The Heir's Breeder

10

"Goddess have mercy, are you ok?" Rose's voice wakes me up. She is shouting from across the room. "I heard what happened. How did someone even get past the guards?" I move my arm to reach for Tristan, but his side of the bed is cold, as usual.

I groan, sitting up. The sheets fall down and I suddenly realize, I am almost naked. Not that I am not used to it, but the month of wearing clothes has made me incredibly aware.

"Ooooo," Rose draws out like a child, "you slept like that?" I nod. "With Tristan?" I nod again. "You must have had fun last night," she sings out at the end.

My face heats as I look away, "wha—what do you mean?"

"I'm talking about you and Tristan. I knew there was something between you." Rose starts daydreaming as usual, "Oh, I can't wait until you two start having pups; they will be so cute."

"Woah," I stop her, "what are you talking about?"

"You and Tristan." She looks at me expecting me to understand but continues when I don't, "You slept together last night."

"We sleep together every night," I say, getting out of the bed and heading toward the bathroom. I am a mess. My hair is all over the place, not that it hasn't been worse, and there are marks on my skin from where the males grabbed me and I fought back.

"But this is different," Rose says, rushing into the bathroom behind me. I am silent as she starts the water to run a bath. "You know," I turn away from the mirror to look at her again, not "knowing" what she is talking about. "Fate," Rose speaks cautiously, "what did happen last night?"

"I was attacked," is all I answer, fighting back the imagines of last night.

"Oh honey," Rose rushes over to me, rubbing her hands up and down my arms that are folded together, "I'm so sorry." She pauses for a minute, allowing the silence to surround us, "Did anything good happen last night? Anything before...before the attack?"

I sniffle, and for the first time realize that I had started crying. I really don't want to talk about last night. As much as the thought of Tristan's lips on mine warms my body, I can't shake what happened later.

Silently, I shake my head no and climb into the scalding water of the bath. Rose rushes to get me out, but I don't move, it feels like those males' hands are being burnt off me.

________________

"Where is Tristan?" I ask, fully dressed and sitting on the bed. I am barely wearing clothes as everything else feels too heavy. I really don't feel like going anywhere today or doing any of my usual things, instead, I want to curl up and stare off until the world disappears.

I had tried that, but I couldn't leave the moment: I couldn't drift. Instead, some part of me felt missing. So I want to find the last thing that gave me peace: being held by Tristan.

No one is ever going to hurt you. Not while I'm here.

"Right now he is holding court. Why?" Rose quirks her head to the side in response.

I nervously play with the hem of one of the slip on me. It is a thistle purple made of silk that barely reaches my thighs. "I just...wanted to see him," I turn away sheepishly.

"Ok," Rose speaks simply, "But you'll have to change."

She pulled out two blue pieces of fabric to that made up a top and skirt. The top was cropped and only had one strap over my right shoulder. The skirt was asymmetrical and had two layers, the darker, the comfier one closest to my skin, and then a lighter one like see-through silk over it.