It took an embarrassinglylong time for Ashley to realize that the overhead light came from candles, not light bulbs as Val showed her around more of the castle. Which was almost as badas how long it took her to dig into her back pocket and pull out her cell phone, only to see she had no service. Because, of course she wouldn’t here. There were no towers in this land of magic and make believe.
Her whole life was gone, and now the world was spiraling back into the dark ages. “What happened to all of the humans, Val?”
“Well, as I told you, during our grandfather’s time, most of them were, um, dealt with. A few remain and we have servants looking after them. They are well taken care of, I assure you.”
Ashley pursed her lips to keep from saying something she shouldn’t. That happened a lot in her new life, biting her tongue. “Can you explain to me what happened to Ned? How he became a werewolf?”
“Ned? Oh, you mean Edward. Right. And don’t call them werewolves, it’s disrespectful. They were humans once, and they served us loyally for years. They studied ancient texts and found a way to prolong their lives, to continue to serve us. Their forms changed, but it also changed their lifespans. All to serve us. They should be treated with the utmost respect, even if they are our servants.” Val explained, although Ashley still wasn’t certain the explanation made any sense either.
It was strange. In the back of her mind, Ashley knew that there were a thousand different words that she wanted to say. Just as she also knew there were a thousand different words that she definitely shouldn’t say.
“I’m sorry if I offended, um, them. I guess. It’s just that I’m new here, and I’m still not quite clear on what happened. There was a storm, then a wolf, then Jack showed up. And now I’m here. There was a war, I think, and then our father died. It’s hard to know what to say and what not to say when you’ve been dragged back to medieval times,” Ashley took a moment to inhale, which Val took as an opportunity to interrupt her.
“This is not the past, Ashley. It’s not a, what did you call it, Dungeons and Dragons plot? Yes, well, it’s not that either. There are the ‘then’ times and the ‘now’ times. You should focus on the now and stop bringing up the past.” Val hissed at her, his brows pulled together as he glared down at her. “We now live in simpler times, as it should be. Get used to it.”
Which was about all the consideration she’d get from her brother. While he might be all about the ‘now’, his ideas on the place of women in this world were archaic. He really thought she’d agree to be traded off to some man she’d never met. “Like you want me to get used to the idea of a forced marriage?”
“It’s not forced, sister. You should want to protect the kingdom. You should be glad to make such a powerful contribution to our people. Why don’t you understand this?” Val shook his head in disbelief.
“Probably because I’m not property to be bartered, brother?” Ashley said pointedly, but as usual, he waved off what she had to say.
“You will take the mate I have chosen for you. You will have children with him. You will not deny the mate’s right.” Val ordered, coming closer with his index finger pointed towards her face.
Ashley’s head moved back to avoid the finger and her eyebrows shot up in surprise at his adamance, but she didn’t back down. “What the fuck is the mate’s right?”
“Don’t worry about that right now. You’ll find out all you need to know soon enough.” Val turned and stalked away from her then, leaving her at the door to her bedchamber.
“Now what do I do?” Ashley said, even if there was nobody around to hear her. This was the first time she’d been left alone since she’d woken up that morning and found a servant there with a dress and shoes, ready to get Ashley out to breakfast.
Ashley tried her best not to make too much noise as she crept around the corners, searching every nook and cranny for any sign of Jack Tracey. If there was anyone who was going to have answers in this place, it was undoubtedly him. He seemed to know more than the average person did about what was happening. Rather, he seemed the only person that wanted to give her the undiluted truth.
Val had trusted him at some point, and Ashley thought that recent events were what led to the mistrust that now stood between them. Jack wanted to be honest with Ashley. Val wanted a bargaining chip. Val must trust Jack to some degree, however, or Jack would be gone.
After an hour of creeping through the castle, and finding many locked doors, Ashley had to admit that she wasn’t going to find him on her own. It was like Jack Tracey had vanished into nowhere, which didn’t make sense because, by all accounts, it was a well-fortified castle. So well-fortified that Ashley was slowly concluding that they were trying to keep something out.
“Or rather, something in,” Ashley whispered, knowing that her brother was far too anxious about his plans for her to leave the castle unguarded. It was clear to her that he would make sure she couldn’t escape. Not when she offered him so many great advantages.
He’d told her that dragons could normally expect to have only one child. Having twins was a boon to the Kingdom, which meant that Ashley was far more precious than she had ever thought she could be. Which also meant that servants tended to recognize her far more easily.
Of course, the fact that she was the only person who looked exactly like Val here didn’t exactly help things.
Standing at another corner in the lower part of the castle, in a section Val hadn’t shown her, she saw something that gave her hope of finding Jack. She saw a door that all the servantswere filtering in and out of, one that remained unlocked, if only for ease. And, seeing her chance and the slightest break in the constant activity in and out of the room, she slipped through that door and into the servant’s hallway, grabbing the first piece of clothing that she saw at that moment, a black and white maid’s gown, and disappeared into the first corner that she found to change into the dress. Within seconds, she was suddenly invisible to all the servants that filtered through the hallways. So long as they didn’t look too closely at her face, that is.
Ashley looked down at the dress she’d taken off, knowing that she could hardly walk around with it. Still, she also needed to hide so that she could put it back on later. She shoved it behind a large vase in the hallway, hoping that no one would think to dust that day. And then, gifted with all the camouflage she needed, she straightened her spine and began to walk, her eyes seeking out familiar faces until she found one.
He was tall, laughing with another servant, his face as happy as it always was. Elliot would help her, she just knew it.
It took her a moment to recognize his voice, having only had short conversations with him when he visited her at the diner, but she would recognize that bloodred hair anywhere. It didn’t hurt that he had the most enchanting dimples that made him boyishly handsome.
The perfect look for a womanizer if what Val said to her was to be believed. Judging from the maids flocking around him, fluttering their eyelashes, Ashley thought Val might be right. She’d have to be careful around this one, then.
Elliot was a butler, of all things, and a higher-ranking one, which was why he stood so confidently, with an air of authority that only dimmed when he was around those he served. Right now, he seemed like nothing in life bothered him.
It was far too easy for Ashley to slip into the crowd, edging her way closer and closer to Elliot until she could finally hear what he was telling the maids.
“His master will be here any minute now. I bet he’s on high alert. We’ve been in danger with the Diamond Clan for a while now, and I can imagine that Val’s not too happy that he will have to appeal to their king,” Elliot said, causing the maids to gasp in shock.
“The king of the House of Diamonds, imagine,” one of the maids said with an almost dreamy tone to her voice. Whoever this king of Diamonds was, he must be very interesting, to say the least.
