Black Lace (Complete)

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐈𝐗

Chapter Six

How could I face him? After having done such...such preposterous and....and inappropriate things!

I lowered my head, staring down at the meal before me. The plate had been hot and steamy before; bacon, eggs and a salad had sat upon it. Now it was half eaten and cold.

How could I face anyone, really? Mother...myself.

"Romina, dear," Mother entered the dining hall and sat at her seat on the table. A maid came bustling in with quiet feet and a tray full of food. Mother thanked her graciously and adjusted the napkin on her lap.

As always, Mother was beautiful and put together this morning. She had never been a morning person, but she always tried her best to look awake and happy. I appreciated that.

As her kind eyes met mine, I quickly averted my own, trying to hide behind the diversion of looking away. What if she knew? What if she knew what I'd dreamt last night? What would she say?

What would she do?

"You look troubled, sweetheart." Mother cut into her egg and regarded me carefully, kindly, but motherly all the same. "What's the matter?"

"I didn't sleep well last night," I told her, though that was far form true. Whatever dream I'd had woke me up early and very, very awake. My skin still felt that buzzing tingle from Aziel's touch. It was hard to convince myself it wasn't real.

Even if I knew it wasn't.

"And I'm not used to having a guest in the estate." That, at least, was true.

"It will only be for a few weeks, Romina," Mother said kindly.

That's exactly the problem, I resisted the urge to say. Instead, I smiled: "That's true. Thank you, mama."

"I just need you to know you can talk to me," she said.

"I know I can." I replied in turn, offering her a smile. We both knew it was simply a polite smile. We both knew I had no intention on following through and telling her. Not with the maids in the room, at least.

"Good morning!" Or Father.

"Good morning dear," Mother said, glancing behind her. After a short pause, she added: "and Mr. Herrera."

"Yes, good morning to you, ladies," Aziel said kindly. His voice was rougher than I last remembered. When I risked a glance in his direction, I saw why. He and Father were wearing comfort clothes: linen pants and a nice shirt. They'd just woken up. I had to avert my eyes before they stuck to Aziel. He looked particularly fine this morning, his dark features offset by the light whites and beiges of his clothes. When they neared us, he smiled, lighting up his face. But his eyes did not light up. They stayed dark. Beautiful. Dangerous. Devilish.

Father and Aziel took their seats at the table, adjusting their napkins as their own food arrived.

"I trust you slept well?" Aziel asked politely. Mother laughed and went on about season's light changes, but I barely heard anything. Noise began to fall deaf to my ears, blundered and muted out like water. I felt like I was underwater.

My eyes lifted and landed on Aziel's. He was nodding and speaking to Mother, but his eyes were on me. Those lips...the ones I remembered being on my own—lower ones—they were red and edible looking. I had to tear myself away from his toxic stare before I was pulled further under.

I could not afford to drown.

"What about you, Romina?" Aziel turned the conversation to me. Both Mother and Father faced me now. It was a true battle to keep the red from my cheeks. Without my parents' attention on him, Aziel allowed a knowing, suggestive smile. I did not know what he was suggesting. He couldn't know...he couldn't possibly know.

And then it hit me.

Our walls. The noise I must have made. It was no secret that I was a talkative sleeper, voicing the thoughts in my dreams to all those around to listen. And if he'd heard any, if not all of my moans and cries of pleasure...

Something changed in Aziel's stare as he observed me. His fist tightened on his knife, turning his skin white.

I managed to choke something out. "Well. I, uh, I slept well."

Mother's brows pinched together and she frowned at me. "You told me you had bothered sleep, dear."

"That too." I looked down at my place, wishing all their attention would just go to something else, anything else. "It was...a long night."

I risked a glance up. Mother sat back, satisfied. Father went back to his meal, unperturbed. And Aziel had a small smirk on his face. He did not look at me, simply went back to his food. But there was something off about his composure, about his gait.

He knew something I didn't. And for once, I was scared about what that was.

Innocence and protection will keep you safe.

I dug my knife into the yolk of my egg. Thick yellow liquid poured out, spilling onto my plate and knife like fake blood.

But no, Father was wrong. innocence and protection was a farce.

Protection was not forever.

And innocence was for the weak.

It is okay to be weak. I am strong.

No, papa, I said to myself. No.

Because you weren't there in my room last night. You weren't there to stop my dreams from becoming what they did.

You weren't there, papa. You let a strange man into our home.

And you slept a few halls down as he ravished me while I slept, inside my mind, inside my heart.

You did not save me, papa.

I looked over at Aziel, staring at him.

And now I must save myself.