I heard one of the other men kneel in front of me, but my eyes stayed locked on the water. I wanted to burn the picture into my head so I had something to focus on. Something to distract me from what came next.

My brows furrowed slightly.

Was that...ice?

A thin white layer was spreading across the water, freezing the small waves in their motion. I could see my breath slightly start to condense.

"I wouldn't risk using her mouth, Jerry. She might bite your dick off," Andreas laughed. I felt his hands bush against the bare skin of my ass as he fumbled with his dick.

"I wouldn't risk using any part of her. I will rip your dick off if you do," echoed a new voice.

Everything seemed to still. Frozen in time for a split second; the calm before the storm.

I felt the weight of his body lift off mine as Andreas scrambled off me and the others back away.

"Zev-"

Zev calmly cut Andres off. "Lord Zev."

"What?" I couldn't see Andreas's face- my eyes were still focused on the water as the ice continued to spread- but I could hear the shock in his voice.

"Lord Zev. Don't forget your place. You are not permitted to address me without my title."

"B-but-"

"I can't believe I ever fucked you." His footsteps echoed off the walls. "Get the hell out of here. Cassius will deal with you all in the morning."

"Lord Zev, please, we have nowhere else to go-"

"As I said, Cassius will deal with you in the morning. You three dug your own graves, now lie in them."

The three tried to apologize and give more excuses. The temperature dropped even more.

"Unless you want to face Cassius right now," his voice became as cold as the air surrounding us. "I suggest you get the fuck out."

The cave was silent for a beat, then filled with the sound of multiple footsteps scampering towards the exit.

I could see frost begin to form on the stone floor as a set headed in the opposite direction, towards me.

I flinched back when Zev crouched down in front of me, blocking the view of the frozen water. He held my clothes in his outstretched hand.

"Get dressed," he said deadly calm. It was softer than earlier, but just barely.

I grabbed the clothing as I curled in on myself. He stepped away and turned his back and I numbly dressed. Once I was done he turned back around.

"Come on," he gestured with his head towards the exit. I hesitated, worried that they may be just outside. He must have noticed. "They're gone," he reassured.

I didn't trust him, but he had just saved me so I took his word for it. Plus, I was still too numb to really care what he may have planned for me after everything that had happened.

I followed behind him, towel clenched in my hands like a safety net. When we reached the exit, he had to pry it from my fingers to place it in the used towels bin. He eyed me closely before moving again.

When we reached the hallways, I turned to head towards my room, but he stopped me with a hand on my arm. He let go once I flinched.

"You're in shock. You shouldn't be alone right now."

"I'm fine," I reassured him flatly.

He just looked at me. "Come, I'm not asking."

He grabbed my arm again, not letting go when I reacted this time. Pulling me along, he led me towards the stairs.

The manor was quiet, the halls dark. Lamps lining the walls lit our way, turning on when we passed, and off when we were gone. The ticking of a clock echoed off the walls.

"Sit," he instructed, flicking on the lights as we entered the kitchen. "Are you hungry?"

"No," I answered at the same time my stomach grumbled. I was hungry, but I had no appetite to eat.

He just looked at me as I sat down and shook his head before grabbing a loaf of bread and supplies from the large fridge. Setting them down on the table between us, he starting cutting slices of the bread.

"Any specific preferences I should know about?"

I just shook my head. I knew it would be pointless to argue with him that I didn't want anything.

I watched as he made a chicken and cheese sandwich with lettuce and some green sauce. I didn't expect that someone like him, who lived in the laps of luxury, would ever bother making me a sandwich, especially not after how he had been treating me. If anything I expected him to wake up one of the chefs and make them do it at the very least.

His long tattooed fingers placed the lettuce on the sandwich. They looked like they would be great for playing the piano. His sinewy, inked arms were visible in the white t-shirt that stretched over his broad shoulders and defined chest. He was tall, like they all were, at around 6'3. My eyes trailed up his body and neck. His jaw was defined and his checks slightly concaved, making his cheekbones stand out further. His lips were pink and his nose was straight and sharp. His long dark lashes cast shadows over his lavender eyes that had flecks of sliver and his cheeks. His lashes and eyebrows were dark, a sharp contrast to the white hair on his head. I could see the pointed ends of his ears through the short strands that reached them. As his head moved I could catch glints of sliver in the snowy strands that matched the metal pieces that decorated the cartilage of his ears.

He slid the plate with the finished sandwich towards me. "Eat," he commanded before starting to clean up.

I looked at the sandwich blankly, making no move to follow his order.

Maybe I was in shock. Everything felt... numb.

"Why didn't you fight back?"

I looked up to find Zev watching me closely.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I did at first, but it was pointless."

He eyed me in contemplation."Why don't you fight back against us? What game are you playing?"

I scoffed. The numbness I felt made me immune to the fear his eyes induced. "Why? So you can make my life even harder? I'm not playing any games. I'm just trying to survive being your wife without making my life worse. "

He narrowed his eyes, skeptical, and crossed his arms. "What were you even doing there at such a late hour?"

"I could ask you the same thing, tinker bell."

Confusion flashed in his eyes at the nickname, but he quickly returned to his icy state. His eyes bore down on me, demanding an answer.

I sighed. "Because some people decided to make my life harder and make it so I had to work till the late hours of the night. Plus, I can only bathe privately in a bathing pool shared by men at night when everyone is asleep." I picked up a small piece of chicken and put it in my mouth. "So, why were you up and circling around the servant's bath?"

He scowled at me. "I wasn't circling around the bath. I couldn't sleep so I was walking around. Heard some annoying screams so I went to check it out." He leaned against the table behind him. "Shouldn't you be more grateful?"

"I would be, but considering that you're the reason why it was happening in the first place..."

His jaw clenched. "Well don't worry. Cassius will deal with them in the morning and you'll never have to see them again."

"Why did you even help me? Your goal since the moment we met was to make me miserable. Why not just let them... do that to me?"

He narrowed his eyes at me. "I hate you, but I would never allow that shit to happen in my own home. I know what it's like and wouldn't wish that fate on my worst enemy."

I could see his body visibly tense at his admission.

"Eat," he commanded again before heading to a cupboard and pulling out a glass bottle of blue liquid.

Guess he didn't want to talk about it.

I took a few bites while Zev grabbed two cups and returned. He poured some in each and slid one over to me.

"It'll help."

I tentatively raised the cup to my lips. A sugary sweet scent assaulted my nose with the fragrance of flowers underneath. This was the same stuff that refused to come out of Jaxon's carpet. I took a small sip followed by a large gulp when the sweet earthy taste exploded on my tongue.

"Careful," Zev warned, pulling the cup away from my lips. "That's fae wine. Small sips or you'll find yourself waking butt naked in the woods with no memory."

I eyed the transparent liquid. "Are you talking from experience?" Taking another small sip, I set it down and picked up the sandwich again.

"Maybe. Just shut up and eat."

I smiled slightly at the thought of cool, calm, and collected Zev getting drunk. He didn't look like the kind of man who knew how to have reckless fun.

I finished a little over half the sandwich before pushing the plate away. It was good but I couldn't force myself to take another bite.

I looked up to find Zev watching me. Was he doing that this whole time?

"If you're done eating, let's go. I'll walk you to your room." He set his empty cup down in the sink before heading towards the door.

I could argue that he didn't need to, but I kept my mouth shut, put my dishes in the sink, and followed. I didn't want to run into Andreas or his friends, especially now that they were in trouble. I knew it wasn't my fault, but knowing those idiots, they'd probably blame me.

He walked slightly in front of me. We didn't talk, choosing to make the journey in silence. The silence was deafening, only broken by the sound of ticking clocks and a distant owl.

I eyed his back in a new light. If what he let slip was true, then we may have in common than I thought, even if it's just one small detail. I wasn't delusional and thinking that we'd have a tea party and talk about our trauma like pals, but I was hopeful that he'd ease up on the hate.

When we reached my room, I stepped forwards and opened the door before turning to say goodbye. I found him looking past me and into the room, eyeing the empty bed with a frown. I wanted to scoff. It was his fault after all.

"Thanks," I said.

He nodded. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

He was silent for a moment. "This doesn't make us friends," he clarified.

I didn't think it would.

I shut the door and just stood there, blankly staring at the floor, Zev no longer around to distract me. I had almost forgotten how it felt to be violated. The hard work and friends I had made helped make it a seemingly distant memory. But having it happen again when it wasn't expected as just a part of a normal Tuesday evening... made it so much worse.

Sighing a shaky breath, I looked up to stop the fears filling my eyes from falling. The numbness had started to fade.

I made my way to the bed and tried to make myself comfortable on the wooden surface. I wanted this night to be over. Just as I closed my eyes, they flicked open when I heard a knock on the door.

I tensed. My mind went straight to Andreas. Was he here to finish the job?

Getting up quietly, I made my way to the door. I swallowed before reaching for the doorknob. Putting my ear against the door, I tried to listen for any sounds or voices, but I heard nothing. Taking a risk, I slowly twisted the doorknob and opened the door a crack, just enough so that I could slam it shut if I needed to, looking out to see who it was.

Except there was no one there.

Opening the door further, I was surprised at what I found. A small smile curved my lips.

It was a large pile of sheets, blankets, and pillows.