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“It’s a little late to be adding conditions,” he said with dark amusement, “but very well. I swear I will not go after him as long as you uphold whatever terms we come to. Does that satisfy you?”
My end of the bargain. Belonging to Gage, giving him my soul. I raised my chin and met his gaze. “Better me than him.”
Something dangerous flashed through his eyes, but he blinked, and it was gone as quickly as a bolt of lightning. He pushed off the wall and started down a corridor without another word. I stared after him for a moment before following. Gage stood a full head taller than me and walked twice as quickly, so I had to jog to catch up. My bare feet slapped against the dark marble, and he slowed but didn’t stop.
“Where are you taking me?” I called after him.
“Stop dawdling, and you’ll find out.”
“Excuse me for not having fae superspeed.”
He finally stopped, turning just enough to offer a feline smile. “My offer from earlier stands. I could carry you.”
I glared back at him, ignoring the dangerous uptick in my heart rate under his scrutiny. Deadly, I reminded myself. “My legs work just fine.”
“Debatable.” He slowed his pace until we were walking side by side. “I’m showing you to your bedroom.”
“Bedroom?” I repeated with a swallow.
He peered down at me. Had he smelled this good in the real world, or was it more fae fuckery?
“It’s a place where you sleep,” he said.
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re a dick?”
His lips lifted at the corners. “Many a time. I’ve even let some of them live.”
My stomach tumbled twice, but I merely returned the slight smile. I refused to blanch at his words, refused to give him even an ounce of satisfaction that he’d unnerved me. But I’d seen the holster he wore, even though I doubted he needed guns. Not with the strange magic he wielded, so powerful that he’d taken me into another world. Still, gun or magic, I was at his mercy here.
“Killing me now wouldn’t be a very good return on investment.”
He barked a laugh and gestured toward arched double doors that were intricately carved with intersecting vines and those strange symbols inked on his skin.
“Your quarters,” he said. When I didn’t budge, he sighed impatiently, pushed the doors open, and strode in. Warm light spilled into the dark corridor, easing my trepidation enough for me to follow.
A small gasp escaped my lips at the room that greeted me. It wasn’t a dungeon. It was a sanctuary.
The walls were painted a warm, earthy green, and a huge, thick rug softened the marble floors. Gold sconces with real burning candles hung every few feet, explaining the glowing light. Overhead, the ceiling rose to a dizzying height, curved beams crisscrossing one another like the vines on the door. On the far side of the room, a bank of ivy-covered glass doors with arched points led to a stone balcony. And next to the doors…a bed.
A huge bed.
A bed that was not made for humans.
Four posters curved into a coronet over the massive bed. Gauzy curtains draped from the center to each rail, each held back by silk ropes. Rich, velvet bedding and dozens of pillows in shades ranging from emerald to dark evergreen were strewn in artful order over it. Across the room, a welcoming fire crackled in a stone hearth.
I stared at that bed, my hands clenching at my sides. It was beautiful. This entire place was beautiful in a horrifying, exhilarating way. Just like Gage himself. Just like the moment you realize you’re in a nightmare but can’t quite wake up.
If I was going to survive in this place, if I was going to survive him, I couldn’t let my guard down.
“The bathroom is this way.” He took a step toward an arched door.
“Wait!” I took a deep breath, steeling myself. “Let’s just get this over with.”
Gage stopped. His eyebrows knitted together as he studied me. “Get what over with?”
“Sleeping together,” I said in a rush.
He blinked. “Excuse me?”