Page 31 of Barbarian Daddies

“Thank you, Mina.”

“Be careful. If you escape, it cannot be traced back to me.”

“It won’t.”

Mina nods slowly and leaves. As soon as the door closes behind her, I hear the key turn in the lock. I grab the butterknife and hide it in one of my skirt pockets—that’s the upside of these frilly, multi-layered court-like dresses Selina is forcing me to wear while staying here.

They make me look like a roughed-up version of Marie Antoinette, but at least they have deep pockets.

I spend the next few hours cautiously loosening the window grate’s heavy screws. It takes a while, and my fingers hurt, but I manage to pull two of them out by nightfall. Upon Mina’s second visit today, I’ve also gathered more information about Selina and her visitors. There are whispers traveling about the city where the general is concerned—she hasn’t bonded with any men, and she hasn’t birthed any children yet.

She claims to have sacrificed her motherhood for the good of the Sunnaite nation, and her position of power has kept the voices of dissent to a muffled minimum.

But I’m not buying that shtick, and apparently, there are Sapphire City residents who aren’t buying it either. Something tells me she’s got a condition, an issue that prevents her from having children. What if Selina got handed a crappy card upon birth? What if she suffered some kind of accident or a miscarriage she told nobody about? There are multiple possibilities, and I would love to explore that avenue further.

However, it won’t be tonight.

Tonight, I’m getting the hell out of here. Tonight, I’m leaving Sapphire City and will figure a way back to the Sun River Plateau. I remember the routes we took, I know which stars to follow at night. I’ll need some food. Water. It’ll be hard, but I have to do it. I can’t stay here a second longer.

Maybe I’ll find Kai and Maur somewhere close to the city. They have to be alive.

The three moons are at their peak in the night sky when I finally succeed in getting the third screw out. I head back to the door and listen to sounds echoing from the hallway. Rustling footsteps. Soldiers muttering and exchanging impressions during the shift change. Doors closing and opening.

Once it’s quiet, I go to the window and start pushing. I use my shoulder, pressing it against the grate until I get it open. I pause for a few seconds, waiting to see if anybody heard the metallic clang, but no one knocks on my door. No one comes in to check up on me either.

The lights are out in my room; they must think I’m asleep. Good.

Slowly and carefully, I sneak out the window and climb onto the stony ledge, taking a few deep breaths. Thank heavens I’m only on the first floor. Fewer chances to break something if I slip and fall, but more chances to get spotted by the guards patrolling around the building if I’m not careful.

It’s a warm night, at least, and there’s not much light on this side of the property. I give myself a moment to look around.

There’s a thick column at the nearest corner of the building from where I’m standing. Black-flower vines grow upward, climbing around it with sturdy stems and aerial roots. It looks strong enough to hold me. Measuring every step, I make my way along the ledge, crouching when I reach a window to avoid being seen from the inside. Outside, the guards have yet to reach this section of the garden, so it’s imperative I reach the column with its vines so I can hide behind them when they do get here.

I kneel below another window, but a moving shadow catches my eye. Slowly, I poke my head up to look inside. Almost instantly, I feel my jaw dropping. It’s Selina’s room, but she’s too busy riding a Sunnaite man whose face I cannot see from this angle. He seems young, though—at least judging by his frame and slender muscular structure. Early twenties, I reckon, and Selina is riding him like a beast. His claws dig into her hips as she cries out, grinding him harder and harder.

“Damn,” I mutter and continue my escape.

My foot slips. I hear my own yelp before I can stop it, but I manage to keep myself on the ledge, shaking like a leaf while my heart beats frantically, desperate to barge out from my chest. Beads of sweat drip down my face as I look down. Two shadows stretch from the eastern corner. The guards. They’re coming.

“Shit,” I hiss and prepare to move.

But Selina’s window opens, and I freeze. Fucking hell, I think I’m going to die of a heart attack before they catch me. The ocean breeze tickles my face, filling my nostrils with a salty hint. I can’t look up to see who’s at the window. One move, and they might notice I’m here. All I can do is hold my breath and listen to the receding footsteps, swiftly followed by Selina’s ragged moans. Oh, they’re back at it. They just needed some air. I’d roll my eyes if the situation were slightly less dangerous.

I manage to hide behind the column just as the guards turn the corner. I stick to my shadow, quiet as a mouse as I wait for them to pass by.

“You know she’s screwing that kid again, right?” one of the guards says.

“Yeah, she likes the fiery ones, I guess,” the other replies.

The first guy scoffs. “It’s an insult to the other women. She gets to frolic around like that.”

“Meanwhile, the few girls we have left can’t nurture bonds because they have to make babies. Our traditions have gone to shit, Sy. To shit.”

“And we’re helping her enforce them,” Sy says. “What does that make us?”

“Monsters. But right now I’m hungry,” the second guard replies. “Come on, let’s finish this round and grab a bite to eat from the kitchen.”

“I could do with some wine too, if we find any.”

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