Chapter 28
Chapter
Twenty-Eight
Konrad paced back and forth. So if Wraith wasn’t here, where would he be? He supposed Wraith could be in the Necros quarters. He could have gone back. But Wraith’s chests still remained in Konrad’s room.
Could he be wandering the monastery or sitting in a garden somewhere? Elias said they’d left him before dinner, but that was hours ago.
Should I call a servant and ask if they’ve seen him? At least his guards are with him.
A knock sounded on the door. Konrad crossed the room and opened it.
Wraith stood before him, gaze down.
“Where have you been?” Konrad asked.
Wraith flinched. “I … I was just in one of the sitting rooms.”
“He cowers from you.” Fuck. Gerard was right.
Konrad stepped aside. “Please, come in,” he said, gentling his voice.
“I just need to get a change of clothes.” Wraith rushed towards his chests. “I’ll be quick.” He knelt, flung one open, and rummaged inside. “And um, I was wondering if I could call for a bath. Or could I at least use the basin to wash? I’ll leave straight after that. I promise.”
Konrad swallowed. Did Wraith think he had to leave so soon? Did he think Konrad would deny him the chance to bathe or wash? True, Konrad did not want him in his room, but that didn’t mean he’d cast him out.
“Where do you plan to sleep?” Konrad asked.
“I was thinking in one of the sitting rooms, the one with the cushions.” Wraith paused in his rummaging. His shoulders hunched. “Is … is that okay?”
Konrad closed his eyes. Fire and flames. Gerard had been right about so many things.
Konrad held up a hand. “No. I mean … Don’t—”
Wraith dropped the clothing and placed his hands in his lap. He kept his head down. He held completely still, barely breathing. It was as if he was waiting for Konrad to throw him out.
Konrad swallowed. “I said that I would not harm you and that I would treat you with respect. I meant that.” He took a deep breath. “You are welcome to use this room at any time. You do not need my permission.”
He still didn’t like the idea, but Wraith had no other room. And he did not want to be the arsehole Gerard and Elias thought him to be.
“You may also make requests of the servants, such as asking for a bath or food. And of course you can use the bath now. I’ll call the servants for you.” Konrad walked towards the door. “And what about food? You weren’t at dinner. Have you eaten?”
Wraith’s brows lowered. “Gerard brought wine. I drank some of that.”
Wine was not a meal. “But did you eat?” Konrad pressed, whilst trying to keep his voice pleasant.
Wraith shook his head.
Konrad opened the door, then rang a bell that sat on the stand by it. Martin appeared.
“Your Majesty.” The servant bowed.
“We require a bath, Martin. And can you bring some food?” Konrad asked.
“Of course, Your Majesty,” Martin said. “Right away.”
“Thank you.” Konrad closed the door.
Wraith had gone back to rummaging in his chest. Konrad walked towards him. He stood behind him, uncertain what to say.
Or maybe I just don’t want to say it. “I apologise.”
Wraith turned and blinked up at him. “For what?”
“For being harsh earlier. I promised to show you respect, and my fulfilment of that promise has been somewhat lacking. And I should not have pulled out a dagger on your—” Konrad hesitated. “—pet hellhound.”
“Oh.” Wraith rested his hands in his lap.
“What is a hellhound exactly?” Konrad asked.
“I … well, it’s a hellhound. It’s …” Wraith frowned. “She’s like a dog. But not alive.”
“Is it dangerous?”
“No.” Wraith vehemently shook his head. “She can’t touch the living, except me, since I made her. So it’s impossible for her to hurt anyone.” He paused. “Except …”
Konrad braced himself. So the hellhound wasn’t completely harmless. Gerard and Elias were wrong, and Konrad had been right!
“When she was alive, during the few times she had enough energy, she’d chase birds or mice.
But she never caught any!” Wraith rushed out.
“She just barked and ran after them. But she wasn’t a fast or strong dog.
She was actually quite weak. So she never came close to catching any. I’m sure she scared them though.”
What? Of all the things he’d expected Wraith to say, that was not it. He’d expected, well, something more terrifying from a hellhound.
“Although, honestly, she still likes to chase birds and mice, even though she is dead. She bounds and barks after them. Unfortunately for her, she can’t actually touch them. And I doubt she could catch them even if she could touch them. She’s not a skilled catcher.”
“I see.” Konrad paused. “I used to have a dog when I was a little boy. A big bruiser called Bones. He used to chase birds and mice too. Had as much luck as your hellhound, it seems.” He chuckled.
Wraith’s shoulders relaxed. A knock sounded on the door.
“Come in,” Konrad called out.
Martin entered. In one hand, he carried a tray with plates of different foods. He held a carafe of water in the other.
“Place them on the table, please,” Konrad said.
Martin entered and did as instructed. Another servant carrying a bucket of steaming hot water also came in and went to the bath.
“Come, you should eat.” Konrad gestured to the sitting area.
Wraith rose and walked over. They both sat. Wraith clasped his hands in his lap. He chewed on his bottom lip.
“Eat.” Konrad gestured to the food. “I wouldn’t want you to be hungry.”
Wraith picked at the bread and nibbled on it. He did not eat like a man famished. Konrad poured two cups of water and placed one in front of Wraith.
“Thank you,” Wraith said.
Konrad remembered Wraith smiling at Elias and talking freely in a way he never had with Konrad.
How can I get him to relax? Or at least be less afraid of me.
Konrad leaned back in his chair and sipped his water. Maybe Konrad just needed to relax and then Wraith would relax too. And Konrad should make sure he did not raise his voice. Or speak too directly.
Problem was, Konrad knew he tended to be direct and forceful. He was used to dealing with his father, his siblings, or other individuals who ran their kingdoms. One had to be direct and forceful when dealing with them or they’d ignore you and your opinions.
But maybe that had not set him up well for interacting with Wraith.
Servants continued to fill the bath as Wraith ate. But he ate like a bird, picking at the food rather than properly eating. No wonder he was so thin. And he’d not seemed to be hungry when Konrad came in, despite having missed dinner. How often did Wraith miss meals?
They sat for several minutes as Wraith ate and drank. When the servants finished filling the bath, they left and closed the door. Wraith sat back.
“Can I meet it?” Konrad asked.
“What?”
“Your hellhound.”
Wraith opened his mouth. Then he closed it.
“I will not pull my dagger out. I am sorry for doing that earlier. I had assumed the hellhound was a threat. But I trust your word that it is not dangerous.” Although, honestly, that was not 100 percent true, but he was open to it being true.
“But if you do not wish me to meet it, that is fine. I understand completely.” Although, he couldn’t deny the twinge he felt in his chest. After all, Elias and Gerard had spent quite a bit of time with the hellhound.
Meanwhile, everything seemed so awkward between him and Wraith. But now that Konrad thought of it, he’d never really been the kind of person to put others at ease. Nor were his other siblings, Gerard, Senta, and Liesel. Maybe their upbringing had not prepared them for this sort of thing.
Luther was the most charming of his full siblings. However, Elias seemed even more charming than him. At least when he wanted to be.
“Okay. But do you promise not to scare her?” Wraith asked.
Scaring a hellhound. Konrad would not have thought it possible. “I do. As long as you promise it is not dangerous.”
“She isn’t.” For a second, Wraith hesitated, wringing his hands together. Then he closed his eyes. “Come, Umbra. Come to me.”
A ball of black smoke grew before them. The smell of smoke and incense filled the air. The smoke swirled, taking form, becoming Wraith’s hellhound.
Konrad’s fingers twitched and he had to stop himself from reaching for his dagger. He’d promised, after all. He took slow, even breaths.
Give it a chance.
The hellhound turned towards Konrad, staring at him with eyes that were just empty sockets. Its ears lay flat against its head.
Wraith patted the hellhound, but his gaze was on Konrad. “He won’t hurt you. He just wanted to meet you.”
It took Konrad a second to realise Wraith was talking to the hellhound, not him.
“Umbra, this is Konrad. Konrad, this is Umbra.”
Konrad, unsure what else to do, inclined his head in greeting. Then, immediately, he wondered why the fuck he’d done that. He cleared his throat. “So how did this hellhound come into being?”