Prisoners of Scythia Shifter Box Set

by Lisa Daniels

  His hand slipped through the bar and took mine gently. “It is entirely my pleasure to meet you, Arabella. However, I feel certain you hear that often, so I will just say that I admire your work ethic.”

  “I’m sure you hear that far more often than—wait, what?” His words had completely caught me off guard. For the first time, I actually enjoyed someone complimenting my looks, but it wasn’t because he was trying to flatter me. Something about the man made me feel that he rarely complimented anyone. Then he had talked about something else, confusing me. “You just got here. How could you possibly know if I am a good worker?”

  “This is hardly my first time here, though usually I do not come down this far.” His smile shifted a little, almost like it was reflecting his thoughts. There was something like mirth in the lopsided grin, but his eyes seemed to pity me. “The last time I was down here was a couple of years ago, and I know how that kitchen looked when you got here. Time wouldn’t exactly improve it.”

  “I may not know much about the work of a guard, but I have a difficult time imagining that they give prisoners tours.”

  He chuckled, “I didn’t say I was down here as a prisoner.”

  “Which time?” I tilted my head at him.

  “On my previous visits.”

  “Well, even if you make a habit of roaming the dungeons, I don’t know how you would have seen what I have done so far. The kitchen is on the other side of the cell, opposite from the stairs, so it isn’t exactly on the way. And I am fairly certain no guard showed it to you. Probably not.” I added that last part because I was not at all certain that it was the case.

  Braxton folded his arms and leaned against the wall, his eyes looking at me, not like he desired me. More like he was assessing me. Or perhaps reassessing me. He obviously tried to figure out people within the first few minutes of meeting them. That was the only explanation I could think of after what had happened to the guard. The idea made me want to begin to inch away from him. My initial impression that he was an exceptional hunter now began to solidify. Then he held up a hand, “Don’t worry. I’m not here to hurt you. But yeah, I did get a bit of a look around before the door closed behind me.”

  There were some alarms going off in my head, but for some reason, I ignored them. His word choices were definitely questionable, but there was nothing normal about this man. “I am trying to remain calm. But something tells me that you are rather used to people feeling inferior, small, or hunted in your presence.” That last part slipped out before I could stop it.

  The man blinked slowly, the smile frozen on his face. He tilted his head, “That was not a spontaneous choice of words, was it?”

  “I sincerely apologize,” I began to bow. “I don’t know what—”

  “No, no. Don’t do that. You did nothing wrong, so don’t apologize. I was just noting that your mouth tends to be a little more honest. And perhaps more accurate than I am accustomed to.”

  “If I offended you, then—”

  “You are offending me now by continuing to try to apologize.” He smiled at me.

  “I am so sorry!” I quickly clapped a hand over my mouth. Once I was certain that the next phrase would not include the word sorry or apologize, I removed my hand. “I will try to be more careful with what I say.”

  He shrugged, “I would rather you didn’t. Except less apologies. It is refreshing to have honesty.”

  “I guess you don’t get a lot of honesty. What with you being important and all. People probably tell you whatever they think you want to hear.”

  His head tilted a little, and the only response he offered was a widening grin. When he finally did talk, he asked, “Could you please bring me something to eat? I am quite hungry and there is still a hint of the food you cooked this morning hanging in the air. It is almost like you are trying to torture me.”

  I almost jumped. “Right! I am so—” I quickly stopped myself. “Of course, your highness. I will make something very quickly. Thought it probably isn’t quite what you are accustomed to.” I didn’t hear whatever he said in response as I rushed into the kitchen.

  Chapter 4

  A Moment of Open Honesty

  I hurried to make the food, grabbing the best cuts of meat that had been brought down. Again, the food was not supposed to be for more than one person, but I put together as much as possible to make sure he would find something to eat. It was strange, but I wanted to repay him after what he had done to the guard. As wrong as it was, I had already started to think of the guard as Guard Spoon, and that would soon stick, which I did not realize.

  A voice startled me, “No need to go to any extremes on my account. What you had this morning will do just fine for me.”

  My mind was on the food, so it took me a bit to realize what had happened. Instead, I responded, “It is no trouble. I mean, it isn’t like me to half do anything. And how often does a man save a woman without any ulterior motive?” I smiled as I mixed the cuts of meat into an omelet.

  “How can you be so sure I don’t have an ulterior motive?”

  “I’ve been dealing with men so long that it is easy to tell what they are looking for from the women they encounter. I mean, it is usually easy to tell when a man prefers men to women by the way he sneers when he looks at me.”

  “And pretty much all the rest of them make it obvious that they are very interested in you.”

  “Yeah. I can’t say that it was every flattering either. My mom proved that desire was not a draw. Not a long-term one, anyway.”

  “What happened to your mother?”

  I wiped my hands on a small cloth that had been left with the last delivery and moved over to the oven where I had made several different types of breads—some rolls, a couple of biscuits, and some sweet rolls. “I believe that she managed to come under the influence of a demon once, and was never able to shake it.”

  “Really? What makes you think it was a demon and not her choice?”

  “Well, my dad said that he knew her when she was young. She was always beautiful, but before I was born, she was also competent. Not intelligent, but much more than she was after I was born. My dad suspects that the demon had made a deal to take me and would leave her alone. When she refused, he took that which she treasured most about herself.”

  “It wasn’t her looks, then?”

  “No,” I shook my head as I placed the breads on the counter and returned to the omelet. “No. Sometimes, she would try to be articulate when talking to me. It was obvious that it was almost painful for her, but she didn’t want me falling into the same trap. My father left her when he found out she was pregnant.”

  “But he returned.”

  “Oh, no. When I say my father, I mean the man who was there for me. The one who took care of me when I was growing up. He and I actually have no blood bonds, but to me, he is my real father. He had always loved my mother, but she had turned him down, hoping to better her position. He went off to the Bleak War, and when he returned he was sterile.”

  “What happened?”

  “I never asked. All I know is that he could not have kids. He and my mother came to an agreement that he would marry her and adopt me. In return, she would accept that she would never have children. I wish I could say that she never cheats on him, but she does. I don’t think that she can help it at this point, too much of her is gone. But she manages not to get pregnant, so keeping up her end of the deal.”

  “What would happen if she did get pregnant?”

  “I don’t know. My father would probably leave her. They live in Ridenbach, so that is as good as killing her. No man is going to marry her now, and she has no way to make money.” I finished the omelet and put it carefully onto a plate.

  “Oh, please, let me take care of the rest.” An arm moved in front of my eyes, breaking my concentration.

  Suddenly I realized what the little alarm in the back of my head was trying to point out. Taking several steps back, I bumped into a chair.

  “Whoa, the
re.” A hand reached out and grabbed me before I could fall.

  “What—what—how—you are out of your cell!” I felt stupid as I said it. He had been out of the cell talking to me for some time.

  “Yeah.” He smiled at me, then turned his back to me as he picked up the plate and grabbed a sweet roll. “I thought you realized it a while ago.”

  “I was focused.” I tried to be authoritative, but at the moment I just felt like an idiot.

  “Oh. Focused to the point of being unaware of your surroundings? That is incredibly dangerous for a woman like you, isn’t it?” He looked at me with a lopsided grin. Without looking down, he cut the omelet and brought the fork to his mouth.

  “I—I—yes. It would be if I hadn’t gotten so accustomed to being alone down here.”

  He nodded, “Yes, it has been a while. Most people would not have done so well in your place. But something tells me that no matter how much you do, you will always find something else to improve.”

  “Of course. Nothing is ever perfect.”

  “I agree. But sometimes you encounter something or someone who is close enough that it is like being obnoxiously picky to say that.”

  I started to say something, but then my eyes met his, and I realized what he was saying. Immediately, I looked away, my cheeks feeling a bit hot. “I wouldn’t know. I’ve never encountered anyone or anything like that.”

  “Sure you have.” He smiled at me as he kept eating. I was just about to say something when he pointed his fork at me. “It sounds like your father is very nearly perfect.”

  “Oh,” I avoided mentioning that I had thought he was talking about himself. “Yes, you are quite right. I don’t have a thing I would change about my father.”

  “He’s your ideal man?”

  I bit my lip, “I don’t know about that.”

  “So a caring, kind man who is willing to help the woman he loves and take on responsibility that belongs to another man doesn’t make a perfect man to you?”

  “I meant that I don’t think of him in a way that would make me think of my perfect man. It seems… wrong to think of him like that. He loves my mom.”

  Braxton smiled, “Right. What I mean is if you found a man willing to be that for you, that is a man that you would consider your ideal man.”

  I looked up at the ceiling. “If I’m being honest, it isn’t something I’ve ever thought about.” I looked the strange man in the eyes. “I… well, um, I guess I have seen too many couples after that initial burst of passion. There is no love, and within a couple of years, they usually hate each other. I think the reason it worked between my parents was that they went into it with their eyes open. They knew what the other’s flaws were, but that did not matter as much.”

  “Well, they definitely both stood to benefit more being together. But that does not mean that they would have stuck to the deal. Humans aren’t known for being honest, loyal, or keeping promises. The fact that they are both still trying speaks well of both of them.”

  I nodded, “Yes, that’s pretty much exactly what I have thought. But when you consider what they each had to give up—it was more of a willingness to sacrifice things they both wanted because it was better than the alternative. There was a lot of selfishness on both sides.”

  “Isn’t that what love is? You want the best for the other person, but you want to be able to enjoy their happiness yourself?”

  “I…” I began to scratch my head, unclear how I had gotten myself into this predicament. I had no idea who Braxton was, apart from some member of the nobility, but he now had a lot of information about me. He was apparently enjoying the food as he would occasionally moan and close his eyes, something I don’t think he was aware he was doing. Not wanting to offend him, I kept my mouth shut.

  He was definitely a strange man. Something about him made me feel incredibly relaxed.

  And that was perhaps why something in me felt incredibly scared of him. I was drawn to him, like a moth to a fire. Something was wrong with the situation, but I couldn’t even think of extracting myself from it.

  Suddenly, he changed the subject. “Has anyone ever told you how absolutely exquisite your food is? If I could eat this every morning, I would think I had died and entered paradise. I swear, this is the best food I have ever tasted. Is this the kind of stuff they make up in Ridenbach?”

  “No.” I frowned. “That is a typical meal for the people in the palace. A basic snack when they want something between meals.”

  He took the plate and utensils over to the sink and began to clean them. “I really don’t know how to thank you for that. It was absolutely amazing.”

  “You are exaggerating,” I said, moving toward him. “Please let me clean that.”

  “I won’t hear of it. You have been working yourself to the point of exhaustion for how long now? Three weeks? Or has it been four?”

  “I don’t know. Time really doesn’t mean anything down here. But how would you know when I got here?”

  “Well, you are the woman who condemned another woman to be the servant of a shifter. Everyone in the palace knows about you. Or maybe knew about you. It has been long enough and enough has happened that most of them have forgotten about you. Obviously not Jacob, but most of them.”

  “Who’s Jacob?” I had lost the thread of the conversation and was having a hard time trying to catch up. “And what has happened?”

  “Jacob is the guard who brought you down. He was the second to the captain, who is now locked up, just like you. Jacob is in control now, but he has his hands full with trying to find the princess and the coming war because the prince who was supposed to marry her found out she is missing. If I’m being honest, you are much safer down here. For now, anyway.”

  “Is that why you are here?”

  “What? Me?” He looked up at me and pointed to his chest, “No. That isn’t why I am down here.”

  “You aren’t hiding from the other nobles or royals or whatever you are?”

  “I’m not either.”

  I blinked a couple of times, trying to process the information. “But you look like it. Your clothes definitely look like you are from a higher social class.”

  He stopped what he was doing and scrutinized me. “I know you aren’t trying to offend me, so I am fighting the impulse to be offended. Give me a minute.”

  I stared at him. Braxton was easily the strangest man I had ever met. Except he wasn’t.

  Finally, he moved. “Right. Finally got that straightened out.”

  “I’m sorry, you have completely lost me.”

  “Oh, I hope not. That would ruin everything.”

  “What?”

  “Nothing.” He waved a hand, “Force of habit. You’ll get it later. Anyway, let’s clear one thing up right now. I am not a human. Not even a little bit.”

  I automatically took a step back, “Then what are you?”

  “A superior class, like you said.”

  I blinked a couple of times, “Do you think that people of lower classes are also a different species?”

  “No, I think that humans, which some of my people would argue are kind of like your lower class, are a different species.”

  I shook my head, unable to follow his logic. “I think I need to sit down.” My hand stretched out, but the chair was under me before I could move. Braxton had moved faster than I had been able to register.

  That was when I realized what he meant.

  It explained a lot. He did not appear interested in me the way human men did because he wasn’t a human man. He wasn’t a human.

  Chapter 5

  Why Are You Here?

  I immediately bolted out of the chair and moved to the other side of the table. “Are you a demon? I will not make a deal. I will not follow in my mother’s footsteps.”

  Braxton pursed his lips and tilted his head. “And you have again offended me.”

  My mouth dropped open. He simply waved it away and continued to talk, “I know you didn’t mean
it, and from the sound of it, you have reason to be afraid of demons. I can assure you, I am as offended by the idea that I am a demon as much as a demon would be offended for you mistaking me to be a demon.”

  “What—I don’t—”

  He moved to the doorway, “As much as I would like to continue this conversation, we are going to have a visitor soon, and the best place for me would be back in the cell.”

  “How can you possibly know that?” I watched as Braxton walked away. Like a child follows a new friend, I quickly left the kitchen, despite having been afraid of him just a few seconds before.

  He looked over his shoulder and smiled, “I am not limited by human senses.” Pushing open the door, he entered the cell, then closed the door behind him.

  “I don’t understand at all.”

  “I promise to explain. For now, you had best return to the kitchen. I’m hoping that they won’t notice me here, but they are definitely aware that you are down here. I won’t let anything happen to you, but it would be best that you not be seen fraternizing with me.”

  “Because you aren’t human?”

  “There aren’t many people who will come down here that can recognize me for what I am. As you saw, even the last guard didn’t realize I wasn’t human. Despite everything.”

  “Guard Spoon doesn’t strike me as a very competent man.”

  His brows furrowed, “Guard Spoon?”

  “Oh, sorry. That’s how I think of him now.” As soon as I finished talking, Braxton let out a loud laugh. “I’m sorry. That is very childish.”

  He grabbed the bar with one hand, then pushed my chin up to look him in the eyes. I almost didn’t hear what he said as I looked into the depths of his eyes. “I like it. Guard Spoon.” He chuckled. “I think you will find that most of them are spoons, though.”

  “Including me.” I gave him a self-effacing grin. “You’ve told me you aren’t human, but I can’t tell by looking.”

  He nodded, “You also haven’t been taught what to look for. I think your brain capacity is just fine. You are at least a fork.”