Series: Willow Winters
Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 60207 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 301(@200wpm)___ 241(@250wpm)___ 201(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60207 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 301(@200wpm)___ 241(@250wpm)___ 201(@300wpm)
She looks up at me with bewildered eyes. “M—” She clears her throat. “Kara?”
“Yes?”
“You’d prefer for us to call you Kara?” she asks as though she doesn’t understand the simple normalcy.
“That’s my name. What’s yours?” I ask.
“Zinnea,” she answers.
“Oh, that’s pretty. Like a flower.” She blushes and smiles sweetly before returning her gaze to the floor.
“Stop looking at the floor please. You can look at me like anyone else. I’m not a Lady.”
“Lord Arrington has informed us that you are his mate, and you are to be treated as such.”
A warmth spreads over me but I don’t trust it. The young woman stares back to me, waiting for my response. “I’m not certain that’s true.”
Her eyes widen. “You don’t wish to be with him?”
I look behind her into the hall before asking, and completely ignoring her question, “Where do you go for privacy?”
“In the den mostly.”
“Could we go there, or anywhere else that’s not this room?” I ask her.
“Yes, I could give you a tour of sorts, if you’d like?”
“Please. Let me change first and then I’d like to get out of this room.” I turn to go to the pile of clothes and breathe deeply. The jewelry is in boxes next to it and that reminds me of the collar on my neck. I fiddle with the clasp in the back, but I can’t get it.
“Zinnea?” I ask as I turn to her, “would you please unhook this for me?”
“Your collar?”
“Yes,” I answer. “I can’t get it.”
“M—” she corrects herself. “I’m afraid that Lord Arrington will be extremely displeased if his collar was removed by anyone other than himself.”
I whip my head around. “Excuse me?”
“It’s his and it being on you is a symbol that you’re his. Taking it off would be akin to taking you away from him.”
I stare at her for a minute, feeling my heart sink. I swallow and reach around to fiddle with the clasp again. The chain falls the moment the clasp is free, and it drops to a puddle in my hand. I leave it on the dresser and make my way to the clothes. It takes me a moment to realize she hasn’t followed. When I turn around, Zinnea is staring at the table I’ve left the collar on with wide eyes and her mouth open in shock.
With a heavy exhale, I decide to keep this night dress on. I don’t want to wear anything else he picked out for me or any of these expensive clothes. I’d rather wear the linen dress Zinnea is wearing.
“Can we go now?” I’m ready to get the hell out of this room and get this fog in my head cleared. I’m hopeful that the farther I can get away from Drago, the clearer I’ll be able to think.
Zinnea swallows and nods, although she seems a shade paler than before. She leads the way down the long hall. With the daylight it’s so much easier to see than it was the night before. The windows are floor to ceiling and line the hall on the right. The left side has large paintings that I wasn’t quite able to make out last night. I shudder remembering what happened after. Thankfully, Zinnea distracts me with a question.
“Are you cold?”
I shake my head no. “I would like to wear something else though.”
“Are we going shopping?” Zinnea’s blue eyes light with happiness, and a large smile forms on her face. I take it she enjoys shopping.
“I don’t have any money at the moment.” She looks me up and down with a frown and opens her mouth but closes it.
“Let’s go to the kitchen and get some sweets.” She leads me down a narrower hall with no windows that’s lit with torches.
“What’s with all the torches?” I have to ask. There’s electric and running water yet these torches are everywhere.
“For tradition. The Lords like to keep certain things as they were when they were young.” She leans in close and whispers, “Before their parents passed.” She pushes the double doors open to a huge kitchen. It’s complete with every possible commercial appliance there is available. It’s all stainless steel and sterile. The light reflecting off the metal is nearly blinding.
I nod in understanding. “It was so long ago though. So much has changed.”
“In many ways yes, but in many ways nothing has changed.” Mrs. Sarah answers from her position at the sink. I stop in my tracks and watch as Zinnea skips over to her.
“How many sweets would you like?” I don’t even realize Zinnea is talking to me until both women look back and stare at me.
“Just one, please.”
Zinnea looks back at me with a look of disbelief and then climbs on a stool to get to an upper cabinet. “One of each it is,” she says cheerfully before climbing down with a handful of brightly colored candies. “Mrs. Sarah, we’ll need a little bowl if you have one.”