Chapter 47 #2
“I haven’t forgotten who I am, even if you have.” I lifted my chin, spine straight despite the chill crawling up it. “Though I would ask who has so graciously invited me to stay here as their guest.”
“That would be your future mate.” Egath grinned, slow and deliberate. “He’ll be along shortly to see you. I assured him I would secure your compliance. The servant will dress you in something more appropriate for court, though your mate has final say.”
Mate.
The word struck like a blade. I was already married. My hand twitched with the urge to shelter the babe in my womb, palm hovering for a breath before I forced it still.
What if they could tell? If they sampled my blood, tasted more than just me? Would they kill it? Dispose of the unwanted seed as one might scrape a stain from silk?
Horror spread through me like ice beneath thin skin. I offered Egath a tight smile, every muscle in my face stiff. “I’m sure he will approve of your choice.”
“We shall see.” He chuckled, hand closing over the door handle. “Servant, make sure she eats. She needs to build up her blood.”
So they could control me. Feed off me. I was the prey here; they were sharks scenting the water.
When he left, I turned to the woman. His departure had been her cue. She moved at once, silent as a shadow, setting the tray on the dresser and lifting the silver lid with care.
The scent of seared meat flooded the room. Rich fat, charred edges, copper beneath it. Steam curled upward from thick cuts glistening in their own juices. The plate held an array of roasted meats, dark and glistening. Not a vegetable in sight. No bread. No fruit.
Carnivores.
They sucked strength from blood and tore sustenance from flesh.
I stared at her, watching for the twitch of muscle, the shift of weight that might signal an attack. She stood to the side and bowed her head, hands folded before her, motionless. Like a well-trained dog awaiting command. I would starve before I willingly kept them fat and powerful.
“What is your name?” I clutched the furs tighter around myself.
No response.
“Where are my clothes?”
Dark irises flicked up, then she jerked her chin toward the tray.
Anger scraped my throat raw. I wanted to shout, to rattle the invisible bars of this cage, but fury would serve them, not me. Pleasantness would win more friends than rage, and I needed allies in this kingdom built on teeth.
“I would prefer to eat fully clothed.” I lowered my tone, softening each word until it slipped between us like silk instead of steel.
She drew a slow breath. Her shoulders rose and fell, as if weighing risk against instruction. After a thick swallow, she opened the dresser and withdrew a dress.
Black. Not velvet, not satin. Something matte and lightless, like a starless sky. A high collar climbed toward the throat. Long sleeves. A trailing hem meant to drown ankles. It covered as much skin as possible. No embroidery or crest. No sign of my status or mantle.
For now, I was only a commoner, a guest, as Egath put it.
A shiver moved across my bones despite the warmth of the chamber. Surely if I met with the king, it would be as Queen of Radaan, not a trinket to be traded between hands.
She helped me dress. Layers slipped over my head in soft waves.
The fabric whispered against my ribs as she drew it down.
Laces tightened across my back, each pull stealing breath.
Her fingers were cold against my neck while she fastened the row of tiny buttons along my spine, one by one, each press a quiet claim.
Somehow I felt more exposed than when Egath had seen me bare as the day I was birthed.
“My mantle is cared for?”
She brushed my hair aside and smoothed the last button into place. No answer.
My patience chafed at her silence. I would not sit idle and wait for Tallon, or worse, to come claim me. A plan had to take shape. An escape. A misstep I could exploit.
The woman stepped aside and gestured to the tray.
I sat on the edge of the bed instead.
Her wide eyes snapped to mine, and I offered her a small smile, brittle as sun-bleached coral. “I’m not hungry after all.”
She stiffened. Color drained from her already pale face. Hands clasped together so tightly her knuckles blanched. Her gaze dropped to the floor again, shoulders rigid with fear.
It was warm, thick air pressing against my lungs.
The long dress trapped heat along my skin.
Sweat gathered at the base of my spine, and I picked at the hem of my sleeve, glancing at the high window.
It stood far above reach, but sunlight poured through, pale and indifferent.
The chamber held no tub, no dressing room, no comforts.
Were they trying to humble me?
Silence stretched thin between us. I didn’t bother to ask questions or press for information. She wasn’t at liberty to speak to me, and her employer was obviously more terrifying than I was.
The door pushed open.
I swallowed a gasp and turned as Tallon limped into the room.
I let my smirk curl deep at my mouth, gaze falling to the foot he favored.
His complexion looked sallow, skin stretched tight over bone.
Egath followed, a small box in hand, shoulders held stiff as if he weren’t completely at ease beside the prince.
“I see you’ve finally roused.” Tallon grinned, making his way toward me.
I kept my smile polite, measured. “How’s your stab wound?”
He dropped onto the bed and propped his injured foot on his knee. “Did you think to poison me? I’m not a fool. I know the blades of the kingsguard.”
“You were raised with him, after all. If you didn’t, I would worry for your mental capacity.” I shifted, turning to face him fully—show him I wouldn’t retreat.
“You haven’t touched your plate.” The glee in his voice scraped down my spine. A lock of black hair slipped over his brow. He pushed it back with impatient fingers. “Such a shame. Egath, didn’t you tell me my guests were obligated to eat?”
“She will.” The Velli set the box on the dresser with care.
Panic tightened around my ribs. Refusal had been the only rebellion within reach. I would feed myself on my own terms.
“Now?” Tallon’s tone lifted, eager and childish.
Egath peered over his shoulder at me. “After her introduction to court. We wouldn’t want to spoil her appearance.”
“Do you often bring your prisoners before your court?” I asked.
Tallon beamed. “You’re my guest.”
“That implies I was invited and had a choice in the matter.”
“Would you rather be locked in the dungeon?”
“Perhaps the amenities would fare better.”
“Tallon, do not make the king wait.” Egath’s voice cut through our bickering.
The boy huffed and rubbed his calf. “That dress is ill-suited for court. I’ve secured you a new one.”
“I think I like this fine.” My hand smoothed over the dark skirts.
Egath opened the box. His mouth flattened into a severe frown as he lifted the contents. Gauze-thin fabric spilled over his fingers, sheer as breath. “Tallon, I advise against this.”
“It’s suiting. I picked it out myself.” Pride edged his words.
My palms dampened. I pressed them against my knees to hide the tremor. Egath’s warning made my pulse race faster. Strange that I trusted him more than the boy at my side.
“This will rile the court,” Egath said, gaze sliding over me. “You’ll make enemies.”
“Are you saying I have something to fear here?” Tallon reclined against the canopy post, curtain swaying behind him. “Vellos knows who she is. Now, they need to know she’s mine. This is perfect.”
“You’re taunting them.”
“Afraid your court can’t control themselves? And here, you schooled me for my actions.”
“It’s your choice. She is yours.” Egath dipped his chin, brows raised. “But you risk a challenge.”
Tallon’s flat teeth flashed white in the sunlight. “Let them try.”
Egath’s shoulders rolled in the smallest of shrugs as if he couldn’t be bothered anymore—and handed the sheer garment to the servant. “Dress her.”
The sight of it hollowed my stomach.
Dragons above, I knew that fabric. The prince had once given me a gown like it, intending to parade me around like a whore. Back then I had altered it, stitched a modicum of modesty into its fabric.
Here, no such mercy would be offered.
Egath made to leave, but paused at the door. “Tallon?”
“I’ve nowhere else to be.”
Blood drained from my face. My smile faltered beneath his steady gaze. He tilted his head, daring me to object.
“Give her privacy,” the Velli said, the suggestion laced with a note of annoyance.
“No.”
The single word crashed like a hammer into an anvil.
I was trapped. With Tallon. With a servant too frightened to speak, and a door too far to reach. If Egath could not compel him, I had no hope.
Still, I tried, resisting the urge to swallow past the lump in my throat. “You wouldn’t want to make a bad impression on your new court.”
Please—please, leave.
“They know who I am. Impressions don’t matter.” He jerked his chin toward the servant. “Go on. Change your clothes.”
Cold fingers brushed my neck, and I flinched away. “No. I refuse.”
“Oh, Egath,” Tallon sang. “She refused!” He sounded like a tattling child, basking in satisfaction. “That means I get to make her.”
“Make me?”
He leaned forward, and I recoiled, slamming into the servant. Fabric rustled as I hurried toward the center of the room, placing distance between us, searching Egath’s face for intervention.
Sharp teeth flashed as the Velli shook his head. “Nienna, let’s make this quick. Get dressed.”
They would bite me. Bend my will with blood. Strip rebellion from my bones and force me into compliance. How far would their power extend? Only while I changed—or longer? How long would I lose my freedom for a breath of defiance?
“Tallon, just leave. And I’ll change into that sad excuse of a dress.”
He stuck out his lower lip in a show of mock consideration. “How about—no.” Those green eyes sparkled with malice. “Strip.”
Fury surged, hot and violent. Heat climbed my cheeks.
How dare he? The humiliation burned deeper than fear.
Not only had Egath seen me naked—now Tallon would.
The wrongness of that bastard seeing me bare was sickening.
I belonged to Kallias. I bore his touch, his vows, the life we had made.
My body was his, not to be viewed at the whim of some boy.
What if they saw the swell of my belly? What if they knew it was more than the softness of the female figure?
“Now.” His tongue dragged across his lips in a slow, deliberate sweep. “Or else.”
My heart lodged high in my throat. I crossed the room with my chin lifted and turned my back to the servant. Her fingers moved fast this time, unfastening each button along my spine. Despite the warmth in the air, it bit at my exposed skin.
Fabric pooled at my feet.
I stood bare beneath Tallon’s mocking gaze. I did not cover myself. Did not hide. Angry, helpless tears burned, but did not fall. Let him look. He would see only flesh and fury.
I could only hope my virtue would distract from the secret cradled in my womb.