Page 17 of Lady of Ashes

Sorin bowed his head. It was a small movement, barely noticeable, but she saw it for what it was. A thank you for letting them take Azrael and a promise to bring him home.

If he broke that promise, there would be no more chances. They would no longer just be rulers who often disagreed. He would become her enemy, and she’d enjoy plotting his downfall along with all those he loved.

Just like she would enjoy taking down the Avonleyans when they retrieved those fucking keys.

CHAPTER 7

SCARLETT

There was warm water being brushed down her arms, along her neck, her face. Her head pounded as she tried to blink her eyes open. It took a few tries, but Scarlett ?nally managed to pry them open and blinked against the light. It wasn’t overly bright in the dungeon study, but her head hurt so much that the light from the braziers was enough to cause her to grimace.

Before her was a woman who had to be in her late forties. She wore a cream-colored dress, and her light brown hair was tied back in a knot at the nape of her neck, while she continued to gently clean Scarlett’s skin. Scarlett tried to jerk back, but her arms were still shackled above her head to the wall so all she could do was pull her knees to her chest, the chains scraping along the ?oor. The woman paused and pulled her hands back, glancing over her shoulder.

“Relax, Wraith,” came the Assassin Lord’s voice. He was seated at his desk and didn’t bother to look up as he spoke to her. “This is Inez. She is simply helping you clean up.”

“One could let me have a bath,” Scarlett retorted hoarsely. “That would surely be a better alternative.”

Alaric chuckled softly from beneath his hood. “It likely would be, but we have not discussed what such a privilege would require yet.”

Privilege. Everything always had to be earned with the Assassin Lord.

What would be required of her to take a godsdamn bath?

Scarlett leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes while Inez ?nished her sponge bath. The woman also ?ngercombed her hair for her before braiding it into a loose plait over one of her shoulders. As she was ?nishing, there was a knock on the door and another servant pushed a cart into the room. The cart contained covered dishes.

Food.

She hadn’t eaten since she’d arrived here. Alaric had only given her water. She pulled her knees back to her chest to sti?e the ache in her stomach. What would be required of her to get food?

“Thank you, Inez,” Alaric said in dismissal, as he stood at the arrival of the food. “That will be all.”

Inez bowed slightly before following the other servant out of the room, the door clicking shut behind them.

“Are you hungry, Death’s Maiden?” he asked, rounding his desk. Once the door was securely closed, he pulled his hood back, allowing Scarlett to once again see his face. He pulled one of the silver covers off one of the platters, and the smell wafted over to her. He tilted the plate slightly to show her the contents— toast, eggs, and a ration of bacon. “Well? Are you hungry?”

Scarlett gritted her teeth as he stood waiting for her reply. A trace of a smile ghosted over his lips, his cold black eyes boring into hers. “Yes,” she ?nally answered.

The Assassin Lord slowly made his way to her and crouched before her. Using a fork, he cut off a piece of toast and stabbed italong with some egg and bacon. He brought the bite to her mouth, and Scarlett had to sti?e the moan that crept up her throat at the taste.

Then her heart sank as he set the plate aside and sat, propping one leg up and resting his arm on it. “Let’s discuss what shall berequired to earn the rest of that food and any future meals, shallwe?”

“It doesn’t appear I have much of a choice, does it?” she retorted.

“On the contrary, my dear. You always get a choice. You know this,” he answered.

Scarlett snorted. Oh yes, she was sure there would be a choice. Do what he wanted or choose a punishment for disobedience. The Assassin Lord picked up a piece of bacon and ate it while he studied her. She held his gaze, not moving an inch. “Always so stubborn,” he murmured, wiping bacon grease from his ?ngers on a napkin. Then he reached out to stroke his knuckles down her cheek, but she turned her head, jerking away from him. Alaric sighed as hegripped her chin, turning her back to face him once more. “My dear Scarlett, in your time away you seem to have forgotten whose you are.” His voice had turned icy and cold. A voice she was all too familiar with. “Who do you belong to, Scarlett?”

I am yours, and you are mine.

The words drifted through her mind. What a fool she had been. The idea that she could ever possibly be someone else’s. The idea that she could ever choose to give herself to another so completely. Of course Alaric would always own some part of her.

As if he could sense where her thoughts had gone, a hiss escaped from the Assassin Lord’s lips. “You are nothis.” Scarlett swallowed hard as his grip on her chin tightened. “We will addressthatlater, but ?rst, your choices today.”

He stood once more, leaving the plate of food on the ?oor out of her reach. She tried her hardest, but she glanced at it anyway, and he didn’t miss it. A faint, cruel smile graced his lips. “Hunger can sometimes cause us to see things so clearly, but it is so much worse when your power reserves are empty, isn’t it?” He strode back to the cart and picked up another plate, extending it out, and for the ?rst time, Scarlett realized there was someone else in the room. Tarek took the plate from Alaric with a slight nod of his head and a smirk at Scarlett.

Had he been here this whole time?

Alaric took the ?nal plate to his desk, where he leaned against the front of it, taking a bite of egg and toast while watching her carefully. She was used to all of this. Used to his games. Used to his power plays.

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