Chapter 19
ALEXANDRA
I had expectedmy words to goad Helen, potentially forcing her to lose her composure, but she simply let out a huff and turned on her heel. With one more glance over her shoulder, she raised a single brow at me and smirked. “That sure is a lot of bite coming from a girl whose life will be over tomorrow. Enjoy your last night in the living world. Maria here will get you everything you need.”
I didn’t allow an ounce of the panic that was pooling within me to show on my face, choosing to keep my head held high and my shoulders pulled back as she watched me. I wouldn’t give her the damn satisfaction of seeing my fear.
As soon as she turned and closed the door behind her, a soft click of a latch being put in place sounded. Oddly enough, it made me feel a hell of a lot safer to have whoever else was in this house locked out of this room.
All of my false bravado seeped out of me as I slunk into one of the large arm chairs, not caring that Maria was still in the room with me. The only thing on my mind was that Helen said my life would be forfeit the next day.
Could this be them finally making good on their promise to the curses to get rid of me? Or was this exactly what Pandora was worried about? Could Zeus be planning to dispose of me just to spite the curses?
“Fuck,” I breathed out, my head pounding as my own questions and ponderings confused me.
It seemed like every time I thought I was getting answers and finally understanding the situation, everything fell apart beneath me.
“I…I’ve never seen anyone stand up to her before.”
I huffed out a breath and shook my head as I stared at the door. My hopes of being let out of here with enough time to find a way to relay the information on my surroundings to my guys were suddenly doused. “It doesn’t matter,” I muttered.
“It does. It matters to me.”
Her voice was louder and stronger now, surprising me. I turned to face her as she held out a cup of steaming tea for me. I took it, still unsure if I was going to drink it, but she seemed to sense my trepidation and poured one for herself before taking a seat near me.
She took a sip, and I decided to wait to see if she had any adverse effects from that. I opted to question her for the time being. “Why does it matter to you, Maria?”
Her brown eyes held kindness within them as she smiled softly at me, faint wrinkle lines appearing as she did. “I have been a captive here for the last five years. After seeing the amount of bodies that piled up around us with orders to clean them up and dispose of them, I had lost faith that someone could free those of us held captive here.”
A cold chuckle escaped me as I rebutted, “Did you not hear that I’m to join that pile of bodies tomorrow?”
A strength and confidence seemed to fill Maria’s body then, and she straightened her back as she stared me down. “You have a fire within you that no one else I’ve seen here has had. Not once has someone tried to fight back. I’m ashamed to admit that I don’t even daredreamingabout fighting them to escape out of fear of any lurking, meddling gods who might give me away.”
I found myself wanting to know how she came to be here, whether or not she was a mortal. I wanted to know how many people there were here in a similar position to her own. But what did it matter if I wouldn’t be around long enough to help them? Even if I wanted to try to help them tonight, I would probably just get them all killed in some half-assed attempt at escape.
No. I wouldn’t do that to them.
Sorrow filled my chest as my eyes fell to the floor, unable to meet her eyes as I admitted, “I can’t help you. I can’t help any of you. I’m sorry.”
A heavy sigh fell from her lips, and a guilt unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced overcame me as she whispered, “I should have known better than to hope. That’s my fault–you have nothing to be sorry for. I’m going to the attached bathing chamber to prepare it for you. Please enjoy the tea.”
She quickly placed her own cup back on the table and bustled off to a partially hidden panel in the corner of the room that I hadn’t noticed. With a gentle press on it, a door clicked open for her to pass through.
With her gone, I let out a groan in my solitude, smothering my face with my palms.
Hope…I’d inspired hope within her. And then just as quickly as I’d done that, I snatched it back away from her.
Fuck, I was a mess. Placing my hands in my lap, I forced myself to close my eyes and take a deep breath.
After a few minutes, I followed Maria into another space equally as lavish and grand. The transition was like stepping into a different world, though. The room was a Greek bathing chamber, adorned with intricate marble carvings, elegant columns, and an air of serene tranquility.
A large, sunken pool dominated the center of the chamber, its waters shimmering invitingly under the soft illumination of the lit candles placed all around the room.
Maria had clearly been very busy lighting all of these and getting the water ready. Perfumed oils floated on the water’s surface, carrying with it the faint scent of delicate flowers. A small table stood nearby, holding an array of fragrant soaps and towels.
She turned toward me with a hesitant yet gentle expression, her eyes reflecting an empathy and understanding of whatever mental state I’d found myself in. "Would you like me to help you bathe?" she offered softly.
I looked at her, feeling a mixture of gratitude for her kindness and a deep-seated desire to be alone right now as I tried to work through my feelings about this situation I found myself in. The weight of my circumstances pressed down on me, and the opulence of my surroundings suddenly felt suffocating. I wanted to break free from the gilded cage I was held in, but I didn’t know how.
