33. Chapter Thirty-Three
33
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
ELODIE
W ithin the warmth of the blankets, my tender body ached, face tight from the flow of salty tears it had absorbed yesterday. The sunlight that filtered through the gap in the grey curtains stung my eyes as I realised that, again, I had slept through the night.
Wrapped in the safety of the covers and reluctant to leave its comfort, I forced myself to process the events of yesterday, bringing a crushing weight of emotion as the memories pressed into me.
The fear that had squeezed my chest, the way my magik had felt stuck inside me. The wet trail of his tongue on my cheek, his fingers groping my skin.
The crack of his body hitting the wall, his life’s blood spreading across the floor.
Marcellus’ hands tight on my hips, his magik swirling around us.
I traced the parts of my body where Marcellus had held me, wondering if I would have the evidence of his fingertips bruised into my skin. I could feel the pain that bloomed in spots across my back and the residual headache from having my head slammed into the wall, but for whatever reason— that I didn’t want to look into —I wanted his mark on me. Something to prove it was real.
There was still a tightness in my chest that I rubbed at in an attempt to alleviate the strain, fingers bumping against Kaius’ pendant.
My eyes hadn’t lingered long yesterday on the black lily that had been placed on the table by my bed, but I reached out for it now, fingers running over the waxy petals as the faint remains of the magik that made it run across my skin.
Stomach growling, I sat up, stretching out on the bed and put the lily back on the table. Yesterday's lunch had been removed at some point while I was asleep. I hadn’t eaten much and judging by the noises coming from it, my body was angry with that.
I checked the time on the clock I had now grown to resent and knew it wouldn’t be long before breakfast arrived. Deciding to stay in the warmth, I pulled at the blankets like they were another layer of protection I could armour myself with.
After what I had done last night, I wasn’t sure I was the one who needed protection. My magik was dangerous; something about being here fuelled it in a way I never thought possible. It wasn’t the soft buzz that flowed through me back home. Here, it was a torrent of power that I didn’t know how to contain, let alone direct. Not properly.
I couldn’t help but stare at the door, the only real barrier I had and even that was an illusion of safety. I didn’t know who was outside at any given time, waiting to slip inside.
Alouette had said she was one of the few people, or Fae, who could open my door. I would need to see that list before that gave me any sense of security. Was she still outside like she said she would be?
Soon enough, the door knocked, and I climbed out of bed, legs wobbling slightly after however many hours lying down. The door opened to a warm smile, and I found I had a small one of my own to offer back. I glanced outside and sure enough, there was Alouette leant against the wall, arms folded and feet crossed at the ankles.
The scent of warm pastries on the tray she carried had my stomach grumbling loudly to earn me a light chuckle from the lady who had tended to me so gently the day before.
“Did you sleep well?” The tall woman’s voice was gentle, like I was a skittish animal at risk of flight if she wasn’t careful.
Maybe I was.
I nodded, unsure how to express the gratitude I felt at her kindness, but her smile told me she knew the words I couldn’t find. Clearing the tightness in my throat, I looked away, eyes landing on the red outfit she had brought that was folded next to a bowl of colourful berries.
“The Prince has called for you.”
Would this be where he passed the sentence for me attacking his guard, and be put into the real dungeon? It was a possibility I needed to be ready for.
Taking it in my hand, I frowned at the dress that flowed to the floor—a curtain of sleek red silk falling through my fingers.
“And this is what I’ll be wearing?” I eyed it with unveiled suspicion; this wasn’t the sort of clothing to wear if you were preparing to be locked in a dungeon.
“It was Alouette’s idea. But if you’re not comfortable wearing that, I can get you something else,” she said, her eyes sweeping over me from head to toe.
I recognised that look. It was the way Nanna Alba had looked at me sometimes when she was trying to get a read on me. At that, Alouette’s freckled face swung round the door frame, a brow raised in a silent challenge.
“No, it’s fine.” The silk was soft and cool in my fingers.
Why hadn’t Kaius picked my clothes?
“You will be taken down before lunch.”
“Another delightful meal with Prince Asshole is what I needed today,” I muttered, one hundred percent not looking forward to this.
She laughed before saying her goodbyes, and I sat at the table, the hunger a heavy ache as I reached for the food in front of me. My stomach was grateful for the warmth, but the food held no flavour as I methodically chewed, my mind far away.
Once it was gone, I found myself sitting back on the bed, the red silk clutched in my fingers reminding me of the guard’s bloody mark on the stones.
I contemplated crawling back into the cocoon of the blankets. If they wanted me, they could come and take me, as I wasn’t sure I had it in me to willingly walk to my own trial. To try and defend actions I felt little remorse in taking.
Was I supposed to be sorry? Throw myself at their mercy and hope they took pity on me?
The thought alone made magik vibrate in my fingertips like I was holding a handful of angry bees, and I let the dress fall onto the sheets, the silk creased from my grip.
I scrubbed my hand over my face as it slid away, the smooth fabric gliding over a bump of rumpled blankets before it came to a stop. A corner of something I really wasn’t in the mood to find peeking out from underneath.
I stared. And stared and stared.
Hoping that with every blink it would be gone, just a trick of the light—or my overworked mind—but as the minutes ticked away, orchestrated by that gods damned clock, I knew that hoping was getting me nowhere.
Unsurprised at the sliver of familiar energy that passed through me as I pinched the corner, I pulled it out.
A marked wheel painted in delicate brush strokes, its symbols as precise as the snake that curved around one side, and the god of death that mirrored it on the other. Four winged creatures decorated its corners, and a sphinx sat superior at the top of the wheel.
I liked sphinxes, but as this one stared at me with judgment painted into her feline eyes, I had a feeling that was going to change.
The Wheel of Fortune.
A turning point—destiny.
I need a fucking turning point right now, I just don’t know which direction it will head in.
I chucked it into the drawer with the other two, no longer wanting to look at the cards that used to hold such sentiment. I couldn’t even find it in me to care how it got here.
If the card was right, my luck was about to change, though for better or worse who could say.
Prince Asshole can say, that’s who.
Time was running away from me, which was new, since it usually dragged in this little room. The hours seemed to grow longer with each day. But right now, I needed to get ready. I needed to put on my brave girl face and walk out there confident in what I’d done.
My thoughts were swinging between the idea that I should be coming to terms with the fact I was about to find myself in a much worse situation, or coming up with escape plans that, realistically, had zero chance of working.
The Wheel of Fortune was heavy on karma, and I wondered how much it would kick my ass after yesterday. Would I be let off? He had attacked me… or would I be punished for the resulting act I committed?
The clock ticked obnoxiously loud as I tried to corral my scattering thoughts—finding that card hadn’t made things easier. I stripped before I could second-guess myself. Pulling the slinky dress up my body, I couldn’t deny it felt heavenly against my skin. Fitting to perfection, it wrapped me from head to toe in a caress of scarlet silk, every inch of skin covered in a way that seemed more provocative than if I had been offered to them naked.
There was no makeup, all I had to work with was having brushed hair and clean teeth. So, I ensured there was not a single tangle and my breath was minty fresh, grateful for the distraction.
Twisting the rings on my fingers, I waited as time slowed to a crawl. I had lost the book of stories I had been reading at some point yesterday, so there wasn’t even that to occupy me. I considered asking Alouette in for someone to talk to but thought better of it. I was sure the whole day had passed before the knock, and I answered it, finding Alouette grinning at me.
“Looking good.” She nodded, a red braid falling over one shoulder.
“Why the dress? I know I look good, but is now really the time?”
“If not now, then when?”
“Thanks, very reassuring.”
“You’ll be fine.” Alouette laughed, nudging my arm as I slumped against the doorframe before gesturing to the hall behind her, and I slipped on the soft shoes by the door.
“Why the long face?” she said, still smiling and I rolled my eyes at her, surprised by how easy she was to be around.
“Because nothing good is going to come out of this.” I walked next to her down the corridor, wondering if that was the last time I would ever lay eyes on the hideous fruit painting and finding myself a little sad at the thought.
Alouette led me to the same black door that Kaius had a few days prior, the one my mind had thrown itself through—listening in to a conversation that I’m pretty sure was about me. This time, my mind stayed firmly within my skull as I straightened my back. Holding myself high, I smoothed out the silk that flowed over my body.
The fabric draped over the swell of my breasts, before fitting snugly at my waist, silk bunching slightly at my hips before falling to just above the floor. The heat that always radiated through the palace kept me comfortable despite Alouette’s choice of material. Kaius’ pendant sat nestled hidden between my cleavage hidden from view, a steady beat thrumming through it.
That’s probably in my head.
I couldn’t go in there with anything other than a level head, and I forced down deep, calming breaths to wrangle the knots of anxiety I was now made of. Magik simmered gently beneath my skin, as though to remind me I wasn’t some weak human who needed to cower to the people on the other side of that door.
I hadn’t expected to be taken here. Surely any punishment I was to be given would be more… public? The small, intimate room threw me off a little.
“I’ll be out here. Are you ready?” Alouette asked, her hand hovering over the handle.
Not trusting myself to speak, I nodded, and she pressed down, sending me toward whatever fate lay beyond.