Shadow Phantoms - H.P. Mallory Page 0,64
my finger on why, but I have the impression this stranger’s hands could handle a woman’s body deftly. I find myself fixated on those hands, wondering if they’re as rough as the rest of him appears, or if they’re uncalloused from living a soft life of leisure.
I disregard the last thought as idiotic—to look at this man, one would immediately realize he’s never lived a day of leisure in his life.
Darius regards him with a scowl and the sullen air of a child who’s had his favorite toy stolen. The man only smiles back benignly, but even that touch of humor brightens his entire face, making him more lovely, more compelling.
“This man has just offered to pay for a night with you, Snow,” Darius informs me, turning his glower in my direction, as though it’s somehow my fault.
My eyes bug. Surely this is a joke? Because there’s no way this man, with his simple spun clothing and his unassuming demeanor, can afford the price Darius asks for such a thing. Even the exotic and incredibly wealthy Prince Achmed could only afford to monopolize one of my nights with private dances, wine, and conversation. An heir to the throne of an entire nation still couldn’t pay the sum Darius asks for me. An exorbitant sum because Darius knows no man will ever pay it. It’s his failsafe, his assurance that he’ll continue to be the only man who has even known the inside of Snow White.
Yet this man says he can pay that sum and will. Who in blazes is he?
“I’ll send in wine and food,” Darius continues in a sullen monotone. “When you’re finished supping, ring if you need me.”
With that, he turns, seizes the doorknob in a fist already shaking with rage, and exits, slamming the door behind him. I will pay for this later. And I’m afraid I’ll pay for it in ways I never have before.
Why did Darius ever agree to this when it’s clear he doesn’t want to? Clearly, there is a price for everything…
I turn my attention back to the stranger. He actually smiles at me, and it’s like watching day break against the sky. His smile makes me absurdly hopeful. For what? I’m unsure.
“What an unpleasant little man,” he murmurs, almost to himself. When he turns those piercing tawny eyes on me, the air batters around in my lungs again as my mind scrambles to remember just how to breathe. The man tilts his head curiously at me, observing me with no more than casual interest.
“Yes,” I say, unsure of what more I should say. If anything.
“Why do you stay with him?”
It’s my turn to lift a curious brow. It seems as though the stranger genuinely doesn’t understand. He waits in silence for me to respond, as if this question is an important one to him. Can’t he see just how helpless Darius has rendered me? Can’t he see that I rely on Darius for everything? For my very life?
But that’s going to change soon, or so I’ve promised myself. One of these days, when I save enough coins, I’m going to leave this wretched place. I’m going to steal away into the dark and I’m never going to look back. Without a drug to sustain me, I’ll have a wretched few weeks while I go through withdrawals. And, presuming I survive those withdrawals, I won’t have any other option but to flee Ascor. Too many people know my face here. Too many people know to whom I belong. All it would take is one lech to come after me and any gainful employment I’m able to accept would be stripped away. Staying with Darius isn’t a good option, but it’s the only one I have… at present.
I allow the stranger a shaky smile in lieu of a response. Scooping out a small portion of my precious winnings, I offer him a bump. “Would you like some?” I hope he’ll say no.
The man stares at the powder with a vaguely disgusted expression. That would be a ‘no’, then. Unthinking hurt flashes through me, though it’s completely ludicrous for me to care what this stranger thinks of me. He’s paid for one night, after all. I’m now his whore and in the morning, he’ll be gone and I’ll never see him again. I should probably just be grateful he’s even bothering to try to make conversation.
We stand in strained silence for a few minutes until Darius returns. I discreetly take the bump of coke, not