by J. E. Taylor
Hurt flared in his eyes, but I refused to look away. “I wasn’t in control,” he hissed, stepping closer. “You were.”
“What I did was to save you, not destroy you.”
He looked down at the ground, and his knuckles whitened on the handles of the crutches. The clench of his hands formed tight knots in his forearms, making the veins stand out. “I don’t know what to believe anymore.”
I stepped back from the cell bars. The lost look in his eyes amidst the frustration wasn’t going to get resolved today. He needed to work out his issues, and based on my snap, I obviously had some issues of my own to deal with.
“How long are you going to keep me in this cell?”
His eyebrow arched. “We both know you could have left anytime.”
He was right. I could have left, but if I had, I would have infuriated him further, and we might never get through whatever barriers we both had built since that night.
I shrugged. “You ordered me to be locked up.”
His lips twitched and he nodded.
“Besides, where the hell would I go?”
He opened his mouth as if to answer and then closed it. “Point taken. Was this a revenge thing?” He pointed to his leg.
“Jaden, if I hadn’t done that...” I couldn’t continue. My throat tightened and my eyes misted. “They would have had to kill you.” I blinked the tears away, refusing to let him see me cry. Not with the chill radiating from him.
“Would you really have been sad?”
His callous tone and darkening eyes shot through the misery gripping me, turning on the fire within.
“You have the audacity to ask me that? What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“Open,” he growled and the door swung open with a bang. He crutched into the entry. “Take a good long look at what’s wrong with me!” he yelled. His entire form shook.
I realized just how damaged his mother had left him. I stepped forward.
“Don’t,” he warned.
I ignored him and closed the distance until I stood close enough that only a sheet of paper could fit between us. He trembled and his eyes filled with tears before he blinked them away.
“I don’t care that part of your leg is gone. It doesn’t make me love you any less,” I said, homing in on the insecurities plaguing him.
“What makes you think I care if you love me or not?” The hardness in his features caught me by surprise. “What makes you think I give a shit about a little slutty slave girl?”
I started to step back, but Jaden reached out and grabbed a handful of my hair. He pulled me to his lips, and the kiss was angry and rough, just like the grip he had on my hair. The crutch slammed on the floor, making both of us jump apart.
His chest rose and fell in unison with mine.
“I don’t know whether to beat you or fuck you,” he said with enough venom to make my stomach roll.
I pushed away from him. “Don’t be such a dick.”
For the first time since he walked in, he actually cracked a smile, and I saw a glimpse of the old Jaden. “I guess I should count my blessings that I still have one,” he said and leaned down to pick up the crutch. “You are free to go.”
“Where?”
“Anywhere but here,” he said.
I blinked at the numbing shock, wondering if everything to this point had been a farce. My gaze dropped, falling on the ring on my hand and so many empty promises.
“So this?” I lifted my hand, showing him the ring I still wore.
He put his hand out. “I’ll take that back.”
There was no hint of a joke in his voice or gaze.
My chest squeezed in response, and I nearly doubled over with the pain his words caused. I worked the ring off my finger and threw it at him before I crossed to the elevator. It wasn’t the exit I was hoping for, especially when he crutched next to me in front of the doors.
“I’d rather not have to share the elevator with you right now,” I said, trying to keep the shake out of my tone. I couldn’t peg the volatility of emotions swirling through me. A symphony of sensations from numbness to sharp pain struck every cell to the point I wasn’t sure if I would shatter into a million tiny shards. I certainly did not want Jaden to witness my breakdown.
“Tough shit. I would rather have my leg back. Looks like neither of us is going to get what we want today.”
The elevator ride was brutal. I was barely able to hold it together, and all he did was stare at the floor counter. When the elevator arrived at the main floor, I nearly sprinted from the lift. I did not want to walk with him, not with the unshed tears blinding me.
The stairs outside were slick enough that I almost slid down them instead of running. My brain knew where I was heading, and my heart ached by the time I stepped into the frigid lobby of our broken down building.
I climbed the stairs two at a time and stopped on the level where the room protected by my charms was located. My mother’s blanket still lay on the bedding untouched. I grabbed it, slinging it over my shoulder as I tried to block the assault of memories from the room. Jaden making love to me was still embedded in the air. I backed out of the room, trading warmth for the chill outside. I climbed to our rooftop sanctuary with the blanket slung over my shoulder and settled with my back to an old vent box.
With the blanket wrapped around me, I watched the stars travel across the sky through a veil of tears. My mind kept shuffling through everything that happened leading up to this moment, and with each fond memory of Jaden, my heart hurt a little more. The cold stare he had given me was nothing I had ever seen on him. It was as if his soul died when I cut off the poisoned part of his leg.
When the sun broke the horizon, I wiped my face and lay down, closing my eyes against the growing brightness.
I dozed restlessly until my bladder and stomach demanded attention. It didn’t take long to stow the blanket away before I climbed down the staircase and ventured out into the town proper for the first time since I was deemed an outcast.
The reception I received was a complete turnaround from being shunned. Just a few days ago, I was treated like a leper or worse, and now being treated like a royal princess was a little hard to swallow. People fell over themselves offering kindness and whatever I might need. I had never seen this kind of reception, not even when the Regent went out in public.
When I was offered a room at the most elegant hotel in our part of the sector, I almost turned it down. But I wasn’t a fool. If I couldn’t deal with my little shelter last night, I knew it would be just as difficult facing those memories tonight. Besides, I was curious to see how the other half lived.
The hotel manager led me into the penthouse suite, and I stared at the pure luxury surrounding me. The living space was bigger than both my mother’s and Gypsy’s entire apartments combined. The view out the window gave me the same view as my rooftop oasis, but this space had no frigid wind whipping through it. I slowly crossed to the adjoining bedroom and gawked at the massive four-poster bed.
It was far more elegant than even the Regent’s quarters in the mansion, and it smelled like roses, strawberries, and clean linens.
“I can’t possibly stay here,” I said as I looked around the room and back to the manager.
“Is there something wrong with the accommodations?” The manager’s brow furrowed.
I smiled to ease his worry. “No, sir. This is just...too much.” I waved at the elaborate room, my cheeks heating. “Don’t get me wrong, this is gorgeous. I’ve never seen a more beautiful place, but I’m used to servant quarters. Besides, I don’t have the money to pay for this.”
“Miss Brighton, this is on us.”
I gaped at him, unable to speak as a nagging feeling surfaced. A few days ago these people were ready to feed me to the ravagers. “Why?”
His soft smile unarmed me. “Because you rebuilt the barrier before it failed. But more importantly, you’ve given us all hope that perhaps our persecution may be nearing an end.”
“You freed us from Samantha Mallory’s black reign.”
I had no idea the citizens felt the same way I did about their prior ruler. I guess being a servant in the mansion and having such limited access to the world outside had isolated me from the people.
“For decades, both the men and women of this sector have walked on egg shells. Making the Regent unhappy meant certain death, and the woman Master Mallory was betrothed to seemed to be worse than the Regent. As much as I don’t condone what Master Mallory did, I have to say the collective sector breathed a sigh of relief when she disintegrated.” He paused and glanced out the window. “Now with both Samantha Mallory and her heir apparent gone, the blackness over sector eleven seems to have been lifted. We just pray her son is more reasonable than she was.”
I kept my lips closed against the need to defend Jaden in any way. Not with the way he treated me last night. He would have to build his own legacy, without my input. My heart squeezed. I joined the hotel manager’s prayers that he wouldn’t turn into a royal bastard.
“So, please, the city, as well as the sector, owe you their lives. Let me at least repay the kindness as best I can.”
How could I refuse without offending this man? “Thank you.”
He bowed and then left. I crossed to the bathroom and gazed at the tub. It was huge. I turned on the hot water, opened one of the bath salts, and dropped a couple in the water. Lavender and vanilla wafted from the soapy water. I stripped, tossing my dirty clothes onto the bed before taking advantage of the tub.
Slipping into that bath was like stepping into heaven. Buttons on the lip of the tub intrigued me, so I pushed one. The water became a ripple of bubbles, and jets pounded into my back. I tensed but after a moment, the pulse hit several different spots, creating a pleasant tingling like a good massage.
I leaned back and closed my eyes, enjoying a luxury I had never had a chance to experience before. By the time I finally stepped out of the remaining suds, my fingers and toes had turned to wrinkled prunes. A bathrobe hung on the back of the door, and I slipped it on, relishing the soft terry against my skin.
I stepped into the room, not really interested in getting back into the clothing I slept in, and stopped. Two women stood waiting for me, one blonde and the other a tall redhead. Both were wearing hotel attire of black and white, and one had a binder in her hand.
“Miss Brighton, we are here to escort you to the spa,” the tall redhead with the binder said. She snapped the notebook closed and offered me a beaming smile.
I wrapped the bathrobe a little tighter, unaccustomed to having anyone serve me, much less offer me a spa day. “I’m sorry, but I think the bubble bath and room are enough.”
They traded a glance, and I caught something akin to an ‘I told you so’ between them.
The redhead sighed. “I’m afraid the manager insists.”
“Why in the world is everyone treating me like royalty?” I asked.
“Because you stood up to the Regent. You stopped the exile of good men just because they did not bend to the whim of a bitter woman,” the short blonde said.
In some ways, her severe profile reminded me of Eleanor, but the kindness in her eyes told me she was not made of the same rough cloth as that evil witch.
“I’m not sure Jaden Mallory warranted saving, but you stopped his mother, so we are all relieved and grateful. And we understand it is you who is protecting the sector now,” she added, her voice taking on a softer quality to match the warmth in her eyes.
My eyebrows rose, and I thought my mouth may have popped open at the comment about Jaden, but I focused on the last statement and gave a shrug like it wasn’t a big deal. It had been easy in retrospect.
“So, now we have been tasked with your care.” The redhead smiled.
I shifted and pulled the robe tighter. “What are your names?”
“Nancy,” said the tall redhead.
“Anne,” said the shorter blonde.
“Well, Nancy and Anne, I have to be honest. The thought of being pampered is something completely foreign to me and a bit uncomfortable.”
“Girl, I know what you are feeling,” Anne said. “I’ve been there, but I promise you will forget about being uncomfortable the moment you sit in the pedicure chair. By the time we bring you back to your room, you will feel like a brand new woman.”
Just by the insistent, but kind, looks on their faces, I knew I wasn’t going to get out of this. I stepped towards where I had left my clothes and paused. My jeans and sweater were gone. Instead, a pair of lacy white undergarments lay in their place.
“Your clothing has been taken to the laundry, and they will be returned long before you are.” Nancy winked at me. “The undergarments are from our finest line, and they are here for your comfort, but truly the bathrobe is all you need for the spa. We will wait if you are more comfortable with undergarments on.”
The thought of being naked and vulnerable in any way after what I went through in Samantha’s jail wasn’t welcomed. There would be no relaxation if I didn’t have some kind of barrier between me and the unknown.
I gave them a nod and took the underwear and bra into the bathroom. The satin and lace felt divine. I pulled the bathrobe back over my shoulders before relinquishing myself to their plans.
Chapter 24
They hadn’t been kidding. I sat in a massage chair while my feet soaked in a hot fragrant tub and girls worked on massaging my arms and legs. Each calf was rubbed with a gritty substance and then washed clean before the pedicurist wrapped my legs in a hot towel.
Whatever discomfort I had at being pampered evaporated, and I closed my eyes, enjoying the sensations of the filing boards on my nails. It seemed like forever before they transferred me to the hairdressing section. I kept staring at my perfectly manicured nails while the hairdresser chatted aimlessly about the weather, about the to-do from the other night, and the regency scandal.
I shifted, acutely aware that I was at the center of that scandal, and these women really had no idea.
“Can you believe he concocted a spell to kill his own bride?” the hairdresser said.
“He didn’t,” I said very quietly.
“Excuse me, hon, did you say something?” she asked, leaning over so she could see my face.
“Jaden didn’t cast that spell. It was cast as a means to protect him from someone with nefarious intent.”
They laughed uncomfortably and traded glances. “How do you know this?”
I sighed. “Because I cast it.”
The hairdresser stopped curling my hair and met my gaze. “Why on earth would you do that?”
“To protect him from marrying someone as coldhearted as his mother. Someone who would exile him at the first chance.”
“But why? Why would you protect such an ass?”
I couldn’t help the laugh that tumbled from my lips. “Why do you think he’s an ass?”
“That man has no heart,” she said, and her lips thinned as she went back to curling my hair.
I stared at her, waiting for more of an explanation. After a few minutes of silence, I raised an eyebrow, silently prompting her for more.
“I knew him in college,” she said. “He had a way of disarming every woman around him, and most fell over themselves to get into his bed. While he took all of us up on our offers, he always kept emotional distance, like his soul belonged elsewhere.” She took another section of my hair and wrapped it around the curling iron. “A lot of girls fell in love with him. Me included.”
I could identify with exactly how she felt.
“But after he got what he wanted, which was just a good lay, he shut each of us out and moved on to the next girl who would spread her legs.” She gave a small shrug. “I guess maybe after finding out he had magic in his blood, it makes sense, but he still didn’t need to be an asshole about everything.”
This conversation was giving me more insight into Jaden than
I cared to have. It looked like what he was doing with me was the same thing he did with all the other girls that came before. Get me to bed then cut me loose.
I kept my feelings out of the conversation, but they churned in my stomach, stuck somewhere between hurt and angry. I would have laid my life down for Jaden. Hell, I walked through the barrier to save him, and he treated me like this?
Maybe they were right. Maybe he was just an asshole.
Something deep down inside me scoffed at the thought.
I shifted in the chair. “He used to be my closest friend, and he’s not too happy with me for cutting off his leg.”
“So that’s true?” She gasped while continuing to style my hair.
“Yes. It was either that or let the ravager venom turn him. I made a choice, and it pissed him off.”
Another woman stepped in front of me, interrupting the conversation, and I welcomed the distraction. When she opened her bag, I got a peek inside.
“Makeup?”
She smiled and nodded. “It’s part of the package.”
“Okay, but please just keep it natural looking. I don’t want to look like a painted whore.”
“Absolutely,” she said and rolled a seat next to me.
Powders, blushes, and eye shadow brushes caressed my face, relaxing me further. When she finished, she gave a nod to the hairdresser and they twirled me around. The view in the mirror made me smile. It reminded me of the way Gypsy made me look, except it wasn’t a glamour. This was me in the mirror.
“Wow.” I couldn’t think of anything to say beyond that.
“Do you like?” the hairdresser asked.
I nodded. “It’s just...I have never...” I waved towards the mirror and smiled up at them. “Thank you.”
It was too bad that only the people in this room would see their hard work. I climbed out of the chair and headed out of the wonderful spa with Nancy and Anne.
They led me inside my room, parting as they entered and let me step between them. In the center of the room sat a luggage dolly with a white dress hanging from the bar.
