My eyes flew open, and my arms grabbed each side of the tub to sit upright. I brought my thighs toward my stomach, hoping to hide my nakedness.
Water splashed everywhere, and nothing in my movements was graceful.
I glared up at my uninvited guest. How dare he come in without announcing himself?
Alexander had his left shoulder pressed on the bathroom door frame, a sly smirk on his godlike face that I momentarily hated. Both his hands were in his front pockets. He looked amused as my cheeks flushed with shame… and maybe want.
Faiths, I really wanted him, but I also wanted to punch him!
“Oh, don’t stop on my account; I was really enjoying this! Do make it a habit.” He winked.
His eyes were still black. I thought I had imagined them ever being gray. Whenever I saw Alexander, I thought I saw their pale gray colour, but they seemed to darken unexplainably when he suddenly noticed me.
I hugged my knees to my chest, looking at him, trying to pull the most infuriating, scolding, death stare I could muster. I had to say that I was out of practice.
He still didn’t budge and certainly did not intend to leave, so I did the only thing I thought could get a rise out of him. I was feeling quite brazen. That man made me do many things I never thought I had the guts to do.
I removed the drain plug, stood up, and got out of the tub, showing him every aspect of my body.
I didn’t even bother covering myself with my hands. Alexander had already seen what there was to see, anyway.
“Do you have towels in this room?” I asked while arching my brow.
His hands were no longer in his pockets. They were bunched up in fists at his sides. Either he was very offended or barely holding on to his restraint.
I smiled internally; I could work with that.
He pointed to the back, where the glass bottles were, and I saw, just below them, a little cupboard.
I turned around, showing him my backside, and I heard him suck in a breath. Then I remembered I had lash marks all over my back and hurriedly grabbed a towel to finally hide my body and make my point.
“Now that I know you’re a peeping tom, I sincerely hope that what you saw is now seared in your brain because you will not have the chance of seeing that again.” I simply stated, pulling out another towel to pat my arms and legs dry.
“I’d like for you to leave while I make myself a bit more presentable so we may discuss my working arrangements, milord.”
Alexander nodded and followed me out of the bathroom without a word.
He stopped mid-walk when he saw me pull out of my sac my nightgown. It was old and tattered, but it was the only one they had given me when I arrived here. I tried to clean it regularly as best I could, but the cotton eventually turned a pale beige, and the fabric thinned from use and cleaning.
“You’re wearing that?” He quickly asked, grabbing it from my hands. He used the adjourning door to his chambers and left me alone for a few seconds.
The young lord returned, handing me a man’s nightshirt. It was made from the same soft material as my new maid’s dress.
It looked expensive.
I hesitated to take it. The last time I had touched Alexander, it was as though a bolt of lightning had electrified me.
Alexander insisted once more, so I was careful to take it without contacting his skin.
If he found my action odd, he didn’t let it show.
I pulled the nightshirt over my head and let it fall over me. Once I had passed my arms in the sleeves, I unwrapped the towel covering my body and let it slip under the shirt and onto the floor. I’d bring it back where it belonged after my dealing with the lord was over.
I pulled out a thin woollen shawl and placed it over my shoulders. It was the only possession I had left of my old life. It was my mother’s, and I kept it all those years, never able to part from it.
The shawl covered enough of Alexander’s nightshirt that I was respectable. Faiths, the definition of “presentable” had been thrown out the window the second he saw me naked while touching myself.
Alexander cleared his throat and gestured to the small table and two chairs.
Once we sat down, he went straight to the point.
“While you will work on this floor, I would like you to call me Xander. “Milord” seems a bit too formal, and no one is here to punish you for not being proper with my title.”
I bit the inside of my cheek and nodded. I could try it if he insisted on it, and he gave me a lovely room, so I thought I owed him. Also, his seriousness made me doubt there was room for objections.
“You may clean the entire floor as you see fit. You will be mostly living here with Leo, whereas I have work and am barely here during the day, so do what you want,” he said while backing himself in his chair.
I still didn’t completely understand.
“Hmm, milord—uh, Xander?” I righted myself in my seat. “If I have finished cleaning, what do I do?”
It was an honest question, I thought.
“I have a library. You may look at any book you wish. I have more than I care to admit. Mind you, some are in Latin, Greek, and others in a lost language.” He shrugged.
“And who’s Leo?”
“That would be my footboy who brought you here.” Alexander’s eyes softened at the mention of the boy.
“There are but two things I ask of you, and I want you to respect them.” His index finger rose. “You are to stay in your room and lock it after midnight,” he then raised his middle finger. “And you are not to enter the room where we first met. Is that clear?”
Thoughts were flying everywhere in my head, raising more questions I knew I probably wouldn’t get an answer to.
Lock my room after midnight? He just said that we were alone on this entire floor. Why would I need to do that?
With my mind spinning, it took me too long to agree to his conditions. Alexander impatiently slammed both hands on the table and shot up. He rushed to me, and it surprised me to feel his hands on my neck and collarbone.
Sparks were tingling everywhere on the surface of my skin where his hand touched, and it was almost painful. It was like I had a raging fire inside, trapped under my flesh.
What was wrong with me?
His teeth were bared, and the sound he made almost seemed like a snarl.
I searched his face, hoping he’d see I was freaking out because of the strange sensation that inhabited me.
Alexander’s eyes seemed to pale a bit, and I felt his grip on me loosen. I put my hand where he had touched me and rubbed hard, hoping to make that awful sensation go away.
I noticed Alexander was looking at his hand again, with an incomprehensible expression. He quickly placed it back in his pocket, mumbled an apology and left, leaving me alone with whatever had just occurred.
I stayed there for a while, trying to piece things together. After some time, I slowly made my way to the oil lamp and doused it.
Peeling the bed covers, I slid my body under and tried to relax. My heart felt like it would explode from my chest, and I needed to calm down. I needed to focus on my emotions.
“Breathe. Just breathe,” I kept repeating, hoping the darkness would claim me quickly.
I rolled on my side and looked at the wall when it didn't.
Lord Alexander had mentioned I had free range around his living quarters, so I decided to look in the library shortly after my morning tasks. Maybe I could find answers to explain the illness that suddenly took hold of me? It had to do with Alexander. It couldn’t be anything else.
I hugged my sides and brought my knees up.
Yes, the library would be a start.
I woke up early to a soft knock on my door. The sun was not up yet, but I could see the faint tell-tall sign that it would rise soon through the window. I pulled myself out of the blankets and padded toward the door. I was surprised to see Leo. The small boy smiled shyly and held out a tray with breakfast food and hot drinks. “May I come in?” “Of course!” I gestured him in, and he wobbled to the small table in the room. The tray was clearly heavy and way too oversized for his small arms. “I thought you might be hungry, so I went in the kitchen and fixed this up for you,” he scrunched his nose a bit. “I didn’t know if you liked tea or coffee, so I brought both.” That was thoughtful of the little man. He was already dressed and ready for the day. I eyed him silently, taking him in. It occurred to me I didn’t even know what kind of work he did for Alexander. “What exactly do you do here?” I asked while taking the teapot from the tray and pouring some into a cup. I would pour some
It had been days since I last saw Xander. To be honest, I had desperately been avoiding him. Sometimes at night, I would wake up completely drenched in sweat, and I would have this inexplicable desire to open the adjourning door to Xander’s chamber and ravage him. These sudden urges were frightening enough to force me into staying inside my room with both doors bolted, and a chair was always wedged under the handle. I didn’t feel like myself at all. I almost didn’t dare open the door to get the food Leo brought me every morning. I only did it when I was highly famished. “Xander should be the one locking himself up when I go crazy. This is stupid; I could just unlock everything and hunt him down...” I told myself frustratingly. I did feel slightly better whenever Xander left for work in the morning, and I found myself alone on the floor. I felt like I could breathe again and found some remnants of my previous self. Calling Xander by his preferred name still felt foreign in my min
Cressida POV—The day of the uprising It was dreary outside, and the musty old library where my magic professor showed me spells did nothing for my boredom. I had been at it for hours, creating the same round sphere of light between my hands. The reasoning behind the spell was that I could make this ball into anything I wanted: a source of light, warmth, or protection. I had perfected it years back, and I didn’t understand why Otis was so pent up on me working on it today. “Princess, you need to master basic energy spells before trying more advanced techniques. You know this! So, stop pouting and throw that damn ball at me!” Otis taunted. Fine! I’d give him precisely what he wanted if he wanted to practice attack and defence. I extended my hand and brought the other under, swirling the ball faster. I opted for offence, so I created a sizzle of electricity around the sphere. Should it hit Otis, his white hair and beard would puff from the static and shock, hopefully even incapacita
I was woken up by a heat flash, so I threw the sheets away from my body. I felt hot even though I could see goosebumps all over my arms and legs through my copper-coloured lashes.I tried to focus on my breathing and slowing down my heartbeat. At the rate it was pumping, I’d probably go into shock again.I was still too hot, so I clawed at my nightshirt. I needed to take it off quickly before I combusted.I sensed someone swatting away my fumbling hands and placing an arm behind my back and under my knees to lift me up. Then I was weightless, floating toward another dimly lit room.I felt faint from the insane heat pulsing through me, and after a moment, something wrapped me in a cold envelope. I didn’t think I had a fever anymore. It was simply me swimming in the cool darkness. My lungs had slowly returned to a normal breathing rhythm, and my limbs felt slightly numb from the cold. But I didn’t mind the sudden temperature change. I welcomed it.Soft fingers brushed my cheek, pushing
I was done fighting back my desires and welcomed their possession over my body.I dragged my nails over Xander’s chest, scratching his skin and leaving red trails everywhere. I suddenly wanted to leave whatever mark I could to finally show that he was mine.Xander’s arm snaked up the length of my back, and he fisted a bunch of my hair, crashing my lips to his once again.His kisses commanded attention, and I moaned when he bit my lower lip.He returned his arms to the front of my wet nightshirt and ripped it open. Buttons flew on the bed and rolled onto the floor.The sudden breeze against my breasts made them peak, and I felt Xander’s hands explore my mounds hungrily.He had moved his mouth down my jaw, following my neck, and kept kissing and nipping until his tongue latched onto my breast. His other hand made circular motions on the other, taunting me and making me wet.My juices started wetting the inside of my thighs; the heat was building up between my legs. I arched my back, all
I lay in Xander’s bed, basking in the pool of sun that shone directly over me. The higher part of the windows contained stained glass, and as the sun streamed from the half-closed curtains, it cast a rainbow of colours on my skin. It felt magical to see those dancing tints vanishing and reappearing from the movements of clouds in the sky. Xander had left early, not wanting to wake me. I groaned at the thought. I hoped that was the reason and not out of regret. Faiths, I hoped it wasn’t out of regret…. I hid my warm, red face in the pillow beside me to stifle my groan of embarrassment. I bit my bottom lip, thinking back to the steamy night I had shared with him and flushed a deeper crimson at the memories of his touch on my skin. The bedroom door opened, and it startled me to see Xander walk in, his gaze finding me immediately. I flashed him a stunned smile and bunched the covers to hide my nakedness. He removed the vest of his black two-piece suit and sauntered to my side. H
With Xander knowing I was a magic wielder, he had encouraged me to practice magic again. He assured me it would be safe in his quarters, and I believed him, but I was still wary of Leo. The boy had always known this world—this hatred against Unnaturals. I didn’t know what he would do if he saw me performing a spell. Still, I engagingly accepted Xander’s encouragement and trained regularly by doing spells. I always did so when I knew I was alone. I was a little rusty, so I asked Xander if he had any books on spells or casting techniques in the estate. He had looked everywhere after I made the request, but the answer to my question had been “no,” and I received an unfortunate look from Xander, who knew this was important to me. It didn’t surprise me that there weren’t any books on that subject anymore. After Osprey came to power, anything regarding magic was destroyed. Priceless knowledge simply vanished at the beginning of his reign. It broke my heart. I almost regretted my lazines
Xander POV I looked over the finances. I felt terrible leaving Ida alone in my wing while I tended to business my father had ordered. I longed to be back with her, and my Lycan was in one of his moods. I had a lot of difficulties keeping him in check ever since we had found our mate. For him, it was inconceivable that we parted from her. I kept reminding him of our duties, but he snarled at me. Besides, I was down to our last bit of business before I could call it a day and finally be able to see her. I had to get Ida’s papers from Mr. Crane, my notary. I had them drafted the morning after I had marked her, but I was missing some information before they could be signed and sealed. I had finally gotten word that they were ready. Ida had reluctantly provided some information about her family and past, simply saying that she didn’t have a last name since she was orphaned and lived most of her life as a slave in different houses. It made my job harder since I had nothing to go on. Not