Page 32 of Given to the Fae (The Dark Realms #3)

I snap the book shut and put it down, backing away from it slowly.

I’ve never had a memory like that, one from before The Barrack.

I only know I was brought there as a child because I heard Sio lament the day more than once.

I don’t remember anything from before getting there except, vaguely, the trees.

I turn away, putting the odd vision from my mind. I don’t dwell on the past. I need to look to my future or else I won’t have one.

I find some duck eggs in a basket by the hearth and stoke the fire.

I break two of the eggs into a pan and give them a stir.

My stomach rumbles as I wait patiently for them to cook.

I haven’t eaten an egg since I snuck one out of Ogdan’s coops and was able to cook it on his hearth while he was overseeing the breaking of one of the bulls.

It took an hour of whipping before the once proud human male groveled at Ogdan’s feet, and then Ogdan had him put in the block and mounted by whomever wanted him for a day, so that he understood his place.

Ogdan was gone ages, so I had more than enough time to cook the stolen egg and eat it too.

I eat them with a spoon while they’re still hot in the pan and, afterward, I clean everything up so no one knows what I did.

Force of habit, I suppose, because I don’t think the fae care what I do so long as I don’t try to leave.

When I’m finished, no one’s come back yet and there’s still nothing to do, so I empty all the supply sacks and repack them the way I saw Jak do.

After that, I decide to bathe mostly because I can’t think of anything else to occupy me. Leaving the rooms isn’t an option without one of them. Without a proper brand, I’d probably be taken and sold before the fae even knew I was missing.

Shivering at the thought, I lower myself into the steaming water of one of the massive tubs and breathe in the scents of jasmine and rose. I smile slightly. I’d better make it to the Light Realm if only to bathe like this instead of in a cold river. I don’t think I could go back to that.

I sit up with a frown. I languish in this hot bath while the rest of my kind in the Dark Realms suffer.

While I know that me indulging in comforts doesn’t make a blind bit of difference, guilt has me washing quickly and getting out.

I dry myself and find Morgan’s hair comb.

I lament the fact that I won’t be able to let him take the tangles from my locks or plait it anymore. I liked it when he did that.

No!

I shake my head and tell myself to stop being such a fool as I use the comb as he showed me before, untangling the strands and then plaiting it myself. I scowl. It doesn’t feel the same as when he does it.

Not sure what to wear, I put on the clothes Morgan gave me.

His clothes. I shouldn’t wear his shirt, I think, but I can’t find my slave dress anywhere.

With a sigh, I leave the room and don one of the cloaks that’s on the hook by the door.

It’s too long for me, but it’s thick enough to keep the chill off me as I open the door to the balcony.

Outside, the black buildings almost melt into the dark sky.

I wander to the edge and peer over the black stone wall with a gasp as I see how high we are, though I haven’t set foot on even one staircase. I can make out the black awnings of the shopfronts, and see movement in the street below, but all the creatures look like insects from up here.

I laugh at the notion that I’m some higher being that’s watching them go about their little lives as I squint down, unable to make out any of the details.

Loud thunder sounds in the distance, and I look out over the roofs.

Thick clouds are rolling in quickly and there’s so much lightning in the sky that some appear to glow.

I’ve never seen such a storm, nor one that moves so fast, and I half wonder if it’s a conjure of some kind.

A loud crash and a quick flash not far away make me jump and let out a cry of surprise. I didn’t think it was so close.

There’s another flash and a louder bang as a pole on a building is hit. It has me backing away from the edge, thinking that perhaps I’d better go indoors, just as rain begins to pour down like buckets of water being thrown from the sky.

I cower under the oversized cloak as I try to make it to the door to get inside, though I can’t see through the sheets of rain and I’m blindly stepping in the direction I think is right.

There’s another hit. This one is on the building directly in front of the one I’m standing on the balcony of.

The force of it throws me forward into a warm body and an arm immediately comes around me.

I can’t hear anything over the roaring of the storm as I’m pulled inside and turn to find a very angry male.

Jak is glowering at me, his fury unmistakable.

I retreat a step, my eyes shuttering instantly.

‘What the fuck were you thinking?’ he snarls.

‘I-I’m sorry,’ I stutter, not sure what I’m apologizing for.

‘I didn’t tell her, so if you didn’t either, she doesn’t know,’ I hear Locke say from somewhere beyond Jak. He sounds bored as usual.

‘Know what?’

Jak turns his anger toward Locke, and I breathe a small sigh of relief as I peer around him at the other fae.

‘The storms are frequent here,’ Locke says, not looking at me, ‘and the tallest buildings have iron poles to harness the energy for conjures that require more power. Being outside when one is approaching isn’t advisable, girl.

’ He glances up at me with a sneer that for some reason I think is false. ‘Especially not for a human.’

‘She could have been killed out there, Locke!’ Jak hisses. ‘If she’s going to be left alone, she needs to be told things like this.’

Locke shrugs. ‘She wasn’t alone. Where’s Morgan?’

I wince at his hard stare. ‘He...went out.’

Locke lets out a long breath. ‘He’s at the pits.’

Jak looks concerned. ‘He’s fighting again? I thought he said he was finished with all that.’

Locke stands. ‘That was before...a lot of things.’

Jak’s lips thin and he glances at me.

Locke thinks it’s my fault, I realize with a sinking feeling. ‘I did what you wanted,’ I say miserably. ‘I made sure he won’t...want to be around me anymore.’

Saying the words out loud makes me want to cry, though I don’t know why.

Jak turns toward Locke, his demeanor changing completely. ‘What is she talking about?’

His tone is as cold as I feel, and I’m glad his ire isn’t directed at me. I slink to the door and take off the soaked cloak that’s dripping all over the floor. I hang it up and realize belatedly with a shiver that it’s wet through. So is the shirt I’m wearing.

I hear them having a quiet and angry conversation, and I ignore them, not wanting to be in the middle of their argument about their friend. Is Morgan fighting now? Will he come back with more injuries that are my fault?

I hear a sharp intake of breath and realize they’re both staring at me, their eyes wandering over my body. I look down and see that the rain has made the shirt I’m wearing practically transparent.

I can’t help the roll of my eyes. Why are they staring? They’ve seen my scars before.

A bundle lands on the seat next to where I’m standing. ‘We leave today. Put this on.’

It’s a slave dress, but it’s not the one from yesterday and it seems clean at least. I pull the wet shirt over my head and put on the dress without much thought, just glad that it’s dry.

When I look up, the fae are both looking away.

Jak is staring intently at the shelf of books and Locke is gazing at the planks of the floor as if the secrets of the Breach are contained within their grains.

I put my hand in the pocket of the dress in case there was a previous owner who left something and my hand brushes a smooth and cold object I recognize by feel. I draw out the yellow ring, the bracelet Locke gave to me early this morning.

I frown, glancing through the open door into Morgan’s room. I’m sure I left it in there.

I hold the gleaming stone bracelet out to Locke, not wanting to be accused of stealing it in case he’s changed his mind, but he shakes his head.

‘I told you to keep it with you, remember? I’ll tell you when it’s time.’

He says nothing more and I do as he says, putting the bracelet back in the pocket of the dress and wondering why he’s being so cryptic.

Mages.

‘You packed,’ I hear Jak remark and I nod.

‘I was bored,’ I say with a shrug. ‘I’m used to having tasks to do. I’m sorry. I should have asked?—’

‘No, you did this perfectly. You even put the herbs in the right pouches. Thank you.’

I can’t help the joyous smile that alights my face at his unexpected praise, and the accompanying warmth that floods me takes me by surprise. My cheeks are hot with it. No one’s ever given me thanks before or even told me I did something well.

His eyes widen as he sees the effect his words have on me.

Perhaps I should have tried to conceal it.

I’ve given him something he might use against me.

But I don’t think I could have hidden my feelings even if I’d wanted to, they’re so powerful I can hardly breathe.

I look away first, trying to push it away before I make an even bigger fool of myself, and I see that the storm outside is abating. Perhaps that means we’ll go soon.

As if hearing my thoughts, Locke glances outside.

‘As soon as Morgan gets back, we’ll leave.’ He lets out a sound of annoyance. ‘Actually, grab his things. I don’t want to miss the Bridge because he decided to devolve. We’ll get him on the way. I know where he’ll be.’