“I would rather die a thousand deaths than ever touch my lips to yours,” she said to his feet.
“Have it your way, little dove.” And with that, he vanished from the room.
Adalia slumped, finally succumbing to the emotion that had been building since the moment she fell into Oscuro, and she wept.
Chapter Five
The CHOICE
The king’s voice drifted through the hall and, on instinct, Matthias stopped just shy of the throne room to watch and listen.
“I’m going to have fun with her,” the king sneered as he picked a fish-bone from his plate and flossed his teeth.
Jes threw him a sideways glance—hatred written all over her face. “Why don’t you just kill her and be done with it?”
“Now, why would I want to do that? And ruin all the fun? No, killing a beautiful woman just because I despise her ruler simply will not do. If he doesn’t come and rescue her, then I’ll just keep her around for entertainment. You never know . . . she might even replace you if you’re not careful.” The king’s eyes travelled the length of Jes’s body.
Matthias peered through the crack of the door, considering their conversation. His father was right. From the first moment Matthias saw her, he thought she was beautiful, even through the dried blood and bruises.
Her skin was warm like honey, and the soft waves of her brown hair reminded him of roasted chestnuts. It was her doe-eyes,though, that caught his breath every time she glanced at him–when she was brave enough to look up from the floor. They were unlike anything he’d seen before. Her irises were mossy green around the edges, fading into a warm, caramel brown, reminding Matthias of the very edge of Oscuro, where flourishing green meadows melted into the dappled, sunlit forest.
If he could, Matthias would have ventured deeper into her gaze and stayed awhile.
His father had other plans, though, and whisked her back to the dungeons as soon as the wine was served.
The second time he saw her, the maids had dressed her in an outfit fit for a whore. It was nothing but a thin piece of black fabric wrapped around her chest, covering her breasts, but stopping just as her ribs started, exposing her stomach to the elements and to greedy glances. She wore a black, flowy skirt low around her hips, with deep slits in the sides that exposed her legs every time she walked.
Matthias could see by the way she held her shoulders that she’d been very uncomfortable.
Jes scoffed and rolled her eyes, bringing Matthias back to the present.
“She’s not that beautiful. Surely she doesn’t compare to me and the things I can offer,” she said with a purr as she ran her hands over her hips.
“I think you will find many would disagree.” The king smirked. “But don’t worry your pretty little head, Jes, I’m not done with you yet.” He beckoned to her with a bony finger and patted his knee, inviting her to sit upon it. Jes pulled herself from her seated position and seductively walked towards the king.
Matthias closed his eyes at the scene that unfolded next. Seeing his father with a woman made him feel like ripping out his eyes all together. Turning, Matthias headed back towards his room—he’d seen, and heard, enough.
During the evening meal yesterday, when the guards dragged the prisoner back to her cell, Matthias was close to questioning what his father had planned for her, but decided against it.
Instead, he thought if he talked with her, he would get some answers and her punishment would be less severe. There was no way she could know just how brutal his father could be. If she wouldn’t give him answers, maybe he could talk some sense into her, a warning for what may come. She could avoid it if she only gave the king what he asked for.
Winnowing into her cell didn’t turn out as well as he thought it might.
Now, as he sat in his room, Matthias pondered on what his father’s plans were, but then shook his head. What did he care what his father did with her? The king never confided in his son. He certainly would not start now.
But the way she looked at him with those enchanted forest eyes tugged on what rest in the bone cage inside his chest and, for once in his life, he wanted to tug back. The way she held herself, even through the pain that was continuously laced across her beautiful face, was a testament to her bravery.
Bones whimpered, and Matthias looked up from his desk, twirling a pen in his fingers. “Don’t you start. I know this place is the pits, but I have little choice, not until I have a decent amount of money. A few more fights, and we will have enough to be rid of this place. Even if it’s just living in our cabin.”
Matthias had built the small house near the edge of the Oscuro Veil a few years ago. He was biding his time, saving until he had enough money to live a peaceful life away from all the chaos. Whether it be at the cabin planting crops and raising some chickens, or on a small boat sailing the Drayton seas.
He could have taken the king’s money and run, but that would bring unwanted attention. Deciding to gain his own coin was a wiser choice.
Placing the pen down, Matthias shut his secret keeper and shoved it back inside the wooden drawer. He locked it and put the key in a small pocket on the inside of his jacket. Looking around the room, he knew he could pack his belongings in minutes.
Someone pounded at his door.
“Stay here, boy.” He motioned towards the fireplace. Bones huffed, but obeyed.
