KDBookOnline
Share Us
I fled before he could respond. I was bluffing—I knew it, and likely so did he—but I still chose the farthest bedroom anyway. That felt…safer.
The room was different than the one I’d been given in the Otherworld but no less luxurious. I barely noticed the thick cream rugs as I paced the polished floors. Barely glanced out the windows that stretched from floor to ceiling, draped with ivory silk curtains. I had a view of the river that bisected the city, which wasn’t possible. Just more proof that while I might be in my world, the Avalon itself was built with fae magic. For all I knew, every room in the Avalon might have been wound up like a ball of string, crisscrossing over one another.
I flopped onto the bed. It was large and carved from oak, its strong pillars stained black. Layers and layers of blankets and linens and pillows in a welcoming palette of ivory and gold were piled on top of it. A fire chattered merrily in a hearth across from it, the mantel carved from one mammoth slab of stone.
I grabbed one of the pillows and buried my face in it. What was I thinking, going toe to toe with a fae prince? Was I trying to get burned?
I pulled my knees to my chest and tried to ignore the feeling that something was missing. The room was too big. The bed too empty. I knew exactly what—or rather, who—I wanted in it with me.
But that was one itch I refused to scratch.
Chapter Seventeen
I spent the following few days being plucked, polished, and massaged within an inch of my life at not one but four of the city’s spas. The only one Ciara hadn’t seemed interested in visiting was the one at her family’s own hotel. Instead, we spent our days being pampered and our nights closing down Bourbon Street—something I hadn’t done in years.
I’d been more than happy to avoid the Avalon and my new roommate.
Some nights, Shaw and Roark joined us, but Lachlan never showed. I suspected he didn’t want to put a damper on Ciara’s final nights of freedom. But the light in his bedroom was always on when I dragged my aching feet down the hall to my own. More than one night, I lay awake and listened for his footsteps. Once or twice, I swore I heard them, but the door never opened.
By the end of the week, I knew he wasn’t just avoiding his sister. He was avoiding me.
The morning the other courts were expected to arrive, Ciara bounced between the Avalon and the Otherworld, dragging me with her until my legs were jelly from all the nipping. Understanding her frantic energy, I didn’t complain, but when she finally announced it was time to go upstairs and change, I nearly wept at the promise of solid ground beneath my feet for longer than ten minutes.
Two dresses had been prepared for the day’s events, laid out by the discreet household staff who kept the place neat and tidy while never showing their faces. I just hoped they weren’t wraiths. I assumed the gossamer ball gown was meant for this evening’s party and changed into the other dress. Its fitted style clung to my curves like an embrace, and the silky fabric—a green that was more vibrant than the ink-soaked jade I associated with the Nether Court—was soft on my skin. It dipped low enough to showcase a swell of décolletage, a single strap curling over my left shoulder like a tendril of ivy. It seemed impossible that something so lovely was also comfortable.
I didn’t want to risk stressing Ciara out by asking her to glamour me, so I pinned my hair back, taming my loose curls as best I could, and spent a few minutes applying mascara and lip gloss. A peek in the mirror confirmed I was presentable. It wasn’t quite as good as the glamour Ciara effortlessly applied in seconds most nights, but I wasn’t here to impress anyone. I wasn’t the one with an arranged marriage on the line.
Ciara was already waiting in the foyer. The bodice of her dark dress was covered in black silk roses that stood out against her pale skin. Its tight, ruched skirt tapered at the knees to show off her shapely calves and a pair of sky-high patent leather platform heels. Her long hair cascaded in a glossy curtain over her shoulders. She would definitely make an impression on the Infernal Court prince.
As I joined her, she sized me up with a sigh. “You should have asked me to glamour you.”
“That bad?” I touched my curls lightly, wondering if I should have put my hair all the way up.
“No!” She threw her arms around me, enveloping me in a cloud of rose-scented perfume. But unlike her usual bone-crushing hugs, this felt like she was clinging to a life preserver. “You’re beautiful. I just should have helped you get ready. I’ve been completely self-absorbed today. I’m sorry.”
“Maybe I should have been the one helping you get ready. I’m new to this friendship thing. It’s your big day,” I pointed out.
She looked a little green at the reminder, but she shook it off and grabbed my hands. “You are great at this friendship thing.” Warmth spread through me as we shared a smile. “How am I doing?”
I’d begun to realize that despite the money and cars and magic, in some ways her life was as isolated as mine. When we went dancing, it was with a security team or Roark and Shaw, not other fae. Even when she’d bought shots for the bar and danced on top of it with strangers—that’s what they remained. Strangers. Maybe it was because people visited New Orleans and left while she stayed, a problem likely exacerbated by living in a hotel. Maybe it was because she was a princess of the Nether Court.
But deep down, I knew it was because she came home every night to check on her older brother—the only person here more isolated than her. I suspected that’s how she’d sold herself on the betrothal to Bain. London would free her from that silent obligation to Lachlan that she shouldered and open new doors, even if it closed a few.
“I might move to London with you,” I warned her, wishing it was true. Like Ciara, I wasn’t eager to leave New Orleans when I had my brother to look out for.
“Don’t tease me.” Tears glinted in her eyes. She wiped them away. “But I know you can’t. Not with Lach…”
I hadn’t told her about his promise that he would break the bargain if I figured out his riddle. How could I when I knew part of the reason she was willing to strike out on her own was that she thought I would be here to keep her brother in line?
My mouth was dry, my tongue sticky and thick with emotions that threatened to ruin my mascara. “We better go.”
Ciara took a deep breath and nodded, but her shoulders shook slightly as we stepped into the elevator.
Every room at the Avalon had been reserved for the next three weeks to accommodate the other courts, each of which, I was told, was traveling with an extensive retinue. It seemed there was no trust between any of them, and the place would be full of armed guards and fae aristocracy. The Nether Court itself would host some of the events; others would take place in the Avalon’s private club and ballrooms, fae moving freely between worlds. Meanwhile, I’d been instructed to stay close to Ciara, Shaw, and Roark, who would see that I didn’t get stuck in either place.
I still hadn’t heard a word from Lachlan despite my room being only a few doors down from his.
The men were already waiting when we stepped off the elevator, along with a dozen security guards. I had no doubt more were on call nearby, tasked with surveilling every public space in both worlds in an effort to keep the peace. I’d been too confused during the Equinox to really take stock of their security measures. Now, my pulse skittered as we made our way to meet them in the lobby. Lachlan was closer to the door, his back to us, and if he heard our approach, he didn’t turn.