27
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Naya smuggled in her sleep, taking a more comfortable position.
She blinked her eyes a few times, feeling someone lying beside her.
From his scent, she could tell that it was Rhys. He was back already.
“Kai?” She called in a low voice, as he held her tight in an embrace, burying his face in her neck.
“Hmmm,” he replied, not moving. He strangely felt at peace having Naya in his arms.
“When did you come back?” Naya asked and she placed her hands on it caressing it softly.
She didn’t even know when her feelings for Rhys, became intensified, but she found solace with him.
“Not too long ago..” he replied. When he came in, she was still sleeping. So he quietly had a quick shower before deciding to join her quietly but he guessed he was not quiet enough as she woke up due to that.
“Did you take care of what you had with lord Rhys?” She asked as she felt him shake his head.
“That’s good..” she smiled, still caressing his hand.
It seemed like he had a special connection with the vampire lord or it could be that he was his trusted guard.
She badly wanted to meet the Lord and see him.
“Naya..” Rhys called after a few minutes of silence.
“Hmm…” she replied softly.
“Why are you known as mute when you can speak?” He asked. He had been meaning to ask her that.
She was literally sharped tongue. Then what was that need of refraining from speaking with others?
“It’s because I’m not comfortable with other people…” she answered truthfully.
“I see. I guess you suffered from a trauma right?” He grilled.
“Yes…”
“How did you find yourself in Shadowvale?” He asked yet again curious to know more about her.
He had asked Vlad to go into her mind but Vlad could see nothing, which was why he decided to check for himself.
“It’s a long and sad story. I don’t think I want to talk about that” she confessed as she took in a deep breath.
She was hiding a huge secret about her identity and all and she was not ready to spill just yet.
“Okay..” came Rhys’s curt reply.
“Do you like it here?” He asked
“Yes…” she confessed. It was a totally different place. She heard that vampires were gruesome creatures, but she had never experienced their toxicity.
“Do you plan on remaining her forever?” He grilled curiously, as his lips curved up.
Of course, she was now bound to Shadowvale forever. He was not going to let her go.
“Of course not..” Naya giggled sheepishly.
“I have dreams, Kai..” She added.
“What kind of dreams?”
“Where I’ll be free. I want to be happy Kai. I want to live a happy and simple life with my loved ones. I just want a life without troubles..” she responded, as her eyes beamed with joy while she remembered life back at her back. She missed her family a lot.
“What about you?” She asked him as he was quiet.
“I don’t know…” came his honest reply which Naya found funny.
“You’re really something else. How wouldn’t know your dream?” She creased her brows in confusion.
“Because I dream of nothing..” he stated in a curt tone as Naya mouthed an oh. She wondered if he had gone through something in the past just like her.
“How about you…”
“Close your eyes and sleep…” he interrupted, whispering to her ears as he planted a kiss on her neck.
Naya knew that was the end of their conversation, so she closed her eyes to sleep.
…..
Naya woke up the next morning, but Rhys was not on the bed.
She jolted out from the bed In shock, it was morning and she had to be in her duty post or she’d get scolded by jennet.
The past few weeks have been good though, as Jennet reduced her hostility towards her but Naya still made sure to come early as anything was bound to happen.
But now, she was late.
Her mind drifted to her sister, who would also be looking for her.
How would she start to get an explanation?
She hastily grabbed her clothes which she wore.
It seemed like Rhys was not in the room.
“Kai?” She called, walking about as she tried to find him. But he was not in.
Her guess was that he just had something important to deal with, and that was why he left.
Naya quickly walked to the door as she opened it slowly and cautiously. She took a look at her surroundings, making sure no one was passing by or anything.
Arranging her dress well to diffuse any suspicion, she dashed out of the room.
Naya looked around her surroundings, it was a completely different place, she had never been assigned to work there before.
And it seemed like she had gotten lost.
Naya’s heart began to race as she realized she was lost in a part of the palace she didn’t recognize. The light in the corridor corridors seemed to stretch on endlessly, with no sign of an exit. Panic rose within her as she began to feel trapped, like a mouse in a maze. Why did Rhys run off to? She did not take time, to take note of the place as he brought her there at night and she was also sacred.
“Where am I?” she whispered to herself, her voice shaking with fear. She tried to retrace her steps, but everything looked the same. The eerie silence of the corridors made her feel even more alone and vulnerable.
The last thing she wanted was to get caught, and she would have to explain herself, where was she going to start from?
She began to wander about, searching for any loophole that would lead her to the familiar places she knew.
“If it’s not the whore, then who would it be?” She heard a voice say scornfully behind her as she turned to see Esme shooting deadly glares at her.
Naya completely ignored her as she made her way to leave but Esme stopped her.
“I’m talking to you!” She snapped marching to where Naya stood and soon enough appeared in front of her.
Esme’s face was twisted in rage, and Naya could tell she was spoiling for a fight. Esme had always been jealous of her for stupid reasons, always trying to bring her down. And Naya was tired of that.
“I see you’re losing your hearing along with your voice right?” She asked angrily.
Naya wondered what she had ever done to Esme that made her so bitter.
She did not remember ever having any feud with her.
Naya took in a deep breath as she tried to control herself from saying something drastic to Esme.
Remain mute to others, that was the plan and one idiot was not going to ruin it for her.
“I’m not interested in what you have to say,” Naya demonstrated coolly, refusing to meet Esme’s eyes. She could feel Esme’s anger and contempt radiating off of her, but she wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of a reaction.
“You’re not going to get away with this,” Esme hissed, her voice low and menacing. “You might have fooled the others, but I see right through you. You’re nothing but a lying little snake.”
“I know you’re f*cking one of the lords..” Esme accused.
“You pretend to be the mute, innocent girl. But I know you better than anyone, you’re a slut who goes around opening her legs for the lord’s..” she added again.
Naya’s face flushed with anger and indignation. She had had enough of Esme’s cruel taunts and baseless accusations. She could no longer remain silent.
“You and your sister are both whores.” She added again and that’s when Naya lost it.
Without thinking twice, she slapped Esme. One thing she could never take was having someone insult her sister.
“How dare you?” Esme gritted her teeth in anger as she charged at Naya to hit her.
“I don’t think you would want to try that” She paused as they both tilted their heads to see Zara standing in the hallways with a furious look on her face.