Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 89379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
“Where are you taking me?” I asked warily as he pushed open the barred door and led me down an empty stone corridor. It was dimly lit, and I suspected the guards didn’t use the area very often.
“Somewhere you desperately need to go,” he answered, then pushed open the door to what appeared to be a cell, just much more luxurious than the ones we occupied.
“What is this place?” I asked as I looked around. There was a double bed with a plush mattress, an antique metal frame, bookshelves, and a wardrobe. In the far corner was an open-plan bathroom with a shower and a shelf stacked with towels.
“I already told you,” he answered bluntly when I finished taking the place in. “Somewhere you desperately need to go.”
“You brought me here to shower?” A part of me felt grateful, but another part was wary. Why was he being nice? It didn’t make sense. He should hate me. In fact, as far as I was concerned, he did hate me, and whatever he was doing right now was a finely honed act, just like the act he put on when he was pretending to be Nic.
Vasilios nodded, a frown marring his features. “I can’t tolerate seeing you so bedraggled.” There was something intense in his eyes that made my chest feel funny.
“Wow, I must smell really bad,” I joked, trying to break the strange moment. “How did you find this place?”
“Like I told you, my magic comes and goes. I discovered this cell during one of my explorations while my magic was strong enough to unlock doors.”
I recalled what Sergeant Davis had said about the small, odd goings on at the prison, like doors being left unlocked that had previously always been locked. “I think this might’ve been where the prison guards slept on their breaks during night shifts, but it appears they haven’t used it for a while. I heard there’s a renovated wing in the observation tower where they sleep nowadays.”
“That would explain the outdated furniture,” I said, running my finger over the layer of dust on the dark wooden wardrobe.
“Sven and I have been using this place to shower when we can. It beats bowing down to the elves all the time.”
“Well, thank you for the offer, but I can’t shower here.”
“Why not?”
“For a start, it’s open plan. I’m obviously not getting naked in front of you.”
He shot me a narrow-eyed look. “Obviously, I’ll turn around. And there’s a curtain for the shower. See?” He pulled the blue curtain across the railing.
I chewed my lip, wanting nothing more than to dive in and wash away the dirt and grime, but it was a favour, and favours often needed to be repaid. I promised myself I wouldn’t become indebted to Vasilios, but I couldn’t resist glancing longingly at the shower.
“I know what you’re doing,” I said.
One eyebrow arched. “Oh?”
“You’re trying to make me indebted to you.”
He folded his arms and went to sit down on the bed. “Why would I want to do that?”
“I’m sure there’s a reason you’re being kind to me. I just haven’t decided what it is yet.”
He unfolded his arms and leaned back, eyeing me in a strangely tender way that made me feel uncomfortably exposed. “How on earth did you end up here, Darya?” he whispered. “Surely, there was a way of avoiding such a fate.”
I sniffed and looked away, giving no response. How he spoke gave me a strange feeling in my chest. How was he so good at pretending he cared? It almost made me forget why I was there, how he framed me. Finally, I gave a sullen, “There wasn’t,” and folded my arms.
“It never would’ve happened if I were free,” he declared.
I scoffed at that. “Are you my guardian angel?”
“No. I’m your guardian demon, and if you’d taken the time to understand me, then maybe you wouldn’t have acted so hastily that night.”
He was talking about the night of his arrest, when I’d tricked him with a kiss, distracting him long enough to be magically bound, allowing the Guard to move in and capture him. I levelled him with a serious look. “Tell me what I should’ve understood.”
“That sometimes there is no good and bad. Sometimes there’s only bad and worse.”
“Are you saying you’re the lesser evil? As opposed to what?”
“As opposed to the people who do bad things for no reason at all. Many of them are housed in this very prison. When I do a bad thing, it’s for a good reason.”
A small shiver ran through me. “I don’t believe you.”
There was a glimmer in his eyes. “Yes, you do. You’re just not ready to admit it.”
The shiver increased. I needed to change the subject. “Tell me about Sarasin’s Midnight. What exactly is it?”
Vasilios tutted. “Curiosity killed the elephant.”