“I—I thought it best to clarify the specific terms of our agreement. With more, er, specifics.” She wrung her hands together nervously, waiting for him to say something.
“But we already have a signed agreement between us.” He glanced at the parchment again and surveyed her with a gleam in his eye.
“You are no prisoner here,” he continued. “And I will send a small bag of gold to your room once a week so that you can buy whatever you wish. If you are hungry, ask one of the servants, and they will see to it that you are fed. I say this to alleviate your particular fears of starvation; however, this”—he said, gesturing at the parchment—“this, I cannot allow. You cannot run away. You are mine, and I own you for the next three months. I shouldn’t have to point out that breaking a deal with a demon would be a very bad decision.”
She narrowed her gaze. “Just out of curiosity, what would happen if I broke our deal?”
“I would suggest that you not find out,” he warned. “I find myself amused that you thought I would sign something else when we already have an agreement in place.”
Her breathing quickened. “Oh?”
“Yes.” He muttered something under his breath in that strange language that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up, and the pages of parchment suddenly caught fire.
She gasped and stepped back.
The pages smoldered, and Caspian released them, the parchment floating and slowly turning in midair. The words she had penned in careful calligraphy became devoured by flames. The parchment burned brighter, becoming a flaming torch, and flakes of ash tumbled to the ground.
“Another word of advice—never try to trap a demon into a deal without furthering your end of the bargain as well.”
She cleared her throat, eyeing the last pieces of ash drifting to the floor. “Of course, my Lord. I didn’t mean to cause offense.”
“Just Caspian. I am not a Lord.” He said the words bitterly, as if there was some lingering anger behind them.
“As you wish, Caspian,” she said, offering a quick smile, attempting to diffuse the tension that gathered in the air.
He paused, surveying her. “Bathe. Change. I’ll see you downstairs.”
She blinked at his tone; it sounded far too much like an order for her liking.
Her displeasure must have shown in her countenance, as Caspian frowned at her and tilted his head.
He took a menacing step towards her, his eyes boring into hers.
He lifted her chin with a finger, searching her face.
“A pretty thing, aren’t you?”
Without another word, he released her, and left her standing there alone.
Shutting the door, she let her posture relax and her shoulders slump. She placed a hand on her chest, trying to calm her racing heart. He was terrifying. She didn’t know if she could handle living here, being near such a person.
She closed her eyes and took a moment to master herself.
Looking around the room, she saw that most of the wall was taken up by massive windows with sweeping curtains that made her chamber seem like it opened up into the sky. There was a lounge chair in front of the window that looked cozy and inviting.
She touched the bedsheets, they were gray and impossibly soft, and peered at the headboard that was carved in the same elaborate whorls she had seen in the bannisters in the entrance hall.
A vase of glossy black flowers rested on her bedside table. She touched one curiously, and it fell apart in her fingers, impossibly delicate. She had never seen their like before, perhaps they were a bloom that only grew in this part of the world.
She bent and sniffed the flowers, they didn’t smell like anything, but she appreciated them all the same. She wondered if Caspian had realized that a vase of flowers would make her feel more at home.
Overall, her chamber gave the impression of wealth and comfort. She didn’t know why she had half expected a demon’s home to be filled with severed heads and snarling stone gargoyles at every turn.
The chamber also had a vanity and plenty of empty shelves and closet space. Opening her trunks, she fished out a few books and stacked them neatly on the shelf. Surveying her handiwork, she smiled a little.
Perhaps this wouldn’t be so bad.
Plopping herself in the chair by the window, she sat for a moment. Her limbs begged her to sit and relax for a while. After a moment, she sighed, forcing herself to get up. Though she hadn’t appreciated being ordered around, shewashungry.
