I look at up him, almost daring him to laugh at me.
But he isn’t laughing. He actually looks concerned. I think I’d rather he laugh at me.
“I need you to know that what you saw today was nothing,” he says.
“We’re back to that?” I ask. “Why do you care? You know I’m not going to tell anybody. I’m not that stupid.”
He picks up his drink and downs the entire glass in one huge gulp, then sets the glass back on the table. “She invited me to join her, so you know. I would never force myself on a woman.”
“It didn’t look that way,” I mumbled.
“How did it look?” he asks.
“It looked like you hurt her, okay?” I practically yell at him. My temper is rising with each of his questions. It doesn’t make sense. I don’t care that he was with someone. I just want to get out of here.
“She was hurt,” he says. “But only because I sent her out when I felt your presence.”
“I swear, I won’t say anything,” I say again. Was this how he got away with nobody talking about what he did with humans? Was he going to wipe my memory or something worse? “What you do isn’t any of my business, I’m just a servant, who would listen to me, anyway?”
He smirks, then runs a large hand through his dark hair. He looks flustered. Why?
“Human has nothing to do with any of this,” he says. “I could feel your presence because that’s what happens when we’re near our mate.”
Chapter Four
Darius
I never thought a human would be my mate. But I could feel the bond snap into place, even with another woman’s lips around my cock.
When I left the baths, I thought for sure there would be a fae waiting for me. But all I saw was the terrified human hiding behind one of my guards.
My heart felt like it shattered when I caught sight of her. She wasn’t throwing herself at me, filled with the urge to consummate our bond. She was hiding from me. Even if she weren’t my mate, I might have felt the fear anyway. But with our connection, it was clear. I scared her.
In the hours before the party, I hoped that maybe the fates were wrong. That somehow, I wasn’t bound to a human.
But the second our eyes met in the warm glow of the fading sun, I knew there was no mistake.
I thought getting her here alone might help her feel it too, but I can tell all I’ve done is confused her.
“Is that some kind of fae code for something?” she asks. “A mate?”
I chuckle. She’s not what I expected, not what I would have asked for, but she’s mine. “It means you and I are meant to be together.”
She stares at me, her lips parted. Every part of me wants to claim her right now. I want to tear her clothes off and feel her body against mine.
“Is this how you bed human woman?” she asks. “Cause it’s kind of a lame pick up line.”
“I have no idea what a pick up line is, but I can tell you, this is not something I say lightly. The bond isn’t something we choose. It’s chosen for us,” I explain.
“But I’m not fae,” she says.
“I’m aware.”
“We don’t have that for humans,” she says. “We fall in love. We fall out of love. We make friends. We lust. We don’t mate.”
“We do,” I say. “And sometimes, we mate with humans. It’s rare, but it happens.”
Despite her denial, I can sense that she’s not fighting it as much as I thought. Her shoulders have eased a little and she leans back in the chair now. She no longer looks like she’s going to run.
“Is this how you get women into bed with you?” she asks.
I should have realized she wasn’t going to believe me. Quickly, I move from the couch until I’m in front of her.
Her whole body tenses. She’s afraid again. My heart aches knowing that I’m the one who scares her. But it can’t stay that way. Now that I know she’s my mate, I have to claim her.
Setting my hands on the arms of the chair, I lean down to her. She sucks in a breath and her blue eyes lock onto mine. She’s beautiful. Everything about her calls to me. Her long dark curls, her delicate features, her stunning wide eyes. She can almost pass as fae.
I lift one hand and trace the curve of her ear and can’t help but smirk. They’re small and adorable. I never thought I’d be so fond of a human’s ears. Or a human for that matter.
I’d had my share of human women. But I never considered I’d want to spend every second of every day with one.
How does she not feel the bond between us? Will she ever feel it?
I trace my finger along her cheek, down her jaw, and rest it under her chin. She takes a sharp breath as I lift her chin.
She’s not fighting me so I lean closer. Heat rushes through me and my cock twitches in anticipation as I press my lips to hers.
At first, she resists the kiss, but only for a heartbeat. I feel her relax into it, her mouth moving in time with mine, her body leaning closer to me. Without breaking the kiss, I lift her from the chair.
She’s standing in front of me now, her mouth meeting mine with hungry pressure. I slide my hand down her waist and grab the fabric of her white dress in a handful, pulling it up slowly.
My cock aches and I’m desperate to claim her. She might not feel the mating bond between us yet, but as soon as I’m inside her, I know she’ll feel it. I have to fuck her. I have to help her understand the desire I have for her. The need I feel for her.
Her tongue darts into my mouth and I welcome it, massaging it with my own. She moans into the kiss and I feel her temperature rising.
I’ve managed to get her skirts up around her waist. She breaks the kiss and stares up at me, panting. I can see the want in her eyes. She’s just as desperate to do this as I am.
My pulse races. Everything about this feels right. Is it possible she’s feeling the bond now?
Before she can change her mind, I lift her dress over her head. She keeps her eyes locked on mine and for a moment, I don’t break her gaze. Then, my eyes lower and I take in her naked body.
Her breasts are perfect. Soft and round. Nipples hard and begging for attention. I cup one in my hand and she lets out a soft moan before I bend down to take a nipple into my mouth.
I can smell her arousal and it is making me wild with desire. Unable to contain it anymore, I release her breast and stand so I can remove my trousers. Her hands go to my waist, helping guide my trousers down.
My erection springs free and her hand closes around my cock. I groan. Her touch is like nothing I’ve felt before. Just the feel of her hand against my skin is more than I can take. I nearly lose control right there. After a few deep breaths, I can concentrate again. I’ve never felt anything like that before and all it does is make me want her even more.
With a growl, I grab her and lift her. She squeals in delight and I can’t help but smile. This is how it’s supposed to be. Her and me. We’re one and the same. Two halves of a whole. Even without knowing anything about her, I know she’s everything I need.
I carry her to the couch and drop her carefully. She turns and I stop, frozen in place as my eyes catch the scars on her back.
I drop to my knees in front of her, all thoughts of sex gone. Someone has hurt my mate. Badly.
Slowly, I trace my fingers over the raised pink ribbons. My brow furrows and I look up at her. I’m murderous with rage. “Who did this to you?”
She pulls away from me. “Are you kidding me?”
“Tell me the name. I will kill him for you. Nobody lays a hand on my mate,” he says.
“Your mate?” She scoffs. “This wasn’t done to your mate. This was done to your servant.”
“Nobody should touch you,” I say, a growl seeping into my words.
She jumps up from the couch. “I’ve been in your household for six months. I’ve tried to escape countless times. Each time, they punish me. And suddenly now you care?”
“I didn’t know,” I say.
“No, you d
idn’t care. You never cared how anyone was treated. Why should you care about me now?”
“Because you’re my mate,” I say.
“Yesterday I was nothing,” she says.
“I won’t let them hurt you ever again,” I say.
She walks around me and grabs her dress off the floor.
“You’re safe now,” I say.
She tugs her dress over her head. “I’m not safe. I’m human, living in the fae realm. I’ll never be safe.”
“You’re the king’s mate. The future queen,” I say, surprised by my words. I hadn’t thought about that, what it would mean to have a human for a mate. But it was true. She was my mate, and she would be my queen.
“Queen?” She shakes her head. “I won’t be anything of the sort. I’m human.”
She turns and runs toward the door.
“Rena, wait.”
She turns to look at me, her eyes narrowed in anger. “Don’t you dare follow me. I don’t want anything to do with you.”
I feel like I’ve been hit in the chest by a battering ram. I need her. I know she’s my mate and every part of me wants to comfort her. But I know better. And I let her walk away.
Somehow, I have to reach her but I have no idea how I’m supposed to do that.
Chapter Five
Rena
What was I thinking? He kissed me and I kissed him back. I let him take my dress off. I’m insane! And what was all that talk about us being mates? None of it makes any sense.
I run my hand through my hair as I hurry through the party still in progress. Nobody notices a servant cutting through the festivities. Especially not at this point in the evening. Most of the fae are bombed off their asses on faerie wine. They’ll be here till sunrise and then they’ll crawl back to their castles and mansions and sleep till sunset.
The majority of them will do this again tomorrow night at some other party.
That’s all they do. They drink, they eat, they fuck each other, they beat their human servants. Or they apparently take them to private rooms and seduce them.
I shake my head. How could I be so stupid? I was stupid to go along with it in the first place but I might have been even more stupid by turning him down.
The music fades as I reach the palace’s back entry. It’s a simple door that blends in with the sandy brick exterior. A place for us servants to sneak in and out without much notice.
I’m sure Margot is waiting for me to return, but I can’t face her. I can’t face any of them.
And I’m pretty sure I just signed my own death warrant by running out on the summer king.
Still, despite it all, there’s a tugging hollow feeling in my gut. I don’t know why but I suddenly feel more homesick than I have in a long time. Only, I’m not craving my old apartment or my old life. It’s something else. As if I’ve lost something I desperately need.
It must be my own self preservation kicking in.
If trying to run away from the palace got me the collection of scars on my back, running away from the king’s advances have to result in something worse.
I wipe a tear off my cheek as I stop in front of my bedroom door. Right now, I’m almost willing to face death to get rid of this empty feeling. Maybe I finally cracked.
I’d seen it before. A few of the girls who worked here just gave up the will to live. All the fight went out of them and they showed up to the kitchens like zombies. The next day, they were gone. All of them took their own lives. At least that’s what we were told. Now, I’m starting to wonder if they did something wrong and they knew they were marked.
I stumble into my closet of a room. At least it’s just me here. A tiny, dark room with a dirt floor and just enough room for the pallet where I sleep. A hook on the wall holds my pajamas. A second hook next to it holds my daytime dress, the one I wear for basic chores. Not the nicer white dress I wore to the party. In the corner is a chamber pot.
I sink onto the bed, feeling more sorry for myself than I have in weeks. When I first arrived here, I was angry. I fought. I tried to get out. Then for a while I was sad. I cried. A lot. Is this the final stage of the process? The empty, numb feeling spreading through me?
I curl up in a ball on the pallet and close my eyes. Tonight was too much and I feel like I finally lost myself to this insane world. I don’t even know who I am anymore. I used to be strong; independent. Now, I’m a shaking mess. A shell of my former self. I’m not sure I even know who I am anymore.
A knock sounds on my door and I open my eyes. I stare at the door, not even bothering to get up.
Someone knocks again.
It’s dark, as usual, in my windowless room. I’m not sure how long I’ve been asleep. Is it still night or is it morning?
The door swings open and I squint at the shadowy figure. “Margot?”
“You didn’t return last night,” she says.
“No, I didn’t,” I say as I sit up and rub my eyes.
I don’t need light to know the expression she must have on her face. I’m sure she’s glaring at me. I’m sure her thin lips are pressed together so hard they vanish.
“Get up before I have them sell you to a farm,” she says. “You think things are bad here? They’ll work you to death there in a matter of weeks.”
“I know the threats, Margot,” I say. “So do it already. You’ve been telling me that for months.”
“You really want me to, don’t you?” she asks.
“You don’t have it in you,” I say. “You’ll just have them beat me and you’ll send me back to the laundry room.”
“Do you think it makes you special?” she asks. “Getting into the king’s bed?”
I frown. As I suspected, I’m not unusual. “I didn’t get in his bed if you must know.”
She’s quiet for a moment and the silence is worse than anything she could say. I stand and take a few steps toward her, wanting to get a better read on her.
“You didn’t bed the king?” she asks quietly.
“No,” I say.
“You turned him down?”
“Yes,” I say.
She rubs her temples as if I completely exhaust her, then she lowers her hands. “You’ll go to the farm today.”
“What?” I don’t believe her. Not really. After all the times I ran, I wasn’t sent away.
“You insulted the king. You’re lucky you’re still alive. You have no future here,” she says.
I don’t have a response for her because it’s exactly what I thought last night.
“Put your day dress on,” she says. “I’ll find a driver to take you.”
A lump rises in my throat and I nod, even though I know she can’t see me in the dark room.
She closes the door after her and I’m left alone in the darkness. Numbly, I feel my way to the wall and pull my daytime dress from the hook.
I go through the motions of changing. I suppose I have enough of a will to live if I’m going through this. I still feel empty but I suppose that’s better than feeling scared or angry. Perhaps I’ll hang on to this and try to shut out all the bad things I’m likely to encounter in the next few short months of my life.
Then, I realize something that sends a small flicker of hope through me. There aren’t guards at a farm. No walls to scale. Likely more places to hide.
After all this time, after all my failed attempts at escape, maybe this was what I needed the whole time.
I’m smiling as I pull my day dress over my head. The empty feeling sits in my gut like a weight, but alongside it is a tiny pulse of hope.
Chapter Six
Rena
I’m with two other servants in the open cart as it bumps and rocks over the dirt road. When I first arrived, the lack of modern technology was a struggle to adjust to. But the fair folk never needed to develop what we had in the human world. Not when they can use magic.
They use ley lines to travel long distances, magic to create light, and who knows what else. Aside from being able to get humans to
do whatever they want, I’m sure there is even more awful magic I don’t know about.
I glare toward the others in the cart. A man and a woman. Both look to be in their forties. I’m not sure what they did to piss off Margot to get sent here, but neither of them look healthy enough to handle manual labor.
The woman is staring down at her hands as she plays with the fabric on her dress. The man is looking straight ahead but his gaze is unfocused. They both look like they’ve given up the will to live.
I frown. A few hours ago, I was in the same place. Feeling totally lost. But with each minute that passes, the empty ache is easing. I can practically feel the fight returning. It’s as if something at the palace was weighing on me. As I get farther away, I’m feeling more clear than I have in a long time.
We pass wooded areas and a warm breeze blows my hair in front of my face. I pull it back and knot it at the base of my head. My long curls are a frizzy mess most days anymore. Maybe I’ll cut my hair off if I find some shears. Just to be done dealing with it.
I catch the scent of salt and straighten. It’s familiar and comforting. The call of the sea itself. I turn around and grip the railing. I want so badly to see the ocean. I know there’s water nearby. The kitchens were supplied with fresh fish daily. I caught pieces of the stories of the fisherman when they sold their catch.
If I could make it there, could I find passage away from here?
I turn back around and lean my head against the railing. With my eyes closed, I breathe in the scent that reminds me of home. I grew up a half mile from the Pacific Ocean. After months here, I was starting to think I’d never see the sea again. While it might not be home, it was familiar. Maybe being on whatever this farm was wouldn’t be so bad for right now.
Another scent fills my nose, nearly overpowering the smell of the ocean. I open my eyes and see a sea of trees in front of us. They’re covered in gorgeous white blossoms and the smell is so sweet I almost want to leap from the cart and run to them.
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