six. 

“I hurt your feelings. I’m sorry.” That was what met him one night several weeks later. Smiling, he sat down and gave a nod. 

    “Apology accepted.” 

    “I didn’t realize how harsh I sounded Kieran. Not knowing that you weren’t just talking about you. But you were talking about me too.” A dark eyebrow lifted. 

    “Was I?”

    “Yes. When you were talking about man does when he fears what he does not understand. The same situation can be applied to me and those of my ‘kind’. The same as yours.” 

    “I’m glad you understand.” 

    “I can’t judge you for being who you are. I’ll admit at first… it made no sense to me. I didn’t want to believe what you had told me. But the more I thought about it… yes we might not know each other very well but we are very similar.” 

    “Quite a mature outlook on that Zadie.” At his praise, she blushed and lowered her head. 

    “I suppose.” 

    “Tonight starts something new between us.” She looked up again. 

    “Something new?” 

    “Friendship.” Smiling softly, she gave a nod. 

    “I’d like that. To be friends.” 

*** 

    The fire burned hot and menacing and her legs were starting to grow tired. Standing by, she nursed the fires with more coal. 

    “Busy?” Jumping, she turned to find humored blue-green eyes. Lord Nolan. 

    “Ah….yes sir.” He peered around her at what she was doing. 

    “Jumpy are we?” 

    “N-no sir….” 

    “I was wondering where my wife had placed you. Seeing as how she no longer desired for you to be her lady maid.” Quiet, she kept her gaze down. 

    “In the kitchen…poor girl. Hard?”

    “No sir.” 

    “Well I for one sure miss seeing you around.” A slice of dread pierced her belly. 

    “We have a dinner party planned tonight. And I will be requiring your care.” His..care?The question must have been in her face because he chuckled. 

    “Of course if you’d prefer I also enlist your help in that way it can definitely be arranged.”

    “No sir. I-I was mistaken is all.” Drawing closer, he lifted her chin. 

    “Expect my call very soon.” Fear drenched her as he smirked and left her standing there by the fire.

*** 

    “Sorry I’m late….” 

    “No apology required.” The poor thing seemed out of breath as she sat down, each time during her visit closer and closer until only the bars stood in between. 

    “I brought you a couple of gifts.” 

    “Oh?” Opening her apron, she handed him a bar of lye soap, a comb and a small bottle of water. 

    “Ah…how did you come by this?”

    “I stole it when Lady Nolan wasn’t looking.”

    “You’re becoming quite the criminal.” Rolling her eyes, she smiled to herself though. 

    “Well… every person deserves a bath. And I have had my fair share of being without them. It’s not ladylike. Nor is it gentleman-like. So there.” He smiled deeply and placed the soap and other items beside him. Outstretching his hand, he gently took hers in his. 

    “Thank you Zadie.” For a moment, it was if she didn’t know what to do but soon her small fingers closed around his. 

    “It’s no problem.” Withdrawing his hand, he opened the small plug to the jar of water and wet the comb. He tried to comb through his hair but hissed at the pain. Her laughter was sweet and soft and she’d lifted her hand to cover her mouth. 

    “What’s gotten into you aye?” He teased, eyes twinkling. 

    “That’s not how you comb hair.” 

    “Oh? I think I’ve been around a lot longer than you Miss.” There again, the sound of her laughter making his heart beat faster. How could one little human make him so comfortable? 

    “Here, come here. I’ll show you.” Expression wrought in frustration, he handed her the comb with a sigh. 

    “It’s been a bloody long time since I’ve combed it.” 

    “That’s okay. We’ll start nice and slow. Work our way through the knots here. And then it’ll glide right through nice and smooth.”  She took a small section of hair and began to gently comb from the end of the comb first. He watched her carefully as she did and to his amazement, the knot of hair was slowly but surely eased away. 

    “Amazing…”

    “I told you.” Drawing eyes up from the section of hair, they rested for a moment on her hands. How soft and delicate they were. They took care with his hair, gentle with the comb. His eyes then roamed up further, pausing at the exposed skin of her collarbones. But they finally settled on her face.  She was truly a vision to behold. Dark sultry eyes, ones that were unconscious of their power always seemed to remain downcast. What a shame. Her eyes were one of his favorite things about her. They said so much without her even having to say anything at all. Her shapely little button nose, charming even more so when turned up. 

    A warmth began to spread across his lower belly as he drifted to her lips. Surely, Aphrodite herself couldn’t have had lips more tempting than hers. Soft and smooth they appeared, plush and full they were made simply to be kissed and adored. Each time he glanced at them, he wanted with the most sincerity to kiss them, tease them, feel his mold and fit against them passionately. MATE. The word rocked him and he jumped some, startling her. 

    “What is it? Did I hurt you?” Eyes wide, he gave a little smile and relaxed, with a shake of his head. 

    “No… not at all.” He laid down on the ground and pressed his forehead against the bar. With that extra closeness, she could comb more hair and seemed happy. Eyes drifted up to her elbows and soon a sweet little hum drifted up from her throat. Smiling, he allowed his eyes to close as the woman continued to care for him. MATE. 

***

    It was the hum that said everything. He watched her as she dusted the top of his mantle; all the figurines and decorative pieces. Tinkling, sweet and girlish. Innocent. Almost as if she had someone in her heart. He said not a word as he continued to observe her. One of his pride and joys was when he came into possession of her. He’d never admit it. But he truly liked her. Society frowned on it. He, himself, didn’t understand what was the attraction. The negroid race was interior in every such way. And yet there was this little thing of a woman. 

    She was intelligent, though she tried to hide it. She could entice and play coy should she desire to. She didn’t understand the power she held within her grasp. A power over him that not even his own wife possessed. No, Charlotte was strictly a political match, nothing more. He had never loved her and never would. So long as Zadie was nearby. He felt that a part of him could breathe. 

    “Happy are you?” Immediately, she froze. 

    “A-ah…no sir….just humming to pass the time by. If it has offended you I apologize most sincerely.” 

    “It hasn’t offended me in the least.” Swallowing, she began to dust again, purposely trying not to glance in his direction. That cat-and-mouse game is what stirred his loins and he wanted to have her right then and there. Inhaling through his nose, he crossed the room and forced her to stop, lifting to place his hands on the mantle, just beside hers. Nose pressed against her maid cap, he allowed a tiny rumble to come from his throat. 

    “My Lord…please…d-don’t do this….please.” 

    “At some point you’re going to have to stop being so bloody stubborn.” He spoke against her ear, making her squirm. 

    “I’m not being stubborn sir. Really.”

    “Should you want me then simply say so. I will be yours to have.” 

    “My Lord!” She turned and pushed him away from her, surprising him. 

    “Enough…please. I-I don’t want you. I’m enslaved here…to you….” Fury lit him up like a match. As maddening and desirable as she was, sometimes she infuriated him so much he wanted to kill her. Lifting his hand, he slapped her so hard she fell to the ground. 

    “I refuse to be your little pleasure doll!” She cried out, anger and pain in her voice. 

    “You’ll be whatever the fuck I want you to be, dirty fucking slag!” He pulled her towards him, trying to grab her now kicking legs. 

    “NO! LET GO OF ME. LET GO!” Having grown red in the face, he grabbed hold of her and lifted his now fist. 

    “Disrespectful negroid bitch!” He hissed, punching her in the jaw. She still tried to fight him and block his hits but he took hold of her hair, maid cap and all and pulled her head back. 

    “Is this what you want? I can do this all night long.” He said roughly with a grin, dropping a hand to lift her dress. 

    “No….NO no no please…” 

    “I can put us both out of our misery. Right here and right now. Just fucking ask me. Stop acting like a spoiled little cunt. ASK ME.” She couldn’t say a word, now beaten and bloodied. 

    “Beg me with those unnatural lips of yours! Go on! Beg me to pleasure you! Beg me to give you child! I’ll fucking do all of it! If only you mind your manners.” Letting go of her hair which now had started to come out from her maid cap, he watched as she started to sob, curling up in a ball. 

    “Bloody get up. Get up I said.” He reached down and grabbed her, forcing her up. 

    “Don’t touch me! Don’t touch me you animal!” She hissed, earning her another hit, her reward a busted lip. 

    “Bitch. Who the hell do you think you are?” Taking her by the neck, he backed her up against the wall. 

    “You do what I tell you to do. Is that understood?” She could only gasp for air as he choked the life from her. 

    “You’ve taken my hospitality for a weakness. That ends today.” She tried to speak but he only tightened his grip on her air supply. 

    “From now on, I shall have my eyes on you at all times. You will not ever be able to escape me or go any fucking where without my explicit permission. Is that understood?” She had started to grow limp, eyes starting to roll back. Letting go of her, she crumpled to the floor, taking in large agonized breaths, wheezes. Kneeling, he made her look at him. 

    “Consider this the last time I extend some grace on you. The next time I just might kill you.” Leaving her on the floor, he straightened up his suit and hair and left her sobbing, the music of the dinner party drowning out her misery. 

*** 

    It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered anymore. 

    “WHERE IS IT?” She had torn his room apart, the prized possessions on his mantle now either smashed or melting away in the fire. She, however, was looking for something. 

    “Where is it? It HAS to be here…” Almost frantically, she began to throw open his massive desk drawers. 

    “Oh my God what is goin’ on in here?! Zadie! ZADIE!” Hands rushed to grab her which she fought. 

    “GET OFF OF ME! DON’T TOUCH ME.” Turning wild eyes around, she found Anne and a couple other maids standing there in complete shock and disbelief at what was happening. 

    “Oh my God…dear God…what did he do to you Zadie?” Tears welled up in her eyes and she broke down completely, falling into the woman. 

    “My sweet darlin’ friend…..let it out. Let it out…it’s a’kay.” She hushed her and helped her to stand. 

    “Listen… I need you to clean this up fa her. Please mates. We don’t want any trouble to’nigh. Not with this dinna party goin’ on.” The group looked more than displeased but bit their tongues. 

    “If anyone asks you wot happened, tell em’ Lord Nolan got a bit upset. Don’t mention Zadie at all. Please.” 

    “Fine. Go on and take her then.” 

*** 

    That night he was disappointed. She didn’t come as she said she would. He tried to calm his heart and the butterflies dancing in his stomach. When she was around, when she was near…he began to see a glimpse of hope… of light. She made this hellhole worth it. Sighing, he reached up to touch his hair, the parts that she had braided and tied into a loose ponytail. When asked about this very strange hairstyle, she told him that it would enable his hair to remain prim and neat longer. Smiling, he laid on his back and looked up at the darkness that otherwise would close in on him. He’d never felt for a human woman the way he was starting to with her. MATE. Closing his eyes, he yawned some. Yes, that indeed sounded right. She had to be.