Inayah slept fitfully throughout the night.
Sleep constantly deserted her, playing games to which she constantly succumbed to— it reached for her along the edges and just as her eyelids grew hooded, she would catch brief flashes of a beast in the woods, and that alone shuddered her awake.
She woke three times during the night, panting and gasping for air, glowing with perspiration that matted the front of her gown to her chest.
Her body throbbed with great intensity, oftentimes she whimpered whilst lying on her back, afraid to flatten against her stomach.
When the agony grew far too worse, she carefully rolled onto her side and gazed at the small rectangular window that gave way to the darkness beyond.
It was quiet outside, deathly so, the sky night that was once lit with stars now blank. An endless abyss.
A soft whimper escapes her and realizing that she was far from sleeping, Inayah gingerly pushed off the small cot. Reaching for a s
Inayah’s heart slams maddeningly hard within the walls of her ribcage. Her mouth turns bone dry and she struggles not to flinch nor move whilst astride Sin’s laps.Salem Raised an eyebrow, drawing her attention from his hair and eyes to the rest of his symmetrically masculine face. His nose held just enough authority without being too big. His chin was square enough to expose every clench of his teeth, and his throat powerful enough to reveal every swallow, rippling with sinew and muscle.Inayah’s eyes followed his neck, following the contours of his flawless skin until it disappeared beneath the dark grey shirt with the collar unbuttoned. A scar sat just above the bow of his collarbone, one that seemed eerily close to—“Shall I repeat myself?” Salemsuddenly questioned slight inflexion in his otherwise arctic mellow voice.Inayah’s eyes flickered to his face then down to her hands which lay uselessly on his lap, e
Inayah woke to sharp nudging against her side, seconds later the blanket was yanked from her form. A gust of cold frigid air shuddered across her and she began to scramble back in a hazy alarm when something hard landed across her left cheek.Her face snaps to the side upon impact. All sleep vaporized at that moment as stinging pain took its place.“Get your indolent ass up, girl.” Mathilde’s venomous voice echoed from somewhere in the room. Inayah blinked in a daze, her ear ringing tunelessly. Her hand rises to touch at the throb on her left cheek, then hesitates halfway when something jerks at her ankle sharply.“Sleeping in like you own the damn place,” the lady mutters furiously to herself. She wears her maid uniform beneath a winter jacket and hat pulled down to her ears. “The fire hearth is dead and dry, which means breakfast for Master Salem will be delayed,” Inayah swears smoke puffed from the woman’s flari
“Done,” Inayah huffed in exhaustion, sitting back on her heels and wiping saline perspiration from her forehead.Her wary gaze scoured the foyer and hallway before her, the wooden floors scrubbed clean of grime and dirt. The wooden bucket beside her sloshed with murky brown contents as she tossed the brush inside.Her whole body feels sore. The skin of her knees scraped, bruised and bleeding. Her arms numb from the strain of moving back and forth viciously struggling to clean the grime.She blows away a strand of hair that falls over her eyes, momentarily obscuring her vision, then flexes her fingers, cracking each stiff knuckle.Her legs ache with the need to rest, to find somewhere warm and cosy, curl up beneath a blanket and let her heavy eyes slip shut.However, something terrible was keeping her from succumbing to sleep. Her stomach snarled then and from it came the not-so-subtle undertone of pain.Inayah glanced up at the o
Inayah moved about the kitchen in a state of mild shock and hyper-awareness.Kade.Sin’s brother.Salem had a brother.She did not think it possible for such a man to have siblings, then again she barely knew him. Having only served for three days in his household. Yet Inayah could not help her state of numbing shock.In the dining room, Kade’s laughter rings out deeply. There is a certain mirthful melody to his voice, much as there is to those mischievous pine green eyes that danced with secrets only he knew. Secrets she found herself wanting in on as well.Something sharp nudged her ribcage, Mathilde’s scowling face dropping into view as she stared at the girl in impatient displeasure. “Hurry up, girl. They wait.”Obediently, Inayah reached for the tray of golden baked turkey with stuffings. The sight of it was mouthwatering and her stomach whined as the warm, decadent smell wafted through her nostrils.
Salem stood by the doorway, unsettlingly calm gaze on her.Inayah stood, half terrified and burning Bright red with shame at the notion of being caught not only eating forbidden food, but stuffing her face in the process, without so much of a care.She must’ve looked grotesque with grease and spices smeared across her mouth, cheeks bulging from being overstuffed and her hand… Inayah released the leg she had torn away and straightened, forcing herself to swallow whilst keeping a straight face.Her heart breathed into a paper bag of worry, shock roofing her to the ground. Words deserted her in that moment as she lay vulnerable before her master.Salem Watched her a moment longer, then straightened, “Come to my chambers after you are done.” Is all he says before pivoting and leaving her.Dread. That was all she felt and the food that once settled nourishingly sweet in the pit of her belly turned sour and churned about. She gre
Salem had officially won the worst companion to sleep with in the universe. Or perhaps it was his whole hardened demeanor, even in slumber, that denied Inayah of sleep.She lay awake trapped between his body and the thick mattress, struggling to loosen her muscles and even then, sleep had deserted her.Inayah was painfully aware of his breath against her temple, his heart that beat dully against her shoulder blade, every inch of his body down to the fine hairs on his legs. She lay stiff, hoping he would release her, and if not, praying for darkness to take over quicklyIt did not.Hence in the silence of the room, Inayah willed her mind to flee her current state as she thought of Sin’s recent change in behavior. His emotions gave her whiplash, racing from hot to cold, affectionate to distant.It irked her, and not in the good way.Being uncertain of someone’s emotions, let alone motives, made room for anxiety and panic. He
Inayah hovered by Salem’s study chambers. She wore the only other outfit she had, brown dress, scarf and boots. Her hair was slightly damp from the hurried shower she had taken, face flushed from the cold morning air.Kade had wanted to take her out of the mansion.She had not refused, and a slight thrill of finally leaving the boundaries surged through her. Thrill, then terror at the realization of having to tell Salem. Her master. What if he denied her of that right? What if he scoffed in her face? Better yet, what if he punished her for even tolerating the idea? She was a slave after all, and slaves do not seek the pleasures of the freed.Still.Kade was dressing in his room and Mathilde was banging pots and pans whilst moving about in the kitchen having nothing to do since Inayah had done it all in her moment of adrenaline-filled joy. She figured if she did all the chores before Mathilde woke then she would have no reason to interject Ina
Kade stood by the mansion’s entrance dressed in dark brown breeches, white satin shirt and coat. His hand idly brushes the hilt of his sword strapped to his hip, humming tunelessly as his gaze listlessly wanders over the forest before him.Despite his calm outward demeanor, his mind runs amok with thoughts of the girl. Sin’s slave.Inayah.It had been long since a female ever caught his attention in such a way. His attraction to her stemmed not from lust but curiosity.His brother had not brought up the purchase of a new slave, hence the sudden sight of her was surprising. It made him wonder why Salem failed to mention the new member to his home.That is until Kade spent a few hours watching the slave girl. There was something about the girl. Hardly nineteen years of age, with a little flower-like face, a small Greek head with plaited coils of dark-brown hair, eyes that were earthy brown wells of passion, lips like the petals of a rose.