Page 24 of Commander's Slave
She wondered if Edek would actually come stomping downstairs to find her, venturing past the servants’ quarters to seek her out. Unless…
A thought struck her, and her grip on the broom tightened.
The house contained many closets. Upstairs and downstairs. There were even some in the basement where the hot springs ran through the house.
A sense of mischief filled her, and for a few seconds she felt like a child preparing to play hide and seek. Except this was no merry game. She was determined to make Edek understand she had boundaries. Sleeping in his bed crossed the line. It made her a temptation, and she refused to live in fear of his impulses. And while he’d shown her kindness last night as he comforted her in the aftermath of her nightmare, that was dangerous too.
He’d proven partially trustworthy when he’d promised to keep her true identity a secret from his people. She still believed he meant to keep that promise. However, he’d made no such promises concerning their master-slave relationship. He’d promised not to hurt her, but his definition of hurt and hers were not the same.
A tingle raced across her bottom at the memory of the embarrassing spanking he’d given her last night. She swallowed hard. She was risking punishment by disobeying him, but she could not allow any closeness between them to continue, even if Draken had some crazy notion about her finding home and love where Edek was involved.
She was a slave, and he was her master. That was it. Masters shouldn’t hold their slaves and dry their tears after a bad dream. Slaves shouldn’t feel safe and warm while tucked against their master’s chest. Furthermore, she was a human and he was a Kall. They were very different, and his people had conquered hers. It was his people who had sentenced her to a lifetime of slavery in the Sumlin District, so very far away from her home.
They stood on opposite sides. They were enemies. Weren’t they?
Except Draken was a Kall too and she didn’t feel as though he were her enemy.
But Edek is a warrior, a commander, and he would’ve killed thousands of humans if he’d been given the chance.It was all very confusing, and her feelings kept getting twisted up.
Sleeping next to Edek wouldn’t help her make peace with her new life, she told herself. Sleeping next to him would only result in a huge complication, and worse if he tried to force himself upon her. She wanted to trust him as much as she trusted his brother, but she still couldn’t be certain he wouldn’t try something.
Brimming with resolve, she entered the house quietly after deciding a closet in an unused wing downstairs but far from the servants’ quarters would be best. She found two blankets and crept through the hallways, sinking back into a dark doorway each time a servant approached.
Blood pounded in her ears and her insides shook. She hoped her intentional disobedience served to prove a point to Edek rather than incite his anger. With her hand on a closet door quite far from the used areas of the large house, she hesitated and looked up and down the hallway, listening for footsteps.
Silence. Gathering her courage, she entered the closet and touched the walls until her hand reached an orb. It flickered to life and she shut the door, wishing it had a lock.
Aside from a few empty planters on a small, built-in shelf, the room was empty. Betsy knelt on the floor and shivered at the chill in the air. As long as she’d been on the planet, the days had been pleasantly warm while the nights usually dipped below freezing.
Unfortunately, it seemed this part of the house wasn’t well heated. Perhaps it wasn’t heated at all. Ribbons of white unfurled from her mouth with each breath. After she slipped her shoes off, her bare feet felt numb from standing on the cold stone floor.
She longed for the warm nightgown Draken had bought her, but she’d left it folded on a chair in Edek’s room. Maybe tomorrow she could sneak upstairs and fetch it.
She frowned and began arranging one of the blankets to create a bed. Her hands trembled and her teeth chattered. Doubt crept into her mind. Perhaps her plan was foolish. Not because she’d anger Edek, but because she might freeze. Surely she would have nightmare after nightmare and not get any real sleep tonight.
I’m not in a snowdrift. Everything is fine. I’m safe and I’ll warm up after a few minutes nestled in the blankets. I’m not in a snowdrift…
She kept repeating these assurances to herself, trying to stop the shakes. She flexed her fingers and curled her toes, trying to stay warm under the blanket, trying to hold the prickling sensations at bay.
She glanced at the single orb lighting the closet and decided to leave it shining. Light provided the illusion of warmth. Sort of.
No amount of warm thoughts and no position underneath the blanket could stop her shaking though. The freezing air pierced through her thin dress. She might as well be sleeping outside for all the warmth she felt in the closet.
Sleep didn’t come easy.
She tossed and turned in her cold, lonely bed, until strong arms lifted her and provided much-needed warmth.
Chapter 12
Foolish little human.
Edek swallowed and tried to contain the anger swelling in his chest. He climbed the steps to his room, three at a time, and held Betsy close.
What had she been thinking?
Didn’t she realize the closet she’d been sleeping in wasn’t heated at all?
Energy wasn’t wasted on unused rooms, but he made a mental note to increase the temperature in the entire house tomorrow. If Betsy pulled another stunt like this, he didn’t want her to freeze. Particularly after he’d learned the cause of her nightmare.
