The other two monk-dudes look appalled, and I swear their eyes almost fall out of their skulls. Audun gets this very sexy, very feral grin on his face. A silent promise that he could tear them all apart if he wanted to.
Reule uses his supernatural speed to move behind Amias where he places his hand on the back of the man’s neck. Amias makes a terrified, keening sound and tries to get away on instinct, but Reule holds him in place.
Audun and Reule snarl, and I force myself not to react. I’m certainly not going to act like I’m frightened, and I also don’t want to let on that I have no idea what’s going on. Reule meets my eyes and asks me a question, his pupils dilated so he looks more dangerous and terrifying than I’ve ever seen him.
To help me understand the question, Audun points at Amias and drags his fingers along his neck, miming slitting his throat. Are they asking if I want them to kill Amias for me?
Is it fucked up that I’m extremely flattered they would even consider doing that?
I raise my chin and look down my nose at Amias. Do I think he should be punished for bringing me here? Maybe. Then again, I know he did it on someone else’s orders, and I’m not exactly pissed at the situation I’ve found myself in. I definitely got lucky. I could have been killed by Giovanni when I continued to piss him off, or I could have been bought by one of those disgusting business men and locked in a sex dungeon god-knows-where.
Still, that doesn’t mean it’s okay that I was bought and given as a fucking gift to my guys like a possession. My mates are wonderful, but the other people in charge here suck.
Sighing, I shake my head. Amias can go on living. I don’t really care about the guy or anything that happens to him, if I’m honest. At least now he’ll piss himself in fear every time he sees me, and that could be useful.
Reule lets go of Amias, and he drops to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Without another word to the monk-guys, Audun and Reule each take one of my hands and lead me away.
We don’t go into the castle, which surprises me. They lead me the opposite way through the courtyard until we reach a tall, wrought-iron gate. Nobody approaches us or speaks to us, but the gate opens for us immediately.
Outside the gates of the palace, the streets are busy and packed with people. It’s totally different from the village we were in yesterday, even though the streets are cobbled and some of the buildings look similar. There’s an all-around different vibe, and most people don’t even give us a second glance as we pass. The little bit of snow on the ground is all gray and slushy after being stepped on so much. That’s what happens when it snows in New York too. I have to say, I already miss the idyllic cabin and the sweet, fairytale village down the mountain from where the guys live.
I’m glad we’re only here for the day. I loved New York, but it’s really all I ever knew. Where the guys live, isolated up in that cozy cabin in the mountains? It resonates with me in a way my hometown never did.
We stop outside of a building that’s smaller and simpler than the others we’ve passed. It doesn’t really look like someone’s house, but there aren’t any signs indicating it’s a store either. While the building is unassuming, the door is large and intricate with a large, brass knocker in the shape of a leopard. Except it has horns too, so I guess it’s the type of animal my mates shift into.
A man answers the door with an almost-annoyed expression. He looks like he’s in his mid-twenties with short, white-blond hair, dark eyebrows, pretty grey eyes, and thick eyelashes. He’s nearly as tall as Reule, and very thin. He looks exactly like the sort of guy Al would be interested in, and I feel a pang of loss and guilt at the reminder of my best friend.
The guy’s expression doesn’t change when Reule and Audun speak. I wonder if he recognizes them or not. His gaze flits over to me in irritation, and he shrugs his shoulders and sighs as he opens the door wide enough to let us in.