The Last Fae Princess

9_Do You Know Who I Am?

Nia POV

That voice … it sounds like Declan? I am dying to look up and see if I am right, but I do not dare. This man does not sound happy about my presence, and I do not want to do anything to antagonise him. I do not want to go back to Dean’s torture.

Okay, I have no idea if my situation has gone from bad to worse, but I can hope, right? Logically, I would be worse off here. I mean, Dean hates me; he would not reward me in any way. If he knew I would be happy – or at least happier – here, he would keep me in the dungeon and torture me until I die. But I cannot smother the tiny voice of hope that things could be better.

“Come,” the man he called Adam says, taking my arm and dragging me with him.

My heart is beating wildly as I follow Adam. I am itching to look at my surroundings, but I keep my eyes on Adam’s heels. Silently, I follow him into a building and down the stairs to the basement as anxiety builds in my gut. Not knowing what is about to happen is the worst feeling in the world.

“This is you,” Adam says, stopping at the door and looking at me. “Spread your arms and legs.”

“What?” I gasp, looking up for the first time, and cling the robe tighter around me. I am only wearing panties and this robe – just another form of humiliation courtesy of Dean.

“Please,” Adam rolls his eyes. “It’s not like that; I must check you for weapons.”

“Oh,” I mutter, and slowly do as I am told.

Adam’s hands glide roughly and meticulously over my arms, legs and stomach, and I close my eyes in embarrassment. Nobody has ever touched me like this.

“Good,” he nods, satisfied, and opens the door. “Wait in there.”

I inhale deeply, bracing myself for whatever is on the other side of the door and step inside. The room is pitch dark except for a single spotlight, and I jump in fright when the door closes behind me. Silence and warmth fold around me like a blanket, and curiously, I look around.

The spotlight in the centre of the room is still on but does not help much. By the type and location of the light, I reckon this room was used for interrogations. I glide my fingers along the wall by the door until I find a switch and press it. I gasp softly when it illuminates the room. There is a king-size bed with nightstands on either side. I notice a cupboard and dresser against the wall and another door.

Of course, I know these are the basics, and there is nothing special about them. No vibrant colours or ornaments to give the room character, but this is more than I had in a year. With my eyes fixated on the bed, I chew on my thumbnail. The bed looks so comfortable and welcoming, but am I allowed to?

“Screw that,” I mutter, walking to the bed, and I sigh contentedly when I snuggle into the pillows. This is heaven. Whatever the punishment is for sleeping on this bed, it will be worth it.

I close my eyes, and for the first time in a year, I drift off to sleep with a smile.

Declan POV

I do my best to concentrate on my report, but my mind keeps f*****g into a different direction. The mysterious gift and Dean. When it comes to Dean and good or selfless deeds, you should question it, because he always has an ulterior motive.

But I have nothing Dean wants or needs, except the future alpha title. Did Dean send an assassin? With me dead, he would be the next alpha.

“Declan,” Adam says as he enters my office. “It’s a girl.”

“What?” I frown, momentarily confused, and then I realise he is talking about my gift. “Oh, that. Are you sure? It looked more like a skeleton.”

“Well,” Adam smirks as he takes a seat across from me. “The t**s I felt were pretty impressive.”

“Don’t let Ellen hear that,” I reply, dryly.

“Yeah,” he sighs. “She would hate that. Anyway, I patted her down. She’s clean.”

“I still can’t figure out what Dean’s up to,” I grunt, leaning back in my chair. “Do you think she’s a spy or assassin?”

“With Dean, that's always a possibility,” Adam shrugs. “But honestly, I don’t think so. That girl is skin and bone, and very unsure of herself.”

“Or she’s one hell of an actress,” I reason.

“Maybe,” Adam replies. “But I got more of an innocent vibe from her.”

“Since when can you read people's aura?” I chuckle.

“It’s a gut feeling,” he rolls his eyes. “Go check it out yourself.”

“Yeah,” I sigh, standing up. “Let’s get this over with.”

“Enjoy,” Adam smiles wickedly.

“f**k off,” I scoff, leaving my office and walking towards the basement.

I have not been with a woman since Elize ruined my face, which fuels my anger. Not only did she scar me for life, but she also won the war. People can no longer look at me with anything other than pity or disgust, let alone women looking at me with desire.

I unlock the basement door, step inside, and look at the sleeping figure. The oversized robe still covers most of her, but I do not miss the scars and bruises on her legs.

I close the door, and she jumps up in fright, looking at me with beautiful, blue eyes. I frown slightly as I step closer. I do not recognise her, but something about her feels … familiar.

“Get up,” I bark, and she immediately obeys, holding the robe tightly around her.

“Drop the hood,” I order, and her fingers tremble slightly as she does it.

She keeps her eyes on the floor, and I am glad about it because I cannot keep my shock to myself when I look at her shaved head. Did Adam make a mistake? How can this be a girl?

I walk closer, and she gasps when I yank the robe open.

“Dear Goddess,” I mutter when my eyes glide over her body. She is a girl, all right– a very malnourished girl. She is so skinny, I can count her ribs. Sympathy and anger mix in my gut, but I swallow it. She could still be a threat. Maybe she did this to herself to fool people into trusting and feeling sorry for her.

“Are you hungry?” I ask brusquely, still appalled by her state.

“No,” she answers quietly, but I do not believe her.

Well, maybe she does not know she is hungry, because her body got accustomed to little to no food.

“How old are you?” I ask, and she involuntarily flinches when I accidentally touch the skin of her neck.

“Eighteen,” she replies softly.

“Why are you here?” I grunt.

“I didn’t have a choice,” she answers. “Dean sent me. I am a Darkwood prisoner.”

“That makes no sense,” I mutter to myself, crossing my arms in front of me, and for the first time, she looks up and directly at me.

My breath hitches in my throat when I look into her clear blue eyes, as if she can look right into my soul. Even underfed and with a shaven head, I can see that she is beautiful.

“I am Nia.” Her voice is soft and melodious, and I am instantly back at the carnival, the image of the blond beauty vivid in my mind. This … this cannot be her.

“I was found guilty of manslaughter,” she continues, oblivious to my shock. “Dean sent me here when I realised I don’t have a wolf. Whether it makes sense to you or not, that’s all I know.”

I swallow hard as I stare at her. Well, for one thing, I believe her. Dean wanted her dead because she killed Leonard. Which only deepens the question – why did he send her?

“Do you know who I am?” I ask brusquely.

“No, sir,” she replies, her eyes bright and honest.

“Good,” I nod, turning around.

“And Omega will bring you something to eat,” I say over my shoulder. “You will stay in this room until I figure this out.”