I was looking forward to my stone bed and whatever food they would bring tonight. Even something called “prison porridge” made my mouth water. The folded paper in my waistband weighed more than it should. Maybe telling Rayhan that I thought Kadence murdered his father would fulfill our agreement and he’d take me home. Or maybe it’d send the man into a spiral and he’d end up in a cell beside me for killing his king. Better to wait until I found more evidence.
The leather shoes Rayhan gave me cushioned my healing feet, but my wrists continued to worsen. The silver bands ate away at my skin, and tender blisters formed beneath the metal. A constant ache radiated up both arms, and I ground my teeth to hide the pain. The welts on my skin from the attacker’s blue whip paled in comparison.
We were halfway to the dungeons when a petite vampire with long, black hair passed us in the hall. She reached out and snatched Rayhan’s arm.
“Where do you think you’re going, young man?” She stood shorter than me, but laugh lines pinched her face. She looked about forty, but I’d learned enough about vampires to be skeptical of her appearance.
“Madeline.” Rayhan tipped his head in greeting.
“I’d heard a rumor you were traipsing around with a witch prisoner,” Madeline said. “I’d hoped it was just that—a rumor.”
“She’s wearing the silver shackles, Madeline. Plus, she’s a civilian. She wouldn’t be able to overpower me to escape.”
“Hmm.” Madeline pressed her lips, but something flashed across her face. Humor. “Kadence wouldn’t like it.”
“Kadence, His Royal Ass, isn’t here, is he?”
“Tsk.” Madeline pointed a finger at Rayhan. “You’d be careful with those words in public. This isn’t a council meeting.” She leaned back to study the man’s expression. “He was agitated with you before he left. Is something going on?”
“Nothing, Madeline.” Rayhan waved one hand. “I don’t know. You know how he gets.”
Madeline nodded, and dark hair curtained her curvy figure. “And your name?”
Oh, she was talking to me. I peeled my tongue from the roof of my mouth. “Nat-Natalie,” I sputtered.
“Natalie,” she said warmly. “Why is Rayhan dragging you all over the castle?”
“I, um…”
“She had a vision,” Rayhan interrupted.
I forced a smile, but unease sank my chest.
“A vision?”
“About my father.”
“You’re brave to use magic in Kadence’s castle,” Madeline said.
“He’ll recover,” Rayhan said. “My father won’t.”
The words fell between us. Madeline touched Rayhan’s shoulder.
“Manveer is very missed,” she said. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Rayhan.”
Madeline dropped her hand and continued down the hall until she disappeared through another corridor. I thought I saw her turn back at the last moment, but Rayhan had already dragged me away.
Reef perked up when we passed his cell, which looked like a mirror image of my own. He wore new clothes—a thin, light brown muslin shirt and matching breeches. His face appeared clean and freshly shaved.
Rayhan pulled open my door. I had never been more relieved to see my prison cell. Fresh clothes had been stacked on the raised platform beside a pail of water with a folded washcloth draped over the edge.
The gate rattled shut.
I wanted to wash my face, but a dark hand of terror clutched at my chest. I stumbled back to the bars to look at Rayhan’s retreat.
“Hey!”
He paused.
“You promised to protect me! Aren’t you going to put a guard down here?”
“Don’t worry, Nat.” He didn’t turn around. “I’ll make sure you’re well protected.”
His footsteps thundered through the hall and up the stairs, and the wooden door banged shut.
“He’s the worst,” Reef said, and I chuckled.
“He sure is.”
“What did you do with him?” he asked.
“He took me to the basement.”
“The morgue? That’s ominous.”
“No, it was their laboratory. I think that’s where the smoke from the attack came from. They have a cabinet full of chemicals that make smoke.”
“It wasn’t magic?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Was the attacker in the laboratory?”
“No, the scientist was in a wheelchair,” I said as Rayhan’s warning about Nadeem’s assistants tumbled in my mind.
“That’s all you did?”
“Yes, Reef, that’s all we did.”
“You swear?”
I didn’t have the energy to maintain the facade of being Rayhan’s secret lover tonight. “I swear.”
The bucket of water beckoned me, and I submitted. I dipped the washcloth into the cool liquid, and soapy bubbles tried to sputter to life. I was much too late. The liquid had probably been warm and bubbly hours ago. I washed my wrists, biting my tongue as the sensation stung like acid. I rinsed the rag and pressed the fabric to my face. The dirt and grime from the last few days wiped away. The water had turned deep brown by the time I carried the bucket to the cell door and heaved it between the bars.
I pulled Manveer’s letter from my waistband. I wasn’t sure what to do with it, but I couldn’t show it to Rayhan yet. The cold stones met my knees as I crouched beside the crevice hiding my little knife. The paper didn’t fit as well as the weapon, but it hid well enough.
The shackles grated unbearably against my injured wrists. Ooze and blood peeked around the edges of the silver, and the skin next to the wound held an angry red hue. If I wasn’t careful, infection would set in soon.
I ran a hand over my dress. Its original cream color had become an ugly gray-brown, and the hem was tattered. I gathered the bottom of the garment in both hands and pulled at one of the worn edges. The fabric gave way and split up the middle, stopping at the waist seam. I tugged at the stubborn edge, and it ripped, leaving me with a long strip of material. I wrapped the makeshift bandage under the silver band until it formed a barrier between the metal and my skin.
Relief came immediately. I sat back on my heels and sucked in my first deep breath in days.
I turned to the new set of clothes as thunderous footsteps cascaded down the stairs. I recognized them by now.
Rayhan.
I paused and listened as the steps drew near. The man’s shadow covered the torch in the hall. I pinched the edges of my ripped dress closed and staggered to my feet.
The vampire carried a rolled mat, blankets, and an extra-long pillow. He dropped everything in a heap and unrolled the mat beneath the torch.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I approached the gate as he smoothed a black, quilted blanket across the thick pad.
“You wanted protection.” He gestured at himself. “Here it is.”
“This is not what I asked for.”
Rayhan waved one finger in the air, mocking me from our previous argument. “You demanded that I personally guard this cell block.”
“I meant by assigning more guards to the row, not camping in front of my door.”
He stepped closer, leaving the half-inch of the metal gate as the only barrier between us. His lips turned up in a smile, and his smugness rolled over me in waves.
“I told you that you wouldn’t like it.”
Stubbornness and pride locked my legs. “Are you planning to sleep outside my room indefinitely?”
“We have a bargain, girl. I need you to be alive or that bargain disappears. If I have to sleep in this cold, musty hall every night until you figure out who killed my father, then so be it.”
I smothered an eye roll. So nice of him to selflessly care about my safety. “Fine. But first, turn around.”
“Why?” His tone twisted, curiosity leaking through.
“I have to change clothes.” I held up the clean outfit.
The frustration on his face faded into something that burned through my thin dress and warmed my skin from the inside.
“I’m not stopping you.” A slight growl marred his words.
“I’m not a painting for you to gasp at,” I snapped.
Rayhan pushed from the gate and folded himself across the rectangular pad. He set both arms behind his head and crossed his feet in front of him.
“Looks like you have two choices. You can wear clean clothes or dirty clothes. Neither choice involves me.”
I turned my back to the man and narrowed my eyes at the innocent pile of tan fabric. Anger tightened my throat. I wouldn’t have ripped this dress if I’d known I would be stuck wearing it. I released the ragged edges, and it gaped open to the top of my stomach. Definitely not appropriate to wear around the castle.
Rayhan’s gaze danced across my back, but I refused to acknowledge him.
The clothes felt soft as I scooped them from the bench. I tugged the breeches beneath my skirt and stepped into the legs. The waistband sat a little loose, but the cotton was rich and breathable.
I pulled the dress over my head. My hair tumbled down in waves and tickled my bare back. I imagined the vampire eyeing my exposed skin and waited for the anger to flare again. Instead, something else burned hot in my core, something awfully close to desire.
No. I flung the feeling away. I only needed to use Rayhan to escape. Anything else would muddy my fastest route out of here.
The tunic clung to my curves without settling too tight. It fit well, better than I expected for an inmate’s outfit.
I clenched my fists and turned around. My mouth opened, and a stabbing insult perched on my tongue.
The words faded.
Expecting the vampire’s burning gaze, surprise caught me instead. The man stretched across the cot, covered by the black blanket, with his back toward to me.
A little unbalanced, I sat on the stone ledge. Silver moonlight peeked through the window to blend with the dancing torches. Rayhan’s chest rose in even movements, and I remembered the steady thumping of his heart under my palm. I laid on the stones and used my arm as a makeshift pillow.
I buried the thought as soon as it erupted, but with the giant sprawled in front of my door, I finally felt safe.