Page 79 of Broken-Hearted

A churn starts in my belly at what’s coming. “But my meal,” I complain.

“I’ll have a servant bring something up to our room after the ceremony,” he says, not looking at me.

Eric, my burly, sour faced escort, grips my arm and nearly drags me off my feet. “Let’s go.”

I’m a prisoner here. No mistake about it.

Everyone knows it. The servant girl. The enforcers. Me.

Adrian hasn’t put me in a cage or locked me in a room, but I feel as trapped as if I were in a steel cage.

Eyes track me as the enforcer pulls me from the room, forcing me into a near run to keep up with him. The bathroom isn’t far. Just halfway down the hallway.

I drag out my trip to the bathroom since there’s no window I can climb out of. I’m creeping slowly toward panic with no idea how I’m going to get myself out of this mess.

Eric, standing just outside, bangs loudly on the door. “Let’s go.”

“But I?—”

“You can walk or I can drag you up to the alpha. You have one minute to decide.”

Fucking hell.

I shove myself to my feet and flush the toilet, glaring at the door.

I’m washing my hands—completely unnecessary since I didn’t even use the toilet—when the door swings open. Eric grabs my arm and hauls me out as I drip water all over the place.

“Hey!”

“You had your warning.” Eric doesn’t slow or even look at me as he pulls me along the hallway and up the main staircase.

“I’m dripping water on the stairs,” I say, running to keep up.

“You can clean it after the mating ceremony.” He sneers. “Once the alpha has had his fill of you. Though that might be awhile.”

I hide my shudder. “Don’t remind me,” I mutter.

Eric continues up the stairs and flings my bedroom door open. On my bed is a short, silk white dress.

I’m staring at it in horror when Eric snaps, “Put it on. The alpha had a matter to attend to. He will join you shortly.”

I hesitate.

“Or you can attend the ceremony naked, if you prefer.”

I stalk into the room and snatch up the dress from the bed. Eric doesn’t move from the doorway.

Glaring at him, I walk into my closet and close the door so I can dress without him watching.

I leave the clothes I change out of on the floor. Not because of my slobbish nature. Someone else can deal with the mess. I’m in no mood to deal with cleaning up right now. Time isn’t crawling toward this mating ceremony. It’s galloping and I’m still no closer to getting myself out of it.

Think, think, think, I mentally tell myself as I pull on the hated silk dress, wishing the ground would literally open up beneath my feet and take me somewhere other than here.

Eric is still blocking the door, arms crossed, when I step out of the closet.

My one hope of escaping is out of the window now. I drift toward it as casually as I can, like I’m just circling the room.

Then I stand in front of the window, arms by my side, as I look out into the vast grounds that make up Adrian’s land. It’s late. Maybe ten or eleven. There’s no clock in my room, so I’ve never known what time it is since I arrived.

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