She doesn’t emerge from under the cot, but I hear a frightened sob.
Fine.
“Alright, I’ll give you a day or two to acclimatize before you answer questions, but you have to go with Layla now.” I look at my friend. “Think you can get her out?”
“Oh, I can be a charming motherfucker when I want to be.”
I snort at that. “Just get her to your cell. If you find out her story, report back.” I stomp out. I need to get away from Rory. I needthe image of her injuries out of my head before I do something stupid, like apologize or pull her into my arms and tell her she’s a magnificent, beautiful idiot.
Fuck.
I go for a shower, cold, and by the time I return, the kid is no longer in our cell.
Thank fuck.
Aurora is still on the cot, though she’s managed to pull herself up into a sitting position.
“You look like hell, Princess,” I say softly, stepping into the cage.
She tries to glare, but the movement makes her wince. “You should see the other guy. Oh wait, you did. He was the one crying into the concrete.”
I can’t help the smirk that tugs at my mouth. Without asking permission, I sit on the edge of the cot. “Got you a Christmas slash birthday present.” When I waggle the condom in her face she grimaces.
“What the fuck?”
“Magic mushrooms, not very potent, but basically the only drugs in this place. They’ll probably ease your pain for a while.”
I pass her a shriveled gray cap.
“Is this going to make me hallucinate? I don’t want that.”
“No, I promise. It’ll just give you a break from the discomfort for a few hours.” I save the rest for Imran.
Aurora eyes the fungi suspiciously for a moment then puts it in her mouth. “Ew, gross.”
“First time?” I ask, already pretty sure of the answer. This is Aurora Drakeward, Princess of the Elite. If she’s doing drugs, it’s the finest white stuff money can buy—not something literally grown in shit.
“First time, yep. Everything is a first time for me,” she murmurs.
“Sure. Slumming it like this has not been your everyday experience, I get it.”
Grimacing as she swallows the last of the shrooms, she shakes her head. “No, it’s not like that.”
“Sure, Princess.”
“I’m serious. I’ve been locked away in the family home all my life, only seeing tutors, dance instructors and, thankfully quite infrequently, my parents. I’m a complete blank when it comes to life.”
Fucking pretty little liar, is she trying to win my sympathy? Well she can think again. “Weren’t you at a party when you got arrested?”
“I get to go to functions maybe twice a year, but have to stay by my parents’ side the whole time. I’m not allowed to fraternize, as my father puts it, withanyoneunless he says so.”
Her words shock me. I’d imagined her Elite life being a blur of parties, private planes, champagne lifestyle. “What about your brother? He seemed alright, for a rich Elite prick. Didn’t you hang with him?”
“Very rarely. I was literally imprisoned in one wing of our family home and he was in the other. Cosmo was allowed friends though. I’d watch them out of my window, laughing and goofing around, then get smacked across the knuckles for not working on my piano sonata or whatever ‘ladylike’ pursuit I was supposed to study.”
“Well, shit, Princess.” I rub my head, not really sure how to respond. I’ve been thinking she’s lived this gilded life, but turns out she’s been behind bars too. Even if hers were made of gold. But at the same time, she was warm, fed, and clothed. Aurora Drakeward never had to worry about paying bills or where the next meal was coming from.
“How long does this mushroom stuff take to kick in?” she asks, lying back down.
