Their Wife

Thirty-Nine

I tried to hide the shiver of unease he sent through my body, but I couldn't. He felt it through the hand that held mine and I knew he felt it if the small twitch of his lip was anything to go by.

My heart pounded, drowning the sounds of servants wearing matching black uniforms rushing to complete their tasks. Some were carrying trays lined with flutes of colourful liquors while other held platters of finger foods. Those with loaded trays were headed in the same direction as us, while those with empty ones returned.

As we turned down another hallway, the number of servants visible went down to zero. The sound of their bustling activity had died and I was left alone with only Zev, the sounds of our footsteps, and the sound of my heart beating to dampen the silence.

I looked up at the back of Zev's head when he switched his grip from interlocking his finger with mine to holding me by the wrist and dragging me behind him, forcing me to jog just slightly to keep up. So much for hoping he was helpful and kind like Tinker Bell, not that he had given the impression which his glacier eyes and stoney features. He and Cassius could go head to head in the coldest expression contest and tie for first.

I ground my teeth. 

Like I had thought Ezra would have.

My fist tightened at the feeling of betrayal that stabbed through my chest. I never should have expected much. Ezra wasn't in love with me. He was infatuated by the idea of a whirlwind romance in the midst of everything going on. Plus, he said it himself, most women weren't like me here. And he liked women like me. It didn't mean he liked me. It must have been why it was so easy for him to believe the words of another without even bothering to hear a single word of defence from me. If he knew me, knew the person he claimed to care for, then he wouldn't have fallen for the lie to begin with. He would have understood how absurd it sounded.

But, I should never have expected much. It's what led to disappointments.

That's why I wasn't expecting much from Zev at the moment. Cassius had already shown the disregard they had for my wishes and consent, Zev saving me a few times in the past wasn't going to do anything now against what he had planned, not with the anger that lined his frame and that burned in his eyes. The gut feeling that had once told me that he was safe was warning me against him now.

The nails of my free hand dug into the skin of my palm. I felt the pressure of tears behind my eyes and heat of frustration spread across my nose. The helplessness I felt under Zev's banded hand, served as a representation of the invisible manacles that trapped me in this home, with these men. Not that I had much of a choice even if I could leave into the unknown world.

I made a mental note to look for books that would give me the information that I needed to survive on my own.

I blinked back the burn in my eyes. There was no point shedding tears at times like these. They wouldn't help. Men who would be moved by tears wouldn't do things that would cause them.

We continued straight down the empty hall, our footsteps echoing off the high walls. At the end stood a large pair of white, double doors with intricate gold detailing. They were tall and stretching up to reach the high ceiling above. In front of them stood a tall man dressed in a black suit as dark as the locks on his head. His storming blue eyes cut straight into mine as we approached. They briefly dropped to the ruby necklace that rested at the base of my neck before focusing on my eyes again.

"You're late," he said, his arms crossed and a scowl on his lips. "The Queen made a surprise appearance. I assumed her invitation would go unanswered." His frown deepened. "I assumed wrong." I couldn't tell if he was more upset that the queens had arrived, or that he had assumed wrong.