by K. Lyn Hill
“It’s okay.” He whispered again.
She peered up and looked over his shoulder to see Sloane unconscious on the ground, bleeding profusely. “Is he dead?” She asked and he shook his head.
“Unfortunately, no. He deserves to be though. But he won’t touch you ever again. I promise you I will take care of him.”
She nodded into his chest. For some reason she believed him. Maybe it was that he saved her from the unimaginable. Or maybe just the warmth that his body exuded. But she was going to take every second of protection that he offered.
After a few minutes her body stopped shaking.
“Come with me. We need to get you cleaned up.”
Reluctantly she released him and followed behind his steps. He blocked her body from anyone that walked down the hallway and continued striding with a purpose.
She recognized the hallway as soon as they got to it and she shook her head. “I can’t go into your room.”
Siel leveled her with an intense scowl. “You can and you will.”
“People will talk.” She argued.
“Let them.”
Her mind flashed back to Aerity using the same words on her when they visited her family. She hadn’t been ashamed of spending time with her maid. Carly looked up at Siel and swallowed. Was this really the same thing? That was a princess choosing to spend time with a maid. Now it was a maid choosing to go into the prince’s room. The talk wouldn’t be as positive this time around and it would be derogatively pointed towards her. But if she didn’t go, wasn’t she just as bad as all the people ashamed of being with a maid? Siel was known for his run ins with the maid staff. Yes, he had a reputation but there was clearly so much more to him. He was there trying to protect her. Comfort her. Wasn’t he worth the sacrifice of all the whispers? How much would it hurt him for her to reject his help based off what others said about him. They had said as much about her and yet, those rumors hadn’t been true.
Making up her mind, she nodded and followed him into the room. He watched her as the indecision played across her face and cocked his head to the side with a slight smile. Before he took another look at her battered face and the smile fled.
He led her over to a couch and reached his hands out to help her sit. “I’ll call for some supplies. I’ll be right back.”
She nodded her head and stared out the window. She suddenly felt heat and spun around to see Siel feeding the fire. “You do that yourself? Why not ask a servant?” She found herself asking.
“Why ask a servant to do what I can do with my own two hands?”
Something in her heart soared at those words. He bent down with a cloth soaked in something that smelled of astringent and offered her a timid look. “This is going to sting, but I need to clean the wound.” She nodded vacantly and looked silently at the wall above his head. She barely felt the pain but then jerked her eyes back to him when a soft puff of air fanned across her face. Siel was blowing on her wound. Something clenched in her chest. This was very dangerous territory between them. She couldn’t afford to get attached to a prince. It would only leave her shattered in the end.
“What did you do with him?” She asked, thinking about the man Siel had beaten unconscious.
“I had him taken to the dungeon. For now. Until a trial decides his punishment. I’m voting for death.” Siel’s body began to shake and that was when she met his eyes. They were brimming with fire and hatred. She wondered why he felt so strongly over someone attacking her. She was inconsequential. A nobody.
He dabbed at her face with a cooling gel and then tossed the soiled cloth in the trash bin. Now that she glanced down, she saw his hands were scratched and bloody. Without thinking, she reached out and took them into hers. His eyes shot to hers.
“Your hurt.” She whispered, reaching out to grab a piece of excess fabric. She smothered it in the liquid he previously cleaned her wound with. He remained silent, watching her with keep eyes as she returned the favor and cleaned out his chewed-up hands.
After she applied the soothing salve, she glanced up, just now realizing how close they were to one another. Her lips parted as they watched each other for a moment. Then he cleared his throat and looked away.
She dropped his hands.
“You didn’t have to do that.” He said, his voice tight and scratchy. Of course, he wouldn’t want a maid touching him.
“I just thought I would return the favor. Thank you for coming to my aid. I can only imagine what would have happened if you hadn’t gotten there in time.” She swallowed and looked away, ashamed. She didn’t even know basic defense moves. He easily could have overpowered her.
She looked back at Siel who was watching her again, his eyes vibrant sparkles of gold. Before she could open her mouth to express any of her foolish thoughts Siel cut her off. “Would you have any desire to learn some self-defense moves?”
Her head jerked up. “What?”
“I could teach you some ways to defend yourself. Is that something you would want?”
She sucked in a large breath and her lips parted. She spoke before thinking better of it. “Yes.”
With a nod, he stood and motioned toward the bed. “You’re staying in here tonight and then first thing tomorrow morning, we are going to train.”
She began to protest but he cut her off. “You are staying in here tonight. I want to make sure you are safe. I’ll sleep on the couch.”
Before she could respond, he went to his dresser and tossed her a large shirt to change into. She stared at the shirt in shock.
“Get dressed and get into bed. You had enough adventure for today.” He raised an eyebrow. “Unless you really want to be alone right now.”
She numbly shook her head before going to change. Reluctantly, she crawled into his bed. He was right, she didn’t want to be alone. Thoughts of Sloane’s dirty hands and smelly breath would chase her all night long in her dreams. Pulling the covers over her chest, the smell of Siel calmed her to a degree and she willed herself to fall asleep.
After a few hours of fighting and struggling against the sheets, she whimpered as her nightmares plagued her. After a few minutes, she felt the bed dip and vaguely remembered strong arms wrap around her, cocooning her in protection, safety and warmth. And the rest of the night, she slept peacefully with only the scent of pine and sunshine filling her dreams.
∞∞∞
Siel
He tried all night to tune out Carly’s whimpers but at one point he just cracked. She had been tossing and turning all night, crying out in her dreams and he knew what she was dreaming about. That dirt bag Sloane. While punching him within an inch of his life, he wanted to end it. When he first saw the man’s hand up her skirt and hand over her mouth, something in him lost control. It was as if his mind and body were no longer one. No longer welded together to keep each other on the straight and narrow. No, he had been spitting mad, willing to take out every inch of this man in order to satisfy his need for blood. Then when he had turned Carly around and saw her face dripping red from a gaping wound, his eyes blacked out and all he could think of was protecting her at all cost. Make her feel safe.
He knew people were going to talk about her sleeping in his room. Rumors were going to go flying but he didn’t care. He just hoped she didn’t have to deal with the repercussions of his actions.
When he had led her to the room, he could practically see the indecision displayed on her face. Then her wary expression fled replacing it with steely determination. He wondered if she was having the same thoughts as he was and yet still chose to sacrifice all the many people who would now be talking about them.
It was nothing new for him. There was always talk of all the maids he had gone through and by now he as used to it, but she wasn’t. And after what just happened, Carly didn’t need those whispers. But she made a choice and seemed prepare to take the brunt of it.
His mind raced the entire night of how the dirt bag had even gotten into the castle. There was talk of him bein
g fired and removed of his post but everyone was very tight lipped as to why the guard was shafted. When Siel had been inquisitive about it, Elias simply said that he failed to do his duty and was dismissed. But the previous bruises and slashes on his body told a story that wasn’t being shared. The man had been tortured and beaten. His assignment must have been something pretty monumental for that kind of punishment.
Siel wondered what connection Carly had in all of it. Or was she just in the wrong place at the wrong time? That hallway was seldomly used by anyone but himself and Damien. It led to the royal training yard and it was just a coincidence that Siel happened to be training at the same time and could intercept. Thankfully, that was the time he trained every day. If he had decided to skip a day…No. He couldn’t let himself go there. He couldn’t think that way. He was there and that was what was important. The villain had been stopped. But Siel couldn’t help but think about the way Sloane held her and hurt her. It seemed personal and it was odd that the man even knew that hallway would be empty. Did someone tip him off? Let him into the castle? Was it the same person that led the men who attacked it too? He would have to make note to ask Carly about it after they trained. See if she knew anything.
After Carly woke up and got dressed in the washroom, they headed to the door in a heavy silence. Neither one of them spoke of last night, instead focusing on the task at hand.
As soon as the door swung open, Carly jumped behind him and gasped. The princess stood on his threshold with an eyebrow cocked, staring at the trembling girl behind him. “I had a feeling I would find my hand maiden here.” She said something else, but her voice sounded off. The princess was cruel, but would she have been a part of the attack last night? He could practically feel Carly’s shivers from where he was standing as they vibrated the floor.
“Why would you assume she would be here?”
The princess let out an exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes. “I heard someone was thrown in the dungeon. Someone you attacked after your training session.” There was a twinkle in her eyes that was misplaced. Her voice was off.
She shot a glance at Carly and back to Siel, her smile growing. “What a wonderful coincidence that you just happened to be there at that exact moment. You always are so faithful with your work out regiment.” Her voice was knowing. Secretive. She knew he was training, and that Carly was going to be in that hallway also. Did she know that she would be attacked? Did she set it up? Why? Was she trying to protect Carly or set the girl up?
“Why?” He growled. They both knew what he was asking and she knew that he had figured her out. But then again, he assumed that was her plan all along. She wanted him to know it was her.
Her response was cryptic and barely gave him anything to go off of. “Be careful who you grow attached to Siel.” Her gaze slithered to Carly and back again. Something in her eyes looked like a warning. Almost as if she was trying to tell him something but he had no clue what. “The more you care, the more that can be used against you and taken away.”
Chapter Forty-Nine
Aerity
The moment they entered the room, all eyes shifted to them. It was unnerving to feel their penetrating eyes. She was half naked, so it was understandable why they all stared, yet eyes weren’t just on her. Kayden held all authority as he strolled in with her linked to his arm. It made her wonder again why he chose to have her employed in such a way. The man was an enigma. Yes, she was dressed like a skank, but that wasn’t a hard to find requirement. Kayden could get any girl he wanted to dangle on his arm like a well-groomed dog contestant. Flipping their fluffy, shiny mane around like a pro. Plus, he was smart. Smart enough to know when someone was lying in a poker game. Someone who didn’t need to pay and house someone in order to catch cheaters. He didn’t get to the top of his game with the help of other people.
Needless to say, she was suspicious. Suspicious as to why he was helping them. It almost came across like he was giving them money and a place to stay even though he clearly didn’t need her. She just didn’t know the reason why. Men like him certainly didn’t do charity. And yet it seemed that was exactly what he was doing. But while he was offering, she wasn’t above taking. They could pretend all they wanted that she was an actual employee for an employer, but she knew the truth. Kayden Dricon wanted something from her. Something other than what she was currently giving. She just didn’t know what yet. But oh, she would find out. Just not now.
Now was all about playing her roll. The roll he insisted he needed her to play.
She had to admit Kayden looked good. When he had walked down the stairs of his home in his well fitted tuxedo, her mouth had gone dry. He seemed to carry enough power to suck all the energy out of the room and use it to infuse his own aura. She wasn’t uncomfortable in her own skin. The mirror didn’t make her self-conscience. However, being on full display as a pawn in someone else’s chess game was a different story. It also didn’t help that she was sporting pounds and pounds of makeup that Kayden insisted she wear. She felt like a life size barbie.
Hadn’t she always insisted she was nobodies’ doll? All that righteous indignation and where did it get her? Being some man’s puppet. Selling herself for food and shelter. She wondered what her father would think of her if he could see her now. Part of her wanted to believe it was survival but wasn’t she only fooling herself? Was it really worth living if a part of her got unabashedly lost in the process? If everything she was and believed in became diluted and disfigured? Taking something so clean and pure and smearing it in the mud. That’s what she felt like. Standing in this dress. Hanging on the arm of some man who would likely see her face down in a ditch when he was through using her.
Dirty. She felt dirty.
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she focused on her job that was slowly piece by piece poisoning her soul.
She leaned in to whisper ignoring the ache burning her from the inside out. “I’m assuming you don’t normally have a girl with you. People are shooting us weird looks.”
He smirked without answering as they continued further into the room. Her eyes trailed the room and the lavish décor. She was certainly not in Kansas anymore. And this was certainly not like the dingy tavern they had played in before.
Kayden wasn’t messing around when he talked about an underground poker ring. It was quite literally underground.
They entered a seemingly normal home after giving a password at the door. The doorman wound them through a maze of connecting rooms and corridors until they arrived at a normal living room. He gave three stomps to the ground as an unsuspecting door opened by their feet. As they walked their way through the tunnel, a dark pianist played mystical sounding music in the background. Sadly, the beauty in the song got lost because of what she saw occurring all around her.
She wasn’t surprised to find she wasn’t the only woman dressed like this. It looked like a room full of high rollers at a casino except dark power rippled in the air surrounding every inch of the room. Skimpy dresses and blood red lips fluttered around the room. One couple in the corner were practically having sex against the wall. Her limbs were tangled with his as their mouths played tonsil hockey.
She didn’t realize she’d been staring until Kayden’s voice sounded against her ear. “Don’t get too excited love. We won’t be putting on that much of a show. I told you there would be other hot girls to catch people’s eyes.” And then he was gone.
Aerity soaked in the crowd as Kayden made his rounds. Eyes darted to her questioningly while Kayden just smirked in mystery. A server walked by and offered her a glass of champagne, which she greedily took. As much as she wanted to guzzle it, she still had a little dignity remaining. She would be of no use if she was sloshed.
Remembering the whole point of her being here, she glided through the room and threw on her mask.
Ornament. That’s what she had to be. Even though she wanted to smash the face in of the guy leering at her from across the room. It took a moment for her to realize
who it was and then she wanted to meet his face with her champagne flute instead of a fist.
The glass would do more damage.
A string of curses erupted in her mind as he began to stroll towards her. He stopped just in front of her and did another obvious investigation of her body. Her fists clenched at her sides as she offered him a sardonic smile.
“Well this doesn’t seem to be any place for a princess.” He sneered.
Forget the champagne glass. She wanted a sword to swipe and cut out his tongue.
Playing it off she lightly chuckled. “Well I’m most certainly no princess but it’s sweet of you to call me that.” She fluttered her eyelashes playfully.
His eyes narrowed, his grip on his glass tightened as he watched her face, as if waiting for some miraculous answer. She ignored the bead of sweat that threatened to drip down her back. One would think she couldn’t possibly sweat wearing so little clothes, but oh she could. He held her fate in his hands and he knew it. One word from him and she could be dragged back to a dungeon.
“I’d ask what you would be doing in a place like this, but…” His eyes skimmed the room until they landed heavily on Kayden. “I already have my answer. Do you know what bad company you keep? If you wouldn’t let me touch you, I can’t imagine the predicament you find yourself in with him.”
“I didn’t have much of a choice.”
He had the audacity to smirk. “What a funny place we find ourselves in. You realize I could have guards here in a moment to drag you back to where you came from. Maybe you should have let me touch you when you had a chance to gain my favor.”
“I’m not a prostitute.” She hissed and his smile grew.
