Chapter 40
O nce back at the castle, it doesn’t take long before Xandros goes back to ignoring me, using the excuse it is for my safety when we learned King Vin would be staying longer than he initially claimed.
The limousine was dragged off for examination, though I doubt they’ll find much since there was barely anything left of it once the fire tore through it.
The driver was buried the day after the accident, and watching his daughter cry over his coffin as he was laid to rest was horrid.
Since then a few days have passed, which I believe has something to do with King Dresden, yet he is a good actor playing the role of a worried father and concerned king; no one seems to have noticed or seen past the facade, and I can’t be bothered arguing it, what’s the point; I am invisible until they choose to use me or request something of me.
However, things have since returned to a semblance of normalcy.
Although, tension is still lingering in the air.
King Vin remains at the castle, and I haven’t seen Xandros for the past two days now.
Surprisingly, I find myself not caring about his absence.
Sitting in the walk-in closet, I dial Toby’s number, my heart racing with the excitement of knowing I would hear his voice.
Hiding in this closet has become the highlight of my days.
For a moment, I can pretend I am not here but with someone who actually does care for me.
It has become a daily ritual in a sense; all day, I anticipate speaking with Toby.
It’s like a reward at the end of the day after playing handmaiden to Carina.
Xandros sent word via Javier that he must keep his distance right now, that Vin has constantly been pestering him and pushing for the wedding.
He thinks he is making progress with Carina signing the divorce papers.
I believe otherwise; they seem the same.
Toby answers the call after the second ring, and I smile goofily, his voice filled with excitement.
“Hey, babe, I didn’t think you’d call. I’ve been waiting by the phone for an hour,” Toby tells me.
“I got caught up with Adina; she spotted me talking to Rehan in the halls.”
“That old fossil still training you?” he asks, and I sigh, another thing that has become a ritual every morning at the crack of dawn. Rehan shows up to train with Javier and me, yet it seems pointless because Vin hasn’t come near me since the accident.
“Yep, every morning. Adina asked if something was going on between me and Rehan.” I chuckle at the thought.
“Like she wouldn’t feel it if there was.” Toby laughs.
I sigh; things have become comfortably miserable and normal to the point where I no longer care. It is what it is…
“So, any news?” I ask him nervously, praying he was able to get a hold of the seekers after the failed attempt. Security was heightened after the accident, making escape impossible, yet now things have died down. I’m hoping he has been able to reach out to them again.
“Actually, I do have some news. After our last failed attempt of breaking out, Sienna, the seekers have arranged an escape plan for Saturday. Tyra will sneak you out in the laundry hampers on Friday like originally planned, then you need to make your way through the old tunnel system to meet me. I will pick you up at the back of your old house. We will stay at a hotel until Saturday morning until the seekers can sneak us out the next morning.” Toby explains.
“Xandros will be able to track me down; the bond will lead him to me if I remain in the city,” I worry.
“Which is why I will be marking you before we leave. It will stop him from sensing you, it will tarnish the bond, and he’ll be in too much pain to come after you.
I’ve emptied out all my accounts over the past couple of weeks.
Tasha will handle the club. We can finally get you out of the city, Sienna, and start a new life together,” he assures me.
As I listen to Toby’s words, it feels like a dream come true, a fairy tale unfolding before my eyes. I can envision a life of freedom and happiness, away from the constraints of Xandros, free to be with Toby.
“What about my mark?” I ask, my voice tinged with uncertainty. “He forced me to mark him,” I admit.
Toby sighs heavily. “I have a plan for that, too; I know a witch who can break the bond. It may be costly, but there is a way to free you from the mate mark, allowing us to be together without any lingering ties to him.” I chew my lip; despite hating Xandros, I still wonder what kind of effect that will have on him when we break the mate bond.
Just as I hang up the phone and hide it away, I hear Javier’s voice calling out my name. Relief washes over me, and I rush to open the door. “It’s just you, thank God,” I breathe.
Javier has become my only friend in the castle.
I don’t really know what to make of King Rehan and my relationship; he now treats me like the daughter he never had, yet not at the same time since only I and Javier see that side of him, so I don’t know whether to class him as a friend or a foe with an agenda which he is yet to reveal to me.
I never know with this family; for all I know, he is probably hoping I finish my parents’ job and kill off his son and wife to collect insurance money.
“Just bringing up your dinner,” he says, moving toward the coffee table. He sets the tray down.
“Thank you,” I tell him, and he nods once and turns to leave.
Besides the morning routine we have, and when he follows me around like a shadow as I do my chores, I have no one else to talk to.
Tyra slips in a hello or good morning when I drop the linens off each morning.
We can’t risk being seen talking. So, Javier is my only choice for friendly conversation. And this place is extremely lonely.
“Wait!” I call out to him as he reaches for the door handle.
He sighs; I know he must get sick of babysitting me or standing outside my door.
“Please stay,” I murmur, two simple words, and I can’t even hide my desperation or the loneliness lacing my words.
The empty castle walls seem to close in on me more and more each day, and I long for actual physical company. A friend.
“You know I am not supposed to; if Xandros finds out I spend the mornings in here or his father, he’d be mad, and he’d take it out on you, you know this,” he tells me.
I nod, a lump forming in my throat. I suppose I could stay on the phone with Toby until I fall asleep, yet I’d run out of credit, and that means asking Javier for more since I have no money or a way to recharge it.
I hate asking more of him. He goes to leave again, and I turn toward my food, spotting the slice of cheesecake.
I know Javier or Rehan is sneaking it up to me because I never used to get desserts.
“I’ll share my cheesecake with you,” I offer, holding out a small slice from the tray. Javier smiles, his eyes reflecting a genuine warmth while also echoing pity back at me. Am I really that pathetic that I’ve been reduced to begging for a friend? Javier bites his lip, glancing at the door.
“Only for a little while,” he agrees, taking a seat in the armchair. He grabs the remote and flicks on a movie, creating a sense of comfort and distraction. I try to give him my cheesecake, he shakes his head.
“No, you eat it. I don’t want anything from you, Sienna. You don’t need to bribe me; I just don’t want to get you in more trouble,” he tells me. Trouble for wanting the company of an actual person and not the voices coming from the TV.
Sitting, I eat my dinner. I find the loneliness of being in this room a little less cold with Javier’s quiet presence.
He is also a welcome distraction from my bond that grows more haywire each day when left on my own.
With nothing to do and no distractions, I find it becomes my sole focus, the longing, and pain of it so hollow and cold.
The bond between Xandros and me continues to grow stronger each day despite his absence.
Now I can even feel when Carina brushes up against him and touches him in any way; it burns.
I know they don’t have sex; it’s merely her touching him because I also feel his repulsion, his anger when she does, yet a few times I’ve also felt his protectiveness of her which leaves me confused.
Halfway through the movie, exhaustion takes hold, and I fall asleep on the couch.
When I wake up, I find myself in my own bed, the blanket tucked around me; the room is cloaked in darkness.
The emptiness of the space feels suffocating, and my bond aches in my chest, a painful reminder of Xandros’s absence.
Javier must have put me in bed because I don’t remember waking up at any point.
Once again, Xandros never came to see me, leaving me to face the cold night alone, leaving my bond in pain once again. Does he not feel its distress, or does he simply not care? I’ve tried to sense his yet I can’t; as if he blocks me out sometimes.
Desperate for a distraction, I try to call Toby, hoping to find relief in hearing his voice.
However, there’s no answer on the other end.
Wrapping my fluffy robe around myself, I attempt to warm up by the now extinguished fire.
I know Javier won’t be outside my door; he usually leaves once I fall asleep.
I’ve woken a few times and called out to him or gone out into the hall to find him gone.
The unbearable ache of the bond intensifies, and I exhale, feeling defeated.
With a heavy heart, I move to my bedroom door and open it, knowing I am never truly alone in the castle.
The watchful eyes of the cameras track my every move.
Driven by a mix of curiosity and desperation, I make my way to Xandros’s quarters.