separate flight of stairs.
Dragging out a sigh, I do my best to ignore the many sounds of sex coming from rooms that we pass. I even hear the crack of a whip as a woman tells someone they’ve misbehaved, moans breaching the wooden door of their room.
We near a large archway with open doors—the only room with drawn-back curtains. I nearly squint at the natural light, the room as large as a grand dining hall with many moving bodies.
One-and-a-half-story windows overlook a man-made stream, water flowing through carved-out stone, and buildings packed together that use it for commerce and travel. It's so crowded that I'm shocked people can even traverse the waterway.
We are taken to rather spacious quarters in the very back that are filled with food and many casually talking. I spot a blonde woman by a slightly curved window, sitting among a collection of empty couches and chairs. She stands out among the darkness of the room.
I move to bolt right past Soren, who steps aside for me without hindrance.
Kathleen stands when she spots me, revealing her thin yet elegant white dress. We embrace, and she smells just like wisteria. I let the unique scent stain my lungs like it’s a fresh day of spring after a long winter. We're friends that never quite did anything more than indulge in the other's presence, and yet here we are, in Skull's Row and trying to survive.
She shouldn’t be here, though, and I need to find a way to get her out.
Her heavy-lidded, green eyes examine my outfit. "Miss Jane, what are you wearing under this cloak?"
"Oh, it's a story that will require some ale," I reply with a smile, taking in every detail. Her skin is smooth and clean, her beautiful blonde hair soft and washed. I take one of her hands in mine. Even her nailbeds are pristine. "You're okay," I state with relief. “At least, you look okay.”
She smiles, then waves at another. "Ale for my friend and I."
I barely process our environment as she moves me to a chair that places my back toward the entry. I glance over and both Bones and Soren are watching from across the room in their own enclave, more of Soren's men standing by the entry. I face Kathleen who sits very close to me.
The room quiets at the presence of a Zenith, only for Rosmertta to clap her hands. "Act as normal. Patrons, if you feel more comfortable, there are more room downstairs."
An awkward air hangs as I know half the room wants to move but doesn't want to be offensive. A gang of men in a corner raise their glasses in Soren's direction, a few holding onto petals of all shapes and sizes.
Immediately, I don't like those men. Something dances in their eyes that reeks of violence with no boundary. Especially as one grabs a woman with so much force she winces. My blood runs hot as I sneer, but I still face Kathleen, refocusing on her. "Okay, but Bones. What is going on there? Are you sure you're all right? You look great, but are you bound here? Forced to do anything?”
Dark eyebrows rise as if I've asked her the most personal question. "I'm going to need about three mugs of ale to talk about Bones ," she laughs, one of the only times it's ever shaken with uncertainty.
"I worry about you," I implore, spotting a necklace that looks like his around her neck—a bunch of bones on a leather string. I lean in, having seen too much of the world to take her clean appearance at face value. "Are they making you do anything you don't want? Is he ?"
"No," she immediately replies, adamant. "It's quite nice here. Rosmertta runs one of the few houses that lets the workers choose their clientele. She has her limits on what is allowed. People go to darker districts for other things," she scowls, her eyes flashing with disgust. "Of course, it’s Skull’s Row, so pain is always just around the corner, but I mostly just help where I can. Do their hair and make-up. Cook."
"You've become their maid .”
"Not much else to do, honestly. It's been good." She takes ale from a man who lowers a serving tray for us, and I do the same. "They all know everyone, and everything. It's the best way to learn Skull's Row. No one touches me, either." She grabs the bones around her neck, surprising me that she touches them with ease. Speaking with a contemplation, she says, "Bones made this for me."
"What is that?" I carefully ask, although I'm pretty sure I know.
"The knuckles of a man who tried to force himself on me when I got here," Kathleen says those words like Bones gave her a necklace made of gold, and then her eyes widen as if realizing the tone she used in admitting that.
I take three large gulps of my ale. I mean, I'm happy to hear he’s kept others away, but does she even want to be here? "So, when you get that?"
"About two days ago." Kathleen downs some ale herself before hesitating like she's finally committed to a confession. "You're going to think me crazy, Jane."
"Look at what I'm wearing." I laugh as I gesture to the corset I wear, down to the nearly see-through fabric. "I won't judge you, Kathleen. You can tell me. Are you doing okay? Like, truly?”
She speaks like it's a secret she's eager to share. "He is one of the most intense men I have ever met." She leans in. "But I think I want to keep him. I mean it's not like I have a choice, probably. I think my tits have made him see new colors. He's not going anywhere." Shaking her head and looking out the window, a ghost of a smile on her elegant face, she adds, "I've become a mad woman, Jane."
My laugh doesn't quite leave me like how I intended, and I end up staring at Kathleen like she's the only familiar thing I trust. My gaze drops down to the ale inside the wooden mug, the drink still frothing. How do I explain to her that men like Bones are more familiar to me than the ones in Coalfell? And that her desire for him is something that makes me feel normal?
"Jane, what is it?" Kathleen asks, drinking more. "You better perk up. Your Zenith is now eyeing you funny."
Soren . "Oh yes... I can’t hide a single feeling from him," I mumble, still staring at the foam.
Kathleen gently says, “Bones told me that’s why he was sent in the first place… because of your tattoo .”
My body stiffens; of course, that’s already spread. "Yeah," I mutter, looking out the window, watching a crow fly by.
"Your father was a Zenith, but the Council doesn’t know which one?" Kathleen leads, like trying to coax it out of me.
I snap my gaze back on her. “He told you that?”
“Soren told him to. To see what reaction I had, and also mentioned something about you needing someone to confide in.” She licks her lips, and it’s impossible to miss how she’s trying to be gentle. “It’s fine, Jane. I’m your friend. This all makes a fuck ton of sense.”
It's as if her words take the very weight of my heart and carry it away. Having someone say it—and not in a panic—makes me feel like a normal person. I don’t know how to feel about Soren sharing this information as if he knows what’s best for me, but that reaction feels so useless, too. Because damn him, but it did help. With a cracking voice, I mutter, "That's the gist of it."
I glance her way when I notice her posture change, Kathleen's tone clipped, her eyes scolding. "Look, I understand you being quiet before, but it's making me feel less like a true friend that you won't talk to me."
That shocks me out of my stupor. "You're right. I'm so sorry Kathleen," I reply, motioning my ale toward her. "It's just so much to process," I begin, spilling my heart out once I begin. "My life. Where I was sure it was heading... and then Coalfell and now I'm back, like the ocean has finally pulled my ship to its depths..."
"What's happening, Jane? Why do they want you?"
"I don't know." I glance around before holding her gaze. "I mean that. I don't know." I eye the knuckles around her neck. "I think Soren is handling some of it. But I don't know what that means. As far as I know, I really think it’s just because they’re confused and pissed that I’ve been marked. Wondering if it’s one of them that did it.“ I don’t mention Tempest, as I’m still honestly processing it myself. “Daughters never get marked. Ever. I broke their code, and they’re not a forgiving bunch.”
With a single nod, Kathleen heaves a heavy sigh. "So why trust Soren in all of this, then?"
Looking at her face through my lashes, I counter, "Why do you trust Bones?"
She rolls her head to look away, going to touch the necklace, and then refrains as if realizing what she's doing. "He's got obsessive issues, ones that confusingly intrigue me. I think he's sparing me just for the novelty of me, at the bare minimum. I trust that ... is that the same for you?"
Some nagging voice yells at me to declare he has said as much more than once, and that my skull is too thick to hear him. "I'm lost, Kathleen. I'm so lost," I confess, dropping my gaze to the floor. "I don't know who to trust. I don't know what to do. I'm scared, worried, anxious, enamored—" I stop when the shocking need to bawl my eyes out nearly does me in, embarrassed that I even said that.
She touches my knee. "It's all right, Jane... is Soren treating you all right, at least?"
I sardonically laugh, blinking rapidly to remove the tears in my eyes. "He's a great brute that I enjoy fucking. Even had me in chains earlier, and yet I wasn’t scared of him once. That’s insanity, right?”
Her smile genuinely spreads across her face, the image immensely comforting, reminding me of times before all of this. "There you go. Always knew you needed the right man," she says, drinking more of her ale before she dons a serious expression. "So now what? What's the plan with him? You need to have one. He's watching you right now like he's picking your soul apart.”
"I'm an idiot if I blindly trust him," I reply, but curl the end of the sentence almost as if it's a question.
"Bones says you're special to Soren. New, yes, but he's smitten, even if a bargain has been struck," she says with a smile. "I don't think you're an idiot, Jane. Maybe a bit daft if you want to have his babies tomorrow, but I think he likes you. That's how some of those men are. Even the women here are like that. They see something rare, and they snag it."
My head spins in a way my heart has been eager to, but my mind refuses to allow. With a partial smile, I mutter, "Did he pay you to say that?"
The muscles in her face twitch as if the question catches her off guard, but she laughs it away. "Hells no... I wouldn't do that even if he offered me a castle. I'm not like that." After a deep drink, she leans forward again, the scent of ale mixing with her floral perfume. "My honest advice? Emotions removed? Ride that cock right on out of here, then escape if that's what you want—"
Kathleen's eyes peer over my shoulder, the warmth of them hardening. Turning in my seat, I watch as a man sits on the couch next to me. He’s someone I saw earlier in the pits, recognizable only for all the red tattoos on his pale chest and arms. He's minorly cleaned up, but still rugged.
"Can we help you?" Kathleen asks.
He looks between us. "Was just wondering what you two are talking about."
"Does that often work for you?” I ask, raising a judgmental brow.
He smiles before connecting his gaze with mine. "The name is Shade."
My heart gently flutters at the eye contact, staring with confusion at another dangerous man in this world. At the same time, I know, deep down—or perhaps finally accept— why they have this effect on me.
Dad, for as much as I am bitter, killed many men to free me of this place, and those from Skull’s Row would do the same. Their brutality is what I crave, because I was raised to accept nothing else.
With a cracking voice, I choose to be snarky. "Did your mother name you that?"
This side of me is why Dad often kept me at a distance in public. I was prone to saying things that frequently got me into trouble, which could blow our cover—although he always paid someone to trail me. I even had a large kid sit on me once when I was seven, crushing me because I couldn't hold my tongue until someone smacked him upside the head with a cane…
I eye the fighter's bandaged leg. Blood cakes the hair through his gashed pants. It's as if he wants to show off the carnage he endured. He's not even wearing a shirt, displaying his ink and scars.
Leaning back into his seat, he's hardly phased. "I don't know what my mother dearest would have called me if she stuck around. But this nickname has stuck." His muscled, dirty stomach moves in tempting ways as he breathes, and faces Kathleen. "Anyway, you've been requested." He motions to our side.
"Oh, what ?" she mumbles.
“Rosmertta sent me to fetch you,” he explains slowly.
Kathleen looks behind me before facing me. "She does seem to want me. I’ll see you soon. I hear you’re staying?”
"Of course," I assert.
I watch Kathleen walk away, Bones immediately following her, the tall yet lean man—for what it's worth—looking at her with gentler eyes than I would have imagined he’d ever have.
I glance Soren’s way, who raises his brow, watching me, but not moving. He slowly sips his drink, eyes on me and only me. I turn around, noticing that Shade isn't leaving.
Shade takes immediate advantage of the isolation. "So... I hear you're Soren's pet. A new one," he observes, leaning forward. "You're too pretty to be ruined by him, you know that? Although, he does enjoy his things pretty so he can break them. Always digs right into their chest and knows how to manipulate."
I snort, only for a heat to threaten its bloom through my cheeks. Screw it. I need information, and this man is the first person outside of Soren's ranks who might have answers for me. "So, he has a penchant for the pretty ones?"
He scoffs. "Fucker has had many men of power trying to get him to marry their daughters. But he's a hard bastard to catch. No one has been long-term that I’m aware of." He stares me dead in the eye as he says, "That's why you're very curious to me right now. He doesn't usually keep his pets leashed so close."
I narrow my eyes. "First, I'm not leashed. Right now, anyway… And second, why does this matter to you?"
He grins, the smile rather pleasant. "As I said, came to tell Kathleen that she’s wanted and figured I’d ask. Although I don’t like the way he’s looking at me now, so it’s probably best I leave. I’m rather fond of living.”
Just like that, he stands to leave me alone. I watch him walk away, and once he’s out of arm’s reach, Soren finally motions to Rosmertta.
In quick succession, everyone rises when Rosmertta taps a very small gong, the patrons leaving made more dramatic as they fade with the sound that ordered them.
As I stand, she motions for me to remain, and it’s evident that Soren has just cleared the room for us.