It was no use.
My eyes popped wide again. “He said he wants me to serve him.” I poked the panther. “What exactly does that mean?”
Whisper huffed and shifted, placing his heavy head directly on my belly. He weighed me down, claiming me as his eyes closed again.
The closeness of his teeth. The heavy anchor of his jaw. It ought to send my nervous system into a freefall and yet...as his breathing evened out and the softest purr vibrated in the night, my eyes drifted closed.
My questions unspooled into soft clouds.
And incredibly, I slept.
* * * * *
The black stone palace loomed up ahead.
I’d dawdled as much as I could. I’d gone the scenic way through the meandering pebbled pathways and tried to think up a way to refuse serving Lucien Ashfall.
But the reality was: if I wanted to stay alive, I had to obey.
And so...I’d opted for clothes that wouldn’t cling or make me feel claustrophobic, just so I could get through the day. A pair of loose linen trousers, white blouse, and leather sandals wasn’t exactly first-day work attire, nor was it professional to leave my long black hair loose, but I’d used every trick to ensure I wouldn’t suffer another episode and pass out.
Pressure and me? We did not mix.
If he expected me to be a good worker, then he’d be sorely disappointed because I’d fired myself from my own company because I was the most useless person on the payroll.
Balling my hands, I cut across the marble courtyard in front of the palace and stiffened as my eyes landed on three women sitting on the steps of the impressive portico.
They didn’t look up from their intense conversation; their knees touching and faces close with fierce whispers. I managed to get within a few metres before they finally sensed my arrival and their heads shot up.
Their double-take was comical as shock widened their eyes, and bafflement made their mouths hang open.
Two I recognised.
Evelyn and Lydia.
The third I’d seen but didn’t know her name. A dark-skinned willowy woman who looked as if she’d been a murderess in a past life with how intense and sharp her stare was.
“You,” Evelyn gasped.
Shooting to her feet, she brushed back her black hair and looked me up and down as if looking for fatal injuries. “How are you not dead yet?”
“Good morning to you too.” I crossed my arms.
Lydia strode toward me, her pretty lemon dress hinting she was one of the seductresses not assassins. “Why are you still alive?”
I frowned. “I have no idea how to answer that question.”
“I mean...how has he not killed you yet?”
“Again, not entirely sure what you want me to say.”
“Are you always this annoying?” the other girl muttered.
“I’m not the one asking how I’m still alive.” I held her piercing stare.
“Have you been hiding somewhere the past week?” Evelyn asked. “Is that how you’ve avoided his attention?”
My eyes flicked to the massive palace towering behind them and wished I could turn around and flee. My headache throbbed in my temples and the urge to get far away from these people made my heart pound.
