Seven

EVE

We must have ridden all night as I dozed in and out of consciousness. Annie's head eventually ended up on my shoulder as she snored lightly. The blonde eventually settled in as well, huddled against the side of the carriage, but the redhead refused, instead using her time to glare balefully at her surroundings, knees drawn up to her chest.

Outside, a storm raged on. They seemed to occur nightly, or frequently. Was that normal in the fae realm?

The carriage eventually came to a stop. I wished I'd at least had a window to look out of, but the fancy box was just the same as the iron prison cage we'd ridden in; only more claustrophobic since we couldn't see out.

A fist pounded on the outside of the door, startling us.

"Let's go. Out and show yourselves." The voice was female and without the lilting accent most of the fae had. Seeing none of the others were about to move, I bit my lip and reached for the door, clasping the cool crystal doorknob in my hand and turning it.

Clearly, we had traveled all night, since pink dawn filtered into our tiny little prison.

"There you are. I haven't got all day. Out in a line," the woman ordered.

Cramped and trying to stretch out aching muscles, we carefully descended the carriage steps. A handsome man (not fae) was at the side of the carriage with one hand ready, chivalrously helping us down the stairs and safely to the ground. We nervously stood in a line as ordered. I studied the blonde woman in front of us. She had attractive streaks of gray in her hair and a few wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.

Another human. Curious.

"You're the special one, aren't you?" she asked.

After an awkward beat of silence, I realized the woman was talking to me. I raised my chin and spoke confidently. "The king said I was to be treated just like everyone else."

My stoic expression faltered at the woman's nasty grin. Surely, she'd been on my side as a fellow human, right?

Right?

"Oh ho, I don't think so. I've had special orders regarding you, little royal. Come inside and see what we've prepared."

That was a hard pass, but more handsome men had circled behind us and to the side, leaving us nowhere to run. The blonde seemed oblivious to our predicament, instead eyeing the men around us and licking her lips.

No help from that quarter, then.

"I'm … I wasn't crowned," I protested vaguely.

The woman ignored me and gestured with a fingertip that we should follow her. The guards following closely behind left me no choice. I turned to study the five men, but their faces were set, expressions unreadable.

The manor in front of us looked just as grand as the first one I'd seen, though a bit more garish. And huge! The house sprawled out on both sides of me, as massive as a castle! The outside walls gleamed with gold paint, and the steps were smooth marble underneath my feet. As we passed under the archway into the main foyer, candelabras were everywhere, as was a heavy layer of perfume. It stuck under my nose, cloying and suffocating. Heavy velvet covered every window; now I knew why there were so many candelabras.

Human women stood here and there in immaculate (yet scantily clad) dresses and intricate hairdos, just as much works of art as the statues and paintings that surrounded them. Men sporadically weaved between them and paused next to the open archways. They wore light, gauzy tunics that bared their chests and stopped mid-thigh. The garments seemed so strange and foreign that I temporarily forgot my anxieties. These were clearly human men; the rounded shapes of their ears confirmed that much. And yet—

"Fresh meat, then?"

A lyrical voice addressed the woman in charge, and my head turned so fast something cracked in my neck. This female had blonde hair the color of corn, with eyes an ethereal green. Her eyes flicked over to us with disappointment.

"Oh perfect, a new male," she breathed us in, her nostrils flared. The poor man grouped with us backed away, eyes wide.

"Apologies, Toria, but this one is a special order," our woman said, giving a slight bow before snapping at our guards to hurry us along.

The female fae huffed and watched us go, her lips curling predatorily as she hungrily watched our guards behind us. The man in our group looked both relieved and terrified about the exchange that had just happened. Not that I blamed him—what the fuck did a special order mean?

As I looked around me, it came together.

Oh. Oh.

Pleasure houses weren't just for men.

Not that it made it any better, I supposed. But it sort of did. Now that I was looking properly, it all made sense. Human women and men were on display here equally, with male and female fae weaving in between each other indiscriminately.

I mean, the women draped across the furniture and up against the walls here didn't look afraid or coerced … but that didn't mean they weren't.

This entire society put me on edge. The only fearful humans were us—the ones just brought in. And even most of that fear had faded with food, baths, and medical attention.

"Move."

A younger guard in the back with short, dark hair prodded me forward, but the urgency in his voice was cautious and not cruel. I picked up the pace to keep up with the others.

The woman in charge led us up a sweeping staircase with a large balcony at the top that overlooked much of the foyer. In another life, I would have liked to stop and gawk, trying to look at everything at once around me. For now, I took in as much as I could, including the red velvet carpets, the heavy curtains with gold trim, and the flickering of hundreds of candles. Smoke mixed indiscriminately with the scent of burning incense. The setting was enough to make you heavy-lidded and lazy.

The guard behind me growled slightly as my steps slowed, so, with a sigh, I moved on. We went left, and the hallway stretched on forever, the tapestries and furnishings growing less impressive the further west we went. Eventually, the walls became white-washed; the carpet gave way to plain stone, and the surrounding space was completely sparse and utilitarian.

Almost like home, I wryly thought.

We paused in front of a door on the right, and the woman pulled a large hand bell from the pouch in her dress and shook it mightily. It was hard not to wince as the clang resounded around us. Doors opened up and down the hall like dominoes, men and women alike sticking their heads out and quickly crowding into the narrow hallway. A male fae was there as well, pushing his way to the front and grinning like it was his birthday.

"We have new arrivals and a large party tonight. Lord Cassus will stop by for inspection, and bring a few honored guests. We will be ready."

The men and women around us were nodding, elbowing each other and grinning with excitement. Did they actually look forward to such news?

"Wyn, you and your group are in charge of Kasen." The woman put a hand on the shoulder of the man in our group; he winced. "Sadit, you are in charge of the other three ladies."

I frowned, since that left me the odd man (or woman) out. Everyone else knew it as well, since dozens of curious eyes immediately turned to me. The male fae stepped forward, with hair so pale it was almost white. His black tunic and breeches only made it stand out more as he flashed his fangs at me. "Our little queen here has a special assignment, I heard."

"Not a queen," I bit out, refusing to give on this one specific, yet important, point.

The woman's eyebrow rose. "Oh? And why's that?"

I flushed, heat coloring my cheeks. "Never had a coronation, technically. And I don't have a crown."

The surrounding men and women laughed and tittered at me. I wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

The fae clapped his hands together, dark eyes sparkling with mirth. "Well now, I think we can help with that, can't we?"

Jeers and whistles followed this announcement.

"What do you mean?" I asked quietly, my voice barely above a whisper.

I didn't need the sinking feeling in my chest to let me know that this wouldn't be anything good. The fae's expression turned deadly, his fangs on full display to not only me, but everyone else in the room.

"Didn't you know?" he asked. "You are something exotic: a queen—sorry, princess—royalty from a faraway land. We have a special place of honor here for a human like you."

I didn't look at any of the others who traveled with me. I couldn't. I refused to see the looks of horror and dawning comprehension on their faces as they realized what was going on. I should've realized this would be my fate.

I was an idiot.

"Quit gawking! Get the new ones ready!" the woman snapped at everyone. Reluctantly, they moved, taking my travel companions with them.

Annie turned and tried to hang onto me, but the dark-haired guard held me back, and the others pulled her away to a room with the other new women.

"EVE!" Annie shouted, but a door slammed and she was gone.

My lips parted, but no sound came out. How many more times would I be forced to do this? Ripped apart from my friends and everything I knew, only to be mocked and spit upon … again.

I lunged away from the dark-haired guard but didn't go far, shrinking back into him as the blond fae advanced on me. In a split second, the guard's arms on my upper arms went from constricting to protective as his fingers dug into my biceps. I couldn't explain it, but I just knew the dark-haired fae was preferable over the nasty blond one.

"I will take her to Lord Cassus's suite to prepare," the dark-haired guard said, his gaze directed downward and his tone careful.

The blond fae's eyes narrowed. "Don't start this again, Alihandro. Remember what happened to the last woman you tried to … champion?" The man tensed behind me, and the fae laughed. His hand waved dismissively at us.

"Remember what happened the last time you challenged me?" the guard spat back, feral anger in his eyes. "Can you piss standing up yet?"

The other fae went white and backed up.

"Stop glaring at him and move," the guard growled into my ear, his lips so close to my skin I shivered.

My legs moved of their own volition as the guard, Alihandro, took control, one hand gripping my upper arm tightly and steering me past the stairs, and this time, toward the east side of the manor. His other hand hovered around my neck, resting around my collarbone. Neither of us spoke until the hallway ended, and a massive set of doors stood in front of us. Taking the hand from my neck, Alihandro shot me a warning glance and made a series of patterned knocks on the door I wouldn't be able to repeat if my life depended on it.

The door cracked open, then was thrown wide by a woman dressed in a gauzy fabric with tinkling gems around her waist and bare midriff. She was only half-dressed! Had she been in bed? The smell of roses and lavender floated around me as Alihandro tugged me forward. Tones of red, orange, purple, and gold assaulted me. A massive open room ahead of us was overwhelmed with the pillows and low couches everywhere.

"Alihandro! You bad boy! We missed you last night!" The woman put a finger on his lips, her own pushed forward in a pout. Her hand went to skim her hip as she leaned forward, giving him a generous view of her cleavage. Which she didn't need to do, since her breasts were already practically tumbling out of her low-cut top.

Alihandro gave her an apologetic grin, absolute sin glinting in his silver eyes. "Sorry, sweetness. Got held up. You know how it is." He gestured to me and the woman's sugary smile evaporated.

"This one was requested specifically by Cassus. Can you—"

The woman's nose went up in the air. "I can't, actually. Druella is miscarrying, and it'll be all hands on deck to clean up in time. Stella needs her hem mended, and Aubrey—"

Alihandro held up his hands in surrender. "I get it, I get it." He paused, shooting her a mischievous grin. "If you want me around more, just say so. You don't need to make up excuses."

The woman's eyes narrowed playfully even as a woman's scream erupted from deep within the rooms. I flinched.

"Trust me, I'd much rather doll this lamb up for the slaughter than deal with … all of that mess." She sighed. "We all have our roles. You've been here long enough that I'm sure you can handle it. And if she's not up to his standards, at least I won't get punished."

Alihandro grinned. "Always a charmer."

The woman rolled her eyes at him and disappeared into the depths of the suites. Hopefully she could help that poor woman. Hearing her increasingly louder cries of pain wasn't doing anything for my nerves.

"Right. We'll just use Cassus's private room. I'm sure he won't mind."

Sure. Fine. Anything to get away from the screaming.

Alihandro led me toward the back where the other woman had gone, but then veered off right where the woman had gone straight. How big was this suite? The giant room we'd just left led to this hall, where no less than eight doors greeted us! Alihandro picked the second one from the left and opened it, ushering me inside.

A large, open bedroom lay before us, complete with a balcony tied with fluttering silks. It was out of a dream—something no castle in our kingdom had certainly ever seen! Everything was smooth, white stone.

"There's a bathing chamber on the right, but you won't have time for that now. This entire wing is Cassus's private suite. He has hand selected you to be here and not shared in the main parlor."

He paused as if expecting me to fall to my knees in gratitude. Instead, I stared, and after an awkward moment, he cleared his throat. "Change in there. I'll fetch you some clothes."

I frowned and glanced down at what I was wearing. He'd pry Shyllon's cloak from my cold, dead hands.

A dark eyebrow rose. "These clothes are yours for when you aren't on duty. Just fold them when you change, and we'll tuck them away in the cabinet here, see? I won't even touch them."

He indicated the large wardrobe behind me, which looked to be made of wood but was a purplish color I'd never seen before.

"Though most of the girls are here full time and not off-duty. You can use it for when you go on the grounds, then. I'm sure you'll need it again for something."

Was he trying to convince me, or himself?

He opened the purple-tinted wardrobe and went digging. Gauzy, bright scraps of fabric wisped over his shoulders as he searched.

"Do you really want me to pick? I've been told my taste is … lavish."

Considering I had no idea what the fuck was going on, that was just fine with me. I crossed my arms over my chest, and Alihandro turned his attention back to the clothing.

"Ah, this would go well with your coloring." He tucked out a deep royal purple dress and held it out to me.

I eyed it warily, noting the long skirt and open midriff. It could be worse, right? I snatched it from his hands and fled to the bathroom.

Alihandro's voice followed me, even if his footsteps didn't. "And try to hurry."

Irritation shot through me as I closed the door, ensuring it locked behind me. "Why?" I shot back.

A dark chuckle answered. "Your shift starts in twenty minutes."