Reclaimed By My Alpha (Natalia and Andrei) novel Chapter 406

“Not tonight.” He stood, walking around the table toward me. “You look pale, my love. I think you should return to your room and rest. The meal can be brought to you.”

My spine stiffened. “But we were supposed to dine together-”

“There will be plenty of time for that.” He took my hand and helped me to my feet. His skin was cold and clammy like a lizard. “Besides, you’ve been through a lot.” He pressed his hand to my belly, and it took all of my willpower not to slap it away. “We don’t want the pregnancy to go awry.”

“But I want to see the cells now,” I choked out. Tomorrow was when he was going to go through with his awful plan. There wouldn’t be enough time.

“Well, you’ll just have to wait, my love.” He chuckled. “Don’t worry. You’ll see it in due time.”

He walked me back to my suite before I could protest, his grimy little hand on the small of my back the entire way. When we reached the door, he leaned in close. “Sleep well, my future queen.”

I couldn’t resist the kiss he pressed to my lips. His fingers dug into my lower back, forcing me closer as his tongue slipped into my mouth. I felt bile rise in my throat. I wanted to retch. But I swallowed it down and let him kiss me, let him swipe his foul tongue across mine, and forced myself not to bite it off.

The moment our lips parted, I smiled coyly and stepped inside. I bid him goodnight and quickly shut the door between us before he could try anything else. My hands were shaking as I locked it, although I knew the lock wouldn’t keep him out if he decided to come back.

A servant in a black robe came to my room a little while later, bringing a tray of my leftover food from dinner. She didn’t expect me to come up behind her. I made the killing blow quick and painless–a letter opener I’d found in the desk slipped quietly into the temple. She went down without a sound. I think she lost the ability to cry out long ago.

After carefully removing her clothes and dressing her in something warm and dignified, I gently tucked her into the back of my closet. I pressed my hand to her cheek, feeling a tear drip down mine.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. But given the state of her twisted, gnarled body, maybe it was a mercy.

Once she was concealed, I put on her robes. They hung loosely on my frame and smelled like body odor and blood. After that, I took the tray of food and emerged from my room, keeping my spine hunched and limping as best I could.

The guard stationed outside gave me a confused look. “She didn’t want her food?” he asked. I shook my head, and he sighed. “What a waste…”

I scurried away after that, maintaining my hunch and limp the entire way. I kept my eyes averted every time I passed someone, my face shadowed by my hood. No one paid me a second glance. I was invisible. They didn’t notice me wandering aimlessly, still holding that tray like I had somewhere to be.

Eventually, I found a spiral staircase leading down, and at the bottom was a long corridor. A guard stood at the door at the end. He immediately spotted me and began walking toward me.

I cursed under my breath, but kept hiding my face and limped over to him.

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Chapter 406

+25 Bonus

“What are you doing here?” he barked.

I didn’t respond. Merely held up the tray.

“Food for the new prisoner?” he asked.

I nodded.

The guard studied me for a moment. I kept my gaze fixed blankly on the floor. Kept my spine hunched. Finally, after a long, terrifying second, he stepped aside.

“Go. Make it quick.”

I slipped through the door at the end and found myself in another corridor; this one was lined with cells. Many of them were empty, but not all of them. Some of them contained huddled forms rocking back and forth on the ground. A few smelled like death.

The final cell was different from the others. Larger. Surrounding it, embedded in the walls, the door, even the floor of the corridor leading to it, were dozens of rubies glowing in the dim light.

And there, slumped against the far wall, was Damon.

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