Chapter 11

Elara'S POV

“Good morning, miss.” Maeve brought me a tray for breakfast and quickly retreated as soon as I opened my mouth to ask more questions. I sighed. She wasn’t going to give me any answers.

Alone, in silence, I ate while staring out the window. Snow drifted down with a hypnotizing allure as I watched one large, fluffy flake after another pass my window and disappear into the whiteness below.

I’d tried to open it, to determine if it was a potential escape route, but it wasn’t that type of window. The single pane of glass was solidly anchored in the wall.

The next thirty minutes, I spent poking around the room. While the bathroom was well stocked, and the wardrobe housed an array of silk and satin dresses, everything else was empty and stark. I was forced to handwash my bra and underwear, and dry them by the fire to avoid having to go commando.

Maeve reappeared in the early afternoon and brought lunch. She set the tray on the table, swapping it with the one from breakfast. I not so discretely stalked her to the door and blocked her exit.

“I need several pairs of bras, panties, and socks,” I said, folding my arms.

She inclined her head. “Consider it done.”

“And,” I picked at the blue dress, “jeans, T-shirts, and sweaters—”

“I’m sorry, miss. The lords chose those dresses for you and insist you wear them.”

Of course, they did. Why am I not surprised? Controlling jerks.

“Will there be anything else, miss?” Maeve edged toward me, glancing at the door.

“I’m bored. Can you bring me a book or two?” I was going to go insane pacing this room forever.

“That I can do, miss. Any particular kind of book?”

I pursed my lips, thinking. “Engrossing romance? Or a good mystery. Honestly, I’d read the dictionary.”

“Very good. May I leave now to fetch your books and undergarments?”

I stepped aside, letting her pass, and got a brief glimpse of the empty hallway before she closed and locked the door.

Again, for several hours, I was alone. I nibbled at the turkey, lettuce, tomato, and avocado sandwich and sipped the tea while worrying about my brother. Had he made it to his friend’s house okay? These bastards weren’t tricking me and keeping us both, were they? How did I know for sure he wasn’t locked in the dungeon? I’d signed that contract, but I didn’t trust the bosses—the lords—one bit.

By the time Maeve returned, I was alternately pacing and picking at the drapes. I sat on the bed, only to jump up and gaze out the window as my breath fogged the frigid glass.

“Here are the books.” Maeve set two hardbound volumes on the nightstand. “Undergarments will be here tomorrow. Also, the bosses will have you join them for dinner tonight. You’d best get ready.”

Dinner with the bosses? A chill broke out over my skin, and I shuddered. I was eager to get out of this room, if only for an hour or so, but would tonight be only dinner, or would Xavier expect to drink from me? Maybe I had dinner.

“I’m not going.” I folded my arms.

Maeve’s eyes widened. “You must, miss. Otherwise, you’ll anger them.”

“Well, they can come here and drag me out if they want to, but I refuse to go willingly.”

“Miss,” she licked her lips, “please give them a chance. They may be difficult, but they’re not all bad.”

I guffawed. “They’re crime lords! Scum of this earth as far as I’m concerned.” Well, maybe a step up from the hunters and slimy politicians, but that wasn’t saying much.

“Very well. I will let them know.” With a frown, she slipped out the door.

I was peacefully reading on the bed when the door unbolted and slammed open. A very annoyed-looking werewolf strode in and glowered. I sat up straighter, refusing to be intimidated.

“You will come to dinner with us. Now.” He laced his tone with authority. Power radiated from his being.

“No.”

Lysander took a moment to consider me.

“You don’t have a choice.”

“Actually, I do, and I’ve already made my decision.”

He growled. “Don’t push me, woman.”

“Or what? You’re going to starve me? Punish me?” I’d been through so many ups and downs while on the run. We’d gone weeks without me having a job. We’d survived in the gutters before I got smarter and began to understand how the world worked. How to appear to be a desirable employee, how to rent an apartment, and how to steal and scrape by when that was our only option. These criminals could do their worst.

“Punish you?” His eyes lit with a yellowish gleam. “At this point, that would be my pleasure. Get up. Now.”

“I already told you no. Now, fuck off.” I moved to continue reading the book.

In the next second, Lysander was on me. He scooped me up and tossed me over his shoulder, pinning my legs to his chest. I shrieked and pummeled his back.

“Put me down, you asshole!”

A low rumble vibrated in his chest. “You want to act like a bratty child, then I’ll treat you like one.”

He carried me down the hallway to a door at the end. Unceremoniously, he dumped me into a chair at the dining table.

I huffed, blowing hair out of my face, and straightened my spine. I might have been carried in here barefoot and dressed in this clingy gown, but I’d be damned before I cowered in their presence.

“Shall we dine?” Lysander asked, taking his own seat.

Xavier sat directly across from me, with Kaelen and Lysander at either end of the table. The vampire exchanged a glance with the Fae, then he lifted a brow at Lysander. The wolf shrugged. I shot him a glare.

Dinner was not in any formal dining room, but in a smaller space where my only company was the bosses. The meal had been laid out on the table, and we served ourselves in strained silence.

The scarred Fae dug into his meal without so much as a glance at the rest of us. Xavier picked at his food and took sips from a glass of thick, cherry-colored liquid. Maybe I wouldn’t be his meal tonight. His dark eyes barely left my face as I tried to swallow past the lump in my throat. Lysander’s forkfuls were punctuated by quiet growls.

After a deKaelennt dinner of roast meat, vegetables, and melt-in-your-mouth bread rolls that I would have enjoyed anywhere else, Xavier fetched slices of chocolate cheesecake from the sideboard. My stomach was still twisted in a knot, but I didn’t dare refuse when he set a plate in front of me. Delicious food was my weakness. I hadn’t completely realized that until now.