Chapter Twenty
Sienna had fainted from the blinding speed when Volkov whisked her away, just as she had in Nikolai's arms. Only it was worse, because she was carried upside down like a piece of meat. Perhaps that is all she would become when the monster returned.
She awoke in a spacious, well-furnished room. Certainly the house of an affluent person. A warm fire crackled in the grate of a white marble fireplace. A black vanity with swirling silver filigree, too gaudy for her taste, sat in one corner with a white-cushioned stool. Two silver candelabras stood on the black mantel and a third on a square dining table set with crystal and silverware, but no food, on a scarlet tablecloth. Her red cloak hung on a coat hook on the wall.
She lay atop a large bed covered in a thick black coverlet. When she moved her bare feet, a chain jangled where her right leg was cuffed and linked to the wrought-iron footboard. Standing, she lifted a glass of water sitting on the bedside table and sniffed it. No scent of any kind. She scoffed to herself. If they wanted to poison or harm her, she could do nothing to stop them. She took a few sips to quench her thirst, then stood and walked to the one window in the chamber, dragging her chain behind her.
Snow fell steadily outside onto a torchlit courtyard with brick walls too high to see over. She remembered the last time she stood before a window watching the snow fall at the duke's castle. Her heart clenched at the thought of Nikolai, subdued and helpless in that gold net. They planned to send him to the Glass Tower and induce him into a bloodless sleep. She bit her lip and wrapped her arms around herself. They did not say death, so there was still a chance of saving him. If she could save herself first.
The door clicked open behind her. She swiveled, swallowing the rising panic with her chin held high as Volkov entered. She was in the presence of a predator, a wolf in gentleman's clothing, and she knew it. Time to prepare for whatever battle was in store. Back straight and arms at her sides, she looked at him dead on.
"I am pleased you are recovered." He waltzed over, hands at his back in a nonthreatening posture. Wearing black leather pants and a loose silk shirt fitted with a black short-coat, he no longer looked as threatening as he did in his Legionnaire uniform. But that hardly put her at ease.
"Why do you no longer wear the Legionnaire uniform? Are you in hiding?"
He sauntered closer. She took a step back. He stopped a few feet away, facing the window. "It is important to blend in when there are eyes everywhere on the lookout for enemies of the Black Lily." His icy gaze swiveled to her. "Do you not agree?"
Best not to answer that. "Where are we?"
He ambled back to the table and pulled out a chair. "Have a seat … Lady Sienna."
No point in resisting. The only way to get some answers and perhaps delay whatever plans he had for her was to submit. She joined him and took a seat in the chair he offered. Standing behind her, he unfolded the napkin set atop the bone-white china and spread it across her lap while leaning over her shoulder. She flinched when his breath brushed her neck and she heard him inhale a deep breath. But he did not touch her. He took his seat opposite her, leaning back in the chair, and crossed an ankle over his knee.
"You are in my home away from home."
"And where might that be?" Far enough north for snow to blanket the ground.
"That is irrelevant. Why don't you ask me questions that have some import?"
"What do you plan to do with me?"
His wide mouth slid into a sickening smile. She held his gaze, somehow without curling her lip in disgust.
"First, I plan to feed you."
"And then what?"
The door clicked open. A maid in black and white livery entered with a silver platter of food and a decanter of red wine. The maid was young and pretty, bruises visible on her neck around puncture wounds. Bite marks. Sienna couldn't help but stare. It was rare to see a bleeder with visible bite marks, unless a vampire was staking his claim and letting others know she was his host. When she set the platter down, hands shaking, Sienna noted another bruise on her wrist. This wasn't a claiming but abuse.
The servant looked on Sienna with pity in her eyes, dark circles marring her complexion. Whether she was Volkov's bleeder or she was for his men or all of them together, the fact that they hadn't even sealed the wound to let her heal properly was disgraceful. Nikolai had taken extra care with her when he had fed from her.
Nikolai.
A painful tightening squeezed her chest. She sucked in a breath and watched as the maid lifted the silver dome at the center of the platter to reveal a plate of beef and vegetables in a thick sauce. The maid spooned some onto her plate under the watchful eye of Volkov. He smiled, seeming to enjoy her discomfort as she set the serving spoon down with a clank.