13. Ash
Chapter 13
Ash
Nan told me stories when I was young of Princesses and daring Princes who whisked them off into beautiful castles because they fell in love. Castles with robes, fancy dresses, and gleaming glass slippers. They filled my head with dreams of the fantasy of love, what I believed in until my life turned upside down. This was nothing like those stories. The dark Prince in my story was a master of deception, his handsome face too dark and chiseled for his own good.
His thumb brushed the skin between my shirt and pants where my jacket had ridden up from his hold on my waist. I clenched my teeth, my skin breaking out in goosebumps under his delicate touch that I wanted so badly to hate.
Footsteps drew closer on the hard floor, coming from a hallway to the left. We waited in anticipation for whoever would step around the corner. My legs trembled from the exertion of days of riding and the adrenaline that surged through my system.
Soldiers rounded the corner, followed by the man that my nightmares were made of. Maximus, my grandfather, the King, stepped between the guards. The large guard I recognized from last spring at the hot pool. This was nothing like the fairy tales—the King wore no crown, no billowing robes to show his position. The man I had pictured in my head was the opposite of the man who now stood before me. I had thought he would be frail with age and slim from commanding his kingdom from the safety of the estate. No—this man was nothing like that.
He was younger than I had envisioned—maybe in his late sixties or early seventies. Nan was around the same age, but I had to admit Maximus wore his age better. Tall with dark hair peppered with gray and bulk that seemed too foreign for his age. No fineries with his clothing either. The man was shrouded in black, like all the others, strapped with twin guns on his chest and, if I had to bet, several other weapons on his body. Deep wrinkles covered his forehead and surrounded his thin lips, displaying a hard and cruel-looking face.
Those eyes. Blue eyes. A startling realization settled in my stomach that made my insides twist. My eyes—they were the same. Ice blue with a penetrating depth that could freeze a man in place. Except I’d like to believe mine were much less cold and calculating. I was a mess of confusion; running and hiding seemed like the best option, but I stood my ground. The cruel King stood directly in front of me, and all I could wonder was if he had any love left in his heart for his granddaughter.
I narrowed my eyes at him from under the hat and hood I still wore to cover my hair. His assessing eyes turned to Diesel, who still held up my side as my knees threatened to give out. I did all I could to straighten my back and lock my knees—I could not show him any weakness. I pulled out of Diesel’s arms and stood on my own two wobbling legs.
The hard line of his mouth morphed into a wide smile. “Gabriel, my boy. It’s good to have you back.”
“It’s good to be back, sir,” Diesel replied.
“Peters took good care of you while you traveled?” he asked, glancing at the man standing by the door.
“Yes, sir.” That sniveling weasel did nothing but make sure his uniform stayed clean and claim the closest spots by the fire at night. “We only ran into a little trouble a few weeks back.”
“From whom?” the King asked.
“We don’t know. A man tried to steal Ash, but we got her back.”
“Did you catch him?”
“No, sir.” Peters stepped up then and spoke. “He got away in the river.”
Maximus pursed his lips and shook his head. Then his eyes slid to Jerek and the two soldiers on my right. I felt invisible as he addressed everyone else before me.
“Wavern,” his voice sounded a bit surprised. “I didn’t expect you back so soon.”
Jerek dipped his head to the King. “Yes, sir. I have news to report.”
He nodded, then finally addressed me. “And my long-lost granddaughter, how good of you to join us.” I couldn’t dissect the look on his face. It wasn’t one of joy at my presence, but not complete hatred either.
“Grandfather,” I ground out through clenched teeth.
“Wavern, if you’d please,” he said, gesturing to my head .
Jerek reached for my hat with his face carefully constructed. The smile I was so used to had vanished. My hood and hat slid off the back of my head—blonde hair burst in all directions and fell to my lower back. I stood ramrod straight, leveling my grandfather with a stare that told him I was unafraid.
Maximus smiled at me like I was his new toy and he couldn’t wait to play. The room vibrated with tension—he had known all along about my hair, that much was obvious. Miles also knew about my hair, but they never informed Diesel. Where was I hidden so that the King couldn’t find me when I was young? Where did my father bring me from the day he met Pop? And if Miles knew, then why didn’t he tell Diesel?
Maximus stepped closer to me. “If you didn’t have my blue eyes, I wouldn’t think it was true that we are actually related, granddaughter.” His eyes roamed over my face, looking for familiarities. “You don’t look like Liam at all, except for your eyes.”
After his assessment, he gave a slight nod. “Davis,” he barked at the soldier behind me. “Take her to her room. Della will show you which one.” An older lady with gray hair tucked into a bun and a long gray dress moved around the corner of the hall with soft feet, barely making a noise. Her face could match the King’s in hardness—no bit of kindness in sight.
“Go rest, granddaughter. Tomorrow, we will celebrate your return and have a little chat,” the King said.
He turned his back to me and strode toward the hallway without a second glance. “Peters, Etan, Wavern. War room. Debrief. Now.” The words were clipped and cruel, demanding the authority that he possessed. Peters scurried after the King, trying to keep up with his lengthy stride, leaving Jerek and Diesel staring at me. My body sagged with relief at the King’s departure, my knees almost buckling underneath me. Jerek sent me a wary look before motioning to Davis, who came up to my side and helped me stand. Jerek left, trailing the King without another word. Diesel was in front of me the next second, giving Davis a dark look.
“I would take you there myself, but I have to go,” he whispered gently to me. His eyes roamed over my face, assessing everything. He didn’t want to leave me alone.
“If you touch or talk to her other than to help her to her room, I will put a bullet between your eyes,” he threatened Davis, standing too close to the soldier.
“Understood, sir.”
Diesel gazed at me with concern etched around his eyes, giving me one last longing look before walking after the King. Della, who I had forgotten stood there, motioned for us to follow her. I took a step forward, putting weight on my leg, and almost crumpled to the ground at the pain surging through my calf. Something had gone seriously wrong. Davis supported my weight as I nearly fell, and I was thankful for his surly presence. He helped me hobble along after Della as we took the hallway to the right, the opposite direction from where Diesel had gone.
“My name is Della, the head housekeeper here at the King’s mansion,” the woman in gray said.
I scoffed internally. So that was what it was called. A mansion.
“You may come to me with all of your requests concerning your room or meals.” Her voice was harsh and unforgiving, the sentences clipped and short. I didn’t know whether to admire or dislike her for her no-bullshit attitude.
We followed her for what felt like forever through winding mazes of hallways and up a flight of stairs, which I hopped up. I kept track the best I could. Always pay attention to your surroundings so you can find your way back home without getting lost. Pop’s voice sounded in my head. Even after death, he gave me advice.
She stared pointedly at my leg when we reached the top. “Do you require medical assistance?”
Yes. “No, I just need to rest.”
She gave a curt nod and led us down another hallway with a door at the end. She opened it, and a room spread out in front of us that was more lavish than I had ever seen. A bed even larger than Diesel’s, covered in a white bedspread that could swallow me up with its plushness, leaned against the wall. The massive bed frame, made of intricately designed wood, dwarfed the room. More furniture dotted the floor in this single room than had been in our whole cabin back in Cedar Hill. Nightstands, a desk, a chest, couches, chairs—more furniture than I would possibly know what to do with. The light shimmered overhead when Della pushed a switch on the wall, lighting up the room. My mouth dropped—that was all they had to do to get light?
Davis made a noise by my side that sounded like he tried to contain a laugh—the first emotion I had seen out of any of the soldiers besides Jerek—but his face remained impassive. I narrowed my eyes at him. He was another face before, in a sea of dark hair and clothes, but he showed emotion—real emotion.
“Something to say, Davis?” I asked.
I watched his face closely and swore his eyebrow moved upward slightly. Della’s harsh stare drilled into us before Davis answered, “No, ma’am. Just something in my throat.” Right.
“You’ll find your bathroom and closet through here. We have already picked out a selection of clothes and toiletries for you. If you need anything else, let me know. ”
Davis helped me over to the doorway, and I gaped again at the inside of the bathroom. Who needed a bathroom this big? A large gleaming white bathtub twinkled under the lights. Next to the bathtub was a closed-off section of the room, encompassed in glass, with a shiny metal spigot peeking out from the wall. What in the world was that? Where was I even supposed to boil the water to put in the tub?
A large vanity covered the other side of the room, with more gleaming white countertops and a sink with another metal contraption and a giant mirror above it. I caught sight of myself and cringed. I looked like hell. My hair stood in all directions, my face was painted with filth, and I smelled like the dead rabbit that was in Diesel’s sink when I cleaned his house.
The bathtub called my name. I had never wanted a bath so badly in all my life. I didn’t even dare look in the massive closet that was off to the side of the vanity. Another door stood tall at the end of the bathroom, and behind it gleamed a white seat with a hole in the middle. Was that a toilet?
Della looked at me like I was stupid, and I didn’t need any more of her judgment. Instead of asking all the questions that burned in my mouth, I simply said, “Thank you.”
“I have other duties to attend to. Someone will be up with your dinner soon. Please wash yourself off before rolling around in your room.”
What? Like I was some kind of pig? Oh, she did not like me. She flitted out of the bathroom with no other words. I looked around, not knowing what to do next. Davis made another sound in the back of his throat like a laugh.
I pulled away from him, bracing myself on the countertop. “Excuse me, do you have a problem? ”
“No, ma’am. If that’s all, I’ll leave you to it.” His face didn’t move with a single emotion. How did he do that? How did he keep all his emotions from spilling onto his face? He dipped his chin before turning and walking out the bathroom door.
“Davis… Wait,” I called after him. He turned to look at me once more.
“How do you use all of this…stuff?” I hated to admit that I didn’t know, especially to this jerk that laughed at me like I was some buffoon.
I swear the corner of his mouth twitched, but then it stopped when he stepped over to the glass box. “Shower,” he said and reached in, turning a knob. Water came pouring out of the wall. Steam billowed at the edges of the glass. Not only water—hot water. My eyes widened again. What the hell? He flipped the knob again, and the water stopped.
“Bathtub.” He flicked a similar knob and water poured into the tub. Why did someone need two ways to get clean? He turned it off and walked to the vanity next to me.
“Sink.” Another knob and more water running.
Then he walked to the door to the room with the white seat. “Toilet.” He pulled some of the paper on the wall off and chucked it in, pulling the metal lever on the back. The noise sounded like rushing water carrying the paper away down the hole at the bottom. Oh. OH! Wow, that was…neat.
“Anything else, Princess?”
“Yeah, don’t call me that.”
“Sorry, ma’am.”
I waved him off, and he left me alone in the giant bathroom to sort out my thoughts. Of all the soldiers, he seemed like one of the safer ones.