Heaving a sigh, I shoved the heavy blankets back, wincing when the cool air touched my bare legs. It wasn’t as cold as it had been last night, but there was still a chill in the air. Thankfully, Bokkan had built up the fire in the hearth while I slept, and it was burning brightly. Warmth emanated from it, but it hadn’t reached all the corners of the room yet.
I pulled the woven blanket I’d tried to use last night from beneath the furs and wrapped it around my body. It was enoughto stop me from shivering as I wandered into the bathroom. No, it was a bathing room. That was what Bokkan had called it.
Yesterday, I’d figured out how to operate the toilet and strange-looking bidet he’d shown me. It wasn’t ideal but at least it wasn’t an outhouse with corncobs for cleaning myself. I shuddered at that thought.
My thoughts wandered to the witches and magic Bokkan had mentioned yesterday. I had to wonder if that was why they weren’t as technologically advanced as humans. If magic had replaced tech here.
I pondered that thought as I took care of my most pressing business and washed my hands, then face. Then, I picked up the toothbrush and paste Bokkan had brought me last night. Like the toilet, the style of the items was from well before my time, but they did the job they needed to, and that was what mattered.
When I emerged from the bathing room, I found a stack of neatly folded trousers, shirts, and sweaters on the end of the bed. I hadn’t heard the bedchamber door open or shut, but it seemed Masu had been in here.
I picked up a pair of pants and realized they were the same ones that she had pinned for me last night. She’d hemmed all the pants and somehow unearthed another sweater and two shirts that looked as though they would fit me as well.
Tears sprang to my eyes at her thoughtfulness. I was stuck in this place, but at least now I had clothes that covered me completely. Though Bokkan’s shirt was long enough to cover me from throat to just below my knees, I felt entirely too vulnerable. I was naked beneath it, and after the way his soldiers had behaved yesterday, I wanted a full suit of armor and maybe even a chastity belt. But only if I was the only one who knew where the key was.
I sniffed back the tears and pulled on the pants. They were snug in the ass but fit well everywhere else and were the perfectlength. Bokkan’s housekeeper had not only finished one pair for me, but two more. I hoped she hadn’t sacrificed her sleep in order to help me. Of all the beings I’d met here, she’d been the kindest to me so far. And it was clear that she worked very hard, considering she cooked for Bokkan and took care of the home I knew to be large even without a full tour.
I finished dressing, adjusting my makeshift socks so they were scrunched around my ankles rather than pulled up to my knees. I also topped the light cotton shirt I wore with a sweater. Since I didn’t have a bra, I’d wrapped my breasts with a length of fabric cut from the material I’d purloined yesterday at the auction site.
Once I finished, I took my hair down, combed it, and braided it again. My stomach was growling at this point, and I desperately wanted coffee. Or at least whatever passed for coffee here. I debated waiting for Bokkan to return to the bedchamber and fetch me for breakfast, but my decision was made when I heard the murmur of male voices drifting down the hall.
I immediately picked up the dagger I’d taken off Talus yesterday. I wanted to tuck the sheath in the back of my pants at the base of my spine, but it was too large. Not to mention that the pants were too tight.
After a few moments of consideration, I took two of the leather strings Bokkan kept for tying off his hair and threaded them through the holes on each side of the sheath. Then, I tied the sheath to my thigh. It wasn’t ideal, but it worked.
Armed, I went to the door and slowly opened it, sticking my head into the empty hall. When I was sure no one else was around, I stepped out of the bedchamber, shutting the door behind me.
My steps were silent as I crept down the hall to the top of the stairs. The male voices were louder here and growing agitated. I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I shouldn’t remain hidden.
“Silence!” The sharp command in Bokkan’s voice whipped through me.
Somehow, I knew that his men were in the house because of me. I wanted to turn my back on the issue, to ignore it, but I couldn’t. I’d made myself a promise long ago—I wouldn’t avoid things that frightened me. I would face them head-on and deal with them.
I also refused to let those bastards know that I was scared of them.
Taking a deep breath, I straightened my spine and started down the stairs. I reminded myself that I’d fought the best soldier in Bokkan’s group already, and I’d held my own. I could do it again if I had to.
When I reached the base of the stairs, I turned the corner and followed the sound of the voices down the hallway until I reached Bokkan’s office. The door was open, revealing four huge daemons standing in front of Bokkan’s desk. Their hands were clasped behind them, their feet shoulder-width apart, and their postures straight and tall.
Bokkan sat behind his desk, his pitch-black eyes burning with anger. I could feel his emotions from the doorway.
At once, all five of them looked toward me. My gaze met Bokkan’s hot one for a long moment, and his ire swelled, filling the room. When I tore my eyes from his and looked at the other four daemons, they were all staring at me with expressions of longing. Not lascivious but unsettling all the same.
“Leda, you should go to the kitchen so Masu can serve your breakfast,” Bokkan said, interrupting the uncomfortable silence in the room.
I scowled at the four daemons, not liking the way they seemed even more interested when they saw my displeased expression. Then, I directed my frown at Bokkan.
“If this little meeting is about me, I think I have a right to know what’s being discussed, don’t you?”
Bokkan sighed heavily, as though resigned. “Very well. If you insist, please come in and come stand next to me.”
I wanted to argue against it. To ask why he needed me to stand with him. But something told me now wasn’t the time.
Instead, I walked into the room, making sure to keep my distance from the other male daemons, and skirted around Bokkan’s huge desk. I stopped on his right side, but he gestured for me to go behind him and stand on his left.
Anxiety shimmered in my belly. He wore his sword on his left side, which meant he wanted me out of the way of his dominant hand if he had to draw it.
Did he expect trouble from these four daemons?
