Devotion(6)

“You’re hungry. Let’s have dinner and I will explain it all to you.”

I hear a soft voice from behind me and turn to see the driver from this morning. She smiles at me brightly as she speaks German to Noah and then bows out of the room.

“That is Mrs. Elina. She runs the household and will see to all of your needs. She will join you after dinner to go over your schedule.”

Fear falls away, and a knot has taken its place in my stomach. I’m here to dance. I’m here to learn and to be disciplined. I am supposed to listen to my instructors and follow orders. Somehow I was distracted by how I arrived and pushed my purpose to the side. Now I need to focus and make sure that Noah sees me as a worthy dancer.

A thought of pleasing Noah plays through my mind, and once again I am hit with the heat I felt earlier. I duck my chin as I follow him out of the room and try not to have that same thought again while in his presence.

The house looks like an old castle with large gray rocks making up the walls. But the entire place has been updated with soft lighting and fluffy soft rugs under my bare feet. It’s old, yet it feels contemporary and comfortable. I had half-expected to be shown to a cell upon arrival and thrown a bowl of chicken broth twice a day. So far the windows that show off the view of the ocean are making this feel like something out of a fairy tale.

I feel his hand take mine, and I’m shaken out of my daydream. I hadn’t realized I stopped to look out the window until he smiles down at me.

“Plenty of time for that later. The dining room is this way.”

His hand leads me down a spiral stone staircase and through a large wooden door. At some point I think he is going to let me go, but instead his thumb caresses me with each step. In the dining room there is a long table that looks like it was made of driftwood. There are large comfortable chairs surrounding it, and a loveseat at the head of the table.

He walks me to the head of the table and indicates I should sit in the loveseat. It’s got a high back and blankets on one side and looks so inviting. I step past him and am a little sad when I have to let go of his hand to sit. For a brief moment, I think he might sit with me, but instead he leans over and grabs a blanket pulling it over my lap. Then he sits down on the chair beside me and settles in.

“You didn’t bring many warm clothes,” he says as he reaches for a glass of wine in front of him.

I look over to my place setting and see there is one in front of me, too. I’ve never had wine before, and though I’m curious, the last thing he gave me was drugged.

“I promise to not drug you again. It was only to get you here safely.” He reaches over, takes my glass of wine, and sips it before placing it in front of me again.

“I didn’t pack my suitcase,” I say before picking up my glass and taking a drink.

The wine is different than I expected. The girls in the dance company have complained about wine being sour and bitter. This is smooth and warm, however, and I feel it as it goes down into my empty stomach. I should probably slow down since I haven’t eaten in a long time and I’ve never drunk alcohol before. Just as soon as I have the thought, servers appear and place a basket of fresh bread and a bowl of creamy soup in front of me.

I look over and see Noah dipping his bread in his soup, and I follow suit. I don’t know the last time I was allowed this much food, and it’s so rich. I think I inhale it all in one breath, and I’m finished before Noah is even halfway through his. A pang of sadness hits me like it always does at mealtimes when my food is gone. But a nod from Noah and my plate is replaced with another that’s filled with roasted chicken and sausages, potatoes piled high and a mound of vegetables.

“Um. I don’t think I’m supposed to eat all this,” I say as my mouth waters.

“I brought you here, Aurora. You are under my care. I expect you to finish the meals you are given and to tell me if you are ever hungry and I don’t realize it.”

His stern look leaves no room for argument, and who am I to tell him no? I’m starving, and never have I been given a meal like this.

“While you are mine, you will do as you’re instructed. That includes dancing, but also with your daily activity. You will be required to eat…” He pauses as his soup is taken away and his second course if brought out. “…relax and sleep at any point I deem necessary.”

“Relax and sleep? This sounds like a vacation.” I smile as I work on polishing off my plate of food.

“Have you ever had a vacation?” he asks, and I shake my head.

“No. But I guess it’s what I imagine one would be like.”

I see the hint of his dimple, and it makes me smile again. My second plate is taken away just as I realize I’ve cleaned it, and a dessert plate is in its place. A square of warm pastry and apples are served with a side of cream, and I want so badly to eat it, but I know I shouldn’t. I’m not supposed to have any sort of sugar, and I can tell by the smell of it that it’s definitely a banned substance in my house.