Page 26

I wasn’t in the healer’s quarters like I’d assumed. Rather, I lay in a bed in a nice bedroom and wore a nice nightgown. I fingered the ties, astonished by the softness of the material on my skin. I’d worked with silk many times but had never worn it. The material against my stomach, my back, and my thighs felt so soft, even softer than when I’d run it through my fingers.

Then, I remembered that I’d not been wearing the nightgown when I’d seen Althea. I stiffened. Someone had changed me.

“Everything alright, miss?”

I cleared my throat. “Who changed my clothes?”

“I did, though you’re a bit large for a brownie like me to manage.” She gestured to her size, about half of my height.

Brownie. I committed her appearance to memory; sure I’d meet this sub-order of fae again. I’d read that they often helped in households.

“So Althea helped, of course.” She smiled. “My lord wished for you to have nicer chambers and comfortable attire to rest in.”

Thank the moon above that Warden Roar had not been around. I was no stranger to being naked around human females and the odd witch. When you shared a room with others and used a communal bathhouse, it was a fact of life. And I wasn’t innocent either. Two human men had seen my body in all its glory. Still, the thought of the charming warden helping to undress me would have been too much to bear.

“So, whose room is this?” I gestured to the wider space, three times the size of the quarters I’d shared with seven other blood slaves. Hues of gold and red dominated the room, and a fire blazed in a hearth along a windowed wall. Two chairs were tucked in front of the hearth, one of which an abandoned knitting project rested.

“My Lord Roar says these are to be your quarters.”

Did he? I shifted my legs and touched the floor. My eyebrows screwed together. “Is the floor heated? Or is the fire just that hot?”

“’Tis heated by fire magic, miss. Warden Roar is Winterborn and bred, but he does love the finer things.”

I thought back to the faerie lord I’d met yesterday. He’d been so well put together and kind. He was also prettier than most females I’d met, with long lashes and a thick red mane. Most of the fairer sex would envy him.

“I should alert the warden that you’ve awoken,” the brownie said. “Will you be alright alone for a few moments?”

I nodded. Being alone with my thoughts would be a blessing.

“Very well, miss.” She pointed across the room. “Your wardrobe is in that armoire. Perhaps pick a dress to your liking? The warden had many brought in for you. I’m certain they will fit.”

“Sure.” As I stood, I became keenly aware that I needed to relieve myself. Sleeping for two nights and a day tested my bladder to its limits. “And a chamber pot? Where might I find one?”

“Ah! Of course! You have a personal toilet and bath, just through there.” She gestured to the door by the armoire, the very one she’d entered through, and my lips parted. My own toilet? I’d never had such a luxury, but the Laurents and other vampire nobles did. Apparently, so did Warden Roar.

“Thank you.”

The brownie saw herself out, and I hobbled to the toilet. After doing my business, I looked in the mirror. A gossamer fabric I couldn’t identify protected my wings. That made me think the fabric was used for healing because, while I wasn’t a worldly fae, I knew my fabrics.

The mystery of how my wings looked aside, the rest of me looked better than I ever had. My violet eyes shined bright, color filled my cheeks, and the stress that riddled my face in the Vampire Court had vanished. I pushed a lock of hair behind my ears and gasped when I caught sight of my hand. Pulling it away, I examined it with awe. Just like Althea had said, the marks on my arms and hands where the bloodletters liked to draw from had faded already.

I shook my head, astonished. I’d never seen myself like this. Healing, rest, and a good meal had gone a long way.

Mindful that the warden might arrive at any moment, and I wore only a nightgown, I padded to the free-standing closet that towered over me at twice my height. I pulled open the double doors and once faced with the wardrobe inside, I let out a small shriek of delight.

Warden Roar had not purchased one or two dresses, which would have been sensible and still overly kind. No, he’d bought at least two dozen lovely gowns.

Silks hung heavy, beads gleamed, and intricate embroideries lined the gowns, alongside everyday shifts of immaculate quality. Each beautiful garment took my breath away.

As if to reassure me, I caught sight of my old attire in the corner, the baggy gray tunic and pants, now cleaned and shoved on a shelf in the wardrobe’s corner. They looked plain and rough-spun next to the finery of the dresses. I fingered the pants thoughtfully just as the door to my room creaked open.

I sucked in a breath and grabbed the pants, placing them before my body as I hid behind the wardrobe door. “Warden?”

“No, Lady Neve,” a feminine voice replied. “I’m a lady-in-waiting for you. Lady Clemencia, if you please.”

A lady-in-waiting? By the stars, what had happened to me?

Slowly, I peeked out from behind the door and found a tall female faerie standing just inside my room. We locked eyes, and she curtsied. This fae had the longest black hair that I’d ever seen falling all the way to her rear, and her deepset, hooded eyes reminded me of Anna’s eyes, though this fae’s eyes were a bit larger.