The Red Door Read online

  “When I’m queen, he’s my choice for future king. And yes, his name’s fitting.” I didn’t care if Carter heard me; he had to know that I was putting on a show.

  Samuel approached Carter’s cell. He continued to shake, so it took him multiple attempts to fit the key into the hole. When Carter finally stepped out, I held back my exuberance, keeping my regal posture.

  “We must leave this place.” As we walked down the hallway, I turned to Samuel. “Your act today will be rewarded in the future by both the queen…” I lifted the corner of my lip and looked at Carter, “and the king.”

  “Thank you, Your Majesty.” He held open the door to the prison hallway for us. “You’ll be a fair and just queen. May I escort you back to your room?”

  “No.” I didn’t want him to think I needed a guard. Privacy was something I treasured. “Resume your position with Boris. I will summon you if I need something.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty” When we reached the top of the stairs, he headed for the front door.

  “And Samuel.” Carter, with his hand in mine, stopped me. “No more dozing on the job. I’m not as forgiving as the queen.”

  I dug my fingernails into his palm.

  When we reached the door to my room, I let go of Carter’s hand and grabbed the doorknob. I pointed at Brek’s room. “Your room is over there. It’s better than the prison cell, I promise.”

  He took a step in my direction, backing me into the door. “I don’t want to be in separate rooms.” The heat from his body radiated through the thin, black material of my fighting gear. “This is an order from your king. And this outfit.” His eyes raked down my body. “Um… yeah, I approve.”

  My face burned right along with my body. “Uh… we should get some sleep.” I turned my head away from him. “I mean, look at the time. How are we supposed to go and save the world if we stay up doing… you know—“

  “No, I don’t know, Covington.” His words taunted me. He inched even closer, his lips mere centimeters from mine. “Spell it out for me.”

  Instead of torturing myself any longer, I brushed my lips against his, and apparently, that was all the invitation he needed. His lips covered mine, the uncomfortable jail cell a distant memory. He reached behind me and opened the door. I stumbled backwards, but his strong arms were there to catch me. He scooped me up and tossed me on the bed.

  By this point, my heart beat like a jackhammer. Carter straddled my waist and leaned over me, one muscular arm on either side of my head. His chest rose and fell with each of his ragged breaths. His fingers traced through my hair, then cupped my cheek, kissing me again, this time slow and sweet. His lips tasted of cherry Chapstick and of desire. The slow rhythm built into a fervor of teeth and tongue. His mouth was clearly experienced in this area. He’d never kissed me this way before, even in our hidden getaways at the school.

  When he reached for the zipper above my chest, I stopped him. “We’ve talked about this.”

  He lowered his head, his broad shoulders heaved. “You’re a tease.”

  I shoved myself to a seated position. “I told you to sleep in the other room. You started this. You know how I feel.”

  “Yeah.” He gripped his hair. His face was downturned. “You don’t love me.”

  I scooted closer to him this time. “I know I’m getting there. But no, I’m not yet.” It was impossible to tell him some of the things that rattled around in my heart, especially when I didn’t understand them myself. “Will you stay here with me? I know you don’t exactly need your heater like in the cave, but it will help me sleep better.”

  His lowered eyes met mine. He sighed and reached out, pulling me to him. Wrapped in his arms, the heat of his body soothed me. I hated it, but my thoughts turned to Brek. He was out in the cold, ready to use his magic to defend me. Guilty pangs ran through my chest.

  As if reading my mind, Carter lowered his lips to my ear, “Don’t worry. We’ll find him again.”

  17

  Three knocks reverberated through the door. Pale light touched the items in the room. Carter groaned and covered his head with a pillow. The skin-tight fighting gear made me cry out for my own clothes. Leather-like material chaffed my thighs and gave me a major wedgie. I rolled out of bed to answer the door. As I opened it, Maree held up her fist as if she were ready to implement another round of knocking. Not wanting her to see Carter, I slipped into the hallway and closed the door.

  “You look like you just woke up.” Yes, this woman struggled with the painfully obvious.

  I ran my fingers through my hair like a comb. “Oh, come on, Maree, I’ve been up for hours.” I rolled my eyes more for my own benefit than anyone else’s.

  “Be ready in fifteen minutes.” She turned, hoisted the bottom of her dress, and marched down the stairs. “Don’t be late.”

  “For what?”

  She didn’t even bother to stop her descent. “Breakfast and then your first history lesson.”

  I leaned my head back against the door and groaned. This woman expected me to concentrate on history while my best friend was who-knows-where fighting who-knows-what to save me? I’d much rather have another sword wielding lesson with Satchel.

  Carter pulled a shirt over his head as I entered the room. His hair was tussled from a rough night of sleep. “What did she want?”

  I rifled through the dresses hanging in the ornate armoire in the corner of the room. “She wants me dressed and ready for my first lesson. I don’t think I can listen to that woman drone on for ten minutes, let alone an hour.”

  He came up beside me and lifted a hanger with a blue dress. “This one.” He smiled and held it up to my shoulders. “It brings out your eyes.”

  I grabbed the hem of my shirt to lift it over my head but then froze. I’d already lifted it far enough to make my boyfriend’s eyes widen. “Here.” I threw the dress at him. “Can you give me this when I’m ready?”

  I undressed behind the privacy shade, still well aware of his presence in the room. “Ok.” I snapped my fingers a couple of times, and he laid the dress over the top of the shade. “No peeking.” My narrowed eyes drew him in closer, so I reached above the shade and slapped him on the top of the head.

  He crossed the room and reclined on the bed. “Did the woman mention anything about breakfast? I’m starving. The only crap they gave me in the prison was onion soup and stale bread.” He flexed his arm muscle. “I’ve got to keep up my quarterback physique.”

  “She did, but you’ll have to wait until after my lesson.” I adjusted the dress after yanking it down over my shoulders. “I’ll have to sneak some of it up to you.” I came out from behind the divider and turned my back to him. “Can you help me?”

  Carter jumped off the bed and attached the bottom button of my dress. His fingers trailed along my bare back sending chills through my entire body. For a job that should have taken two or three minutes, it must’ve taken ten and ended with a passionate kiss.

  “I’ve got to go.” I tore myself away from his arms and left the room, not wanting to do something I’d regret later.

  Maree bit into a pear as I bounded down the stairs. Her black braids were tied back into a head covering; her collar buttoned to the top in a suffocating prison.

  She poured over a book but glanced up when I moved one of the chairs out from the table. “Did you sleep alone last night? I thought I heard a male voice.”

  This woman couldn’t know that Carter was out of the jail. She was Jaco’s henchman. I cleared my throat and coughed into my elbow. “Um… no. I think I’m coming down with a cold.”

  She tapped the page of her book with her fingernail. “Hmm… it’s seen as a sign of insanity to talk to oneself.”

  I plopped down in the seat and snatched a piece of bread, sinking my teeth into the doughy goodness.

  Maree arched an eyebrow at me. “It also seems that Krashid hasn’t dug his claws into you yet.”

  I stuffed the bread into my mouth, not giving a crap about what this wo
man thought of me. Insane? No. A slob? Maybe.

  “Can we get on with this lesson?” I shoved the end of my knife into a little bowl of jelly.

  Her dark hand grabbed mine. “You’ll speak to me with respect.” Her eyes narrowed as her grip loosened. “Jaco left me in charge while he’s gone.” She wiped her mouth with her napkin. “The lesson will begin when I’m ready.”

  For ten excruciating minutes we sat silently at the table. The food was the only thing keeping me from storming back to the room. I managed to stuff four pieces of bread into the pockets of my dress for Carter. To pass the time, I began to hum a Coldplay song.

  “Enough.” She stacked her plates and slid them to the side of the table. “We’ll begin with an overview of the history of Rushna for today. Pay close attention because there will be an exam on Friday.”

  “I have to take a test?” Who did this woman think she was? Wasn’t it enough for me to just know the history?

  “Stop your whining.” She set the napkin that was on her lap on top of the plates. “It’s not lady-like, and it’s definitely not the demeanor of our future queen.”

  I bit my lip to keep from laughing out loud.

  “Rushna became a country three hundred years ago. It’s named for its first queen, Rushina the Great. But these facts are meaningless without the context of her tragic story.

  “The Kypsis Empire lies across the sea from here. It’s shadowed by a history of male domination along with female submission and torture. As a young girl, Rushina’s mother kept her hidden away in their cottage, never letting her glimpse the light of day. Rumors spread throughout the town of the sightings of the girl with raven hair and eyes as blue as ice.

  “Rushina hated her existence. Her mother allowed her out for short stints at night to bathe in the river or to gather the berries that grew along its banks. You see, her mother knew how cruel the men of Kypsis were raised to be. Rushina was the product of this brutal force.

  “But in her evenings by the water, the young girl met Opal. Opal went to school in the town, but the torment she received from the teenage boys turned her away from finding a suitor. The two women became quick friends and plotted their escape from Kypsis. They plotted to create a place where everyone was equal and fear was a distant memory.

  “When Rushina confirmed with Opal that there were others at the school who were like-minded, they expanded on their plan to leave and bring others with them… to start their own country.

  “More and more girls from the school joined Rushina and Opal for their evening swims as word spread through hushed whispers in the schoolyard. The freedom from their strict parents, the rules, and the harsh realities of their existence exuded from them every minute they were together in their forbidden gatherings.

  “One evening, Mysta, a girl who leaned on the side of caution, rushed out of the woods near Rushina’s cottage. Her face was pale, her nightclothes soaked in blood. The boys found out about the girls’ plan to leave through some of their schoolmates.

  “The girls at the river got dressed, ready to escape that very evening. Rushina had found a sympathizer willing to take the girls by boat to a new land, but they were too late.

  “Torches lit up the woods in a frightening display of masculine dominance. The boys didn’t want to talk. They wanted to make the young women pay for their disobedience of Kypsis’ unspoken rules.

  “A hefty boy with broad shoulders exited the woods first. The torch cast eerie shadows across his face, but his intentions were clear. He called Opal to him like she was an animal needing to comply with his demands. She picked up a stick, not willing to give in so easily. Multiple boys stepped forward with their torches to flank Max. Opal didn’t move from her spot. You see… the boys intended to take the girls back to the boy’s family hunting cabin. Abuse ran deep in those days.

  “Alongside Opal, Rushina lifted a gnarled stick. Max grabbed Opal’s arm and dragged her away from her friend. Another sturdy boy took Rushina by surprise. She screamed at him to let her go. When he refused, she swung her leg around and knocked him off his feet. With her stick, she impaled him through the chest.

  “Max stopped his scuffle with Opal to stare at the limp body on the ground and then at the strange girl with the raven hair. He wrapped his arm around Opal’s neck in a chokehold. He’d heard of the freak that lived by the river… the one that supposedly ate men’s hearts for breakfast.

  “But by this point, Rushina had enough. She ripped the branch out of the boy’s chest, ready to take on her friend’s attacker. Max ordered the boys to retreat and in a last act of hatred, he snapped Opal’s neck.”

  “No!” I clutched the sides of my chair, not realizing how absorb I was in Maree’s story. “Rushina must have driven her stick through Max’s heart, too. Right? There was no way she’d let him get away with that.”

  Maree squared her shoulders in her prim and proper way. “Do you want to hear the remainder of Rushina’s story?”

  “Uh… yeah.”

  “Yes, please.” Maree stared down her nose at me.

  I felt like I was eight-years-old around her. “Yes, please.”

  She cleared her throat. “Very well. Max dropped Opal without a second thought and rushed into the woods behind the other cowards. Grief ripped through Rushina’s heart as she collapsed beside the crumpled body of her friend. Other girls emerged from the reeds and thrushes that grew along the river.

  “It was at this point that Rushina determined that they would leave that night. She set her grief aside, replacing it with fierce determination to wipe out every man in Kypsis. But taking down Max might quench her revengeful heart.

  “The girls were to gather by the water well with their supplies. Rushina stuffed matches, a hunting knife, and a loaf of bread into a sack. Her mother slept in the bedroom of their cabin. She scribbled a note and promised to come back someday for her and every other women.

  “Eleven girls returned to the well with their bags packed. Each one more determined than the next to leave their life in Kypsis behind. Even Mysta put aside her fear of the unknown, her back straight and her bloodstained nightgown replaced by a man’s trousers and billowed shirt.

  They crept through the forest, choosing the path by the river to muffle any sounds created by their footfalls. When they neared the hunting cabin, Rushina pulled Mysta to the side. She was the one who had to go in on her own to rescue the girls. She instructed Mysta to take her matches and set the cabin ablaze once she and the other girls escaped.

  “According to her journals, Rushina’s heart darkened with each step she took towards the nest of devils. She knew the girls would be locked away in a common place because even if they were taken advantage of, the boys wouldn’t share the warmth of their beds.

  “The boys filled the furniture and floors of the main room of the cabin. Although she was tempted to cut Max’s throat right there, she had a mission. I can only imagine what it was like to creep across the minefield, one false step would have alerted them to her presence.”

  A crashing sound woke me from the trance of Maree’s tale. “What the hell was that?” I jumped up and grabbed a heavy candlestick from the mantle.

  Maree rushed over to a metal cabinet, unlocking it with the key around her neck. Inside was an arsenal of weapons. She removed a rifle.

  Carter tumbled down the stairs and landed in a heap at the bottom. I rushed over to him and knelt down, but with my heart in overdrive, my eyes were set on the top of the stairs.

  A tiny pair of legs in black leather came into view followed by four towering soldiers. Farra’s distinctive, wicked smile and spiked, red hair foiled any of my plans for escape. “Sorry to interrupt story time.”

  18

  “Kill the rebel,” Farra barked, her eyes never leaving mine.

  An arrow flew through the air, striking Maree square between the eyes. I clutched Carter’s shirt and used all my strength to gather him into my arms. I wouldn’t let them touch another hair on his head, even if it m
eant being dragged back to Athena.

  “Affection is weakness, Megan.” Farra reached the last stair, her eyes held what appeared to be pity. “Love is power. Love is dominance. Love is seeking passion and pleasure. Love is Athena. Back in her presence, this truth will flood your being.” She crouched down and ran her finger through the trickle of blood that ran down Carter’s forehead. “And for some reason, she wants this one, too.”

  I pulled him closer to me, his face against my chest. “Don’t touch him.”

  “Come willingly, and he’ll be treated as a king.” She nodded at the soldiers, who spread out across the room and ransacked the cabinets. “Resist… and he becomes target practice.”

  This was it. Back to becoming Athena’s zombie. But what choice did I have? My limited sword-wielding skills might manage to slice off one of the soldier’s pinkie fingers, but there was no way to get the two of us out alive without submitting to Farra.

  “Ok,” I mumbled, my mouth buried in Carter’s hair.

  “I’m sorry, what did you say?” She snapped her fingers, and one of the soldiers bent down and ripped Carter out of my arms.

  Still unconscious, he rose from the ground, held by the soldier’s ironclad grip.

  “Ok… ok!” I scrambled to my feet and held my hands out in front of me. “I’ll do whatever you say, just don’t hurt him.”

  “That’s a good girl.” She grinned at the soldier. “Load him onto the horse. We’ve got to cover a long distance before nightfall.”

  One of Farra’s grunts hoisted me onto a white mare and then mounted the horse behind me. Carter drifted in and out of consciousness in front of one of the other soldiers. The attack through the Bone Valley must have been a distractor to draw Jaco out of the insurgent headquarters.

  As the horses trotted through the streets of the pristine town, blood smeared the white walls. Scattered here and there were the bodies of the guards Jaco left behind to protect us. It was too much. I clutched my stomach, afraid I might hurl the contents of my breakfast over the side of the horse. What gave me the right to live over these soldiers? Over Maree?