Crown of Beauty and Vengeance

Chapter 38

Chapter 38

All Lyv remembered was complete darkness, a rushing sound in her ears...and then she was bolting up from a comfy bed in an unknown place, gasping.

"Good, you're up," a dark-haired female said as she pulled back gossamer curtains that covered the four floor-to-ceiling windows.

She was wearing a tight-fitting dress that only came down to just below her backside, the back of the dress pretty much nonexistent, and had on sandals with the laces wound up her legs and tied just below her knees. With the obvious change in temperatures outside, Lyv wondered how she couldn't be cold in that scrap of clothing.

Lyv's hand immediately went for her knife...if it had still been in its sheath on her leg.

"Don't worry. You'll get your knife back before you leave. Kalla doesn't approve of weapons in the house, so she puts them away for safe keeping."

"Kalla," Lyv repeated as she female turned toward her. "How long have I been here?"

"Only about an hour. Jai should have taken her warning seriously. We are all taking bets as to when he'll be here. I wonder if he's figured out that wards have been put around the island to keep anyone from getting here by magic. I suspect we shall find out...and it might be soon, it might not, especially since he's going to have to take a ship to get here. Do you want in on the bet? There's a case of Night on the table and a full access pass for a six-hour session, female, male, or both, at Madame Amoria's."

Lyv didn't say anything, just watched as the female walked toward a wardrobe that stood against the wall. She opened it up, pulling out something that was folded in the bottom, before taking over to the bed.

"Change into this. Kalla is expecting you in ten minutes time down in the library. It's not too hard to get there. Just take a left out of this room and to the main staircase. Go down to the ground level and to the right. It'll be the double doors at the end of the corridor," she told her before turning toward the door. She turned back before leaving, though. "Oh, and by the way, I'm Shyael. I don't think I mentioned that before. It's nice to finally meet you, princess."

As soon as the door closed, Lyv finally released the breath she'd been holding.

Blackloch. She was in Blackloch. Kalla had done exactly what she told Jai she was going to, but it came so suddenly that they weren't able to do anything. Lyv hadn't even been able to process what was happening with the cloak male before he wrapped his hand around her throat. She either needed to try and get out herself...or play into the hands of the pirate queen for Lyv's own advantages. And with wards around the island, Jai wouldn't have been able to fade through the shadows to her in an instant.

But then how did the male who took her do it?

Reaching for the scraps of fabric Shyael had placed on the bed in front of her, Lyv held up the black lace corset and underwear and then the dress that was meant to go over it. Except the dress was really only scraps, with the silver gossamer fabric completely see-through, a plunging neck- and backline, and belted with a leather strap studded with diamonds, sapphires, and emeralds.

All she wanted to do was stay in her leather, but Lyv would play Kalla's game until Jai came. Sure, she could escape the island easily herself, but she wanted to see just what all the Pirate Queen of Blackloch knew.

So, she changed into the dress and lingerie, found sandals similar to Shyael's in the wardrobe, and took the braid out of her hair so it at least covered her a bit more before leaving the room. Her locket and ring were the only thing she kept on of her own.