Page 11 of House of Ashes
With another shiver, I dunked my head and began scrubbing my tangled scalp. Rhylan’s voice came through the door: “The gray pack is yours. There are clean clothes in it. Put them on.”
I scowled, curling in on myself in the bath until I heard his footsteps move away.
So he wouldn’t rape me into a mate bond. That was preferable to Kalros by far.
How far my standards had fallen.
I decided then, that even if Yura were behind this, that I would tolerate the insult of Rhylan’s presence for as long as it took for me to return to mainland Akalla.
From there, I would make my way to the House of Jade Leaves alone.
Until then, I would need to play nice with my tormentor. Mother would be proud, I thought bitterly.
When I finished washing, the water was black. I looked down at myself as I rose from the icy water, a little shocked at how pale and emaciated I was. My iridescent scales were like jewels on a corpse…although they were in poor condition themselves, some of them dry and cracking, many of them dull.
I set my jaw, stepping out of the laundry tub.
I had not chosen this. I didn’t have to wear the marks of my imprisonment with shame.
The pack contained a stripped-down version of a rider’s fighting leathers: soft, form-hugging leggings of thin leather, a long-sleeved silk tunic, and a leather vest that laced like a corset down the front. He’d also provided boots, and there was a comb.
I rather hated the clothes, even though they felt like the finest luxury after years of rags. They had Rhylan’s scent all over them.
I began working the tangles from my hair as I emerged from the interior to find Rhylan dressed and standing at the edge of the eyrie once more, his arms crossed, staring out into the night.
He seemed calmer now, his scales no longer fully covering his limbs.
“You need to eat,” he said, breaking the tense silence first. “You’re skin and bones.”
“Your powers of observation are remarkable.” I tried to keep the acid from my words and failed.
Rhylan said nothing, but a muscle twitched in his jaw.
So much for playing nice.
“Why don’t you tell me who you’re running errands for?” I ripped the comb through a particularly recalcitrant snarl, relishing the pain in my scalp. The sharp sting almost overshadowed the hate welling up from the depths of my soul. “Have the Jade Leaves put you up to this? Or…was it my sister?”
He finally broke his stance, glaring at me. Gods, to think I once would’ve melted to receive even a glare like that from him.
“If you give me to Yura, I will kill her first, then I will come for you,” I told him.
Rhylan laughed. It was a bitter sound. “My gods, you’re going to be a nightmare to deal with.”
“What did you expect?” I spread my hands, forgetting the tangles for a moment. “This is Mistward, you fool. What exactly did you think you were going to find here? Pampered, nice-smelling princesses with impeccable manners?”
My insult bounced right off him. “I did not come from the Jade Leaves.”
“Ah.” I braced my hands on my hips. “So Yura did hire you. House coffers running low, hmm? Was she the highest bidder?”
That muscle in his jaw twitched again. I could get used to seeing him pissed off. It made me feel a little better about myself.
“Yura couldn’t hire me for her entire eyrie.” Flames flickered in his irises. His fists were clenched, and he forcibly pointed at me to punctuate his words. “I’m here on my own terms. I came for you, Sera.”
I snorted. “As I said before, utter wyvernshit. Why would you? I know it couldn’t possibly be a change of heart. You’ve had years to retract your testimony, after all. And what do you know? You didn’t.”
“There’s more to the story than you know.” He was struggling to contain his temper, scales erupting over his chest. The gap in his shirt showed an expanse of shimmering ebony dragonhide instead of smooth flesh.
“What I know is that I spent four years courting death by the minute because of you. It’s a little late to feel guilty. Now you think you can…what? Rescue the damsel in distress? Wring forgiveness out of me?” I waved a hand, dismissing such a ludicrous notion. “Never.”