Chapter 23

"Zayne, what are you doing?" Lucy questioned. 

She was still hot on his tail trying to get some answers about his relationship with their prisoner. 

"I am walking," Zayne replied, still drowning out her questions.

"You are standing in a kitchen getting more food for someone who shouldn't be here. Send her away from this camp right now or put her where prisoners are meant to be. If she is important for what we are doing here, then tell me who she is," said Lucy.

Zayne placed a lot of meat on a plate since Rose needed it and from what he heard, she had loved the meat when she first ate. 

"Are you listening to me?" Lucy questioned since he didn't answer her. 

"No," Zayne replied. All she was doing was getting in his way of preparing the food. 

For someone who wanted Rose to rest, be fed, and then be on her way, Lucy was working hard to prolong getting what Rose needed so she could leave.

'If you are not careful, it will spread that you were alone with her when she was not dressed-"

"There were only three people present at the time. Unless you speak of it, no one would know what happened then. And Lucy, do not refer to her as a whore anymore," Zayne said, now remembering what he was told.

Lucy didn't regret her choice of description. "You two seemed to know each other. Surely you do not think it is a coincidence that she ended up here and then was undressed when you arrived?"

Zayne placed the plate down so the food would not spill. "Lucy, I am quite tired of your probing all because you think she will get in your way of becoming my wife. Rose isn't the reason I am not going to consider you. Don't let that list sent around get to your head."

Zayne didn't know who was the person to send around a list of women he was considering marrying when he returned home. He didn't care to look either since it would be a waste of his time. Lucy and her father should have been smarter to not believe it. 

"I am not doing this for that. I am thinking about your safety."

'Again with the lies. You are getting on my last fucking nerves and I am quite close to sending you back on a boat alone. I am not in a position to explain what I do to you. Stop poking around about her before I strip you of your position here or worse," Zayne warned Lucy.

She was long on his last nerve and any more troubling Rose would have Lucy regretting her actions.

Rose had not done anything to Lucy for Lucy to be acting this way. 

"Fine," Lucy replied, deciding to leave Zayne and that woman alone. 

Lucy knew that Zayne was going to learn the hard way that they should have sent Rose away before she brought them trouble. She would be ready and waiting to get rid of Rose as soon as it happened. "The day is going by fast so it will soon be time for her to leave. I will not question you any longer."

If what Zayne said was true that he didn't have any interest in Rose, then there wasn't any reason for her to see Rose still in that room tomorrow.

Zayne considered placing Lucy in a cell so he wouldn't have to listen to her complaining. She was normally very useful, but because of the foolish list, she acted a fool when there was another woman around. 

Zayne picked back up the plate and headed to the room Rose was in. Her inability to read concerned him as though she had the map, there might be some signs on her way that she might not be able to recognise from what he pointed out. 

Everything about Rose screamed drama. From the obsessed man to the fact she once started to learn how to read but she did not have a memory of when she started to learn or who taught her. He was curious how long she had been in the brothel and at what age had she been sold. 

Zayne knocked on the still-broken door. Rose wasn't happy with him when she noticed the damage. Zayne smiled as he recalled how she reacted to seeing just how broken the door was. She looked like she wanted to scold him though it was his home she was in.

The door opened and unlike when he left her, Rose was now wearing a dress. He found that it was slightly too big for her and rather than a dull colour, something colourful would suit her. The name Rose suited her because she would look wonderful surrounded by plenty of colours.

"Yes?" Rose greeted Zayne. He was here once more when he didn't need to be. He had helped her more than he needed to with the map. "Food?"

Zayne handed her the plate. "This is the most excited I have seen you since you arrived. There is plenty of meat in the kitchen since we have a lot of soldiers to feed. Do you want more?"

Rose looked down at the pile of meat before her. This was more than she got to eat in a week at the brothel. Even when Graham liked to spoil her. "This is enough. Thank you. I feel like I must repay you for this."

Thanks to Zayne, she had a warm place to stay, a new dress, and the most food she had eaten in a long time. 

Rose stuck by her belief that nothing was free in this world so she needed to give him something before he asked for the impossible. "I have a little bit of money. It should be enough for the room and food."

Zayne leaned on the doorpost. Did he seem short of money? "I don't want that."

"Oh," Rose looked to the floor. Did she anger him? He looked scary right now.

"Am I scaring you?" Zayne asked.

Rose gasped, looking at Zayne who seemed to have the power to read minds. "Did you hear what I said in my head? Do you have that power?"

"No, and I never hope to. There are plenty of idiots walking around here and I don't want to be bothered by their thoughts. I am not going to force you to suddenly trust men, but you take one look at me and act as if I am pointing a weapon at you," said Zayne. 

"Sorry. You just look angry all the time," Rose softly answered. 

"Take my position as general and see if you can be happy all the time. Here," Zayne offered her a new knife. "This one is sharper than the little thing you had before. Need me to show you how to use it?"

"No!" Rose exclaimed. She didn't want to see him pointing it at his chest again. A big misunderstanding could come from it. "I still remember your advice in the brothel."