I pick apart the banana at breakfast, letting the pieces just fall onto my plate. Christian and Wendy have both joined me this morning. It has been four days since the dinner party, another four days without Cain returning to see me. It's raining outside and I wish I could feel it on my skin, to just stand outside for a few moments would be incredible. I hope I get the chance before I eventually die.

"Aurora, what's wrong?" Christian says. "You've been like this for days now."

"Nothing," I whisper, keeping my gaze on the fruit. "I'm just tired."

"Are you not getting enough rest?" Wendy says. "We can have your mattress replaced."

"It's not the mattress," I say.

"Boredom?" Christian offers.

I nod. It's not just that but I can't tell them what's really getting to me without revealing what I am. I'm sick of wondering when Cain is going to kill me, I would rather know than not know. How much longer can he really go without feeding on me? Until the urge is that strong and he can't resist it anymore? A week? A month? Another day? It's as if he's playing a game with me, toying with my emotions in ways that I will never understand.

"I'm making you something special for dinner," Christian says enthusiastically. "Chef's recommendation."

I lift my eyes and smile at him. "Thank you but I'm a little past being excited about food."

"You want to go outside," Wendy mumbles. "There's a few of us going on a walk to the river later, maybe we could ask Cain if-"

I start shaking my head before she finishes and she drops her eyes sadly. "He won't allow it," I say.

"He won't take the chance with a completed," Wendy says.

"I told you, I'm not completed."

"I don't believe you," she says sternly. "And if we can figure it out then it's only a matter of time before the guards and other visitors do. He gave you your own room, keeps you locked away in here without any guards on the entire floor, and he doesn't feed from you often, you look as fresh as when you first arrived. The longer he keeps you alive the more dangerous it will be for you."

"So you'd rather he kill her?" Christian says with disgust.

"I'm just being realistic," she says. "There's so many leaders around the world that have wanted the King's position for centuries. Apparently those that consume a strong enough completed soul can not be killed from his blade."

"Rumours," Christian whispers.

"My owner has witnessed it." Wendy shrugs. "There was a creature that the King loved, she was his companion for many planets. She betrayed him by forming a secret bond with another and investing in a plot to overthrow the King. Her name was Saffron, I think. She had consumed a very strong completed soul just before he discovered her treachery and he could not kill her, only imprison her. He spared her accomplice because he talked his way out of it somehow, blamed it all on Saffron and that she manipulated him."

Saffron. I think about that name, it sounds familiar. I remember Zander bringing her up when he brought me here, he wanted to trade me for her. She was Cain's lover? Wendy's story is true. A creature that consumes me wouldn't be able to be killed by Cain's blade, it really is dangerous to keep me alive.

"Imprison her how?" I ask.

"Somewhere in the palace?" Wendy offers with a shrug. "I don't know. I never asked."

I pick up a piece of banana and chew it slowly, clearing my throat a moment later. "What do you know about a bell?"

"A bell?" Wendy says.

"Yeah, it was mentioned at the dinner party and it caused some angry tension between them and Cain."

"I don't know what that means," she says, squinting her eyes into the air as she thinks. "I don't think my owner has ever discussed it with me."

"They said he rang it before on a previous planet," I say. "And that they think he might ring it again soon. And then the creature said something about the completed being involved but he didn't finish."

"I have no idea," she says, exchanging a look with Christian who just shrugs. "Maybe one of the other girls will know, given that they were owned by his associates. I'll ask around."

"Do it discreetly," I say. "It made him really furious at the thought of me knowing about it."

She nods. "I will be. I have to take your sheets to be cleaned today so I'll be back later."

"Thank you," I say.

"So what are your plans for today? Now that your plans for a nap have been dashed?" Christian says slyly, grinning at me.

I grin back. "I don't nap all day."

"The King said that I can stay and keep you company." Christian stands and walks over to one of my shelves, eyeing some of the items excitedly. He turns with a stack of playing cards in his palms. "I haven't played these since I was in the nannery."

"Yeah, I don't know where he got that memory from," I say in confusion. "I don't remember liking playing cards."

"There's a lot of things in our pasts that we don't remember or remember wrongly," Wendy says, she suddenly gasps and stares into the air. "I swear I liked collecting different types of flies, but my owner said I didn't."

Christian and I laugh.

"Anyway, I better get going, I need to wash those sheets before we head out to the river." Wendy walks over to my bed and drags the sheets from it, folding them over her arm as she waves at us from the doorway.

"Bye," I say.

"Come on," Christian says, widening his eyes with a playful seduction. "Afraid I'll beat you?"

"Fine," I groan. I push the plates and trays to the side as he takes his seat at the table and opens the box and shuffles the pack. He starts dealing them out between us. I study his face, he looks a lot different than last week. His cheeks have more colour, his hair is more vibrant, and his eyes shine a brighter brown. "You look a lot stronger today."

"Since the new law, the slaves have been allowed to eat as many meals as we want," Christian says happily. "We can take breaks and go for a walk outside. Not to the river like the girls but just being able to sit out in the sunlight without a guard lingering close by is amazing." He bites on his lip, suddenly furious with himself. "Sorry, Aurora."

"It's okay," I say. "I'm glad you can do that. I'm pleased for the others too. You're still the only slave that talks to me, they're terrified of coming near me."

"Can't imagine why." He smiles wryly and picks up his cards. "Don't worry, it's the same for the other girls owned by the King too. When I saw that creature taking you in the hallway, I had to burst into the King's private office to get his attention. I thought he was going to kill me on the spot. We're all afraid of him, even Bella, but you. . . you're not."

"What makes you think I'm not?" I say.

"Just the way you are with him," he says. "It's natural to feel a bond when he's nice to you but just remember what he is, Aurora. He isn't human, their kind took over our world."

"I know that." I swallow, staring down at the eight cards in my hand. "I've just never met a creature like him. He built this entire room from my memories and he did it in hours. I know that I'm important to him but I also know what his true intentions are. I'm not naïve."

"His true intentions are to kill you," Christian says honestly, with no form of humour or lightness in his words. "To take your soul away for his gratification. So he can get stronger. All of this." He stares around the room. "All the objects and meals and kindness, it's so your soul doesn't become depressed, so it can connect with his willingly and make him more powerful. It's a trick, Aurora, I've seen him do it with all the others and now he isn't interested in them he barely even looks at them."

I drop the cards and fold my arms. He isn't telling me something that I don't already know but I've always hoped it was something more. That Cain isn't tricking me completely and he does genuinely care about human lives. What if the whole show at the dinner party was planned for me to witness it for that very reason? So that I'd warm to him some more. So that when he takes my soul for the last time, I wouldn't try and fight it. I don't understand how it would even make a difference how happy or unhappy my spirit is. Arabella said that tortured humans taste better so I know this isn't the case with all creatures but what if I'm different? Because I'm the completed soul, does that mean my soul has to be at peace for him to take it? Because if that's true, then why would he worry about another consuming me?

"You can't trust him," Christian says. "If you have a chance to escape then take it."

"Escape?" I say, meeting his gaze.

"The guards can't touch you," he whispers, dropping his head lowly. "You are the only one of us that can escape."

I shake my head immediately. "I can't do that. Jackson is being transferred here next week. Even if I did manage to escape, Cain would use him to draw me back. Or he'd hunt me down himself."

"It's just an option," he says. "If you ever find yourself desperate enough to need it, then just tell me to leave the key."

"You'd do that for me?" I say. "Again?"

"Yes."

"Thank you, Christian." I reach over and take his hand, he tenses at the contact, running his eyes over our hands.

He suddenly withdraws his hand and stands. "I should go."

"But we didn't play."

"We'll play another time." He smiles at me as he gathers up the empty trays, he almost bashes straight into the door as he turns. "Have a nice day."

I'm suddenly alone again. The feeling isn't welcomed. I pick up my cup of half-drunken coffee and I pace around the room. I decide to run myself a bubble bath and I play some music while I lay down in the comfortable, cherry water. I spend a few hours in there, I stay there until my skin becomes shrivelled and painful. I leave the bathroom with a towel around me and I tie my wet hair up as I hear some kind of noise from outside. I stand up on the red chair, glimpsing the group of girls running in happiness through the fields towards the river. The creatures are keeping an eye on them, swooping the air above their bodies, but the girls don't care. I wonder what that must feel like, running like that. With the sun beating down on me, with the wet ground from the rain beneath my feet. And swimming. Oh, swimming. I miss swimming so much. I bite on my lip with envy and jump down from the chair.

I tell myself to stop being so selfish and greedy and be happy for them. That lasts for around twenty seconds when I cast another lonely glance around my bedroom.