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“Follow me, please.” Jules gave me a cute grin, took a candle holder, and led me back to the entrance hall and up the stairs. Barnabas snoozed in a basket on the upper landing, his little paws twitching in his sleep.

“He’s so sweet,” I whispered, looking around at Jules and found him watching me with an almost wistful expression on his face.

“He is,” he agreed. “I don’t know what I would do without him.”

I watched the Wolpertinger for another moment, then followed him down the right side of the hallway.

“You can stay in this room.” Jules pushed open the door, and I gasped.

“Wow.” Large rain-lashed windows looked out onto the forest, a raging wind visible in the whipping of tree branches. The wall to the left harboured a huge, comfortable four poster bed with fluffy bedding in earthy colours. Polished wooden tables flanked it. “If this is your guest room, how awesome is your actual bedroom?” Crap, I’d spoken without thinking and felt my cheeks flush. “Sorry.” I ran a hand over my neck. “I only meant it because it’s such a gorgeous space.”

“Oh, don’t apologise. You can see my room in the morning,” Jules replied with a laugh, and I stared. This was the first time he appeared entirely at ease in my company. I liked that. “But you must be tired now. Better go to sleep so you are well rested in the morning.”

“Yeah.” I yawned. A bone-deep tiredness suddenly weighed on me. How had I not noticed how exhausted I was?

“I will show you the bathroom. You can leave your clothes on the floor. I will wash them for you.”

“Oh, that’s not—” I began but he waved me off.

“It’s no trouble for me. I have a few robes. Perhaps you want to take one of them? Will you be cold during the night? I can give you one of my nightshirts…”

He broke off and gave me an insecure smile.

“I’ll be fine. I usually sleep in underwear. I run hot at night.”

Jules made a small squeak.

“Good. I will place your clean clothes in front of your door later.”

“Thank you, Jules. For everything.”

“Oh.” A soft pink tinge spread over his cheeks “You are welcome, Nikolai. Gute Nacht.”

“Gute Nacht, Jules. Träum schön.”

Oh my God.

My mum used to say that to me when I was a child.

What’s wrong with you, Nik?

“Du auch,” Jules said.

Six

Jules

Myinsideswereinturmoil when I left Nikolai to his own devices. I’d shown him the bathroom and where to put his clothes so I could wash and dry them.

He is naked.

That thought looped in my head as I waited in my room for him to finish showering, bundle up in one of the dressing gowns I owned, and turn in for the night.

I also felt a little bit bad that I had used my powers to keep the storm around longer than usual. It wasn’t something I did often, but the idea of parting ways with the beautiful human so soon had tortured me.

A certain sadness surrounded him like a cloud. It spoke to me and drew me in. If I was less civilised, I might keep him. Without my help he would never find the way back. But just because I had been born to a monster didn’t make me one.

The memories of the humans my mother had imprisoned in her castle still haunted me three centuries after I had left her court. How they had all forgotten about their lives, their families, and the people they loved because she craved them.