Three

It was the light filtering through her eyelids that eventually roused Thalia from the thick molasses of sleep that held her tight. Trying to crawl out of that safe and comforting darkness was like crawling through glue and there were a few times she succumbed to that protective embrace and sunk back under its waves. Eventually, pushing through became easier and Thalia felt the world around slowly slip back into place.

For a few moments the young woman thought she was still in her cell, tucked away underground like a condemned criminal only to see the light of day when she was required to serve. Then the memories started to return to her.

The car journey. Marcus negotiating with the blonde haired woman. Rafi throwing her into the back of the car. Ms Thorton drugging her.

The events of that morning crashed down like ice cold water, sobering her immediately. She gasped as if breathing for the first time and shot up, espresso brown eyes wide and frantically taking in the room around her, unable to find any familiarity in her surroundings.

Sunlight poured in as buttery soft light through large arched windows, caressing her bare legs like a friendly cat. The room walls were a delicate magnolia colour with a large gold framed mirror hanging between two sconces and above what appeared to be a vanity made of rich dark wood and fashioned into a modern design. Matching bedside tables sat on either side of the large ottoman bed where Thalia found herself, cream sheets and pillowcases glowing in the lazy sunlight as if they were white clouds on a summer's day.

It was the night slip that Thalia noticed last. Gone were her threadbare sweater and dirty leggings. Now, a deep, rich red satin slip hugged her body, the material buttery against her skin. Despite its delicate appearance, it seemed to cover her generously feminine hips and ample breasts that had somehow survived the years of malnutrition even if the rest of her had been stripped of any body fat.

Just as she was moving to slip off the bed, the door that Thalia hadn't noticed before opened, Ms Thorton's stern presence entering the room.

"Oh good, you're awake. I was starting to worry I had given you too much of the sedative." The blonde woman spoke, forgoing any greetings.

"Where am I?" Thalia asked, cautiously watching the other occupant of the room in case she tried to drug her again.

"You're in your new home for the foreseeable future." Ms Thorton answered vaguely. "Your presence has been requested. I suggest you make yourself presentable. There is a bathroom through that door where you will find all you need to get cleaned up."

"What about my clothes?" The young brunette asked, her slim dark eyebrows pinching together in confusion. Surely she couldn't be expected to go anywhere just dressed in a nightgown!

"The clothes you arrived in, if they can be called that, have been disposed of and an appropriate outfit will be provided." Ms Thorton replied, her voice not hiding any of the impatience she was feeling from all the questions. "Now enough of the questions. Please hurry and clean up otherwise I will have to get someone to assist you and I assure you, you won't like that."

Thalia understood the threat clearly and didn't hang around to find out how it would be carried out. She scurried to the door that the blonde woman had pointed to, blindly letting herself into the bathroom and collapsing against the door as it shut.

If Thalia hadn't been so terrified, she might have appreciated the luxurious decor of the bathroom with its walk in shower that took up one call and the club foot bath that could fit a whole family in it. Even the tiles oozed grandness, with its sandy marbled effect covering every inch of the walls and floor. Giant white towels that looked as fluffy as clouds were hung neatly on a wall rack and robes hung next to them. Two basins sat under the large mirror and warm sunlight filtered in through the frosted windows bathing everything in natural light.

Scrambling to the shower, Thalia was surprised to see Ms Thorton was right. There were a range of shampoos, conditioners, body washes and anything else Thalia could think on the shelves for Thalia to choose from as she washed. Within seconds of the warm water hitting Thalia's trembling body, it ran dark with dirt, grime and even dried blood. Thalia couldn't remember the last time she had been allowed to bathe much less bathe with hot water and the experience was disarming, leaving Thalia feeling like she was in some strange alternative universe. It took three goes with the shampoo before her hair felt clean and the water ran clear but sadly no amount of conditioner was going to fix the dry and split ends.

At least she was clean.

Drying off, Thalia's dark chocolate eyes scrutinised the array of body lotions and face creams sitting neatly around the wash basins almost begging to be used. She declined though. Surely they weren't for her!

Once wrapped in one of the huge robes, Thalia timidly opened the door and peered out. Ms Thorton was now sat in a seat near the window, tapping away on her phone and an outfit had been laid out on the bed.

"Ah good, you're done." Ms Thorton's voice broke the silence like the cracking of a whip. "Hurry and dress. You don't want to keep him waiting."

"Who?" Thalia frowned, taking a nervous step towards the bed.

"Our employer." Ms Thorton replied with a click of her tongue. "Now come along!"

Thalia still felt none the wiser to what was going on but reluctantly forced herself to stand in front of the bed, staring down at the neatly selected bra and underwear and the forest green summer dress. Next to it was a simple chestnut brown belt and fawn coloured cardigan. She hesitated again, well aware that the stern blonde woman sat only feet away. She couldn't help but glance towards the woman, noting she was still on her phone. Suspecting she wouldn't have time to hide in the bathroom again, she reluctantly pulled on the clothes, finishing it with a pair of flats the same colour at the belt.

"About time." Ms Thorton huffed, standing up abruptly and putting her phone away in a jacket pocket. "Now, let's have a look at you."

She was in no way gentle as she turned the young brunette to look at her, critical blue eyes running over Thalia's appearance like a razor blade. Once her gaze made it to Thalia's hair, she frowned.

"Good grief! When was the last time your hair was cut? It looks like a dead animal!" Ms Thorton snapped, making Thalia blush in shame. "No matter. We will deal with that later. For now, we will put it up so it's out of the way."

Thalia had no time to react as Ms Thorton spun on her heel and strutted over the dresser, digging though the draws before returning with a hair tie. Again, she was in no way gentle as she gathered Thalia's dark hair into a bun and secured it in place. It was thick and messy, but it seemed to satisfy Ms Thorton because she didn't redo it much to Thalia's relief.

With few words exchanged, Thalia quickly found herself exiting the room and stepping into a grand looking hallway with dark grey, muted red and cream pillars and chandeliers evenly spaced along the ceiling. The walls themselves were white, divided by white doors with gold painted trim and luscious plants on top of end tables. The whole space was busy but oozed wealth. Thalia hadn't seen anything like it. Her parents were wealthy thanks to careful business decisions and coming from wealthy backgrounds, but this place made her parents look like paupers.

Ms Thorton was an enigma as well, although not one Thalia wanted to solve. The blonde woman had to be in her forties and her accent wasn't one Thalia had heard before. Despite the sharpness of her tone, Ms Thorton's accent was strong and rounded making Thalia think of green fields and quaint British summers. Then there was her strength. She wasn't a werewolf as Thalia hadn't sensed a wolf, yet she was indeed strong, having taken on Thalia with just one hand!

Finally, Thalia found herself being led down a grand staircase. She struggled to keep up with Ms Thorton who seemed capable of running a marathon in her Louis Vuitton heels or perhaps it was because the she-wolf hadn't eaten in goddess knows long and she was running on fumes just to stay on her feet. It did surprise her that she was just allowed to follow Ms Thorton without any escorts, but it quickly occurred to her, as they came to the bottom of the stairs, that she had no idea where they were or where the exits were.

The journey through the gigantic property finally came to an end outside a set of double doors that rose up almost to the ceiling. Unlike the rest of the doors, these were made of dark wood and had intricate designs hand carved into them. The handles appeared to be made of gold and glowed proudly in the buttery sunlight.

Ms Thorton gave a swift knock, turning to scrutinised Thalia's appearance once more as she waited for a response. The look was enough to make Thalia feel unsettled, and her pulse throbbed in her neck as she imagined all the terrible things waiting for her behind those doors. What had Lars sold her into exactly?

Before she could sink down that dark tunnel of thought, a muffled voice from the other side of the door called out, giving permission to enter before Ms Thorton grabbed the handles and pushed the giant doors open.