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“Lost souls that are bound to the Otherworld. They’re invisible to everyone but the ruling family. I don’t know why magic decided to bestow that perk on us.”
“You can see them?” Something in the way he spoke told me that I was glad I could not.
“Unfortunately.” He grimaced. “Because I’m a member of the royal household, they answer to me, which means I can see their disgusting, rotting asses.”
“Rotting?” I said faintly. Hearing them was bad enough.
“Some of them. Most of the ones at the Nether Court look like half-rotted corpses cloaked in shadows.”
I rolled my eyes even as an icy shot of fear filtered into my blood. “That sounds like ghosts to me.”
“They aren’t ghosts, exactly.” He chewed on his lip as though it might help him with whatever minute difference there was between a lost soul and a ghost. “In the Otherworld, only fae pass to the next life at death. If another creature dies here, they are caught in the veil between this world and the afterlife. They become wraiths, beings of pure light or shadow, and are forced to serve the fae royals. It’s why we’re so careful about allowing access to our world.”
“Other creatures? Like humans?” I swallowed, trying to dislodge the dread sitting like a lump in my throat.
Shaw bobbed his head, his eyes darting in my direction. “Humans, witches, vampires…”
“So, if I die here”—I tried to keep my voice from trembling and failed—“I become a wraith.” A dead, rotting, ageless creature of shadows. This just got better and better.
“In the light courts, I’m told they can be quite beautiful. What a human might call an angel.” He gave me a lopsided grin. “I bet your soul would find a light court.”
It was a sweet thing to say, which only made me absolutely sure that if I died here, I would not wind up at a light court. Not if it was down to what was in my soul. Because I’d already agreed to help Ciara for my own purposes, and if getting close to Shaw would help me, I wouldn’t hesitate.
“I think I’ll try to kick the bucket in my world,” I said.
“Probably a good idea.”
We smiled at each other. Despite my commitment to hating the Nether Court and everyone in it, I liked Shaw. He reminded me of my own brother, and just like Channing, Shaw was caught up with a bad crowd. Not because he was a bad person but because he was a decent person who didn’t have a choice. I wouldn’t hold it against him, but that wouldn’t stop me from using it to my advantage—just like Lachlan would.
Chapter Fourteen
I wasn’t surprised when I woke in the Nether Court to find the sky filled with a lavender haze as the sun chased away the moon. Lachlan had warned me the necklace wouldn’t send me home. And part of me didn’t mind. Instead of wailing sirens, birdsong drifted on a sweet-scented breeze through the balcony door I’d left cracked last night.
It was…nice.
Lachlan had made it clear that he expected me to stay in the fae world while they prepared the Avalon for the visiting courts. And there were perks to the Otherworld that I doubted the hotel would have—and my own place definitely didn’t. Namely, the bathtub I’d been avoiding but which called to me after another long night of tossing and turning.
I made a point of locking the door, not caring what Lachlan said about his intentions, before I tore my clothes off and turned the golden tap, shaped like a winged serpent, to fill it.
At home, I was lucky if my shitty boiler kept the shower hot for five minutes. Here, the water seemed to operate with some of that strange magic Lachlan used, because it came out the perfect temperature, smelling slightly sweet and herbal, and filled the tub impossibly fast.
I groaned as I took the steps into the water, the bath more a pool than a tub. Sinking onto a built-in bench, I felt my muscles relax as the water lapped against my skin, its heat seeping into my bones and erasing the lingering tension. I shouldn’t let my guard down, but I would enjoy this.
Too bad my brain had other ideas. A constant loop of questions played in my mind along with dangerous thoughts, like maybe this wasn’t so bad—especially if Lachlan’s big plan was to lock me up in a five-star hotel room.
I laid my head against the edge of the bath and stared at the candles glowing overhead and sorted through my thoughts. That nothing more had happened with Lachlan was both a relief and mildly insulting. Not that I would ever admit that to any living soul. Nor would I admit how hot that kiss had been. He may have started it, but my traitorous body was more than willing to finish it.
The memory sent me sinking under the water. I needed to stop thinking about it or I’d have to do something to take the edge off. He’d know. I was sure of it. And what would be worse—the cocky smirk he’d give me or him whispering that he wished I’d called him?
I blew bubbles into the water. Maybe he was just trying to keep me flustered so I couldn’t figure out his end of the bargain. What did he want with me? And what if it was sex and he was just buying time until my deadline came and went? Maybe it’d be better to bang him just in case.
I should have opted for a cold shower because I definitely didn’t need to warm myself up to that idea.
I pushed out of the water, my racing thoughts driving me from the bath far too quickly. But that was probably for the best. The last thing I needed was to get comfortable here.
I didn’t bother to dry my hair before I pulled on my clothes from the night before, scowling when I spotted the wine stain in the mirror. There wasn’t much I could do about that. A glamour would be handy right about then.
When I opened the door ten minutes later, Roark lounged outside in a hall chair. Apparently, I warranted an armed guard at all times now. I might be the only person Lachlan trusted, but it was clear he was out of practice with the concept. Not that the hulking, tattooed fae he had assigned to watch me was very intimidating, given that he was always glued to his phone.