Chapter Nine

Lisha POV

I have been a servant in Cassandra’s castle for four years, every day is torture, and Gabriel, Nadia, Athena, and the guards find new ways to prolong my suffering. I still don't know why they took me from my mother and home and brought me here; it looks like I will never know. The differences between the Seelie and Unseelie are becoming more noticeable the longer I am here. The Unseelie, or Dark Fae as we are sometimes called, are dark-haired, olive skin, dark eyes, and exquisite-looking. The Seelie has fair hair, fair skin, and blue eyes. Looking at them, you would think the sun-blessed them with beauty.  

When I enter the kitchen, Seline puts me to work to ensure everything is ready when the court awakens. After finishing my kitchen duties, I hurried to the laundry room on time. The queen's laundress is a nasty moody woman; if I am late, she won't hesitate to notify Gabriel.

I see Dana, Nadia, and Shayla approaching me; when it's too late, there's no reason for them to be down at this end of the castle. I bow, moving closer to the wall to get as far away from them as possible. The disgust and hatred on their faces never cease to hurt; when they reach the end of the hall, they turn, look back at me, and start giggling and whispering to each other. I try to ignore the dread that fills me; the morning is going so slowly, my nerves are ragged, and a headache starts to form behind my eyes. I rub my neck tiredly, trying to ease the tension making my muscles scream, and that's when I sense Gabriel approaching. The smile on his thin lips is sly as he says,

“Lisha, you will accompany me to Queen Cassandra in the throne room.”

My breathing is erratic, my fear increases, and my heart is pounding so fast that it sounds like drums beating inside me; there's nothing I can do except bow and meekly follow him to the throne room; Gabriel usually takes great pleasure in immediately handing out the Queen's punishment with me having to see her first, the fact Cassandra is deciding what punishment I receive terrifies me.

Cassandra is standing next to the throne. She is a beautiful woman; her long white hair flows to her knees, she has blue eyes, the color of the sky, and she is very petite. Cassandra’s only flaw is her cruel mouth. Dana, Nadia, and Shayla are standing beside Cassandra, so I know I am here for their sick amusement. I bow low, hoping that appearing small in front of them will lessen the severity of the pain I know I am about to receive. The queen's voice is commanding, demanding attention when she says,

“Lisha, you have been disrespectful to my ladies in waiting. What do you have to say for yourself?”

Her honeyed tone makes me shiver in fear. I incline my head in her direction; I learned the hard way never to look directly at her and murmur,

“I am deeply sorry if I offended your ladies, your highness. It was never my intention,” 

Cassandra smiles slightly, pauses, then says,

“As  punishment for your lack of respect toward my ladies, you will be taken to the courtyard and receive twenty lashes.” go with Gabriel now.” 

Gabriel's fingers dig into my arm as he drags me out of the throne room; my head is still spinning in shock at Cassandra’s words. I knew I was about to be whipped until I fell unconscious again, but I had mentally tried to prepare myself to receive ten but twenty lashes; I don't know if I would survive twenty lashes. Cassandra and her ladies follow Gabriel and me out of the throne room; I can hear them chatting and giggling behind us. Gabriel drags me to the post in the middle of the courtyard while the Queen and her ladies watch from her balcony; Gabriel ties my arms to a post above my head so I don't fall when the pain becomes unbearable. After stripping me to my waist, his hands linger for as long as they can without anyone noticing; he waves to another guard and then walks away to stand beside the queen so he can watch me scream in pain every time the whip comes in contact with my back. Hopefully, I will pass out quickly. I stiffen, waiting for the first blow, knowing what to expect yet never fully prepared. The pain is excruciating as I feel the whip hit my body running from my neck across my back to my bottom. The pain becomes more intense with each stroke shocking me to my core. I make it to ten lashes before I fade into unconsciousness, my mind wandering and my body screaming for mercy.  

I don't know how much time has passed since I passed out, it's dark now, and a hand covers my mouth, stifling my scream. The ropes holding me to the whipping post are being cut by someone; his muscular arms lift me off the ground, and his minty breath caresses my face as he whispers,

“I know you're in pain; try not to make a sound; we are here to help get you.”

The man's voice is familiar, but he doesn't know this place as I do; the tattoos on my face won't allow me to leave the Seelie realm. 

I drift in and out of consciousness; the man gently lays me on the cool grass; my face is burning where my tattoos are; it's hard to tell where the pain starts and ends. My entire body feels like it is on fire and is being torn apart. The same voice from earlier whispers,

“It's close to midnight. It won't be long now.”

My tattoos feel like they are stretching and coming apart, and suddenly they snap. I start sobbing in pain as the man picks me up again and starts running; the wind rushes past me as he carries me across the Seelie border. When I can finally keep my eyes open, I can see three of them, one female and two males. They have brought me home; I thought I would never see it again; I am ashamed to say I had lost hope. The land calls to me, welcoming me back, lending me strength and magic. Allana’s voice whispers in my mind,

“Welcome home, granddaughter. I will see you soon.”

They must have taken refuge in a cave during the night because everything was pitch black except for the glow from a small campfire. A moan escapes me; when I struggle to sit up, a man stands and walks toward me, a sexy half-smile on his face, and bends down, handing me a bottle of water. I gratefully take the water from him and take a sip to relieve my dry throat, moisten my lips with my tongue, and whisper, 

“You came back for me.” 

Tyler grins, sitting down beside me, and murmurs, 

“I told you I would.” 

He puts his arm around my waist, helps me up, and kisses me softly on the side of my face. Tyler has become more attractive since I saw him last. It takes all my effort to drag my eyes from his as Skyla walks over, smiling shyly, whispering,

“I have missed you so much, Lisha.” 

I can feel the tears pooling in my eyes; I reach for Skyla. She steps into my embrace, squeezing me tightly; I cringe when her arm accidentally rests on one of the wounds on my back. She drops her arm, murmuring an apology, then motions the other man to come and join us. My lips tug up into a small smile when Skyla introduces Xavier to me.

Xavier is a vampire and how he came to be in the company of the two people I trust most in this world is beyond me; I have so many questions running through my mind; above all else, I want to know why the hell didn't Allana get me out of the Seelie Realm before now?