I couldn't answer, because the truth was I was asking myself the same thing.
Chapter Twenty Four
I served out my punishment for two days. Rhael did not summon me, he did not come to my room, and I did not dare venture out to find him again.
On the second afternoon, the guards were removed from my door quietly, without explanation as if my imprisonment had never happened at all.
The first person to break my isolation was Penny. She arrived just after lunch, knocking once before slipping inside her arms full of clean linens, steaming water and oils that smelled faintly of crushed herbs and rain.
She stopped short when she saw me sitting on the edge of the bed, knees drawn to my chest staring at nothing in particular. I knew I looked a state, but there was also no point in me caring, when I had nothing to be prepared for.
“Gods above you look like hell,” she said softly, frowning as she took in my appearance, as if months of her hard work had been wasted.
“You should see the other guy.” I huffed, aweak laugh escaping me.
Penny’s brows knitted together setting her things down, her eyes sharp as she took me in. The faint shadows beneath my eyes, the way my shoulders stayed too tense. If I was honest I had not felt right since Rhael kissed me.
The images of the dungeon stuck in my mind paired with the softness of his lips, the way he had held me. It was such a contrast that I was not sure if my mind would ever be able to reconcile the two.
“What did you do to make him that angry?” she asked carefully. Fussing around the room, I knew she had tried to get entry at least once. I had awoken at some point to hear her arguing with the guards at my door. Demanding that they let her pass.
“Is it that obvious?” I snorted, my shoulders raising as I smiled. I hadn’t realised I had missed her until she was back there in my room, fussing over me. It felt as though I had regained some sense of normalcy in my life.
“The entire court has been whispering for days. The King has not slept, he broke a chair in the council chamber, and someone said he even threatened to tear out a noble's tongue just for breathing too loudly.” She explained, fussing as she dipped a cloth into the warm water, immediately beginning to wipe it across my face.
“That does sound like it's my fault,” I grimaced as she looked me over, scanning me from head to toe as if checking for bruises, missing limbs or any other signs of violence.
“Tell me, what did you do?” She asked, sitting on the bed behind me, her fingers cardingthrough the mess that was my hair. Her tone was direct and immediate, almost like siblings
“I wasn't honest,” I say looking down, fidgeting with my fingers. Picking at the nails, the truth was part of me was embarrassed that I had been naive enough to believe the vampires in the first place. Let alone the one that had been responsible for so much of Rhael’s pain.
“You were barred from seeing anyone, even me. The guards would not tell me why. That does not seem like a simple act of dishonesty.” Penny observed, as her hands began to undo the lace of the simple dress I was wearing, her fingers warm against my back.
“I made a mistake, a stupid one, and when he didn't let me explain I snuck out and found him.” I explained, letting her run the cloth down my neck soaking me in the herbal smelling water.
“Where?” She asked her tone sharp, as if she knew exactly what I was talking about but wanted to hear me say it.
“Somewhere I shouldn't have been, through the door in his office,” a reluctant laugh leaving my lips as I remembered my behaviour from that night,
“Oh.” She whispered, the worry in her voice evident as she began to run oils through my hair.
“And I refused to leave, or back down even when I should have.” I muttered, finding it easier to talk about what happened in the dungeon rather than the conversation with the vampire.
“Did he hurt you?” She asked, the humour dropping from her voice as her hands stilled her muscles tensing as she imaged the worst.
Penny wasn’t naive, I had learned that within my first week here. She knew almost everything that happened within the castle walls, and the idea that there was something that had not yet reached her ears was more unsettling than the act itself.
“No.” I said quickly, my tone firm dismissing any thoughts that had entered her mind.
“Well, that is something,” she said, her body relaxing behind me as she resumed her attention to my chair.
“Nothing happened. Not really. Just enough to remind me why he is the way he is.” I explained, trying to fill the awkward void that had settled between us once more. As if we were both afraid to delve any further into the topic.
“Well, you are either very brave or very stupid,” she smirked, slight humour returning to her voice.
“I’ve been told I am both.” I mused, as Penny let out a small laugh. Moving on to preparing me to bathe.
It took two hours for Penny to deem me worthy of travel. An hour of that had been her adding different oils and scents to my bath water until I smelt like I had spent the last two days in an apothecary. I ended up back in riding gear, my hair braided into one plait away from my face. Packed witha few dresses that the Fae realm would be considered mundane and boring.
