He got off me and none-too-gently yanked me upward out of the bed, forcing me to stand up on my feet. He looked at me from head to foot.
“We’re going to have to do something about the hair. It’s a mess. Otherwise, you’re good to go.”
He clapped his hands and several women stepped in.
“Prepare her,” Lucas ordered, a smirk on his face, as he stood back and watched as they began to fix my hair and straighten out my clothes. I could feel his eyes on me, raking over my body. I shuddered at the thought of being in the same room with him, remembering all the torment he put me through when we were still at The Shade.
Still, it seemed Lucas was the least of my worries. I’d never met Borys Maslen before, but Vivienne’s memories told me enough about him to know that he was bad news. I couldn’t wrap my mind around the idea of being his “betrothed.” Why would he even want me?
I then remembered Gregor’s revelation back at the town square. After everything that happened following the whipping at the square, I’d barely given his pronouncement that Ingrid Maslen was my mother any thought. I thought the whole while that he was just bluffing. Since Derek never brought it up, I just assumed that I was right.
I guess I’m about to find out.
Once satisfied that I looked good enough to present to Borys, Lucas waved everyone off and walked toward me. “You ready?”
“No.”
He just laughed. “Well, it’s not like it matters if you’re ready or not…” He held the small of my back and pushed me forward. “This is going to be fun.”
We walked through eery torch-lit corridors surrounded by dusty brick walls. We weaved through hallway after hallway until we stopped in front of a large, arched door.
Lucas pushed the door open and led me into a large courtroom. A lone figure could be seen in the middle of it. He was seated on a tall black throne, made up of what looked like human skulls. At the sight of me, he stood on his feet, his dark eyes lighting up as he licked his lips.#p#分页标题#e#
I immediately assumed that he was Borys Maslen. He didn’t look like I thought he would. I’d expected him to look like the Novaks. He had muddy brown hair, and a stocky, wide, muscular physique. He looked like he could crush me with his bare hands if he wanted to.
“So this is my Sofia.” He smiled as Lucas pushed me forward, forcing me to approach the throne. “It’s about time you came to me, my dear betrothed.”
“I’m not your betrothed,” I spat out. The notion was sickening.
“Actually, Sofia,” a feminine voice came out through the deep burgundy curtains behind Borys’ throne, “you are his betrothed.” A beautiful woman emerged from behind the curtains and it was clear to see who she was. Ingrid Maslen.
Tears began to flow down my eyes at the sight of her. Gregor was telling the truth. It’s my mother.
“She looks so happy to see you, Ingrid.” Borys tilted his head to the side.
I couldn’t even bear looking at him. My eyes were glued on my mother as questions began to flood my mind. “Mom?”
“Yes, Sofia.” She smiled at me. “It’s me. Your mother. I gave you to Borys a long time ago. You are rightfully his.”
I had no idea how to cope with all the information being thrown my way, but two things I was still certain about: my mother was indeed crazy and there was no way that I belonged to Borys.
I managed to pry my eyes away from Ingrid, or whatever she called herself nowadays, and look at the man who was claiming me as his. I felt nothing but disgust toward him. I gathered all the courage I could muster and smirked at him. “You’re too late.” I raised my hand and showed them the ring Derek had given me. “I’m already married to Derek Novak.”
It wasn’t a difficult lie to tell, because it was almost true. Derek was already my fiancé and it was him whom I belonged with.
Borys’ face colored into a deep, beet red. He lunged forward, until he was standing right in front of me, grabbing my jaw. “You lie!” he accused.
I kept the smirk on my face. “You can check if you want. He’s already taken me to his bed. Many times.” At least that part was true. I could almost sense the surprise coming from Lucas. I wondered why he thought Derek would never take me to his bed and realized that Lucas knew that I was different from the beginning, knew that Derek never touched me while I was initially at The Shade.
To my surprise, Borys took out his frustration on Lucas. He let go of my jaw and threw Lucas against a wall. “How dare your brother touch what is mine! First, he takes Vivienne away from me, now he has soiled my betrothed!”