Chapter 33

Clara

Nora and I returned to her room. She didn’t talk at all during the walk from the healers to the mistress’ rooms. I supposed she didn’t know what to say. I certainly had no idea.

“I’m getting out of this dress,” Nora announced when the door closed behind us. “Would you like to borrow a lounging robe?”

I nodded. I still wasn’t used to the tightly laced intricate dresses I was expected to wear as a royal mistress.

Nora ducked into her wardrobe room and returned with two soft wool lounging robes, one in blue and one in green. She offered me the green one and then turned so that I could help her out of the lacing on her gown.

I made quick work of the knots and twists holding her bodice in place and then turned so she could return the favor.

“I guess I could have summoned our maids,” Nora mused as she tugged at a stubborn button.

I shook my head rapidly.

“No, you’re right,” Nora said. “We have to talk and it’s best we don’t have anyone listening in. My new maid isn’t you, but she seems pleasant enough. I don’t trust Ella not to run right to the princes with any tidbit of gossip she thinks she can sell for a higher post, though.”

I nodded. Ella wasn’t trustworthy. She was Marcus’ agent and she would be more than happy to inform on us.

Once we were comfortably dressed, Nora and I took seats on the couch.

“I guess you have questions,” Nora said.

I nodded. I had so many questions I didn’t know where to start.

“Go on, then, ask,” Nora said.

I tried to calm my racing thoughts long enough to sign something coherent. The most pressing question came first.

“Did you know?” I signed.

Nora tilted her head. “Did I know what?”

Was she seriously playing innocent?

“Did you know Kyle was a,” I paused and realized there was no sign for ‘vampire.’ I put two fingers up to my teeth to mimic fangs.

“I’m guessing that’s gonna be ‘vampire’ from now on?” Nora asked, copying my hand sign.

I nodded, and held out my hands in silent demand for answers.

“Yes, well,” Nora sighed. “It’s not easy to talk about this, you know.”

I patted her knee. Even if she’d been keeping secrets, terrifying dangerous secrets, she was still my friend.

“Yes, I knew that Kyle was a vampire,” Nora said.

“And you never told anyone?” I signed. “You never told me?”

“If I told anyone, he would have killed me,” Nora said, which I should have guessed.

Of course a vampire would threaten her to keep her quiet.

“I never told you,” Nora added, “because you would have tried to help me. And he would have killed you.”

I shook my head. I still wished she’d told me. Surely there was something I could have done.

“I saw scars. On your neck, and your arms,” I signed. I pointed to the collar of her dress.

Nora reached up as if to pull her dress tighter, and then shook her head.

“I guess there’s no more reason to hide these, is there?” she asked.

I shook my head.

“You probably guessed it,” Nora said. “They’re bite marks. From Kyle.”

“He bit you?” I signed.

Nora nodded. “He needed blood. He mostly attacked the other stable hands, or lower servants. He can do things to people’s minds, make them forget things.”

Was that why I couldn’t remember exactly when Kyle and Nora were bonded? Had something happened that he made me forget?

“He couldn’t always find someone to bite, though,” Nora said, “He can only make one person forget at a time, see, so if he couldn’t get someone alone, well,” she shrugged, “I was always available.”

Nora rubbed at her arms as though she was cold. I took one of her hands in mine and squeezed. She must have been so afraid, bound to a vampire and wondering every day if she was going to be his meal.

“Was he really your mate?” I signed.

Nora looked away. “Yes. I think he was. I felt the pull, the way everyone says you do, when you meet your fated mate. But I can’t be sure. He might have made me feel that way. But why me? If I wasn’t fated to him, why would he pick me?”

Well, Nora was beautiful. But I didn’t think it would be helpful to point that out. And having found not only Kyle but her second chance fated mate, Prince Gideon, I was sure she knew what she felt.

“How long?” I signed. “How did you meet him?”

How long had a vampire been hiding among us?

“It’s been, um, a couple of years,” Nora said. “I don’t know how he got into the royal compound. I don’t know where he came from. He was just there one day, working in the stables.”

Did the stable master know? Did anyone else know, or only Nora?

“I saw him, and everything else just vanished. He saw me too, and he dropped what he was doing and came over to talk to me. I don’t remember what he said. I think it was charming, romantic even. But he probably made me think that,” Nora scoffed.

I would never describe Kyle as ‘charming’ or ‘romantic,’ no. The few times I had seen him, he had been gruff, angry, and full of disdain. I had always assumed he didn’t like me because I was mute. Now I think it was just that I was a werewolf and he hated us all.

But then why take a werewolf as a mate? And why did he live in a castle full of us?

“Why was he here?” I signed. “Do you know?”

Nora shook her head. “I have a few guesses, of course. He talked sometimes.”

I waited. I imagined it was hard to talk about her life with Kyle. Even without being a vampire he was an awful, cruel man.

“I’m pretty sure he was a spy,” Nora said. “He asked me things, about the nobles I cleaned up after. He was annoyed that I wouldn’t spend much time around the soldiers. But it wasn’t safe for me to be around the fighters.”

I nodded and shuddered. Prince Gideon was strict with his soldiers, and the guards knew better than to interfere with a maid. But the prince couldn’t be everywhere and the maids knew to stay away from the guards’ barracks if we weren’t looking for a mate.

“I don’t know what he wanted, really,” Nora said. “But at the end, before I left him for Prince Gideon, his temper got worse. He would hit me for every little thing. And he got paranoid. He demanded to know where I was going at all times. He would question me, interrogate me really, for hours every night.”

I leaned in and hugged Nora. She must have been so afraid! I was so glad she’d found Prince Gideon. He would be a much better mate for her.

“I’m sorry,” Nora whispered. “I should have found a way to tell someone, warn someone. But I was so, so scared.”

I patted her back. She probably should have warned someone. She should at least have told Prince Gideon after she was away from the vampire. But I understood being afraid. I knew what it was like to want to tell someone something desperately, and not being able to make a sound.

My muteness cost me my voice. Fear cost Nora hers.

But we were safe now. Kyle was gone.

Wasn’t he?