Chapter 28
Elina
On Monday night, I sit quietly at my small table waiting for something, anything, to happen. After I was sent to my room like a naughty child yesterday, I inspected this space from top to bottom. There is nothing anywhere that tells me what they want or helps me in any way. I pulled more clothes from the bag, today is another pair of black leggings and a solid black t-shirt. There are no socks or shoes. This choice feels intentional, like they are disarming me.
A knock on the door interrupts my internal reflection. Genevieve pushes the door open before slipping a key into her pocket. Today, she is wearing a flowing dress in a shade of pale green which brings out the green color of her hazel eyes.
“Good evening, Elina. So good to find that you are well,” she says to me pleasantly. I narrow my eyes at her. Claudel makes it obvious what he is thinking and what he thinks of me, he is not a fan of mine. Genevieve confuses me, she was missing from the meeting with Nicolas yesterday, so I don’t know what role she even occupies in this place. “How did you sleep?” she asks as she sits opposite me.
“Fine,” I answer her wearily. We sit together, both of us watching the other, her head tilted curiously as she studies me.
“I’m sure you have a lot of questions, would you like to ask them before you meet with Nic?”
“Who are you?” I ask her, bluntly.
She gives me a small smile. “I’m Genevieve Laurent. Nic is my brother. We are a branch of the Devereaux family.” She pauses theatrically, waiting for me to digest and react to the knowledge that she is, somehow, a member of the Shadow Kingdom. “Not closely enough related to hold the court,” her eyes shine with excitement, “but close enough to have a tenuous claim. That's where you come in.”
I give her a slow blink.“What do you mean?”
“That’s why Nic wants you, so he can take over the family.” She says that like it should mean something to me.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I tell her, hoping she will elaborate and fill in some of the gaps. Something is going on but I can’t figure out what it is.
She gives me a conspiratorial smile, like we are sharing a joke but I missed the punchline. “That’s ok, Elina. You’ll figure it out. Anything else?”
“Yes, actually. What’s the deal with the windows?”
She laughs, the sound light and breezy. “Magic, of course,” she says, matter-of-factly, as though magic is something I deal with on a daily basis, vampires aside. She studies my face before laughing again, more boisterously this time. “It’s reinforced. Like the bullet-proof kind. Nothing magical at all but made to withstand humans. A vampire could break it though. And in case you were wondering, they are reflective on the outside so no one can see in.”
She shrugs before standing and beckoning me to follow her from the room.
What the hell is happening?
A short time later, I have eaten and been pushed through the double wooden doors again. This time, when I am presented to Nicolas, I have Genevieve at my side.
“Sister! Wonderful to see you as always,” Nicolas greets Genevieve. He doesn’t even spare me a glance, his eyes passing over me.
Genevieve moves forward, bending into a bow, then extending her hands, she kisses both of his cheeks, warmly murmuring to him, “BonjourPrince.” Moving back to my side, we stand and wait. I do not bow.
“No show of respect for your prince, Elina?” He asks me. He doesn’t appear to be angry, only inquisitive.
“You aren’t my prince,” I say insolently. “I do not intend to bow to you. Not now. Not ever.”
His jaw tightens the smallest amount. He seems to be working really hard to not rise to my disrespect of his perceived title.
Steepling his fingers under his chin, he asks me, “And do you intend to consent to theLe Lien Eternel?”
“I do not. I am well aware that theLegame di Sanguecan not be completed without me agreeing and I do not agree. Ever.”
Slamming his hand down onto the arm of his chair, cracking the wood, his temper finally explodes. “It is notLegame di Sangue,” he mocks, the Italian words accompanied with a thick fake accent. “It isLe Lien Eterneland you will consent. Eventually.” Standing, he approaches me. I fight the urge to shrink away from him.
I stand up straight and steel my spine in the face of his anger and approach. Reaching out, he drops to a knee in front of me. I watch him carefully as he grabs my hand. His touch is gentle, caressing even.
“Elina, give me time to prove to you why binding to me is right. That I deserve your affections. Please?”
“No.” I pull my hand from his. “You are holding me hostage in this mansion full of vampires, I am being manhandled by your servants, and locked in my room all day. Why would I want to even speak to you?”
“I apologize for Claudel, he is...enthusiastic in his loyalty to me. You are only locked in for your safety; it is too dangerous for you to roam around the house. I do not wish any harm to come to you. You are precious to me.” He reaches up to touch my face, his fingertips outstretched, from his place on his knee. I jerk my head away from him. “I don’t want you to be a prisoner here. I want you to walk these halls with your head held high as my princess. I want you to want to be here. I want you beside me, why can’t you understand that?”
