*Ainslee*
When I wake up the next morning, I think I might have dreamed it all. I know I’m in a comfortable bed, so that part doesn’t make sense to the semi-conscious me. I can’t be at home and experiencing this luxury. But there’s no way I’m in the castle because I’m actually some sort of Luna. I’m here because I was captured during the culling. They must just pass out really comfy beds to their donors.
I open my eyes and see the room Zeke brought me to yesterday. I know now it was not a dream. I’m really here. I was captured during the culling. Not because Rafe hates me, but because he’s trying to protect me.
From the Blacks.
And maybe King Axel?
I’m still not sure on that part, but I remember he said he’d explain it again. I am excited to see him. Funny how just yesterday he had me so infuriated I wanted to grab the closest silver stake and jam it into his heart, but now, I want to gaze into his blue eyes and forget about the world.
“Are you awake?”
I nearly fall out of the bed when I realize Zoey is in my room. She came back last night to help me get out of the dress, remove my heels and jewelry, and wash my face, but I had no idea she was here now.
Until she spoke.
I sit up and find her standing at the foot of the bed. “I am now.”
“Good. The prince would like to see you for breakfast in an hour, so we have our work cut out for us.” She smiles devilishly at me.
“Am I that much of a mess?” I wonder aloud.
She laughs. “No, but it takes a lot of work for us women to whip ourselves into shape for a man. Come on. Let’s get you in the shower.”
I get out of bed, but as I walk toward the bathroom, I remind her, “I can take a shower by myself.”
“I know you can, but it’s my job to run it for you and lay out everything you’ll need.”
I snicker. Is this what it’s like to be a royal? I’m not sure I could ever get used to this. For a moment, I picture Mom living in this sort of luxury, and it makes me smile. But then, it almost makes me tear up. I miss her so much. My brother and sister, too. Even Lenny. I wish I could see my family again, but I won’t ask for that just yet. Still, if what Rafe told me yesterday is true, it might mean they are in danger, too.
I use the toilet in the water closet while Zoey goes about her duties. The water in the shower is warm, and the soaps she chose smell wonderful. I’m excited to use this conditioner business again. When I’m done, I put on the robe she hung on the door for me and go out to see what’s next.
It does take about an hour for her to get me ready to have breakfast with Rafe. The routine is similar to the night before, though the outfit is less glamorous. The skirt and sweater are still far nicer than anything I’ve ever owned. The skirt comes almost to my knees, but I’m not too cold. Now that I live in a properly heated building, my wolf blood is doing its job, protecting me against the elements. Of course, it probably helps that I’ve been eating more, too.
I don’t have on such large diamonds either, but I still have on some dainty jewelry, and my makeup looks amazing, though the smoky eyes from the night before are replaced with something more subtle. I slip on a pair of boots that look great with the rest of the outfit, and Zoey says, “I’ll walk you to the breakfast nook.”
“There’s a breakfast nook?” I’ve never been in a home large enough to have a different room for each meal, but then, this castle is huge. I try to pay attention to where we are headed so that I can find my way back if I need to, but we turn so many times, I can’t keep track.
The breakfast nook is near the kitchen. I can tell by the scent of eggs and bacon wafting down the hall. It overlooks a back garden with three large windows. Rafe isn’t there when we arrive, but Zoey gestures for me to sit, which I do. I’m glad the crowd from the night before is gone, and I appreciate the less formal setting. I assume that I’ll have to go back to dinner again tonight, but I’d rather not.
Rafe looks like he’s in a rush when he comes in a few minutes later. He’s squinting his left eye slightly, and his forehead is creased. When he sees me, that disappears, and a smile slips into place. “Good morning. You look lovely.”
He looks nice in a pair of black slacks and a gray button down, his muscles defined through the fabric as he moves. I stand to greet him because he’s the prince, and I’m supposed to, but I also want to hug him. I want to touch him and be close to him, like I was the night before, and since Zeke hugged me before dinner and kissed my cheek, I don’t think it’s completely unheard of, is it?
Rafe’s lips graze my cheekbone as his arms encircle me for only a moment. It’s not long enough, but I’ll take it. I barely had my hands on his shoulders before he pulled away.
As soon as we sit down across from one another, a servant show up with his goblet and my plate. They remove the cloche to reveal exactly what I’d smelled, eggs and bacon in heaping quantities. They also bring me fresh orange juice.
“Do you like eggs and bacon?” Rafe asks me. “Perhaps that would’ve been a question for last night.”
I smile, feeling my cheeks heat from just the mention of last night. “I do like them, thank you. Though it’s been ages since I’ve had either one.”
He stares at me for a second before he asks, “How is it that your people can’t have chickens or pigs?”
I lift my fork and look at him for permission to eat. He gestures for me to go ahead, and I take a bite of eggs, loving how they melt in my mouth, before I swallow and then answer. “We were always told that those rules were by decree of the king. All of them. No farm animals. No gardens. No hunting or fishing.”
“Why would King Axel want to forbid you from doing what you needed to do in order to stay alive?” He takes a drink and slowly shakes his head.
“I don’t know. No one ever explains why to us. They just tell us how it is. And we either comply or pay the consequences.” As I watch him slowly sip on the blood, I can’t help but wonder who it came from. What if that’s Annamarie’s blood? I remember Jerim’s comments at dinner, and I want to ask Rafe about the feeders, but now’s not the time. We are here to discuss other matters.
Political matters.
I guess….
“So have you had a chance to think about everything?” he asks me, spinning his goblet slightly as he speaks. “Do you have questions?”
“I’m not sure if I have questions or not. I’ve gone over everything you’ve told me a dozen times, and I guess I get most of it. I’m the only direct descendent of Darius Bleiz, so I guess that technically makes me a Luna. So I could be a threat to the Blacks. Why didn’t they just have me killed or something? That’s what they did to my dad, right?” I feel a pang in my chest and ignore it. I miss my dad so much.”
“Apparently. Your father was beginning to come into his strengths, despite the starving conditions you all lived in. My understanding is that it was slightly better back then, though.” I nod. That’s true. “So they sent him on a mission into Warfang. I guess your cousin’s men accidentally took out the man that could have potentially helped them invade our territory.”
I want to remind him that it shouldn’t have ever been part of Shadowglade territory, but I don’t need to say that. He already knows. I eat while we talk because I’m so hungry, but there’s a lot to discuss, and it does seem strange to me that he’s not eating. He doesn’t even drink a lot of his blood. I decide to hurry and finish so that my food isn’t a distraction.
While I eat, he continues. “We think there’s a good chance Angus hoped that you’d never discover who you are. He wanted you to stay a docile little girl. Maybe you’d grow up and marry the likes of Lenny Moss and accept your life as a garbage collector.”
I cringe a little when he says that. I wasn’t sure he knew that had been my job. Now, I am embarrassed that the prince knows I once picked up trash for a living. Is he embarrassed for me? Does it bother him that he kissed a garbage woman?
It doesn’t seem to. He continues. “Zeke suggested that perhaps the Blacks didn’t eliminate you themselves for the same reason that I want you here. Leverage.”