Chapter 33 : Bent But Not Broken
*Elva*
The cold of the night consumed all else. Even the bright flames in the fireplace did nothing to warm my cold hands as I held them over the fire. I shivered despite myself. Even after so many years in this castle, I had never acclimated to it as my mate had.
He was a brute of a man and cared for no one else. His was the only room in the whole castle that had any amount of heat at all. He hoarded both wood and food for himself, enjoying the suffering of the rest of us faced.
I had done what I could during my stay, helping those who needed it when Dryden’s eye was buried deep in the cleavage of one of the slaves who brought him his meal.
He enjoyed the company of other women more than he did me. When he learned I would never bear a child, he threw me away as easily as an unwanted apple. Still, he only kept me around for my political knowledge.