Page 26 of The Devil In Blue
There was a soreness on the back of my skull that made me wince as soon as I started combing my fingers through my curls. I hissed and prodded the stinging bump.
“You should let me check your head,” the man said.
But his voice felt distant. Looking down at myself, I noticed I was wearing a new dress. One made with green silk in layers of flowing fabric. The neckline was low enough for me to see the bare spot on my chest where the moth necklace had once been. Such a little thing and I’d grown so attached overnight.
Pathetic.
I brushed the naked skin there and slowly turned to look at my visitor.
“Who are you?”
“My name is Petris, my lady.”
“I’m no lady,” I said softly, stroking my neck with the tips of my fingers.
“All the same, I’ve been assigned to serve you.”
“Why?”
He hesitated, his shrouded eyes wandering. “I suppose the lord of the castle thinks his presence would disturb you.”
He wasn’t wrong. But why would he care?
“He tried to kill me,” I whispered, looking at my gaunt face in the mirror again.
“Pardon me. I don’t think that was his intention.”
“He crushed my necklace.”
I was mostly speaking to myself, but Petris seemed to hear everything and I could feel him inching closer.
“Rune can let his anger get the best of him sometimes.”
I turned to look at him when I heard his name. “Rune? I thought he was Count Mortis.”
“When he needs to be, he is the count. Here, he is Rune. The King of the Glyn.”
“The Devil in Blue,” I muttered.
“To some.” There was a long pause. I was still absently touching my neck, my other arm crossed under my breasts to cradle myself. “Briar is your name, yes?”
“Yes.”
“Well, Briar. I’d like it if you ate something. I saw the dining hall. I doubt you ate much last night.”
Slowly, I turned around and walked to the bed, sitting on the edge of the mattress near the food. I grabbed a piece of toast first and took a bite. The jam smeared over it was divine. Lucien was never fond of sweet things. The jam was almost overly sweet, teetering on the line between too sour and too sugary, but it was doused by the bread.
Taking another bite, I looked up at Petris. He was standing a few steps away now, hands clasped behind his back. He was just watching me and something in my gut told me why. I was no stranger to being monitored. I casually took another bite of toast.
“He asked you to make sure I ate, didn’t he?” I said.
Petris cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Yes.”
“Why? He expressed nothing but hate last night. Why should he care if I starve to death?”
“I don’t want to assume I know what happened, but Rune’s anger is often confused for hate.”
“Are you defending him because you love him or because he forces you to?”
