Born of Stone by Missy Jane Read Free Book Online

hurried to the door. He yanked it open to find Wynnston in the hallway.
      “What it is?” he growled quietly.
    His brother’s brows shot up and he crossed his arms over his large chest. “Am I interrupting something?”
    Orestes ran a hand over his face and blew out a breath. “No. She’s sleeping.”
    Wynn’s gaze ran down the length of Orestes’s body and he smirked. “Is she now?”
    “Yes she is. And I’d prefer not to wake her with our voices.”
    “Then step outside so we can talk.”
    Orestes glanced over his shoulder at the slight form on his bed. It was amazingly difficult to leave the room but he did, leaving the door cracked open in case she called out to him.
    “All right,” he said, crossing his arms in imitation of his brother. “What must you say?”
    Wynn shook his head and chuckled. “Good thing we don’t have women roaming these halls.”
    “Afraid they would find me irresistible in my nakedness?”
    “You wish.”
    “I wish you would get to the point of interrupting my rest.”
    Wynn threw up his hands and sighed dramatically before finally giving a short nod. “Fine. We questioned the staff and learned Simon has been beating them through his entire tenure. Unfortunately he learned the practice from his predecessor.”
    “And did that bastard blame it on us as well?”
    “Most likely. He died, remember? No way to know for certain now. Anyway, we gathered every human in the castle and let them know the abuse would not continue. Simon has been fired and sent away. I also discovered he hadn’t been paying them. You wouldn’t believe the way some of them looked.”
    The haunted look in his eyes spoke volumes and Orestes was reminded of his initial assessment of Astrid. She was way too thin.
    “A feast,” he said. “We’ll hold a feast for all who work for us and allow them to indulge for one full day. Then when they go back to work, we will be sure to pay better attention to their care.”
    Wynn nodded. “Not a bad idea. I’ll speak to the others about it.”
    Orestes turned and placed his hands on his doorknob but Wynn gripped his shoulder before he could enter his room. He looked back at his brother with a raised brow.
    “I just want you to know I take full responsibility. As it has always been my duty, I have no excuse for not realizing the state of the staff.”
    Orestes immediately turned his body and his full attention back to his brother. Wynn dropped his hand and the shame in his eyes was unmistakable.
    “You did place your trust in the wrong human, brother, but I don’t blame you for it. All of us are equally responsible. How many times a day do we pass any member of the staff and ignore them? We must all do better.”
    Wynn nodded and his shoulders seemed to ease. “True, but I will be especially wary from this day forward.”
    “Good enough.”
    Wynn grinned then and nodded toward the open door. “Go on back to your human now, brother. I’m glad to see you’ve finally learned the worth of their women.”
    Orestes chuckled and slapped his brother’s shoulder before returning to his room. He shut the door quietly behind him and locked it. His brothers weren’t known for their censure or their respect of privacy. As soon as Wynn told the others about Astrid, they most likely would come looking to see for themselves. A locked door would deter them…possibly.
    He was about to rejoin her on the bed when his stomach growled loudly. With a frown, he glanced at her and was happy to see her still asleep. He didn’t want to get dressed and leave her but he’d never finished dinner. He sighed as he pulled on clothes and headed out the door.
     
     
    Astrid was dreaming, and it began as the most glorious dream. All manner of food lined a massive stone table. The Masters stood all around it but there were also humans among them.
    “Eat, eat,” they said, and the humans dug in with greedy hands. Astrid reached for a leg of chicken and Orestes grabbed her wrist.
    “No,