Chapter 21 Twenty-one.
Cleaning the guards toilet has to be the worst thing ever. Not only am I working with broken fingers, but the stench from the shit and piss mixed together is enough to poison me.
It's now midnight and I'm completely famished as I clean the last toilet. This one is completely messy, filled with stains of shit and I can even see fly eggs on the rim of the toilet seat. It makes me want to vomit. As I clean, I'm reminded of my life in the shadow moon pack. It wasn't any better, but I'd pick it over this life a million times. At least, then I'd still be with my brother and my Omega friends. Carter would still be alive. I wouldn't have known I even had this stupid mate bond with King Sven also… fucking King Sven who I haven't seen or heard from for a week now after we accepted the mate bond.
When I finish, I head back to my room, trailing behind Kane. As I reach my door, he suddenly grabs my arm.
“Let today be a warning, Fae,” he growls and I don’t flinch. “If I tell you to do something, you do it. Strip? You do it. Crawl? You do it. Tomorrow night, after your chores, you’re coming to my room. I think you know what I mean.”
He smacks my ass with a grin and walks off like he didn’t just mark me for something worse.
I enter my room and head straight for the bathroom. I peel off my dress slowly and slip into the water. The warmth stings my bruises. I close my eyes and sink deeper, hoping to drown the memory of today—but I know better. Kane's threat isn't empty. He means it. And tomorrow... tomorrow could break me in ways I haven’t yet imagined.
A sigh escapes my lips as I raise my right hand to look at. It's my dominant hand, and seeing as it's red, bruised, and shaking, I know I won't be able to use it properly for some time.
After soaking, I wash my clothes, hang them on the door, and change into the nightclothes Isadora gave me the night before.
“Took you long enough,” a voice says as I enter back into the room.
Isadora.
She's standing with a tray of food in one hand, the other hidden behind her back. “Brought you food.”
“Thanks,” I say, taking the tray. She's been the one bringing food lately. Not Sven. Not since the acceptance.
“I heard what happened today… in the square,” she says carefully.
I let out a bitter snort as I sit on the edge of the bed, placing the food down. “And do you believe them?”
“No. I know you wouldn’t do that,” she replies, her voice firm. Then she reveals what was behind her back—bandages and a small bottle of ointment. “For you. It’ll help with the swelling.”
Before I can say anything, she’s next to me, tilting my head, gently applying the ointment on my cheeks. Her touch is soft, practiced.
“Anywhere else?” she asks.
I lift my right hand. She takes it, examining the bruises.
“This looks like it hurts,” she says.
“Like a bitch,” I mutter, trying to lighten the mood.
She doesn’t laugh. “Sorry that happened,” she murmurs. “I hate that I can’t do more to stop it.”
I wince as she tends to my fingers. The relief is instant, but fleeting.
“You won’t be able to use this hand properly for a while,” she says, then adds more quietly, “Have you heard of the Dance of the Dead?”
“Everyone’s been talking about it.”
“Will you participate?”
“I don’t know.”
“I would encourage you to,” she says just as she stands up, dropping the bandage and ointment by the side of my bed. “I don't know what the deal is between you and King Sven, but just know that as long as you're here nothing will ever change. King Sven is ruthless. He can decide to kill you anytime, and I won't have much choice but to help carry out the execution. My people will never like your kind as sad as it is. So would you rather stay here and rot, or fight for your freedom… and maybe find your brother again?”
I don’t answer. I can’t. Because for the first time since I arrived here, I realize I might not have a choice for much longer if I plan to escape. It's either death, be King Sven child carrier and still die, or I fight for my freedom and die while doing so.
Isadora looks at me, eyes unreadable. “The choice is yours,” she whispers, and then she's gone.