Curse of the Shadow Walker

Chapter 10. Madison

Madison

I had no idea how many days I’d been stuck in the room. It had been long enough to have the start of a routine, though. Not that there was very much for me to do! I’d wake up, curl up in the chair that I had dragged to the window, and stare outside, waiting for the sun to make it far enough up in the sky to warm my face for a few hours. The bars covering the window stung my skin if I touched them, but they were wide enough that I could stretch my arms out and feel the cool breeze and warmth from the sun. When the sun continued its journey to the other side of the house, I'd unfold myself from the chair and run a hot bath in the surprisingly luxurious ensuite. Relaxing until the water turned cold, and then I'd collapse in the bed, ready to start the whole ordeal over again the next day.

The window looked out over a sparse copse of low-growing trees and thin underbrush. I tried to remember the lessons from my childhood about identifying the types of trees that grew in different climates. Perhaps if I could identify the trees, it would give me a clue as to where I was. The combination of the silver and iron around my neck and the daily wolfsbane teas, however, made it almost impossible for me to concentrate and keep a thought in my head for more than a few heartbeats. I watched the birds flitting through the branches, and the occasional squirrel scamper among the leaves, no closer to guessing my location than I had been the day before.

I gave a soft sigh as I heard the lock turn in the door to the rest of the house. Every day was the same. A guard came in and slid a bowl of what I assumed was supposed to be porridge across the floor. It could have been the same bowl of the same porridge every day, as far as I could tell. The mixture was rock hard and smelled horrid. I refused to touch it.

A few minutes after the guard brought the putrefying bowl of gruel, a woman would appear with my cup of tea. Unlike the guard that changed each day, it was the same woman who brought me the tea every morning. She was an older human, though I couldn’t begin to guess at her age. She moved with a spryness that made me think of a woman closer to my age. Her long hair, however, was a deep silver that she wore in a plait down her back. There were a few tiny wrinkles that crinkled around her eyes and the corners of her lips when she smiled at me. She never said much, but for some reason I relaxed whenever she was near. The tea she brought with her was equally a relief. It burned going down my throat, but it eased the dizzying pain from the metal collar around my neck. Sometimes I wanted to ask her to stay with me and tell me about the things she’d seen in her life, but the idea that she would refuse was too painful to contemplate. I suspected she was connected to Cal in some way, and that, too, filled me with a sense of jealousy I couldn’t quite let go of.

I hadn’t seen or spoken to Cal since my dreadful meeting with the queen, however long ago that was. I told myself that I didn’t care. It wasn’t as though either of us tried to pretend to like each other, let alone to allow the mate bond to take over.

Though my mind was fuzzy, there was one memory that I couldn’t escape from. Cal had threatened to sit on me to force me to drink the first cup of wolfsbane tea. I’d clamped my mouth shut and glared at him, a silent challenge that had backfired impressively. He had started to follow through, moving on top of me and pinning me to the bed. It was almost too much to handle! I could feel his muscles bunch, his powerful thighs holding me in place easily, and the lust that darkened his eyes as he gazed down on me. It was only a moment, but it was a moment that lived on in my dreams. Sometimes, I woke up covered in a sheen of sweat, the dream of having Cal on top of me, naked and wonderful, still fresh in my mind’s eye.

The lock turned in the door again, and I felt the corners of my lips lift in a small smile. The woman that brought my tea every morning was a bright flash of light in my otherwise dull days, and I’d come to look forward to seeing her. Even if it was only long enough for her to set my cup down with a smile and a small nod before leaving again. I turned as the door opened and couldn’t disguise my shock when my eyes met the silvery gaze of Cal as he scowled down at me.

“You’re not eating,” he accused, his voice nearly a growl.

I glanced pointedly down at the bowl by his feet before lifting my eyes back to his. “No,” I agreed, “I’m not.”

He looked down at the bowl, wrinkling his nose in distaste, and strode across the room to set the cup of hot tea in front of me. “Fine, so breakfast isn’t to your liking,” he snarled. “But you can’t refuse the other meals!”

“What other meals?” I asked, hating the weak sound of my voice. My imprisonment was taking its toll, however, and I was finding it difficult to even raise the cup of tea to my lips.

“Is that all you’re being given?” It was clear from the shock in his tone that he’d had no hint of the conditions I was being kept in.

I nodded, sipping the burning liquid slowly. He narrowed his eyes at me, but I ignored him and turned my attention back towards the birds playing in the trees outside. I longed to be out there. If I could feel the dirt beneath my feet and the sun on my face, it would make me feel more like myself. Instead, I was trapped inside with Cal fuming beside me. It was difficult to pretend that I wasn’t hyper aware of his presence.

“Fine,” he muttered at last, turning on his heel and storming out of the room.

I stared after him as the door hung open like a gaping maw. A guard soon appeared, glaring at me like I was to blame for Cal’s rage, but he closed the door without a word. I shook my head, deciding it would take too much effort to try to understand the actions of an unhinged vampire, and turned to watch the trees and sip my tea in quiet solitude. Just another day in paradise.