The bath came first. The water filled in the bathtub, people pouring buckets of water into the porcelain tub, heated with magic. Kelia wouldn’t have been surprised if a Siren was responsible for that.

Navven dropped off an apple for Kelia to munch on while she soaked, and Kelia was too hungry to refuse. She was almost afraid to get in, unsure if she could trust it not to scald her skin. However, she dipped her toe inside the porcelain bathtub and nearly let out a moan of pleasure. The water was perfect.

Without hesitating any longer, she stripped off her clothes and practically threw herself inside. She put the apple core on a nearby table that also housed any concoctions that she might want to use to wash her hair, remove her knots, or soap up with.

She used it all, but all the while, she could not stop thinking of Naveen’s words. How could she give the Queen Drew’s heart?

She kept herself amused by staring out an open window, a nice breeze keeping the temperature of the room crisp and cool.

When the water started to cool, Kelia stepped out, wrapped a towel that had been laid out around her body, and was about to head back to her room when the brilliant, blue horizon caught her eye. The sky was clear, white clouds dotting the blue. The sun was big and bright, and judging by the way the leaves rustled, a gentle breeze must have carried the air. It was perfect weather.

Her heart sank deeper as she continued to look out. There was no sign of Drew's ship on the horizon. She knew she and Draven had had a head start, but she had hoped…

Perhaps it was for the better. She did not wish to risk Drew and his crew. While everything seemed to be going swimmingly for her currently, she knew this would not last. She knew she would be in pain at some point, and that would only be the beginning. She did not want Drew to have to endure anything like it.

Tears crept into her eyes, and she closed them as the drops fell down her cheeks in silent crescents. Immediately, she wiped her face with the back of her hand and took in a shaky breath. Her stomach pounded like someone outside, begging to be let inside. She needed food. She needed water. And she needed a new set of clothes even though there was part of her that wanted nothing more than to put Drew's clothes back on her body and deeply inhale, basking in his scent.

More tears fell, and Kelia headed through the door and back into her room. The woman who had been preparing her outfit jumped and nodded, jet black hair falling into her face.

This was a Lycan in its human form. Kelia had heard of them, of course, but had never expected to meet one for herself. She took a step closer to the changing divider.

"May I help?" Kelia asked.

"I'm not sure what you would like to wear, ma'am," she said, her voice low though not shaky. Her blue eyes were on her feet and her hands kept going to the dresses she was placing over the changing divider, running her fingers over the material in what seemed like a longing gesture. "The Queen will not want you in clothes that once belonged to her lover. Do any of these gowns catch your eye?"

Kelia frowned at the casual mention of Drew being the Queen's lover. She knew he had a past. A long and winding past that found him in the arms of lovers that were not Kelia. It would not be fair to assume that he would wait for her now that she was a captive; Shadows could not tell the future. He would not have known Kelia was coming into his life, let alone how he would feel about her once she did. He had thought his life was bleak and hopeless. There was a reason he had found himself drawn to particular women before Kelia, including the Queen.

But now Kelia was here. She had captured his heart—from what he had said before—which indicated he was ready to leave his past behind. But clearly his past was not ready to leave him.

"Ma'am?"

The Lycan's low voice snapped Kelia out of her thoughts, and she refocused her attention back on the three options at hand. She immediately nixed the idea of the white dress. It looked too much like a wedding dress and weddings were the last thing on her mind. There was also a red dress and a green dress. She had worn red before, and found that she liked it very much, but she had never worn a green one—not one cut in such a way—that she could not help but be drawn to it.

"The green," Kelia murmured, finding it difficult to say the words.

The Lycan's lips curled up, and she nodded, still unable to look Kelia in the eye. She removed the dress from where it hung and went behind the changing divider. Kelia assumed she needed to follow.

The Lycan stripped Kelia of the towel and placed a crisp shift over her head and fit it to her body. When she finished with that, she assisted Kelia with dressing in the gown. It possessed less skirts than gowns usually did, something Kelia preferred because it was easier to maneuver in. However, the corset the Lycan tied onto her chest caused Kelia to gasp for air. She had not worn a corset since her time on Port George, and even then, it had never been this tight. However, it had the desired effect of pushing up her breasts until they nearly reached her collarbone.

Once that was completed, it was time to slip into the dress. It was cut low in front in the shape of a square, the sleeves barely covering her shoulders. The dress itself clung to her body and swelled at her hips before falling to the floor.

"Would you like slippers to go with this, ma'am?" the Lycan asked.

Kelia shook her head. "I'll have my boots."

The Lycan led Kelia over to a boudoir and gently placed her hands on Kelia's shoulders to sit her on the edge of the bed. After slipping on Kelia's boots, the Lycan did Kelia's hair and makeup. It felt as though Kelia would be attending some sort of ball rather than a supper with a Shadow Queen who hated her.

"What is your name?" Kelia asked the Lycan after she put on the finishing touches and wove a flower through Kelia's hair.

The Lycan blinked, almost as though she was confused by the question, before she tilted her head forward so more of her black hair fell into her face. Immediately, her fingers shot up and curled the strands behind her ears.

"Anya," she murmured demurely, though her lips curled up into a gentle smile. "My name is Anya, ma'am."

"Thank you, Anya," Kelia said in return, "for all of your help. It must have been hard work. I know I did not look my best when I first arrived, and I appreciate the effort you put in cleaning me up and making me look more presentable."

"Oh, no." Anya shook her head. She finally caught Kelia's eyes in the mirror before them. "You're wonderful. We all speak about who it is that finally caught the attention of Drew Knight, and I am not disappointed. The Queen, herself, is the most beautiful creature but..." Her gaze shot to the door, as though she were afraid the Queen would rip the door off its hinges and come after her. Still, the Lycan pressed on. "She's rotting on the inside, a black core like a bad apple. Drew Knight had never been the sort of man you tied down. He preferred his freedom, freedom she did not want to give because she was afraid once given, he would never return. So he took it for himself and she has been heartbroken ever since."

Kelia played with the material of her skirts, the soft clothing clinging to her thighs. It was difficult to talk about Drew. It was difficult to hear about him. However, she forced herself to nod. She had done enough crying today.

Her stomach interrupted their conversation, and giggle bubbled out of Anya. Kelia smiled as well. It was a sound she did not expect from such a place, but one she would treasure because she did not think she would hear another in a long, long time.

"Are you ready, ma'am?" Anya asked.

Kelia stood. "Please," she said. "Call me Kelia."

Another small smile. "Kelia," she said as though she wanted to test out the word. "Are you ready?"

Kelia's stomach rumbled before she could respond. Could one be ready for what was to come?

As they headed down the staircase, the aroma of onion and spices floated in the air, tingling Kelia’s tongue and making her mouth water. Being on board a pirate ship filled with Sea Shadows left much to be desired when it came to sustenance as a human, so she was looking forward to an array of foods she had not had in a long while because they would rot on journeys when confined to a ship. Cheese was especially important to her; she would not be surprised if she found herself stuffing an entire block of it in her mouth.

Or perhaps that was her hunger talking.

The lavish dining room was filled with more light than Kelia expected. A large chandelier hung low over the dining table with multiple candles overhead. They smelled of lavender and reminded Kelia of those candles her old friend from the Society had. The thought of Jennifer made Kelia's heart sink, but she cleared her throat and twisted her fingers, hoping to cause any memory of Jennifer and her betrayal to disappear.

The Queen had not arrived yet. However, there was a spread on the table, food Kelia wanted to grab and devour. One of the servants pulled a chair out for her at the end of the table, and she slid down, shoving her hands between her thighs in order to prevent herself from doing just that.

The entranceway to the kitchen was in the back. There was a small door off to the side. Besides her and the servant that had just walked away, she was the only person in the room.

There was a tinkling above her, and she glanced up to see the chandelier moving to a slight breeze Kelia did not feel. She clenched her thighs and took a deep breath, trying not to think about the possibility of the chandelier plummeting to the surface of the table and setting everything, Kelia included, on fire.

A door creaked open. Kelia snapped her head up, instantly rolling her shoulders back so she appeared more confident than she felt. But it was not the Queen. It was only a servant—a different one this time—holding a jug. The servant walked directly over to Kelia and poured a crimson-colored liquid into her goblet. Kelia stiffened, flaring her nose and trying to decipher what that was.

Not wanting to risk it—even though her throat screamed at her to down the entire glass regardless that she had nothing in her stomach to counter the drink—she glanced up at the servant. Like Anya, the woman did not look at Kelia.

"What is this?" she asked. The question was blunt, but Kelia did not care.

The servant opened her mouth, ready to respond, when someone interrupted her.

"Wine," the voice said. "Concocted right here, on this island."

Kelia turned her head slowly, her heart rapidly pounding against her chest like the wings of a hummingbird flapping wildly. The same voice from behind the door.

The Queen.

When Kelia finally locked eyes with her, her mouth got drier than it already was. She could not blame Drew for his infatuation with her. The Queen breezed gracefully to the table, dressed in a surprisingly simple dark violet gown that left her shoulders bare and her cleavage teasingly cut out of the front. Her flawless, olive-colored skin nearly radiated, and her straight, dark hair swept elegantly into an updo. She was taller than most women—slender and curvy and strong—and didn’t need the subtle makeup on her face.

Everything about her was feminine and delicate, except her brown eyes. They were filled with power, like she knew what she was and reveled in it. Kelia instantly knew the woman used her fragile looks to her advantage. Everyone seemed to want to save her when the truth of the matter was she could save herself.

A servant popped out of nowhere and pulled out the chair opposite Kelia. The Queen took her seat, gracefully sweeping her skirts to the side.

"Kelia Starling," the Queen said, looking across the narrow table at Kelia. Besides the meat, there was nothing inhibiting their view from one another. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

Kelia forced a smile and leaned forward. Her hunger was forgotten now that she was in the presence of the Queen, though the scent emanating from the variety of food still tried to steal her attention.

"You must be hungry," the Queen said. Kelia glanced up and found a hint of an amused smile touching her face. "Please, fill your plate and then fill it again. Eat as much as you would like."

Kelia hesitated. Just the mention of food made her stomach growl even louder. As much as she wanted to be prideful, she could not. She reached out and started scooping mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables, meats, chicken, rolls, and gravy onto the porcelain plate. The Queen did the same. In fact, Kelia was surprised to see the amount of food on her plate, for a creature of darkness that did not need to consume it.

When Kelia finished loading her plate, the Queen leaned back in her chair.

"We have much to discuss, Ms. Starling," she said, that same small smile on her face as she picked up her fork. "Please...eat."