From Slave To Queen (Athena and Michael) novel Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Elara

The fever seems to be giving me a small break–or maybe it has finally decided to leave me for good. Even so, Cassian’s order was clear: no going out until he says otherwise, and truthfully, my latest discoveries, along with my drained energy, have completely killed any desire I had to fight him.

I stare at the mountain of letters on my desk. I haven’t stopped writing whenever I wasn’t feverish or exhausted. I have the faint hope that I’ll be allowed to send them, to reassure my family and receive a few words back from them. Clarissa bursts into my room, much more cheerful now that the fever has stayed away for two consecutive days. She’s holding a leather garment in her hands.

“Up you go, dear, you need to get ready. You’re going out.”

I blink, confused, not quite believing it.

“Out? Where to?” I rise from my seat beside the desk. “To stroll in the gardens?”

She smiles from ear to ear while shaking her head.

“No, dear, you’re going outside. Truly outside.”

My back straightens completely, and I feel a small pull in my stomach. Nerves and excitement. It’s broad daylight, and that already makes me feel this will be a different kind of outing. I hope I get to see something other than a room full of vampires indulging in carnal pleasures.

Clarissa shakes out a pair of black leather pants in front of my eyes, and before I’ve recovered from the initial surprise, she startles me again.

“Put these on.”

“Pants?” I ask, incredulous.

“That’s what the lord ordered.”

I don’t even think about complaining. I’m more than thrilled with this change of attire. I’ve never worn pants–my mother was very traditional in that sense and made little Abigail and me wear dresses and those instruments of torture called corsets. I was already thrilled not to have to wear them here, but now, in the presence of pants, I’m ecstatic. I undress without hesitation, completely shameless. I slide the material up my legs and pull the laces to tie it at my waist.

“I love them. They’re perfect.”

Clarissa nods in agreement. She brushes my hair from my face and ties it in a low ponytail.

“Do you know where we’re going?”

“Not exactly, though most likely into the city.”

I fall silent again while Clarissa finishes with me. I ask about Naida, who apparently is helping pick fabrics for new dresses. When Clarissa tells me she’s done, she barely has time to say goodbye. After being sick or locked up for so long, the idea of going out there–even if it’s with him–excites me too much.

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Chapter 33

I head down to the entrance hall, which is empty. I pace back and forth, impatient, until I see him descending the grand staircase. He maintains a regal demeanor, barely acknowledging me. We haven’t seen each other in days, but our last exchange of words still burns inside me. He walks past me, and my chance to look at him doesn’t last long, as he throws a heavy piece of fabric at my face.

“Put that on.”

I’m about to tell him to go to hell. I hold back and examine what he just threw at me, discovering it’s a cloak. I slide it over my body and tie it around my neck. When I finish, I see him watching me with suspicion. If he’s waiting for a thank you, he’s going to be waiting a long time.

A guard opens the door. I lift my gaze and spot two horses with sleek, shiny coats. I smile.

“We’re riding?” I dare to ask.

“What else would I have two saddled horses at the door for, Elara?” he replies mockingly. “You think I’m in the mood for one of those typical Diluted snacks?”

I stay silent–probably for the best. He walks ahead toward what I assume is his horse. It has a black coat and bright black eyes. I step closer and, holding out my palm under its muzzle, let it bump and sniff me.

“Careful, he bites. Like his master.”

Is that a joke? If it is, it’s completely out of place, and I hope the wary look I shoot him makes it clear I find it anything but funny. Not coming from a vampire who can shatter minds and reduce people to dust.

I approach the other horse, which is the opposite of his–pure white. I do the same, letting it sniff me, and I can’t help but laugh when it tickles my palm with its muzzle. I don’t realize we’ve fallen into a long silence until I raise my face and find him looking at me with those piercing blue eyes. He notices too and breaks the connection immediately.

“Mount up,” he orders.

I step closer, grabbing the saddle as best I can and try to get on. I’m too small for this big, burly horse. My leg barely reaches the stirrup to push myself up. Blushing, partly from the effort and partly from being watched, I manage to climb onto the horse, but then I slip along its side.

I already see myself face–planting into the ground and creating a humiliating scene. But it doesn’t happen. I feel his hands on my waist, holding me firmly and placing me in the saddle. He hands me the reins.

“If you’re always this kind, even the animals will laugh at you.”

He circles his horse and mounts it with precise, graceful movements. I can’t help but watch him longer than I should. I wonder if I should thank him for preventing me from cracking my head open–but then I remember his behavior these past days and tell myself it’s the least he could do after being such abrute. He gives a small nudge to the horse’s flanks, and it takes off. I mimic him, and when the white mare starts to gallop, I cling tightly to its body, afraid of losing my balance.

Both animals seem to know exactly where they’re going. They gallop nonstop, and before I know it, the castle is a distant dot behind us. I stay hunched over for a while until I gather the courage to straighten up and let the wind hit my face. The hood. of the cloak rises, covering part of my face, and from the way Cassian looks at me, I’m almost sure he had something to do with it.

The mare rides up beside Cassian’s horse–almost shoulder to shoulder… or rather head to shoulder, given our height difference.

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