The maid wasn’t injured.
The shot to the guard hadn’t even gone through bone. She had shot the fleshy part of his leg that only needed a few stitches, and he’d be healed in no time. Milah hadn’t done any lasting damage.
Why not?
Damon sat back, enjoying his medium-rare steak. It had been three days since he had sent her to the gutter. Most people who went there stayed there to die. He’d ordered food and water to be taken to her once a day.
There was no reason for her to die. In the past, his father would have starved a person to death, or left their body to the rats. It was rare for him to do, and more often, only traitors were sent there. His father felt it rather poetic to allow rats to eat traitors.
Damon smiled, sitting back, enjoying the warmth of his home.
If Milah had given in, she would have been enjoying a fine life, but he’d seen the way she watched the door. Always assessing, and he’d been curious as to what she had been up to. He hadn’t warned his guards, wondering how they would react. Damon had told them all that they were not to kill her.
Milah was to stay alive.
He took a sip of his wine, a nice red to go with the beef that was cooked to perfection. He did love fine food, and he made sure his chef was well compensated for his services.
Damon was enjoying the last bite of steak when James, the guard who was shot, came into the room. “Sir, it has been brought to my attention that Milah has not been given any food or water,” he said.
Damon looked up. “What?”
“I … today, I was in the kitchen, and the chef looked at the tray of food and tutted. No maid or guard has taken any food to Milah in the past three days.”
Getting to his feet, Damon ordered James to bring the guards and the maids who had been in charge of taking care of Milah. James was the head soldier he’d put in place, but with his current injury, he was on rest until the stitches had healed. Even now, he was walking with a crutch to assist him.
Within minutes, the seven guards and three maids were brought to him. His men stared straight ahead, and the maids looked down on the floor.
“Who has been feeding Milah?” he asked.
No one raised their hand.
“What were my instructions?” He looked at his men and then toward the maids. One of the men stepped forward. He couldn’t recall his name, but he was a new soldier.
“Sir, we felt it wasn’t right to feed her. She injured James and has no right to live, sir!”
Rage rushed through his body. Damon pulled out his gun, removed the safety, and shot the guard twice, once in each leg. He screamed as blood seeped out onto the rug.
“When I give an instruction, I expect it to be followed. James, you will keep them all here. They will all receive punishment.”
He left the room, clicking his fingers for two of his guards to follow him. Damon had no choice but to grab a flashlight as he made his way toward the cells. His father installed this many years ago. At first, it had just been a cave, but with time, he’d made sure they could hold men, subjecting them to the elements.
Damon didn’t want to kill Milah. He wanted to scare her into submitting.
He unlocked the gate and charged forward, shining the light on the floor. He noticed several rats, and as he got closer, he saw Milah was on the floor with a few of the furry vermin around her.
He swatted at them, trying to clear her body.
Milah was passed out. Unresponsive.
Shining the flashlight on her, he saw she was pale. Her lips were chapped, and she was freezing cold. After removing his jacket, he spread it over her. Not that it would do much to ward off the cold, but at least it was something. He’d never had a soldier show so much disrespect. He pressed two fingers to her neck and found her pulse. It was there, weak, but she was still alive.
“Call for the doctor,” he said.
He picked Milah up in his arms. Her body was nothing more than a dead weight.
One of the guards stepped forward to help, but he growled at them to step back. He wasn’t in the mood to be argued with tonight. The guards heeded his warning, and they all stepped back. He quickly moved toward the entrance, taking her back to the house. The moment he entered the main hallway, he saw how ill she actually was. Her body was like ice.
He didn’t take her to her room but carried her straight to his.
“Leave!” He barked out the order, and the guards left immediately. He didn’t want or need any help in taking care of her.
Carrying her through to the bathroom, he had no choice but to place her on the floor gently. He quickly started to run a warm bath, constantly checking for any sign of life in her body, but there were none.
With every second that passed, his rage grew stronger. He wanted to kill that guard and the maids who dared to go against him. Their fates were already sealed. That was the problem with having young guards. They were foolish, always thinking with their dicks rather than their heads.
With the water warm, but not hot, he eased Milah into the tub, climbing in with her. Warm water surrounded them, but still, Milah didn’t wake. While in the tub, he gently removed her clothing until she was completely naked. He didn’t take the time to admire her body, although he wanted to.
The water was warm, and he held her close, removing his own clothes to help provide some warmth.
He didn’t speak, and all that Milah did was moan from time to time. Her body shook, and he held her even tighter.
Someone knocked on the door.