Aine showed up before noon, merry and beaming as usual.
“Come, Joy!” she cried. “Come see your room!”
“Come back for lunch,” Tilda said as I followed Aine out of the chamber.
The girl took me by the hand down the hallway, past the healers’ chambers, up to a door right before a bend. We climbed the three steps and Aine opened the door wide, motioning for me to walk in. I stopped just past the doorway, looking around in disbelief.
The room was as large as the cave, with two tall windows to my right. Two heavy sets of curtains were gathered with beautiful blue ribbons, to let the sunlight in. The stone floor disappeared under thick rugs. Between the windows was the tall, carved headboard of a wide bed, covered with warm blankets and a bearskin that made me giggle.
Glass lamps and empty china vases rested on the night tables at each side of the bed. There was a set of washbowl and pitcher on a pretty table corn
We lingered there until sunset. We had tea with sweet snacks, studied for a while, folded and put my new wardrobe in the empty trunk.Aine noticed I was still upset about meeting with Aurora and sat me down before the fireplace. She brought the little chest and opened it on my lap, showing me brushes, ribbons, a little flask with a blue lotion smelling of anise and even a hand mirror.Then, she got busy with my hair while we went over the numbers, making me solve additions and subtractions without using my fingers. Tilda found us like that when she brought my dinner. She left the tray on the table and grabbed the other one.“I’ll take care of it,” she said when I asked where the kitchen was, to take it there myself. Then she looked around with an approving smile. “I hope you’ll be able to rest here.”Aine finished trying up my short braids in a ribbon and made me stand up and turn around.“Look at you! You&
I didn’t notice I was drifting off to sleep until I found myself in the woods, cornered by the lion once more. But this time it didn’t attack me, and it didn’t turn into the wolf to try to kill me. His voice in my ear was enough to rescue me from the nightmare.“Easy, my love, it was just a bad dream,” he whispered, kissing my hair, his strong arms holding me tight to his body.His voice, his warmth, the smell of his skin eased my fear like a magic spell.“Why can’t I live without you?” I mumbled, still shaken, resting my hand on his chest to feel his heartbeat.“I don’t know, child. But I’m glad you feel like I feel.”“I mean it,” I grumbled, sticking to his side.“Me too. This is all so strange. You’re a human stained by an immortal—”“A vampire.”“Oh, I can tell you’ve been learning new things a
His gentle kiss on my forehead woke me up.“I have to go, my love,” he whispered. “But I’ll be back after dinner.”I felt for his chest and noticed he was already dressed. So I tugged at his shirt to make him lean forward toward me and kiss him one last time.“I love you,” I muttered.“And I love you, my child. Have a good day.”He tucked me in as he used to. A moment later, a cold gust reached me when he opened the plank. I heard it scratch it the stone floor as he closed it, and his quick footsteps climbing a stair, up and away.I removed the blindfold and sank my face in his pillow, still warmth and smelling of him.The sun had just showed up above the eastern mountains. Tilda had said I could sleep in all I wanted, right? It wasn’t as nice as sleeping in his arms, but I didn’t feel like getting up yet.When I finally showed up at Tilda’s chamber, she lo
“Tell me what happened,” Marla demanded.Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Selene shook her head and shrugged.“I don’t know, my lady. I was here, scrubbing the floor, when that— the— she climbed on the stool and fell.”“And what did you do when she fell?”“My lady?”“Almond had time to come all the way from the closet and try to help Joy before we got here. But we found you here, still holding that brush. You didn’t even try to help her.”“I— What do you mean, my lady?”Marla snorted, her patience wearing thin.“How did she fall?” she asked.“I don’t know, my lady. She lost her balance?”“That’s plain to see. What made her lose her balance?”“I don’t know, my lady.”Marla sniffed the air and flashed a smirk that would’ve worrie
As we headed to the healers’ common chamber, three human women jumped out of a small door I hadn’t noticed before. They bowed before Tilda without really stopping their trot toward my room, carrying all their cleaning elements.Marla and the other wolves convinced me to lay down in one of the small side rooms. Tilda made me drink the speedwell tea and I couldn’t help dozing off.I jolted awake in the middle of the night, still in the healers’ chambers. I ignored my aching cuts as a swung the covers away. Then I breathed deep and tried to calm down.I felt numb. My splinted arm hurt and throbbed, the shawl tied so tight I didn’t feel that hand anymore. The fingers in my other hand tingled, and the movement to grab the covers sent shocks of pain up to my elbow.I was alone in the small side room. No lights and no sounds coming from the main chamber. I waited till my eyes adjusted to the shadows. Then I got up and tiptoed across
I spent the whole day in my room, with Aine looking after me and Tilda’s periodic visits to check on me. She agreed to let me have my arms without any dressing, only keeping the splinted one in the sling.Aine turned out to be the best company ever. She helped me wash and wear a loose sleeveless petticoat she’d brought. The fireplace kept the room temperature so well, I only needed a shawl around my shoulders.While we were having lunch, she couldn’t fight her curiosity back any longer and started asking me questions. So I ended up telling her about Lily, Selene and Aurora.“So there’s still one of them roaming free in the castle?” she cried.“Remember the girl who brought us tea the other day?”“That’s why she stared at you like that!”“I’m afraid so.”In the afternoon, she helped me sit by the window with one of the books she’d brought, and tol
I straightened up, a hand covering my closed eyes, as he came closer. He rested his hands on my shoulders and brushed my hair to the side with his nose to kiss my neck. I shivered with a shaky sigh.“What happened to the ribbon I sent you?” he asked in my ear, gently moving my hand away from my face.“I don’t know, my lord. I can’t remember where I left it.”I was still speaking when he covered my eyes with a ribbon wider than the white one I’d found. He tied it behind my head and his lips brushed my neck again.“Open your eyes,” he whispered.I did and saw only darkness.“Did you have another black one with you?” I asked, surprised.“It was on the mantelpiece,” he replied, amused.“Oh!”I had no chance to speak any further, because he lifted me carefully in his arms to take me back to bed.“You’re supposed to res
“The other girl!” the princess growled through clenched teeth. “Aine says the girl tried to keep her from sharing your dinner.”I nodded, closing my eyes, and folded my arms against my chest, feeling cold. I heard a shuffle and something heavy covered me. The door opened again, and I recognized Tilda’s footsteps, coming up to leave something on the table. The princess pressed my hand.“You were right, child,” she said. “What’s in your leftovers is no clove. Rest now. I’ll take care of it personally. Those little bitches won’t hurt you ever again.”“Room…” I muttered.“Your guardian can’t come see you in broad daylight,” she whispered.I nodded and tried to shrugged. She scoffed.“Aye, aye. I’ll have it cleaned so they can take you back there.”I opened my eyes out of sheer surprise when she kissed my forehead.
This time, we found two male wolves standing outside an open door. I thought one of them could be the long-haired prince that came to the village every winter, his hair in a ponytail like back in January. He rested his hands on his hips, and looked like waiting for the other one to finish reading a paper he had in his hands. The reading wolf, standing at the doorway, might very well have been one of his two short-haired brothers.We were ten steps away when the one reading looked up with a scowl, pursing his nose like he was sniffing the air. His blue eyes looked straight at me with a glare that caused me a chill.The other prince turned to us. He hardly glanced at me before nodding at Ronda. The one with short hair ignored her completely, still glaring at me as we got closer to them. Before looking down, I got a glimpse of his nostrils slightly flapping, and I thought I heard him growl or snort under his breath. I sank my head between my shoulders, fighting back my ur
Ronda came when I was just back from taking the lunch tray to the kitchens. She was carrying two baskets full of the bright green lotion wolves used for their baths.She made me change my clothes, because they smelled of food, handed me one of the baskets and led me down the hall past the bend near my room. I’d never been past that bend. An old stone staircase started at the end of the bend, and Ronda led me up the stairs.The main level of the castle left me speechless, because it was like a fairy palace. Tall ceilings and wide hallways, with bright colorful tapestry and large painting hanging from the stone walls. The floors were made of big tiles of a white smooth streaked stone she called marble.Ronda wouldn’t let me pause to admire my surroundings, taking me down two broad hallways with heavy doors at both sides. Four wolfs were coming from the other end of the second hall, laughing like they were having the funniest of conversations,
The next morning, I found the cuff of his shirt showing out the trunk with my clothes. I took it and pressed it against my face, smiling. If I couldn’t spend the day with him, at least I could start it with his exquisite scent.Over breakfast, the list that Helga had given me passed from hand to hand around the healers’ table, causing murmurs and surprise.Kendra greeted me with her usual stern nod when I went to the kitchens. Heather hurried to me with her short, quick steps.“There you are, lionet. Come, come, we have a ton of peas to peel,” she said, nodding to the table where Rose and Primrose were working.I followed her, surprised by her friendly welcome. While Heather and Rose made room for me between them, I handed Primrose a small flask wrapped in a strip of paper.“For your finger,” I said, keeping my voice down. “This will help it heal and ease the pain. I wrote down the instructions for you.&rdq
He led me down a hallway that smelled of citrus and the oil from the lamps. We walked down a staircase with smooth steps, and then another hallway until a place that threw me off. It felt like we were outdoors, but the temperature and the stillness of the air told me we were still inside. It had to be a huge place. Then I noticed the humidity in the air. The floor was covered with big carved tiles, warm under my bare feet.The wolf put the small crate with his lotions and brushes in my hands.“Wait here, my child,” he said, kissing me.He walked away and I heard him take his clothes off before letting out that muffled gasp he couldn’t help when he changed. A moment later, he rubbed his furry head against my cheek.I took off the ribbon covering my eyes with a bright grin. He looked up and around, inviting me to do the same.The place was a true wonder. It was a hall large enough to fit three or four two-story village houses in it.
I nodded, pretending to read the woman’s small, tight handwriting, but I actually could only recognize the vowels.“Of course. I have them ready right tomorrow.”“That would be great. I can bring them to them.”“Wouldn’t you have any trouble, if they see you come back from this side with a basket of medicines?”“You’re right. I didn’t think about it.”“What time do you start your shift?”“It’s the dinner shift, from six to midnight.”“Good. I’ll take everything to the kitchens tomorrow, with detailed instructions for every remedy.”“You better come about this time, after we serve dinner upstairs.”“Of course. We can’t make them wait.”“Thank you, Joy.” Helga’s smile was open and honest. “I knew the rumors couldn’t be true.”
I stayed in the kitchens, helping anyway I could, until Kendra waved me over.“Enough for today, child. You’ve worked well, and you can come back tomorrow if you want.”I nodded with a quick bow, happy like Christmas. Before leaving, I waved goodbye at the three women. They were observing me, and flashed quick smiles at me.I found Tilda walking out of her chamber to go to Marla’s. She greeted me with a rare warm smile.“I’ve never seen you so happy,” she said, motioning for me to join her.“It’s the first time in my life I’m among humans who don’t insult me or abuse me because of how I look. I never thought it possible.”She paused to face me, and her grimace gave me a bad feeling. Especially because she hesitated before speaking.“You’re not supposed to know about it, but the cooks were warned against making any comment about your looks. They were in
That morning, I wore the dress I’d tried the night before, with the apron and the bonnet. For the first time since I’d gotten to the castle, I didn’t feel any pain in the arm the mountain lion had injured. I decided to let it be, putting the sling in the apron pocket just in case. I left my room carrying the tray with the dinner we’d never gotten to eat.I realized it was later than I’d thought when I found Almond and another woman cleaning Tilda’s chamber. Almond smiled hi at me. I noticed she didn’t look so congested anymore. I touched my nose, raising my eyebrows, and she nodded with another smile.Tilda came in from the other chambers and I faced them with my most docile ways, showing her the tray in my hands.“I’m taking this to the kitchens. Do you need anything from there? If not, I’d like to see if I can help there.”“Where’s your sling?” she asked.“I
I pushed my body against his hips, ignoring his attempt to stop me, and he froze for a long moment, to make sure I wasn’t in any kind of pain.His hips moved cautiously back, only a little, and then pushed forward again, his hands grabbing my waist to keep me from trying it again. Next, one of his hands moved under me to reach my groin. His fingers sneaked between the folds of my skin to rub my clit as his hips moved again, in synch with his fingers.I moaned and shivered, covered in sweat, my heart pounding in my chest, feeling him thrust inside me.He only let his need took over when he realized I was reaching my limit. Then his growls mixed with my moans and his hips pushed faster. I melted against his fingers at the same time he poured his seed in my guts, his fire becoming a part of my own climax.He dropped himself on top of me, panting, wrapping me in his intoxicating scent and warmth. He didn’t rush to leave my body, holding me out of
That afternoon, after a couple of hours studying with Aine in the meadow, I got back to my room to find something wrapped in fabric on my bed.I opened it and blushed so hard my ears burned. It was a translucent, low-cut petticoat. The short bodice wouldn’t cover my navel, and the long skirt was made with two independent folds of fabric that didn’t close by the front, nor behind.Then I noticed the small piece of paper that had fallen on the bearskin. I grabbed it and found three words written in a right-atilt, beautiful handwriting, big and clear so I could read it without any problem: I love you.I kissed the paper with tears in my eyes.That evening, I wore the daring petticoat, but decided to play a little joke on the wolf. So I put on one of the work dresses from my trunk, closed from the high collar down to my feet. I was adding apron and bonnet to the attire when Helga brought my dinner. She looked me up and down with a questio