To Defend A Bride (Entangled with the Enduar #3)

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

MELISA

T he sound of scratching wakes me up, followed by a whine.

When I open my eyes, the weak early morning light paints the walls around me blue. I recognize the brown wood filled with knotty bulges and streaks of gray—winter elm.

Back in Zlosa.

Another high-pitched cry draws me to my feet despite my sore limbs. When I pad to the door and pull it open, a medium-sized gray wolf stands on my front step.

“Coco,” I say, exhaling. “How did you know I was here?”

She lets out a frustrated huff and pushes past me into the room. Closing the door, I stumble back over to the bed just as she jumps onto the mattress.

Once I flop back down, she curls up beside me, resting her head on my legs.

“You should be taking care of Thea and Wren,” I say sternly. She looks at me with those large, pleading eyes, and I sigh. “Yes, yes. I’m sorry. I missed you, too.”

She snuggles into me, sniffing.

“I have been to so many marvelous places, mi amor, ”? 1 I say, stroking the fur around her ears. “I’m sure I smell strange.” She makes a grumbling noise, as if trying to talk. “How are the little ones?”

As I rub the poor creature’s neck muscles, I feel the tension that likely has been building since I left.

A pang of guilt pricks my chest, and I let her lie atop me as her eyelids droop.

“How much have you been sleeping lately?” I whisper, stroking behind her ears.

Hibsej would be furious if she found her in my room—animal should piss and shit outside—but I hardly have the strength to push my wolf away. Eneko doesn’t do morning visits, so we’ll have at least a few more hours of peace.

I’ll move her as soon as I can stand again.

Soft, deep breaths come from her mouth, and I look out the window. The sun is barely peeking over the trees, and my room is cold.

A weight sinks down on me. I hate being back in this room. It was added after the cabin was built for a newlywed couple looking forward to a lifetime of love.

Well, as much love as giants can conceive of.

Hibsej and Eneko had been married over a decade when she got pregnant with her oldest son, Relmos. Eneko more or less tended to his wife during the pregnancy, and a son was born. Strong. Healthy. Sadly, his mother had been left to suffer on bed rest.

It took less than a week after her birth for Eneko to call in a whole troop of slaves and start building this small, drafty living space—or so she'd told me the first few days I'd come here.

She told me that she begged Eneko not to petition the Second Prince for a comfort woman, and he obliged for a time.

Then she gave birth to Urdort.

I arrived on the day of his birth, a little over three years ago. A handpicked present: a woman to fuck under the consent of the prince. Hated by humans and giants alike.

Despite this room’s sad story, it offered more protection from the elements than traditional slave dens, and the walls connecting to the house were thick enough not to have to listen to their every movement. I was slow to complain the first year.

But this life wore down on me, like grains of sand rubbed over rust.

When I’m not called to the main house to whore, I do Hibsej’s bidding. I have been paraded around in front of slaves, humiliated, and have endlessly washed every scrap of fabric in that house, from the bedding to the undergarments. I did it all while concealing the anger growing in my heart.

It's strange how physical proximity to a location can mold your whole personality. When Estela told me about the caves, not only did I see a better life for my family, I saw an escape from what I was.

It worked—for a few days. But now I am fully entrenched in the same place that turned me into a smiling viper.

Coco’s head is heavy against my legs, but I feel more awake.

I take a deep breath and push up to a sitting position. The place where the knife sliced open my flesh stings in pain. Much worse than when I first woke.

My hand flies to the hot, puffy skin. It’s likely irritated from walking. I wince, take a deep breath, and look up at the ceiling.

Coco awakens as I bunch the fabric of my dress. She watches as I pull it up until my stomach and wound are exposed.

I bite my lip and feel around the packed leaves that Ra’Sa left. I can almost hear his voice telling me to leave it be—can almost feel his fingers against my skin.

For only a minute, I allow myself to luxuriate in the memory of him carrying me across the yards. I think of how quickly he moved and how careful he was not to jostle me. Like I am precious to him, even after our fight.

I squeeze my eyes shut. This has turned into such a mess.

You draw me in, then push me away.

Something hot and indignant sparks in my chest. What the hell does he know about attraction and want?

I hope he finds a mate while here, one ready to give him the family he so desperately wants, and I can forget ever wanting him in the first place.

Coco whines again as I take another deep breath and peel away the herbs. I suck in a sharp hiss, and she tries to lick me.

“Coco, no. Bad .”

She looks up at me with large eyes, and I sigh.

“Licking makes it worse.”

She leans back. Shoving her off proves fruitless, so I settle for her watching as I prod at the wound. It hurts. Definitely irritated, but it doesn't look infected.

Good .

A gritty film covers my skin, and when I shift my legs, I feel a deep soreness. Damn. Cleaning days of sweat and dirt will likely help stave off some of her fury.

Eneko will be gone at the yards until the early evening, and I have somewhere to visit.

Yanking my dress back down, I find the knife from Ra’Sa and the gem from Estela; I’d been given few precious gifts in my life. I move out of bed. Coco follows.

My wound aches as I lift the mattress and put them in the back corner. It was a kind thing to teach me how to use the weapon, but I’ll have little use for it now.

When I stand, I almost fall back onto the bed. Coco casts me an incredulous look, so I grit my teeth and gesture to the door.

“Go. Watch over the twins,” I say.

She looks up at me with sad eyes, but follows when I cross the room and open the door.

After she leaves, I move to the window to see if anyone is around. I'm pleased to see the backyard empty as my wolf leaves.

Thick trees surround this cabin to give the foreman’s family privacy, and the entire backyard is still dusted with a thick layer of snow. Sadly, I must admit the evergreens look pretty next to the stark white. Rows of wooden dowels are organized between several trees. I use them to hang the family’s washing.

My eyes land on the well I'll use to draw water for a bath, and I take a deep breath. After a few minutes, and no sign of Hibsej or her two terrible sons, I draw up all my resolve and pull a cloak out of my wardrobe.

There are different kinds of comfort women. Some spend their days working as a slave, only to go to their masters when called.

But foremen are typically given comfort women like me—we live in the homes of the masters we serve and help the household during the day. Despite this, my wardrobe is much nicer than the other women in my position. Eneko is favored by the new king, and I’m always carted out to parties. The foreman takes great pride in having both a sturdy wife who gave him two strong sons and a pretty human to warm his bed.

I select my red cloak and slip it over my soiled clothing.

There are two weighted buckets next to the simple metal tub in the corner of my room. Once dressed, I grab them and pull open the door. Limping, I slip into the chilled morning air.

The sun is still just barely sliding past the horizon line, and I sigh, wishing I had rested more. But I’ve always been unable to sleep for more than a few hours despite my soreness weighing me down.

Stepping out of the cabin feels surreal. It’s all the same—the crunch of my boots against the snow, the red clothing, the smoke coming from the front house where Hibsej is no doubt burning bread just for me—but I am different. I have a purpose.

Soon, this will all be worth it.

I can feel the end of this horrible life like a song playing in the wind.

It reminds me of the faint melodies in the Enduar caves. Thea loves music. I can imagine her refusing to sleep, sitting in front of a crystal and soaking up every note it offers. Wren will become cross, insisting that it’s time to play. Perhaps they’ll be able to make friends with the other children, and she’ll be placated for once.

A small smile crosses my face. Then I look down and see several lines of scattered sticks and stones.

I pause, my brows furrowing as I read the message.

Please, rest. I will be near. No one will hurt you.

A tender emotion pricks my heart, only to be replaced with irritation. I kick the message around and scatter the pebbles.

We were only supposed to leave messages for each other if there was an emergency or a need to meet. He shouldn’t be risking our cover to play the hero.

I let out a ‘bah’ as I walk over to the well.

No one will hurt me?

Foolish man.

My leg and back muscles scream as I bend over to attach the bucket to the hook at the rope's end. As I lower it—slowly so that it doesn’t make any loud noises and call Hibsej from her home—I look up.

From this spot, there is a small gap in the trees. Eneko’s house is on a hill, and down below, in the valley, I can see the slave pens. Griselda’s home is there. It is unharmed. I knew that it would be; the burnings didn’t touch this area of land. They could start tomorrow, though.

I let out a sigh.

Let's hope not.

While the tension on the rope grows taut, I spare one last glance at the elm that grows near Griselda’s den. The tree has been there since I was young. Strangely it hasn’t been cut down as most of the trees in the pens have been.

I need to visit. The girls’ birthday is next week, and I want to visit them before then. Maybe I can even glean a few things to send back to Estela.

While I pull one bucket up and attach the other, I think of everything we saw on the way here. The stacks of bodies, the charred dens burned en masse. The thoughts spark inside me, and I welcome the anger like an old friend.

Once I have both buckets filled to the brim, a bit of nausea gathers in my belly at the thought of Thea and Wren, but I banish it with a deep breath.

It's been a while since I've seen the girls. Surely, they’ll be happy to see me.

Who doesn’t enjoy a visit from their mother?