by Lily Wallis
“Don’t be afraid, Violet,” he whispers near my ear before his touch leaves me. “I wouldn’t have you that way for anything in the world. Your body is damaged, and I wouldn’t want you if my life depended on it.”
He walks away as I stand in the middle of the room, partially nude. As he leans against the post of his bed, he looks up at me and grins.
“Though,” he says, undoing his pants. “You can still give pleasure to my eyes. Go on, show me just what kind of a little whore you are.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Closing the door behind me, I lean against it with my back, and take a deep breath. I can’t even begin to describe everything that happened after I stepped foot into Malvado’s room. After he finished pleasuring himself, he walked up to me, cleaning his hand on my skin before leaving the room. I hurried and got dressed and that is when Elodie entered, throwing me a new maid’s dress. Theroux was right, any kindness she had reflected in her eyes was gone, and she treated me like I was the dirt under her shoe. I couldn’t do anything right, even when I did. Malvado returned in the afternoon for a short amount of time, and I had to serve lunch to him and Elodie. It never dawned on me before, but the two of them have a very different kind of relationship. She looks at him with a longing that makes me sick to my stomach. I scolded myself several times today, wondering just how stupid I was to trust this man, to believe him, to love him. The last one…love…that one really gives me grief. I tell myself that I was bewitched, that is the only way that makes it bearable to me. Before leaving his chamber this evening, Elodie gripped the back of my neck, digging her nails into my skin. She reminded me that I am not to do anything to displease the king. Rubbing the back of my neck, I can still feel my skin burn
“Violet,” I hear Theroux’s voice.
“I’m tired,” I say, feeling exhaustion hit me.
“Come,” he says, taking my hand.
As we pass his mother in the main room, she opens her mouth, but immediately, Theroux waves her off, and to my surprise, she doesn’t argue. Once in my room, I walk over to the window and take a seat on a chair nearby. Looking out, I see nothing, just complete darkness.
“Are you all right? Did he do anything to you?”
For a moment, my stare stays put. A part of me wants to tell him what Malvado did as soon as I arrived, but the mere thought disgusts me. I need to be strong. Telling Theroux will infuriate him, and even though he seems very disciplined, I’m not sure if it would cause any more problems. When he stepped in to save my life, it was something out of the norm for him.
“Violet?”
“I’m fine,” I say. “It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.”
“That relieves me,” he says, sitting in the chair across from me.
“You never told me the story,” I say.
“What story?” he asks.
“If you’ve seen what’s beyond the perimeter,” I remind him. “How you were able to come to New Orleans.”
“Right,” he says, intertwining his hands and looking down at them. “I was told about you two days before meeting you. It was my turn to go out on the mission, to complete the task. I knew you were important, Malvado was almost obsessed.”
“How did he know about me?”
“All I can say is the Baron informs Malvado. I know you have a hard time believing it, but it’s the only way I can explain it. When we go out on a mission, we undergo a sort of ritual. Malvado gives us the Baron’s protection to leave the Bayou. The jewels become invisible, and we are free to leave.”
“So, you’ve seen the whispers?”
“No,” he says, and I scrunch my forehead.
“I don’t understand.”
“I was blindfolded and led by Lazare. The whispers grew louder and louder and soon, I was surrounded.”
“Did you hear what they said?”
“I did,” he replies, and my eyes widen. “Help us, help us, please. Release us from hell.”
“Oh my God,” I say covering my mouth.
“It’s a trick. Malvado says they will do whatever it takes to get to you, even sound like people you once knew.”
“Do you still believe anything that comes out of his mouth?”
“I’ve known him since I was three years old, Violet. He took me under his wing, was a father figure to me. My mother and I have always been taken care of. Yes, I’ve seen what he is capable of, what he gets others to do. With after what happened to you…it is the first time I questioned his motives, questioned what he built here.”
“I went to see a Voodoo priestess the day I met you. Her parlor was close to the bar. I didn’t believe what she told me, and it all came true.”
“Marie,” he replies.
“How did you know?”
“She belongs to us.”
“What do you mean?”
“She is one of our connections in New Orleans. You can say she baits the hook for us and ensures for an easy catch.”
“Wow,” I say, as I begin to realize this game. “But what if I hadn’t gone to Marie?”
“That was just one way, Violet. We have connections from the hotel to the group of people you overheard at dinner the night before.”
“I was surrounded,” I say, realizing that I didn’t stand a chance.
“You were,” he says, not sounding proud at all. “I’m sorry, Violet.”
“Not your fault, you were following orders,” I reply, as he grabs my hand.
“The moment I saw you I wanted to take you and run away, but I knew I couldn’t. Lazare was in the bar as well, and he didn’t like my approach when it came to you. He said he would kill me himself if I lost the deal.”
“Oh my God!”
“I had to make sure you didn’t slip away, so I tampered with your drink to get you out in that alley.”
“I don’t want to hear anymore,” I say, shaking my head. “I’m done for today.”
“I apologize, Violet. I will leave you be,” he says as he gets up from the chair.
“No,” I say, grabbing his wrist. “Please, don’t leave me.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
My first week is over, and today, I work for Malvado on my own. Elodie has made this week quite unbearable, but I’ve pushed through, all while faking a smile on my lips. Malvado takes enjoyment from watching me struggle, be it carrying something large, or him getting his enjoyment at my expense. Giving him a reaction will only add fuel to the fire, so I stay humble. In those moments, it’s as if I am out of my body, just completing a task for the sake of survival, nothing more. The story of how I came to this place hasn’t left me, and I appreciate Theroux being honest with me. Theroux. After living here for so long, I have had many feelings toward him, starting with hate. Now, he is the reason I smile, the reason I don’t give up. When I am with him, I feel protected, and he does everything in his power to make me happy. Of course, a small guard remains. I had similar feelings with Malvado, and there I was used as a pawn, only desirable while everything fell into line. I don’t want to make the same mistake twice.
Wrapping the apron around my waist, I follow the path I do every day, the one that leads to the root of all evil…Malvado. He really is the devil in disguise, so calculating, so evil…and everyone knows it. With my new position I’ve been privy to conversations that would normally have been unheard. The people are afraid, very afraid, and no one knows how to break free, me included.
Knocking at Malvado’s door, I step in and moans fill the room. My eyes make their way to his bed, and there is Elodie, leaned over the bed as he has his way with her. Turning around, I grab the door handle, but before I can turn it, he speaks.
“Violet, you’re early today,” he snickers. “Don’t leave, have a seat.”
Turning around, my eyes meet his and they gleam red. With one hand on her back, he continues to move, showing me to my seat with one motion of his free hand. Walking over to the chair, I take a seat, my eyes on my folded hands in front of me.
“Violet!” he screams, and I look up. “If you look away one more time, I will have Lazare join us and he can have his fun with you.”
My glance stays in place as I watch the two of them engage in something so animalistic that it makes me sick. Elodie’s back is full of scratches, to the point that some begin to bleed. Gripping her neck, he pulls her up close to him, and I can tell she is gasping for air. Seconds later he turns her body around, placing her in a different position. As I continue to watch, I realize that Elodie is filled with enjoyment, and actually thriving off of this madness. This continues for the next hour, and I have now become numb to it. Once he is finished, he grips her neck one last time, bringing her lips to his, and kisses her, biting her lip in the process. She is told to leave, and grabs her things, disappearing through a door. I remain in the chair, my eyes on him, as instructed.
“Good girl,” Violet. “Now come over here and give me a massage.”
As he lies on the bed with his front on the mattress, I walk over, climbing on the bed next to him. Completely disgusted, my hands touch his shoulder blades, gently kneading them in circles.
“Oh yes, that feels fantastic,” he groans. “Keep going.”
My hands continue to massage his skin, moving further down as he continues to speak. He tells me about how things could have been, how we could have had it all. I clench my jaw when he recalls memories of our intimate moments, describing them in detail. I had put those moments out of my mind, and here he is, recalling every excruciating minute of it.
“You know why this happened, Violet, don’t you?”
“I wasn’t the one,” I reply.
“No,” he chuckles. “You became curious. You had to know what was going on in the room next to you. Your curiosity killed the heir.”
I stay silent, but continue to move my hands on him. Seconds later, he speaks again.
“You are wondering why I quenched my appetite so closely to you, don’t you?”
“Yes,” I reply, softly.
“The Baron tested you, and you failed,” he replies. “But you are proving to be a wonderful asset to the household, so not all was for a lost cause, ma chérie.”
I continue the massage, since I don’t have another choice. As he continues to speak, my eyes make their way to the nightstand, showcasing a knife. For a moment, I wonder if it would be possible to reach it. Would I be fast enough? Could I kill him? Suddenly, he says my name.
“Yes?” I answer.
“Don’t do it, Violet. You can’t kill me.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
“It’s so peaceful here,” I say, leaned against Theroux on a blanket in the grass.
“Yes, no one comes here,” Theroux replies. “It’s always been my little getaway.”
Looking up, the moonlight softly shines through the canopy of trees that envelop us. Closing my eyes, my head finds the crook of his neck, a spot that gives me a sense of safety.
“I wish I could just swoop you up and run away,” he says. “Start a new life, someplace else.”
“What if Malvado created a façade?”
“What do you mean?”
“Using fear of the unknown to control all of us.”
“How do you explain this?” Theroux says, grabbing my wrist, showcasing the jewel. “How do you explain that it glows when we get close to the whispers? How do you explain his magic?”
“I don’t know,” I say. “But we also don’t know what happens when we step past the perimeter.”
“There have been people that have done so,” he replies. “We never saw them again.”
“Because they ran for their lives,” I say.
“No, even the ones that were forced out, the ones that were pushed. They didn’t return.”
“None of this makes sense,” I say.
“I know, my love. I know.”
We stay outside for a long time, and it is these moments that make my heart come alive. Our conversations, our closeness, our laughter. He’s right, I can’t explain any of this, but there has to be a way out. We can’t really just be stuck here.
Back in my room, I stand in front of the mirror and look at my reflection. I look tired, worn out, and lifeless. Theroux comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist while resting his chin on my shoulder.
“You’re beautiful,” he smiles, and I smirk.
“Used to be,” I reply.
“To me, you are everything, and in my eyes, you are the most beautiful woman in the entire world, and I could never ask for anything more.”
He always knows exactly what to say, and that small guard continues to chip away. Moving my hair away from my neck, he plants a series of soft kisses leading up behind my ear. Turning around, I wrap my arms around his neck, kissing his lips as his hands find the bow of my apron, loosening it with one tug, and letting it fall to the floor. Pulling his shirt over his head, he tosses it to the side, and the passion between us continues to grow. Taking me over to the bed, he undresses me, kissing every single inch of my body. Tonight, we become one. One heart, and one soul, bound together for eternity. He doesn’t just seek his pleasure, but mine as well, bringing me to new highs, ones without magic. I love this man more than I have ever loved anyone or anything in my entire life.
“Vous êtes ma vie,” he whispers, pulling me close.
“Mmm, what does that mean?”
“You are my life,” he says, kissing my forehead.
“I miss your French,” I say.
“I didn’t know. I thought it reminded you of how we met, so I avoided it.”
“Right,” I reply. “But I know who you are now, who we are.”
“So, I can call you mon amour?”
“That means my love, right?”
“It does, you are learning.”
“You can call me anything but that one word, you know which one, right?
“I do, and I would never say it again.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
My newfound happiness did not last long. Madame Benoit was right, don’t ever get comfortable. Malvado’s spies had taken notice of mine and Theroux’s newfound happiness, reporting it to the King. If it were anyone but me, I’m sure it wouldn’t have mattered. Malvado’s mission is to punish me for an eternity for something that was never in my control in the first place. I am to be moved out of Theroux’s quarters, now sharing a room with Elodie. My heart has been ripped to shreds. He was the reason I could bear this, and now, they have taken him away from me.
“How are you enjoying your new living arrangements?” Malvado asks, while I make his bed.
“It doesn’t matter,” I reply.
“Of course, it does, ma chérie. I need to know if you despise it or if it’s bearable. The first would be music to my ears.”
“Why are you doing this to me? Please, tell me why.”
“You gave me hope, you carried my child, and then you killed it.”
“Why not just kill me then?” I say, and his grin grows wider.
“Because then you are released of every burden. I wouldn’t want that. I want you to suffer the way you made me suffer.”
“And Theroux at the same time.”
“It is unfortunate that he is in that position, yes. Though, the day he saved you was the day he sealed his fate. He may have not lost his position, but he lost my trust.”
“Why did you let me go to him in the first place?”
“So, the pain shooting through your veins would be more intense, more unbearable, and I think I achieved my goal.”
Picking the old sheets up from the floor, I place them into a basket before walking toward the door. Turning the handle, Malvado speaks again.
“Oh, Violet. You didn’t ask the important question.”
“I don’t have any more questions,” I say.
“You don’t want to know who the spy was?” he chuckles, and I turn around. “His own mother.”
Deep down I knew she couldn’t be trusted, but since she stopped making my life
difficult, I thought everything was finally settling down. Making my way out the door, I walk the hallway to the washroom when suddenly, I feel someone grab my arm, making me drop my basket.
“Theroux?” I say, my eyes already glassing over.
“Shhh,” he says, picking up the basket. “I don’t have much time.”
I wrap my arms around him, kissing his lips as if it were the last time. He holds me tight, and that is when all sense of safety returns.
“How are you?” I ask, looking into his eyes.
“As good as I can be,” he replies, handing me something. “Put this in Elodie’s drink before bed and meet me at our spot at around midnight.”
“What is it?” I ask.
“The same thing Malvado gave you before the ceremony, just make sure she drinks it. I will wait for you, my love.”
And then he is gone, and not a second too soon. I hear Elodie’s voice as she opens the door to the washroom, and I place the vial into my pocket.
“Ah, Violet,” she smiles with a hint of evil in her eye. “I will take this basket from you and you can return to wash the bedding. Here, bring the King his coat.”
With that, she slams the door in my face, and I make my way back to Malvado’s room, holding his coat. Since he isn’t expecting me, I’m not sure what cruel idea’s he will come up with next, so I take the vial out of my pocket, hiding it in the bun of my hair before I enter the room. Looking around, it seems that he isn’t there, so I quickly place his coat on the bed, hurrying back to the door.
“Why so fast?” that haunting voice rings, coming up behind me.
“I have to wash your bedding,” I say, still facing the door.
“The bedding can wait,” he grins. “The quickness of your pulse arouses me. Take off your clothes, slowly.”
Chapter Thirty-Six