Chapter Sixteen
Kaspyn jerked the door open to her bungalow, anger evident in her every step. She had no idea how Thrasher could elicit such a response from her, she only knew that he could.
He spoke to her as if she were human and not a royal princess.
She peeled off her clothes with jerky movements and crawled into bed to stare at the ceiling.
Her mind wandered back to the brief glimpse she’d had of Thrasher’s memories. His father had beat him and his mother.
A strange feeling overcame Kaspyn the longer she lay there. A Bracadyte male would never raise his hand to a female or his child unless that child broke one of their laws.
Kaspyn had heard tales of King Klause allowing the strap to be taken to his own sons when they’d broken their laws. But her father, King Kryten had never done such a thing. Of course, he’d never had a son.
She lifted an arm and draped it across her face, visions of Thrasher dominating her mind. Why did he have to be so incredibly handsome? Kaspyn had never seen eyes the color of his before. Blue as the sky and fringed with dark lashes.
Her eyes slid shut as she recalled his lips taking possession of hers. And it had been a possession. He’d taken, demanded and owned her in that moment.
With a sigh of irritation, Kaspyn admitted to herself that she wanted him to kiss her again, which was one of the reasons she’d followed him down the beach to begin with. Who was she kidding, it was the only reason she’d followed him. She’d never experienced a feeling as intense as being in Thrasher’s arms, and she wanted to experience the sensation again.
* * * *
Kaspyn awoke to the smell of something delicious. She rolled over and glanced down at herself. She’d slept in the same position she had fallen asleep in.
Throwing her feet over the side of the bed, she meandered to the doorway and watched as Carmen placed items on a small rectangular table in the front room.
Carmen glanced up before quickly looking away in obvious embarrassment over Kaspyn’s nudity. “I brought you some breakfast.”
Kaspyn moved off to grab her clothes, opting for her sharkskin shorts and vest.
Dressing in the bathroom, Kaspyn donned her boots, ran a brush through her hair, and cleaned her teeth with the strange bristled stick she’d been introduced to.
Kaspyn returned to the front room. “I appreciate you bringing food for me, Carmen.” Though the tiny person in front of her happened to be human, Kaspyn felt drawn to her on some foreign level.
Carmen smiled nervously. “You are so welcome, Princess Kaspyn. Do you mind if I stay while you eat?”
Kaspyn shook her head and ventured over to the couch to take a seat. “You may stay.”
Picking up her fork, Kaspyn tried a bit of everything on her plate. “What is this called?”
“The yellow stuff is scrambled eggs. The round meat is sausage and the two squares on the edge of your plate is toast.”
“And that?” Kaspyn nodded toward the two drinking containers.
“That one is coffee and the other is orange juice.”
“Careful with that!” Carmen blurted as Kaspyn jerked up the one she’d referred to as coffee and brought it to her lips.
Kaspyn bit back a gasp the moment the hot liquid touched her tongue. “It is hot.”
“It’s supposed to be,” Carmen assured her. “You sip it until it cools enough to drink it.”
Kaspyn set the cup down and went about finishing her meal. “How is it that you came to be in Oz’s service?”
A shadow passed through Carmen’s eyes. “I’d been living on the streets for a while when I came across a woman who worked for Mr. Ozele. She told me that she would talk to him about giving me a job with room and board. I didn’t believe her, of course. I’d been lied to more times than I could count. But the woman returned a few days later to let me know that Mr. Ozele wanted me to come in for an interview.”
Kaspyn studied her eyes as she spoke. “Mr. Ozele is Oz?”
“Yes. It’s actually Nicho Ozele, but everyone calls him Oz for short.”
“Go on,” Kaspyn urged, taking another sip of the hot coffee. Something about the flavor appealed to her.
“Mr. Ozele ended up giving me a job at his hotel, along with free room and board. After the hotel burned down, he gave me a small cabin to live in while the hotel is being rebuilt. He also pays me to clean his house and run errands for him and his wife. They have both been very good to me. I owe him my life.”
Kaspyn felt her heart stir at the girl’s words. “Tell me what happened to you.”
A shadow passed through Carmen’s eyes. “My mother was very young when she became pregnant with me. After I was born, she gave me to her parents and ran off. As far as I know, they never heard from her again.”
“Your grandparents raised you?”
Carmen nodded. “My grandfather wasn’t the easiest man to please. His punishments were severe and often. I ran away when I turned sixteen and never looked back. But I soon found out that there were a lot worse things in the world than taking the strap.”
Kaspyn thought about the men’s faces she’d seen in Carmen’s memories. “You were forced.” It wasn’t a question.
Carmen stared at her for a moment before jumping to her feet. “I better get going. I told Mr. Ozele that I would help Maria with some things around the house this morning. She’s just now recovering from her surgery.” And with that, Carmen left.
Kaspyn found she suddenly had no appetite. She stared at the closing door, imagining all the horrific things that Carmen had obviously endured.
Pushing to her feet, Kaspyn picked up her dishes and carried them to the kitchen to rinse them in the sink. She thought about the life of privilege she’d been given and wondered how humans could treat their young the way Carmen had been treated. And Thrasher, her mind whispered. He’d been mistreated as well…