Chapter 11

Someone was shaking me.“Get up.”

I groaned and pulled the thin piece of cloth over my head, hoping whoever it was would leave me alone.

“Did you not hear me?”

A hand grabbed my shoulder and shook me harder.I opened my eyes.Four women stood outside my cell, their faces illuminated by the torchlight in the corridor. For a moment, I couldn’t remember where I was. Then I saw the stone walls, the straw beneath me, and the rats disappearing into the cracks.

The castle.The dungeon.My stomach twisted

The red haired rolled her eyes .I recognised her from the previous day. She had been among the women who watched while the others scrubbed my skin raw.

Her name was Reign, I remembered hearing someone call her.

She looked down at me with open irritation.

“Get up. The prince has summoned us.”

Us?

I pushed myself into a sitting position, but the movement made my head spin. I hadn’t eaten anything since the bread and milk they had given me at the feast. After spending the entire day cleaning, I had returned to the dungeon hoping someone would bring me food.

Nobody had.

Now I was so hungry that even standing felt like work.

“Come on!” the ginger-haired maiden snapped.

Claudia.That was her name. She was the worst of the lot, always wearing a smile that made me feel as though she was waiting for an excuse to hurt someone.

Beside her stood Rebecca, a blonde vampire with a pretty face and an expression that suggested she was already bored with me.

Arissa stood at the back.

She looked at me briefly, and I thought I caught a flicker of concern in her eyes

“Can I have something to eat?” I asked.

Claudia laughed.“Did you hear that? She thinks she can make demands.”

I lowered my eyes.There was no point arguing. I had learned that much already.Arissa stepped forward and unlocked the cell.“Just get up, Veronica.”

I used the wall to steady myself as I stood. My legs felt weak, and my stomach was practically eating itself, but I forced myself to remain upright.

Reign looked me over.“Try not to embarrass us tonight.”

I had no idea what she meant, and I was too tired to ask.

They led me through the castle.

Most of the corridors were dark, with only the occasional torch lighting our way. The place was quieter than it had been during the day. The servants had disappeared, and the few guards we passed barely acknowledged us.

I kept my eyes on the floor and followed the maidens, wondering why the prince needed us in the middle of the night.

Had I done something wrong?My heart began to race.

We descended a staircase and entered a part of the castle I hadn’t seen before. The air grew warmer as we approached a pair of tall doors. Beyond them, I could hear the faint sound of running water.

Reign pushed the doors open.Heat and steam drifted into the corridor.

I stopped.

The room beyond was enormous, with dark stone walls and a pool built into the floor. Water moved gently beneath the surface, and steam curled towards the high ceiling. Candles burned in alcoves along the walls, their light reflecting off the polished stone.

It looked less like a bathing room and more like something built for a king.

Because, of course, it was.

“Move,” Claudia ordered when she noticed me staring.

I hurried inside.

Several towels had been arranged on a table beside bottles of soap and oils. Another girl stood near the far wall, holding a folded towel against her chest.

She looked around my age, perhaps a little older, with dark hair and tired eyes.

“Anaya,” Arissa said, gesturing towards her. “You’ll be assisting with the towels and supplies tonight.”

Anaya gave me a small, sympathetic smile.

I returned it before looking away.

At least I wouldn’t be the only human here.

“Listen carefully,” Arissa said. “The prince comes here at this hour. We prepare his bath, assist him when needed, and make sure everything is ready before he leaves. You will do as you’re told and keep your eyes lowered unless he addresses you.”

My stomach tightened.

We were bathing the prince?

I glanced at the pool again.

Then at the white silk dresses the maidens were wearing.

They were thin, flowing garments that caught the candlelight whenever they moved. Mine was a rough brown dress that scratched my skin, and suddenly I felt even more out of place.

Claudia noticed me looking.“What are you staring at?”

“Nothing.”

“Good. Keep it that way.”

Before I could respond, the doors opened behind us.

Every maiden straightened.The room fell quiet.I turned before I could stop myself.Vladimir walked in.

He wore a dark robe tied loosely at the waist, his black hair slightly damp as though he had just washed his face. His expression was as unreadable as ever, and his golden eyes swept across the room.

The maidens bowed.

“Your Highness.”He barely acknowledged them.

Then his gaze landed on me.

My stomach dropped.

Of all the places I had hoped to avoid seeing him, this was near the top of the list.

His eyes lingered on my face for a moment before moving to the towels in my hands.

“You’re here.”

I swallowed.“Yes, Your Highness.”

He said nothing else.He simply untied his robe, placed it on a nearby chair, and stepped into the water.I immediately looked away.

Not quickly enough, apparently.Because the image had already lodged itself in my mind.

I had known he was tall. I had known he was strong. I had felt that strength when he carried me through the forest as if I weighed nothing.

But seeing him in the candlelight, with the steam curling around his shoulders, was something else entirely.

His body looked as though it had been carved from stone. Broad shoulders narrowed into a lean waist, and powerful muscles shifted beneath his skin as he lowered himself into the pool. There was not a single wasted movement.

It was unfair.

Completely, outrageously unfair.

How could someone who looked like that be such a monster?I forced my eyes towards the wall.

Stop looking at him.

He had threatened to kill Debby. He had dragged me back to the arena. He had left me hungry in a dungeon full of rats.

And yet, my traitorous mind had apparently decided that now was an excellent time to notice his shoulders.

I wanted to slap myself.

“Veronica.”

I jumped.

Arissa stood beside me, holding out a bottle of soap.“Take this to Claudia.”

I grabbed it so quickly that I nearly dropped it.

“Right. Sorry.”

She gave me a brief look but didn’t comment.

The maidens moved around the pool, carrying out their duties. Reign poured water over Vladimir’s shoulders while Claudia worked soap through his dark hair. Rebecca stood nearby with a fresh cloth, waiting for instructions.

They seemed perfectly comfortable around him.

More than comfortable, actually.