Chapter 33 Midnight Visitor
Lyra didn’t remember falling asleep. One moment she was staring blankly at the ornate ceiling, deep in thought, and the next she jerked upright, her heart hammering wildly as if someone had screamed her name.
“Hello?” she called out, startled.
When no reply came, she sat there, breathing hard.
“What woke me?”
She didn’t know. But whatever it was, she was thankful it had clawed her out of sleep, yanking her straight out of the nightmare she’d been trapped in.
Her skin was drenched in sweat. The soft cotton sheets clung to her legs uncomfortably as she tried to sit up. She pushed them off and swung her feet onto the cold polished floor.
The room looked too big despite being in it for a few hours already. She doubted she'd ever get used to the size.
Lyra rubbed her temples, trying to shake the fog.
She hadn't slept properly since arriving at the Titanium Pack. Honestly, she hadn’t slept properly since Cassian’s death. If that wasn't enough, then the nightmares of Rex, Dax, and Ryker dying because of her kept replaying in her head over and over.
Each nightmare was worse than the last. Groaning, Lyra covered her face with her hands.
“What if it’s real?” she whispered to herself. “What if they walked right into the trap Cassian set?”
Her voice cracked.
“Cassian…” she murmured, and immediately felt that heavy tug in her chest.
He had killed her in her past life. And still, he was her closest friend back then. Her protector and her constant companion.
And now he was gone, snatched away when he fell off that cliff.
She should have been relieved, but oddly, she wasn’t.
Even worse, Cassian had been the only thing standing between her and the Blood King. At least now the Blood King wasn’t invading her mind. She'd have to worry about that later.
As long as I don’t transform again, she thought, I should be safe.
But she didn’t feel safe.
Not here.
Some part of her hoped Dax and Ryker would show up and save her. But another part of her knew it was wishful thinking.
Swallowing nervously, she decided that she needed water.
Lyra stood and quietly opened her bedroom door, intending to wander around until she found the kitchen. The castle was huge, but the dining hall was nearby, and most kitchens were attached to those.
But as soon as she stepped out, she nearly screamed.
Six maids stood in a perfect line outside the door, all of them upright, all of them awake at this ungodly hour.
“Good evening, Princess Irene,” they chorused, bowing their heads.
Lyra yelped and stumbled backward, clutching her chest.
“W-What are you doing here?! It’s the middle of the night!”
One of the maids stepped forward timidly. “We are assigned to attend to you day and night, Princess Irene.”
Lyra stared at them as if they’d grown horns.
“You’re telling me you stand here all night? Every night?”
They nodded in unison.
“Yes, Princess.”
She blinked rapidly. “What time is it?”
“Just after midnight,” the smallest maid replied.
Lyra felt her stomach churn. “No, no, absolutely not. I don’t want anything. I’m trying to sleep. You can all go.”
They all exchanged nervous, terrified looks.
Then one of them whispered, “We… we can’t, Princess. We were punished months ago for leaving when you told us to. We cannot obey again.”
Lyra froze.
Wow. Irene was not only pompous, she was awfully mean and petty too.
Those poor girls probably hadn’t had a proper night’s sleep in years.
She took a breath, then in the firmest voice she could muster, she said, “If you don’t obey me now, you’ll still be punished. Do you understand?”
The effect was immediate. They all apologized and nodded.
“We’re sorry, Princess! Forgive us!”
Lyra almost groaned. She wasn’t trying to scare them; she was trying to help them. But okay, apparently authority was the only language Irene ever used.
“Look,” Lyra said gently, “I just want water. One glass. After that, you all go sleep. That is an order.”
The girls shuddered and bowed deeper.
“Yes, Princess Irene.”
One maid sprinted off so fast Lyra was sure she broke a personal record. When she returned with the glass of water, she timidly handed it over.
Then she looked up at Lyra with pleading eyes. “Please, Princess, please don’t tell Alpha Darius we left our post.”
Lyra sighed. “I won’t say anything. I’m the one relieving you. Go and get some rest, all of you.”
They bowed again, murmuring thank-yous, and hurried away, yawning.
Lyra shut her bedroom door and shook her head in disbelief.
“This place is insane,” she muttered. “How could anyone sleep outside someone’s door all night? Irene was a nightmare.”
She downed the water in a few gulps, breathing out as the coolness settled her nerves.
Then she crawled into the massive, too-soft bed again. She curled into herself and stared at the dim ceiling.
Irene was gone. She was dead, and what this place didn't know was that the version of that girl, the entitled, rude, arrogant princess, would never return.
But while Lyra was here, she would try to fix what Irene had destroyed.
“Maybe I can give her some honor and right her wrongs,” she whispered. “Even if she’s gone.”
She turned on her side, hoping sleep would finally come.
Minutes passed, but she still lay awake.
Then she heard a tiny tap on the door. Lyra groaned and pushed her face into the pillow.
“What now?” she mumbled. But the single tap came again.
She sighed dramatically. “I said I don’t need anything.”
She got up, rubbed her eyes, and grabbed the empty glass to hand it back, mentally preparing to tell the maids to go back to sleep.
But when she opened the door, she froze.
It wasn’t a maid.
A man stood there instead, wearing layer upon layer of thick jackets as if trying to conceal his shape. A wrapped turban covered most of his face; only his eyes could be seen.
Lyra opened her mouth to scream, but he clamped his hand gently over her lips and pushed her backward into the room.
Her heart leapt into her throat.
“What—”
He leaned close and shoved the thick turban away from his thin lips.
“When you sent the maids away,” he whispered against her ear, “I knew you wanted me to spend the night here instead of meeting me in the gardens, like usual.”
Her entire body stiffened.
What? The gardens? Usual?! Irene, what kind of mess did you leave behind?!
The man chuckled slowly, oblivious to her shock. “I have dirty plans for you tonight, Princess Irene.”
Lyra’s mind blanked.
Before she could gather a single thought, he bent his head and smashed his lips against Lyra's.