Page 16 of Stone Heart
Chapter 6
Rina stepped out of her bathroom and into the private quarters she had been assigned. She glanced around the room and found it to be void of any windows. She had completely lost track of time. She tucked her towel under her arm as she made her way across the lavish bedroom to the bed.
Folded clothes had been laid out on the bed for her. She slowly fingered the soft material of the dress, made of the most precious silk she’d ever seen.
“Wow,” she murmured, taking in the great detail. The undergarments next to dress were just as expensive-looking. “Who would’ve had these delivered to me?”
She knew the answer before the words even escaped her lips.
Rhodack.
Her heart stuttered with just the thought of his hard jaw sprinkled with the dark shadow of a beard. A shiver passed down her spine at the visual of his lips crushing against hers. She was in awe of how he’d been able to draw her pain away.
At first she’d thought the kiss was just to alleviate her pain, but one look in his eyes allowed her to see his pure hunger for her. She squeezed her legs shut at the memory.
“The kiss was to remove my pain,” she affirmed, reaching for the silk undergarments.
Who am I kidding?
She might as well admit the obvious. No use in lying to herself.
She wanted him.
A knock at the door broke through her thoughts. She paused after she’d stepped into the silk black panties.
“Who is it?” she called out.
“Ajuki, ma’am,” a voice said through the door. “I was sent to assist you.”
“Hold on a second,” Rina replied. She scurried and finished dressing. She passed on the shoes for now as she jogged over to the door. She gripped the handle and opened the door slightly, peeking through the crack.
A beauty with flaming red hair cascading down her back, and the greenest eyes Rina had ever seen, gazed back at her. Curiosity filled the woman’s eyes as she studied Rina.
“I’m not quite sure what you can help me with. I can dress myself,” Rina smiled.
The woman returned the smile and waited on the other side of the door.
“I’m sure you can. I was told to come help you with anything and answer any questions about being down here in our clan’s lair.”
“Where are my manners. Please, come in,” Rina said, her curiosity piqued. She opened the door fully and waved her in.
The taller woman brushed past Rina with a small nod. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions,” Ajuki announced.
“I do. Not much has been told to me. For starters, I can’t tell if it’s day or night here.” She moved to the vanity in the corner. She sat at the marble table and pulled her hair out of the bun on top of her head.
“Let me help you,” Ajuki offered. She came to stand behind Rina and grabbed the large brush off the vanity. She brushed Rina’s hair.
Rina stiffened at first. She didn’t want to be rude but she itched to take the brush from the woman’s hand and style own hair. She decided to remain silent and allow the woman to help her.
“Thank you,” she said.
“It’s no problem. Most are thrown off when they first come below Earth’s surface to live. The sun is dangerous to our kind, so we live beneath the ground.”
“That’s sad.” Rina met Ajuki’s eyes in the mirror.
“Why would it be sad? Humans don’t realize another world exists beneath their surface.” Ajuki shook her head. She hit a knot in Rina’s long locks. With a few stiff tugs, she untangled it. “It’s not that we don’t go above ground, we go after the sun goes down.”
“Why? What does the sun do to you?” Rina asked.
