Annora goes rigid.
Right. To her, this is a prison.
The thought bothers me more than it should.
Servants appear in the courtyard as we dismount—Matron Eska first, iron-haired and sharp-eyed, followed by Captain Rurik and a handful of others. They stare at Annora with poorly concealed curiosity.
I've never brought anyone here before. Never claimed an auction bride. The beast lords don'tdothat—we take our tributes and leave civilized folk alone. That's the arrangement.
They don't know what to make of this.
Neither do I.
"Prepare a room," I tell Eska, pitching my voice low. "East tower. Near mine." I pause. "Notinmine."
Eska's eyebrows climb toward her hairline, but she knows better than to question. "Yes, my lord. I'll see it's made ready."
I turn back to Annora. She's still mounted, frozen like she's forgotten how to dismount. Or maybe she's hoping if she stays still enough, I'll forget she's there.
Not likely.
"Down."
She slides off gracelessly, lands hard, and her knees buckle. I catch her elbow before she can fall.
Her skin is warm beneath my palm.
Impossibly soft.
I let go like I've been burned, curling my fingers into a fist.
"Follow me."
I leadher through corridors of stone and shadow, up two flights of stairs worn smooth by centuries of boots. Servants press themselves against walls as we pass, and I can feel their stares following us.
Let them look. Let them wonder.
They'll learn to mind their business.
The room I give her is in the east tower—small but defensible, with thick walls and a heavy door. A bed, a chest, anarrow window that overlooks the inner courtyard. It's the safest room in the fortress aside from my own chambers.
That's not an accident.
"You'll stay here," I tell her, keeping to the doorway because I don't trust myself to go further. The curse is still too close to the surface, and she smells like meadow grass and I needdistance. "Food will be brought three times a day. Matron Eska will see to anything you need."
Annora nods, silent.
Always silent.
I need to set the rules now, before the curse frays my control any thinner.
"Listen carefully." I grip the doorframe, feel wood creak under my fingers. "If I tell you to leave a room, you leave. Immediately. No questions. No hesitation. Understand?"
Her eyes widen slightly. "Why—"
"No questions." The words come out harder than I intend, edged in growl. I force myself to breathe, to pull the curse back down. "This isn't negotiable."
She swallows. Nods.
