“He said he would die before marrying his intended. And we’ve tried to find him, but we can’t.”
I stiffen at the news. "That doesn’t sound like my problem."
"You carry Horas blood, you must take the master's place – wed per the contract's terms, become noble and secure the alliance." His voice breaks with fear. "If I cannot present a new groom by the given deadline, if the contract is not upheld, House Horas will be slaughtered, and even you will not be spared."
7
KATHLEEN
The dark, dirty steps in front of me shine from the rain. I hesitate.
Is this really my only choice? To sell myself?
I take the first step, just as the doors barrel open and a boisterous man swaggers through. His arm is slung over another's, and the two of them can hardly wobble their way down the stairs as one slurs their way through a story.
"An' I told the bitch 'Fuck off! Love if you want a tip, you shoulda at LEAS' given a smile!'. You 'ow what she did? Raised a hand to me! Right whore had to comp my service and got fired!"
The two men cackle as they push past me, neither of them bothering to even notice I was there. The stench of liquor and grime wafted behind them, and I covered my nose as I watched their bodies fade away in the darkness.
Is that what I'm going to have to deal with?
My thoughts are interrupted by a hoarse, loud voice hollering down those same stairs on which I hesitate.
A man shouts at me from the top of the stairs, his dark, line-scarred face illuminated by the flickering street lamps that cast his wide grin in sharp contrast. His large, muscular frame leans against the sturdy wooden door jamb.
The man, well dressed for his position, bellows, "What the hell are you doing down there?!"
With a start, I realize I've been daydreaming. I shake off the daze and climb the stairs, my heart now pounding in my chest. I silently pray. I need to help my grandmother, and to do that, I need money.
To get money, I need…this place.
I reach the top of the stairs, my breath coming in ragged gasps, and stumble onto the large, ornate entryway. Inside, it smells like sex and cheap perfume. The man, a doorman, it seems, laughs heartily, a deep, resonant sound that echoes off the high ceilings.
"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" he asks, clearly amused by my curious plight. "You can't just come waltzing up to the door like that, you know!"
I swallow hard, feeling a blush burn in my cheeks, wondering just how to explain my situation. The doorman crosses his arms, raising an eyebrow as he looks me up and down, his gaze landing on my tattered clothing and the dirt that streaks my face.
"Well, well," he drawls, a grin playing on his lips. "You look like you're about as out of place here as a fish out of water."
I bite my lip, my nerves getting the best of me. "Maybe I made a mistake," I mutter under my breath.
The doorman chuckles, his mirth only exacerbating my unease. "Do you, now?"
"I'm here," I said, my voice trembling. "For the position." I pray he won’t laugh at me, at my audacity, my desperation.
He raises an eyebrow again. “You’ll need to be more specific. Our girls specialize in lots of positions here.”
My stomach roils at the leer in his tone. “Please. I…if I could just speak to someone inside?”
"You didn't even think about cleaning yourself up first? The madame won't even take a look at you in the sorry state you're in." He doesn't move to step out into the cold, but the door starts to close behind him. "We have standards you know, much higher than your hygenic routine, obviously." He chuckles to himself, and I feel a pit in my stomach start to grow. I bite back the tears threatening to well up in my eyes, and beg for another chance.
"Please! I'm a virgin!" I see his face screw into a mocking position, and he clasps his hands together. “Isn’t that worth a bit of money?”
"Love, haven't you seen the women in here? They're beautiful. We can't have raggedy dolls off the streets lowering our customers' expectations. Sell yourself on a corner, you'll have better luck there." He wrinkles his nose. “Maybe.”
The door opens back up behind him, and he waves me off as he slips behind its wooden frame. All at once, I feel my heart drop. I slouch, my legs threatening to break under me. But I steel myself. Wiping the cold rain from my face, I back up.
I grit my teeth. I won't let fate dictate how my life will turn out.