CHAPTER 24 — SHAKEN
Leona walked quickly through the long obsidian corridors, her bare feet silent against the cold floors. The castle felt different now—heavier, darker, as if the walls themselves remembered what had just happened between her and the King.
Her hands wouldn't stop trembling. Every time she blinked, she felt again the soft weight of his hair sliding between her fingers, the command in his voice, the heat of his skin beneath her touch. She had never felt so trapped… or so seen.
By the time she reached the servants' quarters, dawn was beginning to smear pale grey across the windows. The maids were already moving around the room, whispering to each other as they folded sheets and prepared their cleaning supplies.
When Leona entered, the whispers died.
Not stopped—died.As if the air itself had been cut.
A few maids looked at her with wide eyes, then quickly dropped their gazes to the floor. No one asked a question. No one dared.
Leona slowly sat on the edge of her small straw mattress. Her knees felt weak. Her palms were cold. She tried to breathe, to settle the storm in her chest, but the scent of his soap lingered on her skin, making her shiver all over again.
She buried her face in her hands.
What have I gotten myself into?
As she sat there, a young maid named Rissa cautiously approached. Leona didn't look up until she heard the girl's voice.
"You're… late," Rissa whispered. "Did the King keep you?"
Leona swallowed. "Yes."
The girl flinched, stepping back as if the word itself was dangerous.
"What did he make you do?" another maid murmured from across the room, too afraid to come closer.
Leona hesitated… then whispered, "I-I had to bathe him."
The room froze.
Someone's breath hitched. Someone else crossed themselves with shaking fingers. Another maid whispered something in a language Leona didn't know, but it sounded like a prayer—or a warning.
Rissa's face went pale. "The King never asks servants to do that… unless—"
"Unless what?" Leona asked sharply.
Rissa's lips trembled. "Unless he notices them."
Leona's heart lurched painfully.
"No," she whispered. "No, no, he doesn't notice me. I'm just a maid—just a prisoner—just—"
But the words caught in her throat.
Because deep inside, she knew it wasn't true.
The way he watched her.Quiet.Cold.Intense.As if her fear, her scent, her heartbeat—all of it—was something he could taste.
Leona wrapped her arms around herself, shaking.
"I want to go home," she whispered.
The other maids looked away. No one said it out loud, but she saw the truth in their eyes:
No one leaves the Vampire King's castle.
Leona blinked hard, fighting back the tears burning her vision. She couldn't break down here. She wouldn't give them more reasons to whisper about her.
But the memory of his voice—low and commanding—echoed behind her ribs.
"Come back. I am not finished with you."
Leona pressed her fist to her chest.
She didn't know if she feared him…
…or feared that part of her was beginning to feel something far more dangerous.