Chapter 14 Speaking of Monsters #2
I nodded, trying to swallow the knot in my throat.
“I— I just wondered what sort of work you expect me to do. Around the house. Cleaning or things like that.”
“Work?” Zane blinked. “You mean chores?”
“Or jobs,” I murmured, dropping my eyes to my plate. “If it’s scrubbing floors or doing dishes, I don’t mind. I would just like a pair of gloves, if that’s all right. I’m allergic to something in the soap, I think. My hands—”
Warm fingers brushed mine, and I flinched back. Koa froze, letting me see his hand before he reached again, slower this time. His palm hovered just beneath mine. An invitation.
When I didn’t pull away, he turned my hand over and traced his thumb along the rough, red skin of my knuckles.
“Is that why they’re so raw?” he asked gently. “Because they made you scrub floors and wash dishes without protection?”
“Papa always had gloves for me,” I confessed, ashamed to admit my weakness. “But after Arabesque came, she said I needed to toughen up. She said real women didn’t need coddling.”
The air shifted. The room went very still.
Zane’s fork clattered to his plate. Casimir’s jaw clenched, his knuckles whitening around his utensils. A muscle ticked in his cheek. Even Koa let out a breath like a tide drawing back from the shore, quiet, but edged with something dangerous.
My heart stuttered. They were angry now. I shouldn’t have said anything. I’d ruined the moment. They were going to—
“Serafina.” Casimir’s voice was like velvet drawn taut over steel, and I hunched in on myself, wanting to be small for when the hits started. “You will never scrub another floor. You will never wash another dish.”
“You’re not here to earn your place, sweetheart,” Zane leaned forward, voice softer than I’d ever heard it. “You already have it.”
“We’ll get you gloves.” Koa curled my hand into both of his, cradling it like it was something broken and precious. “In case there’s anything you want to do.”
“But aren’t I supposed to help?” I stared at them with confusion knitting my brow. “I don’t want to be a burden. I swear I’m not worthless! I can—”
“You are not a burden nor are you worthless,” Casimir bit out, his tone harsh with anger. I didn’t think it was at me, though, because he softened his voice when I cringed. “You are a gift.”
“You don’t have to prove anything to us, darling.” Zane tugged gently on one of my curls. “Just let us take care of you. Just rest and recover and let us take care of you.”
A lump swelled in my throat. Brumous nosed my knee, whining softly. I reached down and stroked his head as I gave the brothers a shaky smile. I wasn’t sure I believed all of this yet, but I would try. At least until they gave me a reason not to.
“Hmm. If only our enemies could see us now.” Zane leaned back in his chair with a lazy smile. “Bet they’d wet themselves. The Cimmerians sitting down to a fancy lunch with a dire wolf pup and treasuring our new bride.”
“Cimmerians?” I breathed as I froze.
The monsters who hunted monsters. Dhampir. Half-vampire, half-human, and entirely lethal.
My gaze darted between the three of them as I gasped, clapping both hands over my mouth.
“You’re them,” I whispered, my voice muffled behind my fingers. “The ones King Julian warned me about!”
Zane’s smirk widened, and he winked at me like he’d just pulled off the world’s best prank.
“Guilty as charged. Though I gotta say, our reputation’s a little overblown. We’re not that scary.” He leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand. “Are we, bluebell?”
I quickly summed up what the king had told me, watching their faces.
These men, my husbands, were the stuff of legends, whispered about in hushed tones across supernatural communities. And here they were, arguing over the last of the rolls while hand-feeding a dire wolf pup food from their plates.
Something warm and unfamiliar unfurled in my chest. My bond with them. And it was growing stronger by the minute.
I only hope it’s true for them, too. I bit my bottom lip. I mean, they said I’m their beloved. Is that the same as a mate?
“That was just business talk.” Zane whirled one hand. “What did he gossip about us personally? That we’re terrifying? Unstoppable? Irresistibly charming?”
“Sorry, beloved. We should have told you our last name sooner.” Koa’s eyes were apologetic. “It’s yours now, too, after all.”
Casimir, however, was frowning, his brows furrowed.
“That story about the messenger is just bullshit,” he muttered, stabbing a piece of carrot with unnecessary force. “I didn’t twist his head off. I cut it off. And it certainly wasn’t by accident. I don’t behead people by accident.”
“You don’t do anything by accident,” Zane laughed. “You need a spreadsheet and a five-point plan to take a—
“Well, except for that time with the titan wraith,” Koa interrupted.
“I don’t even know what a titan wraith is,” I admitted, eyes wide at how casually they talked about killing.
Casimir’s frown hardened, but before he could launch into what I suspected would be a very detailed explanation, Zane interrupted.
“Speaking of monsters, we need to talk to you about Arabesque. She’s already tested us.”
Her name alone made a ball of ice form in my stomach, and a phantom pain stabbed my chest, just like when she siphoned from me.
“What do you mean?”
Koa quickly summed up how she’d made sure no one would be here when I arrived, giving Amabel and Eluned a golden opportunity to hurt me all they wanted to without getting caught.
“We’ve activated the wards laid by our father, King Lucian, and our eldest brother, Prince Sebastian. You’re safe here, Seri. No one will harm you.” Koa’s hand clenching around his glass. “It’s just, if Arabesque is coming for you, we need to be ready.”
“Coming for me?” My hands trembled, and I set the fork down before I dropped it.
“I’m sorry.” He winced. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“We will protect you, Serafina.” Casimir leaned forward, his eyes locked on mine. “We know she’s a Dark witch, and we know she’s up to something. Our father is also aware of her intentions.”
I nodded, but memories were flashing through my mind, hard and sharp, and I raised one hand to rub my breastbone, shivering.
Zane reached over and pulled my hand away from my chest to cradle it between his big palms.
“Hey. We’re here, angel cake. We won’t let anything happen to you. We’ve stomped on monsters a lot bigger than her before!”
I managed a small smile, but knew it didn’t reach my eyes.
“We need to know what you know, Seri,” Koa murmured. “Anything that might help us figure out her plans.”
I opened my mouth to answer, but the words caught in my throat. It was like an invisible hand clamped down, silencing me before I could speak. I tried again, but all that came out was a strangled sound. My chest tightened with fear, and I dropped my gaze to my plate.
“She’s silenced you somehow,” Casimir said, his voice sharp. “A whisperbind, maybe? So you couldn’t speak about her schemes.”
I couldn’t confirm it, but I probably didn’t need to.
“We’ll find a way to break it.” Koa’s jaw clenched.
“Yeah, we’ll figure it out.” Zane’s hand tightened around mine, his thumb brushing over my knuckles. “You’re not alone, puddin’. Not anymore.”
I nodded, my throat burning with unsaid words.
She siphoned from my papa until it killed him! I wanted to scream. She took my magic, my voice, my freedom, my home!
But all I could do was sit there, silent and trembling, wishing they could hear the things I couldn’t say.