I didn't get much sleep that night. I stayed up reading late and figuring things out with the fancy phone Dante had given me.
Alright, that was a lie. I spent the entire time on the gadget, getting myself up to speed with a few things. I explored the music, listening to some of the most popular songs currently. Batilda had no music, and it was nice to listen to the stuff I missed.
I played around with a few of the apps, but found nothing important. Soon, I found myself looking up a few things that I wasn't too proud of. My search history consisted of trash gossip sites, random news articles, and pictures of Dante.
Lots of pictures of Dante.
He was a very handsome guy. Not that I didn't already know that, but the pictures reinforced that.
But all too soon, I found myself in another mess. Because one of the pictures was Dante and another guy, seemingly laughing and talking. The other guy had dark, curly hair, and warm brown eyes. He even had the scar on his nose from when he broke his nose in seventh grade.
It was Maxwell and Dante. From not too long ago, either. Barely a couple of months. And I found more pictures of them together, from other times. They were friends, maybe even close ones.
I didn't dare see what I could find on Maxwell. It would hurt, to see all I've missed. It did hurt, knowing that somehow, he became friends with the werewolf royal Prince. Soon to be king. Was Maxwell a celebrity? How on earth did he meet the prince? Especially since our father had always been opposed to the Royal family and just how much they controlled.
My father had always thought it wrong for them to control two packs in America, sort of have a pack here too, and be leaders of all werewolves. But then again, I was born a rogue. I think my father left his pack, although that was never spoken of. My mother, I had no clue. Maybe she left a pack before she met my dad.
I stayed up until my phone read 4:12AM, and my eyelids could no longer support themselves. But in my haze, I opened up the texts, and sent one to Dante.
To: Dante (4:12AM)
Text me when you land, please.
And now, hours later, after sleeping maybe ten hours, I was awake again.
And I had a few texts from Dante.
From: Dante (4:14AM)
Yes. Sweet dreams.
From: Dante (7:56 AM)
I've landed. I hope you are getting much needed rest.
From: Dante (1:42PM)
Please eat when you wake and text me when you do.
His texts brought a small smile to my face, although I would never tell him.
To: Dante (1:58PM)
I'll eat soon. I slept late.
A nurse came in not a few minutes later, and she set down a tray by my bed. This nurse was different from the one that didn't like me, and I wondered where the other one had gone.
My phone buzzed when I was halfway through my sandwich.
From: Dante (2:09PM)
Sapphire might come to visit you today. I know the boys will.
Another buzz.
From: Dante (2:09PM)
Good luck with them.
I groaned, flopping back against my mountain of pillows. Leaving me alone with his family was very uncool.
Eventually, after I finished what I could of my lunch, Tristan and Triton joined me, and then Sapphire arrived.
She knocked on the door, and the boys answered with a "Come in!", and she gave me a smile when she came into the room.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything."
Tristan scooted towards the foot of the bed, making room for his sister between him and his twin. "Pretty sure you're good."
She smiled again, but stood awkwardly by the door still. Her eyes glanced around the room, until the finally landed on me again. "How are you feeling?" She asked me.
I shrugged, not knowing how to respond to that. I was feeling many things, and although my back hadn't gotten better, my burns weren't as bad, and I was well-rested.
"That's understandable. Goddess knows you've been through hell."
Triton looked over at me. "What does it feel like, being shot? Dante's been shot," this was new information, "but not as bad as you, obviously. He wouldn't tell us. Pretty sure we hid that from the press, too–" Sapphire walked forward to smack him on the back of his head.
"Se taire. Vous êtes d'être impoli. Ne pas perdre son temps à merde stupide comme ça." She snapped, and Triton grumbled under his breath.
I raised my eyebrow at them. She had spoken so quickly that I couldn't understand. I had caught a little bit, like shut up, rude, time. Sure, I had lived in France my entire life, and I knew French, but that was so fast. Once again, I was reminded of just how much English I've been surrounded by. I could still speak it, I'm sure.
If I could speak, I thought bitterly.
The twins responded back to Sapphire in French. Soon, I zoned out of their bickering, resting my eyes against the pillow. I hadn't felt the need for this much sleep in a long time, but my body–and my heart, frankly–was exhausted. I could sleep forever.
But the more I tried to sleep, the more I though. About Dante. About my family. And about Batilda.
She was here. I knew exactly where she was being kept. She took away my voice, too. I could go and talk to her. Maybe even find a way to persuade her to give me my voice back.
All too soon, I fell asleep again.
* * *
When I woke up again, the room was pitch black. The windows were open, allowing me to see that it was very much nighttime.
I glanced at my phone on the nightstand next to me, deciding to open it up. I found four new messages, all of them being from Dante.
From: Dante (4:05PM)
I'm happy to hear you've been getting plenty of rest. Sleep well.
From: Dante (6:26PM)
Some small incident occurred at training. I might have to stay an extra day. I'll let you know later.
From: Dante (9:38PM)
It seems I won't have to stay an extra day. I'll be back soon. Miss you.
My eyebrows raised at that text. He missed me? As much as I despised my traitorous heart, I felt it do a flip. Dumb, dumb, dumb. I was here temporarily. I needed to remind myself that.
From: Dante (11:57PM)
Seeing as you have not responded, I do hope you have gotten good rest. Sapphire told me she visited you briefly, but then you fell asleep. Text me when you wake, please. Goodnight.
The corners of my lips lifted up, and I couldn't resist smiling at his texts. He was always so kind. And talking to him was so easy over text. If I had my voice, it would be easy simply talking, too, I grumbled. The witch was to blame for that.
My thoughts went back to Batilda, rotting away in her basement cell. Just like she made me. I was slightly happy that she is stuck down there, with no light or knowledge of anything going on outside those thick walls.
I wanted her to understand what she put all of us through. A small part of me wanted her to end up like Wendy and all those before her that hung on the walls of that shed, but the memory made me shiver. No one deserved that.
Soon, I became bored of just thinking, and I had finished all the books I had in the room. I had long since filled my energy up, and there was no way I was falling asleep any time soon, so I decided to get up out of bed and wander the room for something to do.
This was a very bad idea. Simply twisting my body on the bed brought a rush of painful heat to my back, and I gasped in pain. I moved slower then, taking my time to get my feet on the floor and finally standing up out of bed. This brought more pain, but less of it. I shook the nervousness out, and took slow steps around the room.
The room was rather empty, with only simple furnishings and a couple of accents. There was absolutely nothing to do.
I groaned, and turned towards the door. Well, I at least knew there were endless possibilities of things to occupy my time with out there. And judging from the window, it was very late. Most people should be asleep.
I didn't waste another second as I went towards the door, grabbing my phone on the way, and opening the door and peeking out into the hallway. Nobody. I continued my exploration down the hall.
I soon reached the staircase, and tried to remember what floor I was on. Maybe the second, maybe the third. The library was on the second, and I kind of wanted to head there.
Deciding the more painful route, I went down the stairs, hoping I had reached the second floor. A little adventuring led me to the familiar white doors, and I sighed in relief. I was almost done walking.
Shuffling to the door, I opened the door just a crack, only to be met with a loud moan sound.
My ears perked up and I froze. Someone else was in here. I stated through the crack in the door, seeing a pair of wolves on the couch in the back, one on top of the other. They were, um, rather very hasty in their actions with one another.
I shut the door quickly and quietly, and the click was just barely audible. Even though it hurt horribly, I sped away from there, and down the stairs. Just as I rounded the stair at the bottom to go down the hallway, I heard the library door open.
"Did you see who that was?" A whispered voice. Female. And I recognized it.
Sapphire.
Someone else responded. "If I knew who it was would we be worried about who caught us?" Male. Less familiar, but I knew it. Finnegan.
Holy crap.
"I need you to leave before anyone else catches us. This was a mistake. Goodnight, Finn."
"Saph..." was all he could say before the door closed again. I heard him sigh and lay against the wall, and I took that as my cue to leave. I snuck away towards the kitchen, feeling slightly hungry.
No one was in there when I got there, thank goddess. If I was caught and Dante found out, he'd kill me. Or if the doctor found out. But I think he is ready to kill me for just about everything else.
I opened the fridge slowly, the bright light making me squint. Most of the food in here was ingredients for dishes and not stuff for a quick meal.
I shuffled things around, hoping to find something, and I was once again met with nothing. I groaned, shutting the fridge again and checking the pantry this time.
Someone else walked into the kitchen and turned on the lights. I spun around and froze.
Finn stood there frozen too, his hand scratching his head.
He gave me a questioning look. "Florence? What are you doing down here?"
I shrugged at the same time my stomach growled. He smiled.
"Yea, me too. Do you want me to make you some food?" He asked, and I nodded. He quickly got to work, cooking something on the stove. I took a seat at the island.
"If I remember correctly, you were supposed to be on bedrest. What are you doing sneaking out?"
He turned around to look at me, and I gave him a half smile, trying not to look guilty. 'Please don't tell Dante,' I mouthed, and he laughed.
"Alright. But I don't like keeping secrets from him, so you better go back to bed after this." I glared into his back. Isn't he messing around with Sapphire? There's no way Dante knows anything about that.
Finn was done cooking quickly, and he dished out a plate of eggs for me, sliding it across the island.
"Here," he handed me a fork. I smiled in gratitude and went to eating my food.
Finn ate across from me, and he tried to make small conversation, but obviously I wasn't the best at responding, so it was mostly quiet.
"Have you tried getting the witch to give you your voice back? I know Dante would never allow it, but if she isn't listening to anyone else about it, you might want to give it a shot."
Raising my head, I looked at him thoughtfully. He was right, Dante would never allow it. But it wasn't a bad idea. She had listened to me when I had inquired about the bungalow's location, hadn't she? Maybe I could get her to undo her curses.
'I should do that,' I responded, still in thought.
Finn laughed. "Good luck trying to get Dante to agree, though. I'm sure the last thing he wants is you near her again."
But if I went now, Dante wouldn't have to agree. I could go down there myself.
I gave Finn a bright grin before finishing my food.
* * *
I stood once again at the door to the guard house, with the cells below. It was late, after midnight, but I had slept enough that I wasn't tired.
Taking a deep breath, I knocked my knuckles on the door. Goddess, let me be successful.
Not a moment later, the door was opened by a yawning guard. He did a double take when he saw me. "Luna Princess? Um, come in," he gestured for me to enter and I did so with a grin.
"It's late. What are you doing over here, your majesty?"
I opened my phone and quickly typed.
I have business with the witch. Please take me to see her.
The guard read and raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, but that doesn't sound safe, especially in your condition. I don't know if I should–"
Glaring at him, I started typing again, and he shut up.
My condition does not affect the fact that I have things to do, and you are wasting my time. Please take me to see the witch now.
The guard looked rather torn, and nervous. "One minute, um, your majesty."
Florence, I typed, showing him. He nodded.
"Pardon me, Florence. I'll be right back." He disappeared into the next room, and I heard low whispered for a moment. Soon, he was back in front of me, with an older looking guard.
"Miss, we apologize, but we cannot take you to the prisoner without direct permission from a royal." The bigger guard said.
I narrowed my eyes and typed again.
So, what, I need my mate to get things done? Are you truly going to demean me like this? You'd think, with the important of the Luna queen, that female wolves would have more power than to need someone else's permission.
The guards cringed with every word they read. Finally, the younger one spoke. "We apologize your majesty. We did not mean to insult you. I'm sure we could allow a quick visit, right?" He asked his superior. The superior unhappily nodded, staying silent.
I almost cheered at my success. They had no idea how mad Dante would be if he found out.
I followed the guards down the flights of stairs and stone corridors that led to the cells, and all too soon I stood in front of the witch's cell.
As the guard unlocked the many locks that kept Batilda in, I took a deep breath. If this went bad I would leave. I didn't have to stay any longer than a second. But I needed to try.
Finally, the door was unlocked. I nodded to the guard in thanks before slipping in.
The whites of her eyes stood out in the darkness of the room. She blinked a few times before I heard her laugh.
"Oh, dearie. I missed you. It's nice to see you." Her voice was raspy and dry.
"Maybe you could tell the mutts to give me some more food, or a couple of blankets and pillows. That would be nice."
I narrowed my eyes into a heated glare, wishing they truly burned her. She asks for more food and comforts, but where was she when we were starving and freezing to death? I'm sure I growled, and the silence brought me back to my focus.
I opened the phone and typed, making the font bigger so that she could see.
"I would like you to undo the curse on my voice." She read, and then laughed.
"Honey, why on earth would I do that? I know just how much not being able to speak hurts you. You feel tiny. Useless. And sometimes, helpless. All you want to do is scream and yell and cry and all these things, but you can't. Would you even remember how? Probably not. You'd probably be just as useless with your voice." She rolled her eyes, stretching out on the floor. "That's a stupid wish to ask the genie, anyways. Not when you could ask for more." She laughed at her own joke, and I tried to brush off her hurtful words. She had to stop affecting me sometime.
I'll figure it out on my own. I'd simply like to have my voice back. I could tell the guards to give you more food and blankets if I had my voice. I tried to trick her into my own trap, but she was smarter. She always has been.
"Hmm, that sounds very appealing. But it's actually quite amusing when your little boyfriend comes down here and threatens me to undo all the curses. Stupid boy doesn't realize this is part of the plan."
Why don't you explain to me the plan, so I can understand all of this. I was close to pleading, and even though it was the last thing I wanted to do, I would plead.
Batilda thought for a moment. "Well, obviously, you were the youngest I had ever kept. I broke your spirit early, and that worked out well. Everything kinda went along with the plan until the ball. That surprised me. But I had planned for that even so. And now my plan B is working better than expected, with you making very unsafe moves to get what you want, and Dante not knowing any of it until it's too late. And eventually, when one of you dies and the werewolf kingdom crumbles, you'll have done all my dirty work while I got to sleep in a cell."
It felt like a slap in the face, just like every other conversation with her felt like. I wanted to pretend I was above her scheming, but I had fallen perfectly into place too many times. My phone buzzed then, and I took my attention off of her and to the screen.
From: Dante (3:12 AM)
I'm about to board a plane to keep you from getting yourself killed. Get out of there now before I lose my mind.
Oh crap. The guards must have told on me. I should've expected this. Batilda would've, I thought bitterly.
To: Dante (3:14 AM)
I'm sorry. Please don't leave because of me. I'll be out soon. I'm fine.
He started typing immediately, and his response came a couple of seconds later.
From: Dante (3:14 AM)
Not good enough. Get out of there.
I ignored his text and focused back on Batilda. She had a knowing smirk on her face. "Trouble in paradise? I planned for this. I planned for everything. I'm always five steps ahead of you." She let it a laugh, and then she paused for a moment. "Actually, I need a good laugh. You having your voice back would be rather humorous."
I blinked. I didn't find my lack of a voice amusing. Obviously, every part of my demise was to her.
Without another word, she scrunched up her eyes, and then I felt a strong wind in the air around her. It almost pulled me in, closer.
I saw her lips move a little in the darkness, and she whispered a phrase. Suddenly, the air was rushed out of my lungs and I gasped, but then the air came back, and I was panting heavily.
But there was sound. I gaped at her.
She cackled a little. "You won't be able to change anything, this will just give me a good laugh." I shook my head, spinning around to knock on the door and get out of there. The guard opened the door and let me out, and just as he was closing the door, Batilda spoke again.
"Best of luck, dearie!" And she laughed some more.
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so basically what sapphire said to triton was "shut up. you're being rude. don't waste her time on stupid shit like that." at least that's what I told the translator to say. idk French, I take spanish, so it could very well be wrong. But it isn't google translate, so it might be right. quien sabe.
nighty night ;)
skye