Chapter 31
FELORé
Time whittled away like shavings of wood.
I was a life-sized doll, numb to the touches of the four servants who’d escorted me to a massive, opulent washroom designed for the sole purpose of preparing concubines. It was an upscale version of what we had at the brothel, with four bathtubs instead of one.
The servants didn’t speak a word, probably directed not to, as they cleaned me relentlessly, inside and out.
One massaged oil that smelled of amber onto my skin while one wafted steaming herbs around me, while another hosed a solution made of tincture and water up my ass, cleansing me until I was just a body.
A toy for a prince. A pretty gift no different from any other trinket that would one day break because it was made to be played with, not to withstand the test of time.
The outfit they dressed me in was similar to what I wore the first night, such that it was see-through, with trousers long and flowing, and a cropped shirt that exposed my stomach and bits of my chest.
But it was black instead of silver and trimmed in sparkling sapphire stones, the same as the earring they’d slid into my ear—a dangly thing that was so long it nearly grazed my shoulder.
It all contrasted starkly against my skin, and they were right to assume it was going to awaken something inside Alek.
Alek.
I hadn’t allowed myself to think of him; not really. Perhaps because thinking of him cut through the numbness too much. When I let my mind wander to Alek, even for a second, the pain of loss was too brutal, and the irony of what I had to do too vicious.
No demon in this palace deserved my sacrifice more than him. And yet, he wouldn’t accept it willingly.
A knock on the door of the washroom jolted the servants into a line with heads bowed. I couldn’t muster the strength to bow my head as they pushed me in front of them, but it didn’t matter.
Alek was the only one who had my respect anyway. Not the king. And certainly not fucking Neopal.
He stepped into the washroom, freezing at the sight of me, like his body couldn’t help it. Then his wrist twitched, and I would’ve spat on him if I had the fight. But the fight was gone.
“He is ready,” one of the servants said, eyes cast downward as she curtsied. “If there is something we missed, let us know, and we’ll do our best to accommodate.”
He breathed in sharply as his eyes dipped down my body. “Turn around.”
I was dead inside. Disconnected from my body moving through time and space as I did what I was told, spinning a full circle for his approval.
“It’ll do,” he said, nodding at the servants, rubbing his twitching nose. “Assuming someone has already brought his meal to the prince’s room?”
“Yes, My Lord.”
My final meal. Well, how gracious of the crown to provide one. The thing no one ever mentioned: you didn’t feel like eating your final meal.
“Come, human,” Neopal said. “I’d like to get you there and fed before he returns.”
Silence fell upon the room when I didn’t budge, the servants exchanging concerned glances between them. Then I pushed myself forward until I took a step, and another. I was finally following him out the door.
Neopal marched with his hands pinned behind his back, his expression stoic. He dared not place a hand on my lower back to guide me down the hallway like the king did, but he was well aware of my every movement, and I had no doubt he’d be on me in seconds if I ran.
But there wasn’t anywhere to run. Judging by the sparkling charcoal stone of these walls, scattered with lit torches, we were already on Alek’s floor.
“How is it going to happen?” I asked, my voice low. “What can I expect from tonight?”
He didn’t look at me, his jaw tight. Then he answered softly, “Tonight, you will feel more pleasure than you’ve ever experienced at once. It’s designed that way. Then once he’s had you, sleep will quickly claim you, and that will be it.”
I rolled my lips. “What about him?”
“What do you mean?”
“What will he be like?”
His eyes got a little vacant as he searched the walls, like he was accessing long forgotten memories.
“It will be him, but not him. His darkest desires may arise, and he will be lost to them, to the beast inside, such that you might not recognize him fully. If you start to panic, he’ll aug you—it’s natural; we can’t help it—but you’ll appreciate it. It’ll relax you.”
Augmenin. I’d only heard stories of the powerful medicant in their lungs that made humans submissive and manageable. I’d never experienced it in all my years because most demons ran out soon after they lost their virginity.
But I heard it was lethal. That even if you wanted to fight, you couldn’t. A slow exhale of their breath and it turned any human into their docile prey.
“The meal I’ve had prepared will help, too,” he said. “Make sure you eat all of it.”
My gaze flashed to him. “What is it?”
“It is a soup made from the root of the excitavis flower.”
My eyes shot wide. “You’ve made an entire soup out of it?”
“You know what that is?”
“Of course, I know what it fucking is. I’m not stupid. It doesn’t work on me. It doesn’t work on every person, you know.”
The exotic excitavis flower, which grew near the northern shores, was coveted among the vultae. The root of the flower, when cooked, was the strongest aphrodisiac on the planet and worth its weight in polished rubies.
But the thing about it—a human had to eat it willingly. Not only that, but they seemed to have to eat it in a headspace of already blissful. Of adoration for the vultae. Excitement. Arousal.
For someone who hate-fucked their way through life, it only ever had the opposite effect on me. I once had a regular client insist I swallow an excitavis tincture—swore it’d be different with him—and I spent the next hour huddled into myself, hissing like a stray cat each time he tried to touch me.
It was for the Landrys of the world. It was not for me.
“If you don’t think it’ll work, then don’t eat it,” Neopal said, palms lifted. “We wanted to give you all of your options, and we thought since you helped Alek with his boar injury that maybe…”
I glared. “That maybe what?”
He parted his lips but hesitated to say, “That maybe you’d softened to the prince.”
It stopped me cold.
“Only you know the answer to that, human,” he said, shockingly tender. “If you have not, then disregard it. But there is no shame if you have.”
I tore my gaze from him, continuing down the hallway, unwilling to let him see what I myself had yet to even admit.
We turned the corner, and at the end of the hall was Alek’s room. I tried to take the next step, but something inside me faltered, staggering me to a halt like a stubborn mule.
Neopal stopped, too, twisting around. He parted his lips to speak, then sealed them shut, averting his gaze to the floor. “You’re frightened.”
“No,” I said, blinking at Alek’s door. “No, it’s not that.”
He stayed silent, waiting.
“You were the one to put my brother to sleep, were you not?”
I recognized that look on his face. I’d seen it before. A shameful pink was spreading across his cheeks. “Look. I know it’s not fair. I know taking your brother must seem cruel. For that, I am sorry. I wish there was another way.”
“You think I give a shit about your apology?” I asked, narrowing my gaze. “I don’t care what your wishes are. In fact, I hope it haunts you for the rest of your days. My concern is for him.”
He sucked in a breath.
“Promise me, he’ll be cared for. Look me in the fucking eye and promise me that. If you have any honor left in your body, you will not lie.”
He lifted his chin and met my gaze. “Human, you have my word that your brother will be cared for tirelessly. I will make it my personal duty.”
With no choice but to believe him, I found myself nodding. A sense of finality washed over me as I slid my gaze to the door once more.
My lungs filled with electrically charged air as I took my first step. And another. And another.
I pressed my palms against the door, creaking it open with all my might. It was there I paused, but didn’t look at Neopal as I said, “Take care of him.”
The door slammed shut behind me. I sagged with my back against it, surveying the room where I’d been with him for so long. It looked the same, and yet not the same at all.
A silver tray with a single polished dome sat upon the desk. My chain lay disregarded, scattered across the floor like decorative garland.
I carefully approached the desk, my heart quickening as I lifted the dome.
The bowl of soup was pinkish in color with a fresh sprig of rosemary jutting from the middle. It smelled of winter vegetables, the distinct tang of the excitavis root, and whatever rich pour of oil had been swirled in the middle.
I swallowed, sliding open Alek’s drawer where his last remaining cigarettes were lined neatly. I was shocked at how much my fingertips shook as I gathered them, holding them to my nose to inhale their scent.
Maybe it was because they were so synonymous with him that even when unlit, their scent brought me comfort.
I breathed them in the whole time I walked them to the fire.
They ignited in flames when I tossed them in and had shriveled to ash in seconds.
As I sat myself at the desk, I couldn’t help but soften a little.
It was here where we’d spent a lot of time. Where he laughed, I ate, and we played cards. It was also here where this young prince insisted our lives would be entwined when we escaped the palace, like we were two misfortunate lovers in a fairytale story, maligned by an evil king.
The spoon was heavy when I lifted it, but I shed my heavy thoughts.
As I ate, I only let myself think of Alek.