Chapter 33
Xaden swallowed, swallowed, annoyed.
He didn’t like remembering that he had been forced to bond with Bale’s daughter.
His enemy’s daughter.
He hated her so much, yet he was stuck with her.
From the moment he embarked on his quest for revenge, he had sworn never to be bonded with anyone or even have a mate.
Look at his parents.
It was love that led them to their deaths deaths.
He would never fall in love, have children, or have a mate.
He had traded it for power from a witch long ago.
Only Erik knew.
He didn’t need it anyway.
Was it fucking? He could get it? Was it money? He had it.
He had it all.
His sole and primary desire was to exact vengeance.
He could never love.
He had seen to that when he had ripped out his heart from the body.
He could never have children when the witch had completed her sorcery.
No one, absolutely no one, knew this except for Erik, and it would remain that way for life.
“I’ll keep her here.” He said. “Until it’s the new moon.”
He hated her so much! With his entire veins!
“Xaden,” Erik said. “There is something I’ve been meaning to say.”
Xaden raised a brow. “Yes?”
Erik folded his arms.
“She is nothing like we expected,” Erik said. “She doesn’t complain. She doesn’t fight. She doesn’t do any of that. She cooked for us Xaden! She cooked for us! From the day that I’ve seen her, she hasn’t acted like a spoilt princess.”
Xaden had noticed it, but he had been trying his best to think about it.
He had heard about Bale’s daughter.
The story was that she was spoilt, unruly, and selfish. Once he came up with the accord, he racked his head for a way to make them suffer, and she was the best option.
He would bring her down to her knees and wipe that smile off her face.
But she was nothing like he had expected her to be.
Absolutely nothing!
She hadn’t fought with him; she hadn’t even rained curses.
She had apologized, remained calm, and was quiet, and it had driven him crazy when he saw that she had prepared a meal for him and his men.
How the hell had she even learned how to cook?!
It hadn’t made any sense to him at all.
“Whatever it is,” Xaden said stubbornly. “She is his daughter. She is just playing tricks on us. She is trying to act like she is so good and innocent. Her parents must have prepared for something like this.”
That was the only reasonable explanation, and he hated thinking about it.
It only confused him more.
“I hope you’re right,” Erik said. “So where will she stay? In the dungeon?”
Xaden looked at him with shock.
“Erik, don’t tell me that you’ve become soft because she cooked a meal.” He asked in shock. “You’re bigger than this.”
“It’s not that,” Erik said.
“Then it’s what?” Xaden demanded, annoyed. “You’ve all of a sudden taken pity on her because she has been sweet and quiet. Have you forgotten what her father did to you?!”
Where the hell was this coming from?
Why had Erik all of a sudden become soft?!
He frowned, remembering the day Erik had stopped him from forcing himself on her after she cooked.
He should have gone ahead and done it regardless.
“Of course I haven’t!” Erik said. “Every day I see Jade, she reminds me that I lost my mate and her mother, along with her brother, in the most gruesome way. I want justice for her! More than you can think. But she has done nothing but be obedient.”
“So you’re telling me to let her go?!” Xaden asked, bewildered.
His fists were clenched.
“Of course not. I’m just saying that we should keep an eye on her. The Dungeon is a bit too extreme for her.” Erik stated further. “Have you seen her? She looks like she might break. What happens if she dies?! What was the point of bringing her all along?”
Xaden was quiet.
“I’m just saying that you should be careful with her,” Erik said. “And if you let Aurora handle her, she will murder her.”
“I told her not to,” Xaden said. “Just give her hell.”
“My goddess! And you think that would stop Aurora? You must not know her.” Erik said. “Have you forgotten Aurora mistakenly pushed Dinah from this very balcony? And wasn’t it convenient that you were taking Dinah to bed a good number of times rather than regularly, and Aurora had just confronted you?”
Xaden could remember the incident.
Aurora had claimed the death was an accident, and there hadn’t been much to go around with, so Xaden had let it slide.
“So what do you recommend?” Xaden asked, annoyed that Erik was right.
Aurora was unpredictable and did have some loose strings sometimes.
“Keep her to sleep with the servants.” He said. “No one would dare touch her. They will hate her, yes, but at least we won’t hear that she was all of a sudden poisoned. No one would risk incurring your wrath.”
Xaden hadn’t given it much thought.
He had plans for the girl.
He hated her, and he intended to bed her and also make her work hard as an enslaved person, but he hadn’t considered what Aurora might do.
He was the Alpha, but there were too many instances where things had just “happened.”
And Xaden had been unable to do anything because there had been no ties to her.
No direct link that she had anything to do with it.
This could be an incident that occurred
Xaden turned to Erik. “You can see to it or order her to be moved to one of the servant’s rooms.”
He started to leave, stopped, and gave a wry smile.
“Ensure that there are chains on her feet,” Xaden said. “Under no account is she to take them off.”