The door swung wide open, and Prince August sauntered in. "James!" He nodded toward his brother, and Aria slipped away as quickly and quietly as possible. This distraction may have just saved her ass from becoming raw.
"What are you doing in here, brother?" James didn't sound pleased to see August.
Prince August's blue eyes landed on Aria. "I was hoping to borrow one of your ladies, specifically the emerald."
The emerald? Aria opened her mouth to interrupt the two men and give them a piece of her mind about calling her the emerald, but James spoke before the words slipped out past her tongue.
"The emerald is off limits. She needs discipline, and I'm not going to have you instilling it in her."
August smiled, his grin growing as the corners of his eyes crinkled in amusement. "I'd like to watch you give her your lashing."
James stood a few inches shorter than August, but they were both brawny. August had scruff growing on his chin, matching his midnight black hair. They shared the same eyes; in fact, all four brothers did, but that's where the similarities ended. James' skin was golden from his time in the sun. Whatever he did outside, it didn't involve labor. His hair was a warm brown, like a deep rich honey melted into chocolate.
"Aria is off-limits. Can I do something else for you? Or are you just here to pester my ladies?" James asked.
August smiled and walked up to Aria. His breath was putrid, and the heat radiating past his lips made her stomach clench. "I will get a taste of you, Emerald. Maybe not today, but when James grows bored with you, as he will, I will find you in my bed."
James stepped between August and Aria, probably keeping her from saying something abysmal to a prince of Brayleigh.
"I've warned you before, August. You have your dozen women; go pay attention to them. You don't need my toys when you have plenty of your own."
August nodded once and turned on his heels. He walked out the door, slamming it behind him before Aria could exhale a sigh of relief.
"Are you okay?" James asked. His hands were nestled on her arms, trying to comfort her the best way he knew how.
Aria nodded. "Yes, I'm fine," she lied. At no moment in this palace, did she feel all right. She wanted to go home.
James kept his voice down so that only Aria could hear him. The other courtesans had grown bored with August's outbursts. Aria got the impression this wasn't anything new between brothers. "Why does August want me now? He could have chosen me this morning when you were choosing courtesans."
"You would have disappointed him if he'd have picked you. He thought Henry might have a desire for you because of your green eyes; that's why he suggested you at all. You're not his usual type. August has always craved the women he can't have. His reputation around here borders on harassment. We all get used to it. The spoiled prince who is destined to be king. It's not as though he wants you as his courtesan forever, just as a mistress on the side, for when he grows bored with his dozen ladies."
"Grows bored? Isn't that why you sell us off and are given your pick of fresh young women, plucked right from the virgin fields?"
James' cheeks reddened. "I'm not discussing this with you any further. I would have invited you into my bedroom this evening, but it's clear to me that neither of us could stand the company of one another for hours." He shoved his hands behind his back and walked over to Adalyn.
Aria's heart constricted as Adalyn placed her hand through his arm and he escorted her out of the room. Why care at all? It wasn't as though she wanted to give herself to him. In fact, she most certainly did not.
"You look troubled," a young blonde said. She had the warmest blue eyes Aria had ever seen, speckled with green. She wore a blue gown, just as all the other blues. "I'm Kiera." She held out her hand, and Aria shook it. Her bangs swept across her eyes, giving her a much more youthful look. Not that she wasn't young as it was.
"Aria."
"I take it you don't like being here," Kiera said.
Aria couldn't fathom why any sane girl would want to be here. She walked toward the window and sat at the ledge of a private enclave for just the two of them to speak, without the other girls overhearing.
"I'm sorry about your mother."
"Thank you, Kiera."
"I should warn you," she said and leaned closer. "Prince August is known for getting what he wants."
Not a flicker of doubt crossed Aria's mind, certain he'd stop at nothing to experience his chance with an emerald. "What do you mean?"
"Shortly after I arrived at court, Prince August approached me. It was in a much less formal setting, with just the three of us out back. Prince James shot him down, told him to go to Hell. Needless to say, he didn't, but he brought me there."
"What do you mean?" Aria asked. A lump formed in her throat.
"Prince August will get what he wants, with or without Prince James' approval."
Aria's fingers trembled at the thought of August forcing himself on anyone. "He attacked you?"
"Yes. Nothing was done about it. August denied the allegation, and I can't give testimony to the King of Brayleigh regarding his son. August grew bored of his interests with me by the following month, when a new girl joined the royal harem. Now he doesn't even acknowledge I exist, which is fine, because I want nothing to do with him."
Aria nodded. "Thank you for the warning." Standing up, Aria slipped out of the sitting room with the other ladies and hid in the darkness of the bedroom. There were two doors, one had been locked and only James had the key. Or so they were led to believe. The other door guided Aria to the girls. With haste, she pushed the dresser against the door, hiding from the outside world, the hallway of the palace, and potentially August. Aria would not be his victim.
Aria undressed from the green gown and slipped into a cream chemise that had been left on her bed. Had Jasmyn or Clara dropped it off? She wasn't quite sure Jasmyn's role as a slave. She intended to ask more about it from Prince James, when he was in a sharing mood.
Sleep didn't come. Kiera's words echoed in her mind throughout the night. With every lingering footstep outside the door, Aria jumped. She was a bundle of nerves, afraid Prince August would come visit her. She wanted nothing to do with him.
As the sun rose, she felt tugged toward sleep. Aria fought the sensation, only to be drawn toward nightmares and terrors of the last twenty-four hours.
Bathed in sweat, she sat straight up, gasping for air. Panting and trying to catch her breath, Aria heard the doorknob jiggle. The door opened inward not out. A loud squeak echoed through the room, as someone tried to breach the door, but the dresser prevented them entrance inside. With no locks for the courtesans and very little privacy, the single piece of furniture was all Aria had to protect herself.
"Aria, let me in," Prince James said.
Pushing herself out of bed, Aria shivered as her feet grazed the cold marble floor. With two arms and all her strength, she forced the dresser back against the wall.
"What are you doing?" James asked.
"Keeping out intruders." Aria smiled to lighten the tension, unsure whether to confess what Kiera had told her the night before about Prince August. "What are you doing? It's early, and aren't you supposed to be with Adalyn?" Aria asked.