Chapter 26
Morgan
Under the watchful eye of my silent servant--who I suspect is no more than a slave in the eyes of the Morrigan--I check the room for something, anything that could be used as a weapon. Casteel did his job thoroughly and there is nothing useful I can pry, break, or twist for my own purposes. The room is a sham. Staged decorations to make me feel like a guest. It’s just a different kind of cell.
I sit on the blood-red velvet chair and try to settle my emotions. Even if my entrance into this world was a bit rocky, I’m here, just like I wanted. Casteel poses a problem and I have no idea what to do about Bunny. Seeing him cut me to the bone…I didn’t expect it. I was so focused on getting to the Morrigan and back to my guardians, I hadn’t considered what seeing Bunny again would do to me.
I wrap my arms around my waist and feel the heartache and pain. Something I’d pushed aside, fueled by rage and anger. But seeing his face, his eyes, and his stupid hair…something cracked inside.
Better than ever, I understand the Morrigan’s rage after Cu left her on the riverbank. I understand her raw pain. The bitter acceptance and the unrelenting wrath she fed on for an eternity.
But I’m not the Morrigan. Not fully, and I have four other guardians that need me. They need my love. And my compassion. They do not need me going off on a destructive bender. That won’t help any of us.
I lean back in the chair, pulling a blanket over my knees. Part of me, the vengeful, angry part, wants to gut him and let him bleed out for what he did to me and our imperfect family. But another part, I don’t know if it’s my heart or my brain, tells me something else—that Bunny is a key player in all of this—and if I kill him it could hurt us even more.
*
“What’s your name?” I ask the girl holding a bucket over my head. Her expression is blank as she dumps hot water over me and I jerk up in the bathtub, howling.
“I’m sorry. Too hot. I’m sorry. Let me get something colder.”
“No.” I reach for her arm and she flinches. I release her. “No, I like it hot. This place is too freaking cold. It just surprised me.”
The worry lines smooth by her eyes and she lowers the metal bucket to the floor. She lathers soap in her hands and begins working it through my hair. The smell of lavender is strong and I settle back against the tub, beneath the suds.
When no one returned to release me from the room, I decided to clean up. I’d started to smell a bit ripe. The name- and emotionless slave stood in the corner, waiting for my instruction, and she jumped eagerly when I asked her for assistance in the bath. The Otherside was definitely lacking in modern technology, or parts of it. The faucet ran, but only cold water. No electricity that I could see. It didn’t make sense to me, but then again, this is a world of magic users, so maybe they don’t need it.
I peel off my suit as the girl draws the bath, filling it with warm water and powdery soap heated over the fire. She keeps her eyes averted but modesty had been lost with me over the past few months. My guardians had seen me in a variety of states of undress. They worshipped my body, built my confidence. I don’t need a servant girl’s approval of my figure. I know I’m strong. The lean muscles in my arms prove it. The tight dip of my belly is evidence of my change.
The water sloshes when I get in, spilling over the sides. The warmth soothes my aching muscles, my chilled bones.
She’s just finished washing my hair when I hear footsteps on the stone floors and the bathroom door swings open. Casteel stands in the doorway. I glance at him, pretending I’m not annoyed at his presence in a private moment. I can’t let him know I’m bothered or the slightest bit unnerved.
“Move,” he tells the girl, and her eyes cloud with fear. I nod in agreement and she moves to the edge of the room, blending in with the walls. I’m aware that I have no control over the girl. That’s the point of him being here, isn’t it? Letting me know I’m nothing but a prisoner with no freedoms or rights.
“Hello, Casteel,” I say, resting my arms on the side of the tub. There’s nothing but the cloudy film of water between us.
“The Queen asked me to check up on you.”
“Well, you can tell her I’m clean.” I take the sponge and scrub my legs. “Anything else?”
“Tomorrow there will be a ceremony to bind you back together.”
Interesting—so that gives me a timeline—less than a day to get out of here. “I won’t pretend I’m happy about that.”
“Once you realize your true powers, I think you’ll come around. What you experienced in your realm is nothing but a blip of what it’s like here.”
I have experienced my full strength, in the ring at the fights. Magic is allowed and the rush I felt from fighting Hildi that first time still tingles in my veins. Again I felt it when Xavier kissed me, and then another time when Anita stole the virus. My instincts perk at the idea of such power, especially after being dulled recently.
In a move that is overtly casual, Casteel sits on the edge of the tub, fingers dipping into the heated water. The wounds on his neck are no longer bandaged, only red scabs remain. At this distance, the scars under his jaw are visible, deep and jagged. How Dylan didn’t kill him, I don’t know.
His tongue darts out and his eyes darken.
“She gave me full control over you until the ceremony tomorrow.” I hear the clink of metal as his hand reaches for his belt. “She suggested I break you in as I please.”
I swallow in an attempt to get the fear dislodged from my throat. And because royalty speeds through my veins I can’t help myself when I reply, “Do you think that’s possible? Breaking me easily?”
“What makes you think I want it to be easy?” Casteel reaches for me and I’m slippery and wet, nowhere to run and definitely nowhere to hide. I’m pulled from the bath, water rushing down my body. He eyes me greedily, unaware that the slave in the corner has run out of the room, panic and terror written on her face. This is surely not the first time she’s seen the Commander take what he wants.
With my wrists clamped in his hands, he leans forward and says, “This one is for your Sentinel. Payback is a bitch.”