Page 2 of Degradation

“Maeve claimed to be a distant relative of our mother’s and said that Father had arranged for her to care for us in his absence. My intuition had whispered something was wrong, but I’d ignored it. I know now I shouldn’t have.”

Brandle's fingers smooth through my hair, soothing away the sting of my regret.

“Our life at home quickly and drastically changed with Maeve’s presence. Our help, who were more like family, as they had been with us our entire lives, disappeared one after the other. We found them much later, dead, with signs magic had been used.

“Maeve left our estate on the pretext of speaking with the guards about the ill luck of our household, but the Guard never appeared to investigate. Instead, Maeve sent out our one remaining staff member to acquire new help. He returned with women from a whorehouse. Something he wouldn’t have done in the past.

“Eloise and I didn’t judge them for their occupation, but Maeve did. Looking back, I think her objection was a ruse.

“It wasn’t long after that we saw Maeve wearing and using the necklace that killed our mother. We had nowhere to turn. No Mother. No Father. No staff who could help us. Knowing that Eloise and I had discovered her wickedness, Maeve bound us to silence and used us to control each other. If I did not listen, Eloise paid the price.

“When I left, my sister was naked and bound with a chain to the hearth. Maeve had beaten her for her defiance days earlier. Eloise had begged me to leave. She believed Maeve had a purpose to keep us alive, and Eloise didn’t trust that she would need both of us.”

“I’m sorry, Kellen.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for. I left to save myself and my sister, and I believe Eloise was right and that it still holds true since Maeve merely cursed me and did not kill me. But I don’t know why.” I sighed and opened my eyes to stare at the thatching. “Why did she come to our home? Why did she kill our mother, who was the kindest, most gentle woman I knew? Why is Maeve trying to control us?”

“I wish we could have met you before you lost your mother. I would have liked to meet her. Though, perhaps she would not have agreed to our current circumstance.” He finished wringing my hair and took a soapy cloth to my arm.

“Perhaps,” I said absently, thinking of the woman I knew. “Perhaps not. She was a person who believed in helping others. I don’t believe she would condemn me for helping you. And loving and caring for another person is never wrong if it doesn’t bring harm to anyone.”

He kissed my fingertips and began washing my other arm.

“Did any of that help you decide if Maeve is the Foul Queen?” I asked again.

“I don’t believe she is.”

“Who is the Foul Queen then? Is she the one who cursed you?”

“The Foul Queen is what my brothers and I call the queen of Turre. She calls herself the Fair Queen but is neither fair in face nor grace. And, yes, she is the one who cursed us.”

“Why?”

He kissed the fingertips of my other hand and then began washing my shoulders and chest.

“Like you and your twin, the seven of us were bound to silence. You broke that silence along with the curse that changed our appearances. Yet, even with it gone, I beg you allow us more time to share our story. Though we’ve promised no more secrets, the thought of revealing everything terrifies us.

“We just won you for our own, Kitten. We don’t want to lose you.”

I understood his fear well enough. Hadn’t I feared his reaction once he learned what I’d run from? What we still needed to face? And if he thought that Maeve might be his Foul Queen, that meant he also had his own “Maeve” he needed to face.

“Very well. Unlike the men in this clearing, I possess patience,” I said with a hint of a smile.

Brandle grinned widely at me, which lit his eyes and melted my heart.

“Would it upset you to explain how I broke the curse?” I asked.

“That I can gladly do. By loving us. All of us. Unconditionally and equally.”

Something so simple yet so complex. In all the kingdoms, there wouldn’t be many women willing to commit themselves to seven men as I had. If not to spare Eloise, I might never have considered doing so either. Yet, looking at the tenderness in Brandle’s gaze, I knew I would make no other choice if given the chance.

“Brandle, you’re needed outside,” Edmund said.

He glanced away from me, and whatever he saw on Edmund’s face erased his annoyance. After swiftly kissing me, he rose. I twisted in the water to watch his retreat and look at Edmund. His gaze swept over me, and I felt his desire and fear. With a last look, he followed his brother out of sight.

Frowning, I reached for the nearby towel.

“Brandle said he wasn’t able to wash everything,” Liam said.

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