Err. Shower room.
"Are you all done appreciating divine beauty like mine? I'd like to finish showering," I coldly declared.
The guards cleared their throat and the leader stuttered, "W-Wait outside until Your Majesty is done!"
"Yes, Sir!" the others struggled to reply as they all raced outside for the door, not caring about the bodies of the naked women around the room.
Only Blaze was left standing there as Freya pulled back to let me explain what happened. Not like I had the energy to do so.
With a sigh, I ran my hands through my wet hair and focused on Blaze's blank expression.
"I didn't do shit." That was the best excuse I could give so I wouldn't have to explain the flashback that led to the panic attack and resulted in me getting "jumped" - again - in this shit of a place.
"I'm cold," I randomly commented.
His blank expression morphed into a deep frown as he walked over to me. His eyes were assessing me from head to toe, and after he pressed his hand to my forehead, he did one walk around me.
I was beginning to shiver, actually feeling cold while my spiked adrenaline from the fight began to drop tremendously.
He returned to stand before me, and he placed his hands on my shoulders.
"I need to do something odd."
"If we're going to have sex around a bunch of dead bodies, that would be a little odd, but nothing too crazy."
He actually was amused by my remark but shook his head.
"No. I need to kiss you."
"Oh." I shrugged. "How romantic. I can just envision us in Paris, right in front of the Eiffel Tower during a zombie apocaly-mhmm."
He silenced me with a soft kiss, his hands soothingly running from my shoulders down my sides and to my waist.
A prickling sensation of warmth ran down my body, and the longer we kissed the more clarity and energy ran through me. My aches grew less, and the pain I was experiencing in my ribs and where I had multiple scratch wounds and bruises was non-existent by the time he released my lips.
I looked down to see that I was no longer naked, instead wearing a wonderful dress of green and pink fabrics. The dress was strapless, having flowers on the trim of the top piece that clung to my body like a corset. The bottom half was made of flowy silks. The mix of the almost transparent green and pink material made me look like a fairy princess.
My hair that was once drenched was dry and up in a ponytail, and my bare feet were in sandals made out of petals and leaves.
"Wow." That was all I could say, amazed at how he was able to create such a magnificent design in seconds.
He reached out to move a few strands of my hair that he'd left down on the sides of my cheek.
"Not everyone should get the privilege of seeing a precious jewel like you," he whispered. "Are you okay?"
"Better than before." I gave him a tired smile. "I think I need to lay down, though."
"You deserve a nap." He gave me a tiny smile and offered his hand. I stared at it, but there was that tiny debate of relying on him. It was sudden, but I glanced back up to meet his exquisite eyes.
"Did you just get here?"
"Yes. Atticus and Lyla are dealing with an assignment and said your heart rate was off. They asked me to come and check on you, but I realized you weren't in your room. The cameras picked up a group of women heading to the shower room, but when I inquired, there were no other group showers scheduled today. I immediately got the guards and came down. Seems as though I was a tad late."
"Just on time." I gave him a tiny smile as I shrugged. "I'm only hesitating because I...want to know more about you, but don't want to be deemed a burden. Also...you're hard to read."
"Fae are tricky to understand," he noted. "It's also good that you're not so trusting of me."
"I feel like your warning me," I muttered, returning my gaze to his offering hand.
"Maybe I am," he countered. "But it's your decision to trust me or not."
"What if I don't?"
"Then it's something we have to work on," he insisted. "Trust is earned, and I'm well aware that I haven't fully gained yours yet, or we'd be closer, wouldn’t we?"
"Probably." I smirked and lifted my hand to place in his. "Does having a servant that doesn't trust you a good thing?"
"In this case, no, but it wouldn't really apply, seeing as you're not a servant."
"Oh really?" I inquired. "Then what am I to you?"
"A woman who wears an invisible crown. One that proclaims the power bestowed upon her to all those around her," he affirmed with pride. His expression softened, and he gave a tender smile. "A very beautiful woman, who wishes to grow even in her circumstances, and someone I'd love to learn more about when the time is right."
"Why when the three of you won me, didn't you think otherwise? Why didn't you decide to just abuse me or treat me like a slave?"
I recalled Kai's response, but I wanted to hear Blaze's answer.
"You really don't see just how worthy you are in other's eyes." His remark was followed with, "Our goal was never to make you a slave or to abuse your body. If that's something you desired in the bedroom, that's a different story, but it wouldn't happen without your consent."
He wrapped his fingers around my hand, and surprisingly lowered his lips to press them lightly on the back of my hand.
"Fae value precious jewels like you, even when the person doesn't grasp how special they are. More so, I was intrigued to learn more about who you are, just like how you want to learn more about us." His smile widened, and he peered into my eyes. "The only thing that's really stopping us from knowing one another is our own insecurities. For me, I've only kept my distance simply out of respect, but it doesn't mean I don't want to learn more about you, Alisha. I want to get closer to you and get a better understanding of who you are, even with your loss of memories. I'm just waiting for you to let me in, so I in return can show you a side many don't get the opportunity to see."
With one more squeeze of my hand, he looked around. "I hope Atticus is willing to pay for this."
I smiled and squeezed Blaze's hand, catching his attention as I whispered, "I just...need a little longer before I'm okay with letting you all in. Can you be a little more patient?'
"I'll wait as long as you want me to, Your Majesty," he reassured me.
"Thanks, Blaze."
He held my hand all the way back to my room, assuring me that he'd get the whole shower incident sorted. Titus was already there scolding the guards for their usual failures in getting there before shit went down.
I sat down as Blaze volunteered to fix my bed, even though I was fine with sleeping on anything at this point.
By the time he finished, I was dozing off in the chair, my tired mind far too exhausted to keep buzzing about what had gone down before recapping my interaction with Blaze.
I felt myself being lifted up, but I remained completely relaxed. Funny how I was still having trust issues, but in my most vulnerable state, I could feel so safe in Blaze's arms.
"Sleep well, our marked queen. In time, you'll see your worth, and all those who question it will bow in quivering fear."
His words resonated deep within me, and I allowed myself to fall into the comforting darkness.
It's time for me to let them in. Stop fighting, Alisha.
Path To Psychic Royalty
"For fuck sakes, why am I waking up with a bloody headache?" I groaned, and forced myself to get out of bed.
This was my third attempt at napping, and I still felt like I was internally dying. With my birthday being thirteen days away, I was praying whatever bug I caught after fighting completely nude would get out of my damn system.
Whether anyone liked it or not, I was going to celebrate my birthday. Who knows if that was something I used to enjoy. I'd decided that it would be the one day where I'd celebrate with my masters and Lyla.
Cake, streamers, loads of food, and sparkly shit. Lots of sparkly shit.
Today Lyla was on
duty, watching me while the guys were dealing with some business. What that business entailed was unknown to me, but I was pretty sure if it required my attention, they would inform me about it.
My main focus was to finally confront Lyla about us. For days I'd been trying to finally get that moment to just talk, and yet, interruption after interruption kept ruining every chance I got.
Even this bloody headache was another plague on my plans, but the guys weren't coming back until tomorrow morning, which gave me loads of time for our confrontation.
I just wanted to learn about what exactly happened to our relationship and why she was so ashamed of being a he. There had to be a deep meaning to it, especially since my flashbacks proved it to be a touchy subject.
I'd asked Lyla to fill the bath for me to tonight, giving me the perfect chance to trap her in the washroom and get the answers I deserved.
It sounds like a kidnapper tactic, but whatever.
Another mandatory inspection was happening tomorrow, this time due to a new set of prisoners coming to the lower levels. I wasn't sure if that would be a good or bad thing, especially with my recent discovery that I was the only one with the grand suite.
Sure, if the other prisoners weren't bitches that tried to kick my butt naked ass, I would have gladly opened up my space to share seeing as I barely used even half of the privileged space.
That reminded me to remember to invite Kitty and Ivy to the shenanigans. I'd been so busy that I hadn't seen Ivy in two weeks. I had an appointment with Kitty to do my nails before my birthday, so at least there was that, but I hoped Ivy was okay with her set of masters.
Sometimes I felt like a bad friend, feeling a little distant when Ivy was super open about her lifestyle here. I tried to do my part by ensuring she got to eat what I ate when we had meals together in the underground, but it was only the icing on the cake.
Friendships deserved more, and I acknowledged that. All I needed to do was input the time and effort. The same goes for my relationships.
My bond with Atticus was still strong, even with fewer sex nights. I wasn't worried about us, and I was sure he knew that.
My concern for the next couple of weeks was to grow my relationships with Titus, Blaze, and Kai. If we were going to work towards my freedom, they deserved to know more about me.
It was long overdue, and it wasn't as though Atticus was against it or anything, so I just had to kick my stubborn, frightened booty and open the chambers to my heart.
Even thinking about it was scary.
Shaking the crippling feeling of fear to the side, I shuffled to the washroom to wash my face and change into a simple black dress. Leaving my hair down, I slipped on my black running shoes I used for training and returned to my bed to take my meds.
Grabbing the bottle, I frowned when I noticed how light it was. Shaking it a few times, I acknowledged the silence that followed.
"I'm out of meds? I swear I had a few doses left. Did I take too many today? Ugh. Where are Saphire and Freya when I need them?"
I had noticed a few times now that whenever I had crazy headaches or felt like I was on the verge of death, Saphire and Freya would be absent. It could have been their way of helping me conserve energy, but their absence gave me a sense of loneliness, especially when I was by myself, like now.
Glancing at the time, I contemplated whether it was worth the trip to the pharmacy. It was seven in the evening and from what I recalled, they closed at eight.
"An hour more," I mumbled out loud. "Might as well. Could help get rid of this migraine."
Slipping the bottle into the pocket of my dress, I made my way to the living room but stopped when I saw a man sitting in one of the single chairs. He was facing the window, sipping a cup of steaming hot tea.
Who's this guy and when did he get down here?
My displeasure regarding this new man and his unannounced intrusion was obvious on my face, but I kept to myself as I turned to head to the main door.
"Alisha Butterfly."
The voice was a little odd, reminding me of Doc's voice but a little smoother. His voice had a maturity to it, which was hard to explain when from my initial look of him, he didn't seem very old.
As if I didn't hear my name, I gracefully headed out the door and made my way to the elevators. Pressing the button, I casually stood there, but internally, my body was reacting in various ways.
There was no need for me to feel alarmed, and yet I couldn't wait for this metal box to arrive. It thankfully did. The ding followed by the doors opening up was my saving grace as I walked in and pressed the one button.
With a sigh, I leaned against the mirrored walls, putting my head back against the glass as the doors began to close.
A hand stopped it at the last second, and I arched an eyebrow in question while my blank expression met dull yellow eyes.
It was an odd mix of color, like an ugly swamp yellow. The man was shorter than me, reaching 5'5" and wearing those glasses you envisioned nerds to wear.
Even his smile creeped me out as he shuffled into the elevator and aimed to press level one, but noticed it was already pressed.
He waited for the doors to close before he spoke.
"Alisha Butterfly, correct?"
"I'm pleased that my reputation in this place reaches the ears of random visitors." My voice was hard as stone while my commanding energy was dragging out of defense.
This guy was literally giving me the creeps.
"Your amnesia may have erased my existence from your mind, but your body knows exactly who I am, doesn't it?"
I allowed my left hand to remain calm, but my right hand that was hidden from his sight began to tremble. I clenched it into a fist but remained calm as the elevators came to a stop.
When they opened, neither of us moved.
"Please, after you," I suggested.
"Ladies first," he offered.
"Very funny." I turned my head to look his way, and my magic rushed straight through to my eyes while my voice deepened.
"Please," my authoritative voice declared, “leave this elevator first."
I could see the flashing anger in his eyes, but he had no choice but to obey my command. My eyes narrowed as he walked out the door, and I didn't look as I pressed the elevator button, followed by holding onto the close button.
"Good day, stranger." I gave him a sinister grin, but the way his pale mustard eyes suddenly bled to a glowing ember, I knew when those doors closed, I'd have to think of something fast.
When the metal door came to a shut, I quickly looked at what floor I'd pressed.
Level Four! Fuck...no. This could be a good thing. Shit. Would Celeste be there?
The elevator began its slow descent down, but then there was a sudden jerk of the metal box followed with a stop.
The lights began to flicker until they all went out. An alarm went off as the intercom turned on.
"Attention, prisoners. We're experiencing a blackout. Do not use the elevators! They will all return to level one as we investigate the situation. Guards, remain on duty. Generators should start up shortly."
FUCK!
Just the thought of being on the same level as that man was making me sick. I rushed to think of something fast, and without wasting another flick of time, I outstretched my hands and closed my eyes.
The metal box lit up in a dull blue color as it began to move upwards back to level one. I fought hard to bring it to a dramatic stop - using my psychic abilities to manipulate my surroundings and keep the metal box from moving upward.
My heart began to race as my internal black vision expanded. It caught onto the massive, raging energy that was portrayed in neon orange. It didn't merely surround a person. It bled out like swarming flames, giving me an exact picture of what I was about to deal with.
"If I'm going to die, I’d rather risk it on Level Four than be at that man's hands.”
There was no need to question my body's reactions to that individual. I knew who he was.
The douche of an ex.
His appearance was rather uncalled for, and the fact that he decided to come here himself versus sending some goons to do his dirty work told me he was desperate. With my birthday days away and my apparent chance of meeting my new mate growing higher by the day, he must have decided to come to finish the job himself.
Intriguing how he chose today to do just that. It told me that someone must have told him or those that worked for him that my men were away from the prison.
I could feel the panic begin to settle in as I fought against the mechanical pull that was trying to do its job.
"Why isn't this elevator back yet?" That odd voice from before was now deep with rage. "Guard the elevators against Levels Two and Three!"
I mentally cursed; the pounding in my head fought to pull me into an unwanted flashback. I gritted my teeth and decided I had no choice but to go along with my chances.
With a quick inhale and exhale, I centered my magic around the metal box, urging it to move downward at a slow pace. Going too fast could cause me to lose my control and send me up at crashing speed.
When the elevator came to a stop, I moved my hands to the doors, watching as they forcibly opened up enough for me to jump through the tiny space.
They slammed together like opposing magnetics, the elevator going back up to its main destination and leaving me in complete darkness.
I wouldn't wait to see what happened next, my eyes closing and the dark hidden world of magic awakening my sight. I couldn't sense any supernaturals around, but I followed the neon colors of life, hoping the path would lead me to some type of exit out of the prison or safe place to ride all of this through until I could get help.
I ran for a long time, avoiding random traps that dashed out of the ground, and stopped myself twice from running off a cliff. My palms were sweaty, my head pounding like madness, and I felt like I could vomit at any second.
"I can't do this," I breathed and came to a stop. I dropped to my knees, and that triggered my stomach that had had enough of my running games.
Psychic Prison Page 26
