The woman on my right gives a little snort, and Juno shoots her a look over her shoulder. “No,” she says. “Courtesans have no need to fight. That’s what the Alphas are for.”
“Alphas?”
She nods. “Every Alpha in Aurum is trained as a soldier.”
Interesting. “Are there any female Alphas?”
“Of course not!” Juno sounds horrified.
“Why not?” I genuinely don’t understand why that’s such a foreign concept to them.
“Females exist to breed, to pleasure, to heal, to create… we have no business on the battlefield. Although, we are given these for our own protection. Silki?”
The woman to my right stops walking and lifts up her gown. A little jeweled dagger is strapped to her left thigh. Small enough to hide under a garment. My fingers twitch. Maybe I can get a little dagger of my own.
We’re trudging down the endlessly long, gaudy hallway I remember coming down on my way to meet Aurus. Was that yesterday? Last night? I’ve lost all sense of time. My circadian rhythm is messed up. “Why do you need so many soldiers?” I ask. “Are you at war?”
“Not with any of the other kings at present, no. But we are sometimes attacked by outsiders. There are those who would steal what is not theirs. Resources. Slaves. Or those who would like to take Ulfaria for themselves.”
We’ve finally reached what I privately refer to as theharem HQ, where I woke up yesterday—or whenever the fuck it was. “I’d really like that drink now,” I say, licking my dry lips for the umpteenth time.
Juno takes a goblet from a hovering woman and hands it to me. It’s the same refreshing liquid I had last time. I gulp it down gratefully.
“Would you like to eat first, or bathe?” she asks.
My stomach chooses that moment to rumble loudly. “Eat,” I say sheepishly.
“Very well. We have prepared some dishes for you over here.” She leads me to a corner and waves to indicate a row of plates.
I look cautiously at the food. “Is any of it… animal?” I ask.
“Meat?”
“Yeah, that’s the one.” It seems some basic words have vanished from my vocabulary, along with many of my memories.
“Those three.” She points.
“Thank you.” I’m tempted to ask what kind of animal, but then I realize I don’t really want to know. I’m too damn hungry. I move down the row, trying a mouthful of each dish. The meat ones are lightly spiced but lean, and good. There’s something slimy and green which I don’t even bother trying, the mere sight of it is unappetizing enough. The last dish is something creamy and sweet, with a consistency like yoghurt. It seems to be just what I’m craving, as I plunge the spoon into it again and again until the bowl is empty. Another plate holds a kind of fruit. The flesh is crisp, like an apple, and the tart flavor of it bursts over my tongue when I bite into it.
“Oh wow,” I say, too hungry to care that I’m talking with my mouth full. “This is good. What is it?”
“Kiktu,” one of the women offers helpfully.
“Thanks,” I manage. I’ll try to remember that one.
Once I’ve eaten my fill, I get to have a bath. This time, I’m left to wash myself, although there’s always someone hovering nearby, just in case I need something.
Escaping will prove difficult. But I’ll manage.
I luxuriate in the scented water, letting it soothe my strained, aching muscles, inhaling deeply to get rid of every last trace of that musky, leathery tang still lingering in my nostrils.
Aurus’s scent. The one that makes me cream my panties. Over and over again.
Damnit.
Vowing to stop thinking about him, I instead focus on my main priority: escape. I will get out of here somehow. And knowledge, as they say, is power. So once I’ve finished my bath, patted myself dry, and slipped into yet another breezy gown—this one is a ridiculously feminine pastel pink—I seek out Juno.
“What happens now?” I ask her.
