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Chapter 17: The Warning
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The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 18: Breakfast, Part 1
NINEI stir from sleep with a yawn. Arching my back, I reach my arms above my head, pull my knees up, and curve my spine. I wring the sleep from my tired muscles as the blanket slips, exposing me to the cool morning air. It kisses my bare skin, reminding me that I'm naked."Sleep well?"The familiar female voice douses me like a bucket of ice water. My eyes shoot open, and I grip the seam of the blanket and yank it to my chin. I push myself onto my elbows and peer down the length of the bed. Standing at the foot of the bed, Portia stares down at me, her tight curls pulled into a stunning fluffy ball on the top of her head. I let out a rush of air. "Portia?""Your services are required in the kitchen this morning." She swallows hard and averts her gaze. "One of the kitchen hands was killed last night, and we need someone on drinks until Vincent is finished with Thirteen."It takes me a couple of seconds to unpack her sentence. An Unfortunate was killed. Vince has Thirteen. "What would
The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 19: Breakfast, part 2
NINE I exhale through my nose, causing ripples in the juice. Wasteful. I clench my jaw and tilt the glass. The cold, sticky liquid hits my skin and soaks into the tunic that isn't mine. It rolls between my breasts, over my tummy and down my legs. The table erupts with laughter, suffocating me with an awful feeling I've never felt before. Whatever it is, it cuts deeper than humiliation. I lick my lips, placing the empty glass on the tray. Tears sting at my eyes, and I blink, refusing to let them pool. "Where are your manners, Unfortunate? What do you say when a friend offers you a drink?"I open my mouth to thank her, but I'm grabbed by the forearm, and I startle as the table falls quiet. I peer up at Kade, who glares, at Elizabeth, his jaw clenching and releasing, then drop my gaze to the table. I have no desire to be caught between them. "What happened here?" he demands. "Why is she covered in orange juice?""Well, she looks dehydrated running around all morning serving drinks in t
The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 20: The Mine
KADEFrom his desk, Kade watched his Unfortunate sleep soundly on his lounge, wrapped in nothing but a red towel. Her unconscious frown stirred feelings Kade hadn't felt in a long time. Sympathy. Longing. He had a desire for her that didn't begin and end with sex, which terrified him. He knew what could happen if he let his emotions get the best of him. His sketchy past was why he didn't want an Unfortunate in the first place. He could play cold and callous all day, every day, but when it came down to physically abusing someone who didn't deserve it, someone whose only crime was being born, the thought made him sick. Worst of all, his Unfortunate reminded him of his mother. She brought back painful memories. Memories that tortured his soul. She forced him to acknowledge the little boy his mother built on a foundation of kindness, compassion, and justice. It was a foundation his father tore down in violence. Kade was rehabilitated. He thought he was better. He turned his back on his mo
The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 21: The Thick of It, Part 1
NINEAfter my nap on Kade's leather lounge, I spend the rest of the afternoon helping Portia move things around the manor. We empty a bathroom that needs plumbing work and re-arrange an entire laundry cupboard. It isn't until the sun sinks below the horizon that I head back to my quarters. I breeze through the manor as if it were my own, enjoying the bare soles of my feet glide along the delicate, polished tiles. Ambrosial wafts of meat and roasting vegetables hang in the air and make my stomach rumble. I close my eyes. I'll never get to taste the food, but for a moment, I imagine it melting on my tongue, its juices mixing with my saliva and just—"Look what the wind blew in." I open my eyes and turn my head toward the voice. I stand before an elaborate drawing room scattered with Fortunates. They drape their bodies over mahogany lounges and armchairs, a drink in one hand and a cigar in the other for most. In the front left portion of the room, three men sit around a rounded table. T
The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 22: The Thick of It, Part 2
Henry pulls me off the table and releases me. I lose my footing with a gasp and fall to the floor, sliding to a halt by Kade's shoes. "What the fuck, Henry?" Michael shouts, and I swipe at my face. "I was gone for ten minutes."Henry laughs, proud of himself. "No need to fret, gentleman. I've taken control of the situation.""What situation?" Kade demands. "I am training this insolent little bitch for you.""Everyone out," Michael shouts, and I watch his polished shoes as he steps back and forth, seeing Fortunates out of the drawing room until the cluster involved in this mess remains. He closes the room doors, and the fine hairs all over my body stand on their ends. I don't want to be alone in a room with these men. "What did she do?" Kade asks, the ice in his voice chilling me to my core. "She didn't entertain your guests.""She isn't for guest entertainment," he shoots back, then nudges me with his foot. "Get up, Unfortunate." I do as I'm told, moving into the empty space one s
The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 23: The Private Moment, Part 1
NINELater that night, I tiptoe through the manor at a ridiculous hour and against my Fortunate's orders. Unease churns in my chest, but I've been diligent in avoiding unsavoury characters. Lucky for me, the manor is quieter tonight than it has been since my arrival, and I reach Kade's room without hindrance. I knock on the door, then open it and ease inside. A fire rages in the corner, crackling loudly, casting a bright, orange glow around the room, filling it with a warmth that wraps around me. It's heavy against my skin, igniting little lightning bolts along my flesh. I have no business being in his room at this hour, but I can't sleep. I can't sleep until today's problems are put to rest. A heavy sigh draws my attention to his desk across the room. Swivelling in his oversized, wing-back chair, Kaden Sario is slumped, his head back, his white shirt unbuttoned, and an odd thrill zips the length of my spine. I reach behind me and lock the door. The click of the locking mechanism ale
The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 24: The Private Moment, Part 2
Kade retreats and pulls the blanket up to my chin, tucking me in. Disappointment is a bitter taste in the back of my throat. He moves away from the bed, taking his warmth with him. I strain my ears to listen to his shoes tapping as he crosses the room. I roll onto my side and open my eyes as he flicks on the bathroom light and saunters inside. He yanks on the door, which swings but doesn't shut, leaving a small light to spill through. I stare at it, as wide awake as ever until the sound of water crashing against tiles fills my ears. I listen to it. It's not as peaceful as rain, but it still stirs a sense of comfort. I imagine the hot streams beating against my back and rolling down my spine. It was Kade who allowed me my first hot shower. He didn't have to. It was only juice on my skin, something I could've cleaned off with a damp towel. I thought about it while slouched on my cot, resigned to my quarters until further notice, like a punished youth.I doze off to the sounds of Kade w
The Unfortunate Trilogy Chapter 25: The Lake
NINEDays have passed since the night Kade and I slept on the couch, wrapped in his comforting embrace. The night we shared plagues me. Every second thought I have is how warm he was, how tight he held me, how safe I felt. I've become fixated on the gentle blow of his breath through my hair, the tiny dancers that pirouetted down my spine in its wake. I've obsessed over the fact he didn't leave me to sleep on the hard floor...and I'm terrified of the buds of affection that have bloomed in my chest since. Sighing, I push the blankets to my hips and roll onto my back. I stare at the piqued ceiling, the golden morning sun bringing out the ochre hues in the wood. I've memorised every line, every nook, every cranny. When I close my eyes at night, it's all I see, driving me crazy. I'm forbidden to walk around the manor without Kade's supervision. I didn't mind it at first, preferring to stay as far from another living, breathing Fortunate as I can, but day and night are blending, and Kade a
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