Serpent in Shackles

Chapter Nine

The sun seeped into this room like it did in my room back home. But this bed was soft and snuggly. I wanted to fall back asleep so I could spend more time cuddled up in that warmth. But I couldn't.

I had a job to do.

The clothing options were vastly different here. At home, I had nearly one hundred dresses to choose from. All of them were thick, full coverage, and modest.

But here, my clothes options were more diverse. A variety of shirts, pants, dresses, skirts and more were left in the closet. Some of the options were practical in style and some were more revealing, sexy. Even one of the dresser drawers was filled with lingerie.

Perhaps someone occupied the room before me. The alternative was that those clothes were chosen specifically for me... but by who?

I slipped on a pair of loose black pants and a shirt I found in the closet. The dark red shirt, held up by thin straps, hung low in the front, leaving most of my neck and collarbones exposed.

Even though I was wearing pants, the outfit was more revealing than anything I wore back home. But I liked the way the clothes sat against my body, the way I felt wearing them.

In my new style of clothing, I found my way to the dining room, knowing exactly where it was from my self-guided tour the night before. Shock barely covered the true scope of what I felt standing in the doorway, observing the group seated around the table. Eating and laughing. Something I would suspect a normal family did.

Noticing the stranger lingering in the doorway, they soon invited me to join them.

The Shadow Knight sat at the head of the table. Steam danced out of the top of the mug resting in his hand. The strong aroma of coffee filled my nose as I stepped up behind the empty seat to his right. Unlike the dining table at the palace, this walnut coloured table only had enough seats for the monsters seated around it. Plus me.

"This is my team," the Shadow Knight said, flatly.

The soft cushion back of the chair was entirely too comfortable to be used only when sitting at the table for meals. Velvet scraped against my shirt as I settled into the seat, eyeing the spread of pastries.

Before I could grab one, the Shadow Knight gestured his hand to the man sitting across from me. "This is Danver."

Danver smiled. His straight, black hair was perfectly styled, parted down the center in a way that framed his face. Long enough that it would have covered his eyes if he hadn't brushed it back with his hand. His warm honey skin glowed from the sunlight pouring in the window behind him. "Call me D," he said.

"Yah, D for dumbass," the monster on my right muttered sarcastically.

The sheer sass in her voice caught me off guard as I bit back a laugh. Was it appropriate to laugh? Or would they find that offensive?

"That's Vincent," the Shadow Knight said, dragging my attention to the man sitting left of Danver.

Vincent politely nodded his head and lifted a hand to brush the soft, blonde curls from his sight. I couldn't peel my eyes away from the rings decorating his fingers and the dark coloured nails that almost matched the darkness of his eyes.

Like the Shadow Knight, both monsters had small, silver hoops dangling from their ears.

"And my sister, Tamia." The Shadow Knight pointed to the young woman sitting directly across the table from him.

"Call me Mia," she said, smiling from ear to ear. The light pink colouring on her cheeks highlighted the rose gold of her hair. But my eyes flashed between Mia and the Shadow Knight repeatedly. They didn't look related. Not even remotely.