17. Maggie
Chapter 17
Maggie
T he next few days passed like my first at the king’s palace. I spent my daytime hours in my room or strolling with Davon through the small garden outside, learning more about the world he called home. I couldn’t imagine living in a desert, but already, I also couldn’t imagine living without this male in my life. I could picture the beauty as he described it.
It would be my life too if we ever broke free.
My evenings were spent dancing either in the dining room or in a large living area where the king enjoyed sitting and chatting with his guests after a heavy meal. They set up a stage and even a pole for me to dance around.
It wasn’t a bad life if I was into performing for lizards.
It was monotonous, but I suspected the monotony wouldn’t last.
How long before the king tired of me and sold me to someone new? Whoever that was, I doubted they’d take Davon along with me. We weren’t a package deal.
We’d quietly talked about ways to escape, but so far, we didn’t have a solid plan. The palace wall and extra guards on top of it were the biggest hurdles. The female Veerenad who acted like my watchdog was yet another.
We had to find a way out of this trap before the king started getting bored. Davon said he had the wisp of a new plan, but he wasn’t sharing it until he had it set in his mind.
Love for him had crept up on me quickly. Some might say it was too sudden, that what I’d found with Davon would never last. Or that this was only a touch of Stockholm syndrome and with counseling, I’d realize my feelings were never real.
But I knew in my heart that he was the one, the person many people spent their life searching for but never found. In Davon, I’d discovered a future and a person I wanted to spend a lifetime getting to know better.
Over the past few days, the king's interest in me had shifted, turning from that of a captivated audience member to something more possessive, something that made my skin twitch. He watched my performances with a keen, almost predatory gaze, and the smiles he sent my way were less friendly and more territorial. He began to refer to me as his “little human,” a pet name that made me tremble every time he used it.
On my fourth night inside the palace, he had no guests, and he demanded I perform for him alone. I danced, swirling under his watchful eyes, flinching whenever I caught his gaze.
When he indicated I was finished for the evening, I stood on the platform, my heart thumping fast and my breathing ragged. Dancing used to bring me incredible joy but now it only made me feel wretched. I wasn't a butterfly pinned to wax or a pet in a cage, yet I suspected this was how this male saw me.
Davon approached me to take me back to my room as usual, and the king's gaze snapped onto his frame.
“Not tonight,” he barked. “Oolah,” he bellowed, and the Veerenad female slunk into view. Davon was my bodyguard, keeping the guests from approaching me, but Oolah acted as if she was the head of the king's guard. She watched me all the time. Scrutinized my every movement—and Davon's. Had she been sent to spy on us?
“Take my little human to her room tonight instead of the Zuldruxian male.” He glared at Davon. “I don't like her walking in the gardens, especially with him. See that she doesn't do this any longer.”
“Of course, my king.” Oolah bowed.
Was my world shrinking to my room and the stage where I danced? I knew better than to protest. If the king was in a good mood, he’d snap that I was to obey him, that I had no will of my own. That I existed merely to perform for his sharp gaze.
In a mood like tonight, when his eyes sparked with anger, he might even hit me .
“Make sure the Zuldruxian remains in the hall, that he doesn't enter her room,” he added.
He wanted my full, undivided attention, my loyalty, and every scrap of my time.
Tension spiked down Davon's back, but he also knew better than to say a word.
“Come.” Oolah grabbed my upper arm and urged me from the room.
The king watched me leave, the weight of his gaze a drag on my spine.
With Davon following, she took me to my room, nudging me inside.
“Don’t do anything that shows the king that your affections might be misplaced,” she said sternly, as if she was a prison matron and I was one of the lowly inmates. “Don't speak with the Zuldruxian any longer. Don't walk with him and don’t smile at him. The king doesn’t like to share his treasures.”
I wasn't a possession, but I knew better than to tell Oolah that. My heart sank. If we couldn't talk to each other, how could we plan our escapee? “Davon is my bodyguard. How can he protect me if he can't come near me?”
Oolah's eyes hardened. “If you're not careful, the king will assign someone else, a Veerenad who doesn’t distract you.”
My belly churned with dismay. The thought of not having Davon close by terrified me. He was my lifeline, my only hope. I needed him.
“He’ll continue his duties as long as you both behave,” she said. “But he will no longer be your shadow. The king has made his decision, and we will respect it.” With that, she turned on her heel and left the room, locking the door behind her with a solid click.
I stomped into the bathroom and bathed quickly, dressing in a clean, soft gown provided by my “owner,” the king. He truly did see me as a pet, one he fed, pampered, and made to perform at his command.
Returning to my room, I dropped onto my bed. I needed Davon with me. I longed for his touch. We'd only kissed once, and I couldn't imagine never touching or kissing him again.
I turned off the light and lay on my bed in the darkness, staring at nothing until I fell asleep and dreamed . . .
I woke sometime later to a click echoing in my room.
My door creaked open.