Page 62 of A Debt of Darkness

“Thank you, Master.”

He pats my head and I pout. He grins as his face relaxes and the tension eases away. It suits him. His grin widens and my pout deepens as he ignores the fuck out of my feigned annoyance.

“Absolutely adorable. What am I going to do with you?”

I grin. “Play with me, Master.”

His mouth falls before he catches himself and he shakes his head, laughing as he realizes he's been outmaneuvered. Or at least, he's going to let me think that's what I've done, unwilling to end the fun I'm having. We're having.

“Stand.” He watches as I obey. “Twirl.” I spin and check I'm doing this right.

“Stop, lea. Before you get dizzy.”

I stumble into him as the world keeps spinning. Henry grabs my arm and holds me until I steady while I wonder when I started dancing to his tune. The change is seismic, but now the ground beneath me has shifted and I wonder why I fought him so hard.

“Behave.”

I nod and clap my hands, and he pulls me against him.

“So fucking adorable,” he says as he kisses me and I throw my weight onto him. He pulls me off him and leads me to the door. “You go where I say or stay behind me. Am I clear?”

I nod.

“Words, lea.”

“Yes, Master.”

His fingers tighten as he pulls me behind him, and I'm notthe only one who's excited. Henry wants me to be ready for this and we’re facing the uncertainty of what happens outside my room. But the corridor isn't terrifying and the stairs are the same as they've always been. It’s still a perfect mix of old and new, making you relax but holding your attention.

A picture catches my eye and I stop, leaving Henry walking off. I stare at the landscape, noticing the savage battle being fought in its calm setting. Blood spills into the ground, but the sky above is still and the sun shines bright, as if there's hope. Maybe the artist wanted us to believe there's always hope and that the sun always rises, even after the darkest night.

“Focus, lea,” Henry says, backtracking. He’s mildly irritated I haven’t followed his instructions. “Try not to let a strange painting by a strange Dutch man distract you.”

Fuck me, that’s a masterpiece by a master painter.

Henry's got a collection of them and he's got damn good taste.

I turn as I look at all the other pictures in the grand hall and everyone looks to be by a master. And there's a picture that looks suspiciously like a da Vinci sitting inconspicuously among all the others.

Henry doesn’t give me time to find out, leading me through small corridors into the working parts of the castle. I follow him into a kitchen and he stops, tipping his head towards a bowl of fruit conveniently left out on the side.

“Grab an apple if you’re hungry.”

I nod and my hands grab the apple nearest to me. It crunches as I bite into it, and I swear it’s the best damn thing I’ve ever tasted.

Henry groans and I’m confused.

“I said grab an apple, lea. Not eat it.”

My mouth forms a small circle and hushed sniggerssound from behind. The kitchen leads to a large breakfast room and several men stare, anticipating something.

Henry scowls and positions himself between me and the strangers who stare at me like I’m a meal. His body language is aggressive and he considers these people a threat, even though he lets them live here. He turns to me and I drop my shoulders as I hand him the apple.

“Sorry.”

“Sorry, what?”

You could hear a goddamn pin drop and I stare at the tiles.

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