Chapter 7 Labyrinth of Shadows #2
King Julian leaned forward, his own blue eyes narrowing as he studied Brumous, who let out a high-pitched whine and huddled even closer, hiding his face in the crook of my neck as if he were afraid someone would snatch him away.
“Dire wolves are not to be trifled with, Miss Bell. They grow into enormous, powerful creatures, even bigger than alpha wolves. And what will your new husband say when you show up with him in tow?”
“He’ll say the same thing you would if it had been me,” Queen Lilah laughed. “And Brumous is part of her contract with Arabesque, right, Miss Bell?”
“That’s right.” I faced King Julian with my chin raised. “I can’t leave him. I won’t leave him. Brummy needs me, and I need him. Even if my, um, my husband disapproves, I’ll find a way. I’ll take care of him, no matter what.”
“Just remember that dires are known for their aggression, and that instinct may grow stronger as he does. Then again, after what he’s endured at Arabesque’s hands, nothing is certain. Maybe he won’t even get any bigger. How old is he?”
“I don’t know. Arabesque brought him home two months ago, and he was half his current size. I think maybe he had just been weaned.”
“Julian, see if Onyx can talk to him,” the queen suggested. “Do you think he’s capable of answering, Miss Bell?”
“Sorry, I don’t know that, either,” I admitted. “Every once in a while, I picture him replying, but that’s just in my imagination. I’ve never heard him say anything.”
“What about his name?” she asked.
“It just popped into my mind.”
“Very well, my wolf will see what he can discover,” the king murmured. “Maybe Brumous is able to communicate more than we think.”
The king’s eyes flared green as his wolf ascended, and I chatted with the queen as we waited.
I found out that Prince Valerian was seven weeks old, and that betas Luke and Gisela MacGregor were expecting a daughter any day now.
Knowing Luke was the queen’s brother finally explained how Callum had managed to inherit the same orange-red locks when both of his parents had brown hair.
“They plan to name their baby Eula,” Queen Lilah told me with a grin. “It’ll be fun to have a little girl around.”
“It’ll be different, at least,” the king chimed in as the wolf light winked out of his eyes.
“So Brumous is really named Brumous. Maybe he ‘thought’ it at you hard enough for you to actually hear. He understands a lot of what we say, although his mind is… Well, let’s just say, if Arabesque’s goal was to scramble him, she did a fine job.
Oh, and he’s almost five months old, as near as Nyx could estimate.
He should enter a growth spurt soon, which means he’ll need more to eat. Much more. He’s underweight as it is.”
“I understand,” I said as Brumous calmed down a little and stopped his nearly silent whimpers. “Did your wolf see—”
“What Arabesque did to him?” King Julian’s eyebrows drew together in a hard scowl.
“I don’t want or need to know that.” I held up one hand. “I’m aware of what she was trying to do, and that’s enough to carry. Did your wolf see any signs that he’s unstable? If he’s scrambled, as you said, do I need to be on the lookout for signs of insanity?”
“No, no. I mean the way he communicates is unique.” The king gave me a crooked smile that made me tilt my head in question. “Nyx says Brumous is devoted to you, Miss Bell, so maybe he won’t become aggressive. Maybe he’ll stay the baby you’ve made of him.”
#
After I confided what information I could about Arabesque around the silence shackle, I said my goodbyes, kissed Josslyn’s head one last time, and walked back to where my stepsisters waited outside.
It was one of the hardest things I’d ever done in my life, leaving my sister there with strangers, knowing I’d most likely never see her again.
I held back the tears, though, and focused on making the long walk from the king’s study back to the car without passing out or vomiting.
My whole body ached and my mind was fuzzy, which was odd because I usually put in a full day’s work regardless of if I’d been beaten or starved or siphoned the night before.
Maybe it’s because I had to and, now that I don’t, everything is calling in sick, I thought as I finally settled back into the car, its leather seat cradled me comfortably.
Brumous, still trembling a bit, clamored in after me and burrowed into my arms, and I wrapped my coat tighter around us both.
Amabel slid behind the steering wheel with the grace of a cat while Eluned flopped into the passenger seat, her dramatic sigh echoing through the car.
I ignored her, pressing my face into Brumous’ fur as he whimpered softly.
His warmth helped me combat the ice in the pit of my stomach.
King Julian’s story of the Cimmerian brothers lingered.
Hunters of monsters, men who walked into nightmares and came out alive.
And one of them might be on the other end of this journey.
The car eased forward, smooth and silent, the hum of the engine a low, steady heartbeat. Eluned twisted in her seat, her expression a mask of exaggerated pity.
“Are you trembling with excitement or fear, worthless? Do you think your blood-drinker husband will try to fuck you tonight? Are you worried that losing your virginity will hurt? Ooo, do you think it will inspire his bloodlust?”
“That would end the contract quickly enough,” Amabel laughed. “Killing his bride on their first night!”
As their vulgar words hung heavy in the air, a blush crept up my cheeks, hot with embarrassment and something else I couldn’t quite place.
“I bet you’re wondering what it’s like to have a man between your legs, aren’t you? To feel him inside you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said quietly, trying to sound confident and push away the images Eluned’s words had conjured in my mind. Still, what was mating like?
And would it hurt?
“Of course you don’t know, Miss Innocent,” Amabel purred, her voice low and sultry. “Nor are you likely to. Your husband won’t even get hard when he sees you naked tonight. You’re not exactly what I would call attractive.”
I couldn’t help but feel stung by those words. I knew I wasn’t beautiful like the twins or my mother or even Arabesque who, for all her Dark magic and cruelty, was stunning. Still, hearing my insecurities voiced aloud made my heart ache.
“Just drive, Amabel,” I snapped. “Turn around, Eluned. And both of you be quiet.”
With a huff, Eluned faced forward while Amabel shot daggers at me in the rearview mirror before she refocused on the road.
As the soft hum of the engine filled the car, I rested my cheek against Brumous and tried to ignore the miles devouring the distance between me and everything I knew.
I didn’t cry hard, just a few tears for my sister.
Her round cheeks, her tiny hands clenched in fists, her soft hair, her sweet baby smell.
I pressed my lips together, trapping the sound of my sorrow.
Be happy, Josslyn. Be safe. Be loved.
Even if that was all I accomplished with this harebrained plan, getting her away from Arabesque was enough. More than enough.
Losing my home, marrying a vampire, leaving Josslyn. Like a labyrinth of shadows and sharp teeth, it all loomed before me, a reckoning coming faster than I wanted it to as Ohio blurred into Pennsylvania, then New York.
Especially with an unknown husband waiting for me.
I hadn’t thought much about what he’d be like, too consumed by the necessity of it all.
A means to an end, a way to save Josslyn and Brumous and, if the Goddess was kind, myself.
But now, with nothing else to think about on the long drive, I couldn’t help but wonder, what kind of man would marry a stranger?
A woman with no family or fortune? What reasons did he have for agreeing to marry a girl sight unseen?
Please, I whispered, the prayer spilling out with quiet desperation. I don’t need much. I don’t need love or even friendship. Just let him be kind. Let him be decent. Don’t let him hurt me.
Regardless of who I was marrying, I knew I’d need all my wits and as much strength as I could muster, so I closed my weary eyes. Focusing on the steady rise and fall of Brumous’ chest, I allowed the soft lullaby of his breathing to soothe me to sleep.
#
The car door swung open, jolting me awake. Brumous, still nestled in my arms, leapt up, too, but not quite as instantly alert as I was. The sharp smell of diesel fuel and stale coffee hit my nose, and I realized we were at a truck stop.
Amabel was already gone, but Eluned sat in the front seat, stretching dramatically as the ruffles of her colorful blouse fluttered around her.
“Pee stop and lunch break?” I swallowed the dryness in my throat, my mouth sticky from sleep.
“If I’m allowed to speak, Your Highness, yes,” she sneered. “So hurry up and walk that fleabag! We don’t have all day!”
I ignored her jab, carefully pushing Brumous off me so I could slide out of the car, my slick-soled shoes hitting the asphalt with a light smack.
The afternoon air carried the faint song of spring peepers from somewhere nearby, but the rumbles of passing trucks on the interstate nearly drowned them out.
Leading Brumous to the edge of the grassy strip bordering the parking lot, I waited as he darted off with a yip of excitement, his tail wagging furiously.
I watched him, a small, fleeting smile tugging at my lips as the sunlight filtered through the trees and dappled his back.
After finishing his business, he bounded back to me, his fur fluffed up, and I scooped him into my arms, burying my face in his neck as I carried him over to the store, ignoring the sharp stab of pain in my bad arm.
I was already dreading the day he’d be too big for me to lift anymore; I needed to carry him all I could now, and a little pain wasn’t going to stop me.
I was too scared to admit, even to myself, how worried I was about my arm. It hurt all the time now.