Thorn Queen Page 0,114

get pregnant soon."

"It's not something I can really control," I said. Well, I could have controlled not getting pregnant if I was still on the pill. I hadn't taken it in...how many days? Three? Four? I wasn't sure how long I'd been here. I knew all the stats, though, about women who'd gotten pregnant from just missing one pill....

He sighed and began unlacing the bodice of my dress. "We'll just have to keep trying then. If we just wait a little while afterward, I can do it twice today."

Oh, how fucking lovely. I wanted to explain that it wouldn't matter how many times he did it, not if I wasn't ovulating. That kind of science was lost on him, I knew, alleged genius or no. As far as most gentry were concerned, sex equaled babies, end of story.

"Once it's done, we can go home. We'll get married, and you won't have to be restrained like this anymore. You can move freely and use your magic."

I decided not to mention that if we did that, the first thing I'd do with my magic was make sure I was a widow.

"Things'll be good then," he said, moving his body over mine. "I promise. I love you so much...."

I didn't need any nightshade to make me feel numb after Leith left. He'd held good to his word to have sex twice, and I was slowly reaching that point where it just didn't matter. I couldn't feel anything. My body wasn't even attached to my consciousness. It was like my mind existed elsewhere, dreaming or, occasionally, plotting my revenge through the drugged haze. I thought of anything I could-anything that wasn't the violation of my body-while he was on top of me. Usually, I imagined it was happening to someone else and not me. That made it easier to bear until after he left, when the ache inside reminded me that it had indeed been me.

Cariena and another girl arrived shortly thereafter to give me my next dose of nightshade. I couldn't recall the other girl's name, though not for lack of caring. It was just the way my brain worked lately. She was extremely pretty, with curly black hair and sky blue eyes that reminded me of Ysabel's.

Abigail occasionally let the girls administer the nightshade, confident enough in her hold over them to do it. And her confidence was well-founded. I'd tried before to talk them out of it, but their fear of her was too great. This time, I merely attempted a delay.

"Wait," I said, as they leaned over. It looked like the black-haired girl was going to hold me down while Cariena poured. "Let me just talk to you for a minute."

Cariena immediately grew nervous. "Your majesty, we can't..." Sometimes I found her use of my title endearing. Other times, I thought it was a joke, considering my present situation.

"Just a minute. That's all."

"Let her," said the other girl.

I flashed her a grateful smile. "What's your name again?"

"Markelle."

It sounded familiar. Markelle. I would remember this time. I wanted to treat her as a person, not an object. "Look, I just want to know about the nightshade. How often do I take it?"

"Every six hours," said Cariena, still clearly worried about this delay.

"That's twice as often as they usually give it," added Markelle. And with those words, I saw the slightest flash of bitterness in her eyes, the first I'd seen in any girl. I wondered then if she was one of the other "difficult" ones that Cariena had described, one who had to be drugged as well and eventually subdued.

"Is there any way...is there any way you guys could, like, dilute it?" There it was, the big question.

Cariena gasped, but Markelle readily answered. "No, your majesty. Abigail makes it herself and makes sure we come straight here. There's no opportunity."

"Where? Where does she make it?"

"In the kitchen. She has the ingredients set aside and makes a fresh batch every day."

"What else is in it? Aside from the nightshade?"

Markelle looked at Cariena expectantly. Cariena gulped, and it took her several seconds to answer. She rattled off a list of herbs, some of which I knew, some of which were unfamiliar. They probably had different names in the Otherworld.

"Do Abigail and Art ever eat here? Like, do they cook? Is their kitchen stocked?"

Markelle nodded. "But we never prepare the food-it's always them." She was quick-minded; she'd probably thought I was going to suggest poison. Not a bad idea, really.

"Are there any ingredients in