Page 19 of A Blade of Blood and Shadow (The Ravaged Kingdom #1)

Chapter

Twelve

T he air was heavy the following evening as I left Imogen’s apartment building. My leathers stuck to my skin in all the wrong places, but being too hot was better than picking grit and rock out of your wounds after some vampire dragged you across the pavement.

I found Kaden leaning against the side of the building, looking infuriatingly casual with his wings splayed against the brick. A slow grin spread across his face as he took in my attire — and the dozen or so blades strapped to my thighs.

“I see you came to party,” he said, pushing off the wall.

“You can never be too careful,” I replied, irrationally annoyed by how relaxed he seemed as he led me around the corner. He didn’t have a weapon on him — at least not that I could see.

“That’s the spirit,” he chuckled, tucking in his wings to avoid brushing the cracked stucco walls of the crumbling buildings we passed.

All my senses were on high alert as he led me down a poorly lit side street.

The uneven cobblestones were terrible to run on, and this part of the Quarter was unfamiliar to me.

The buildings here weren’t painted in the beguiling colors of the vampire clubs.

Most were dark and grimy from neglect, and a few looked as though they might be condemned.

“Your fae friend lives over here ?” I asked when he led me down a dead-end street.

“No,” he called over his shoulder. “We’re swinging by my place first.”

I nearly tripped over a loose cobblestone as I came to a halt. “ Why ?”

“To change into something more . . . appropriate.”

“What’s wrong with this?” I protested, gesturing down at my leathers.

Kaden turned and made a show of looking me up and down. “We need to blend in to avoid rousing suspicions, and you, little huntress, are dressed like a cat burglar.”

I rolled my eyes, and Kaden’s laugh echoed off the buildings as he led me down another winding street. He brought me to an imposing gothic-revival building perched on the corner.

Its pointed tower seemed to stretch into oblivion, piercing the star-flecked sky.

Tall windows jutted out from every floor, and gargoyles leered from between the wrought-iron accents that curled out from the upper stories.

The heavy wooden doors were chained shut, but a casual flick of Kaden’s wrist, and the solid metal links simply melted away.

Cautiously, I followed him through the battered doors into a dark lobby. Glass sconces sputtered to life with faelight, illuminating the black-and-white marble tile and gilded wood-paneled walls.

While the exterior had made the building look abandoned, the inside was pure dark decadence. Pristine. Golden chandeliers glittered from the sweeping arched ceiling, and the dark cherry woodwork gleamed as if it had been recently polished.

I followed Kaden toward a grand wooden staircase, gaping up at an archway carved with strange winged beasts. Among them was a pretty young maiden, who stared forlornly over her shoulder as elves and redcaps leered from the trees.

Tearing my gaze away from the archway, I quickened my pace to catch up with Kaden, passing an enormous stone fireplace large enough for me to stand in. Beyond that, another arched doorway led to what looked like a library.

“You live here?” I hissed at Kaden’s back, unwilling to raise my voice in the eerie, beautiful house.

“ Yes .” He didn’t turn to look at me, but I could hear the amusement in his tone. “Welcome to the House of Guile.”

The House of Guile — an appropriate name for the home of a dark fae, I thought.

Still gawking, I followed him up the stairs, which led to a magnificent sitting room. The domed ceiling was painted midnight blue, flecked with minuscule golden stars. Low-slung velvet chairs were arranged around a comfortable-looking settee, and dark-leafed plants accented the room.

It was then that I noticed there was something not quite right about this place — at least, not quite human .

Two sets of French doors led out onto a veranda that I knew hadn’t been visible from the outside.

Rather than facing the second story of the derelict buildings across the street, the view was the full sprawl of the Quarter under the twinkling night sky, as though we were suspended hundreds of feet above.

“Is this place . . .”

“Glamoured.” Kaden stood with his back to me, staring out at the view. “The cities in this realm are a bit dreary for me. But it’s home for now.”

I blinked and looked around at the magnificent sitting room. A ten-foot tall gilded archway framed a hallway, and another sweeping wooden staircase led to the upper stories.

Kaden started up the stairs, and I found myself staring at the carvings along the wall, which featured more of those eerie creatures. Pixies with feline faces and sharp, angled eyes leered down at me. Goblins lurked from the mouths of mossy caves, and small birdlike things peered from trees.

Up, up, up we went until I was certain we would reach the uppermost story. Each time we rounded a corner, I would peer down more dark hallways, stealing glances at the carved wooden murals, gigantic oil paintings, and odd relics that looked as though they were from another time.

Finally, we reached the top floor, and I nearly fell over, craning my neck to take in the tall stained-glass windows.

A naked female with pointed ears dominated the center pane, her long flowing hair a rainbow of gold, copper, and white.

On her head sat a crown of laurel leaves, and chains of flowers encircled her wrists and ankles.

Jewel-toned wings took up most of the far windows, each wing a canvas of stars and drifting petals that seemed to leap off to join the bluebells at her feet, where sprites frolicked between toadstools.

“Wow,” I said, staring up at the window. “That’s . . . ”

I didn’t have the words for it. Beautiful? Obscene? Terrifying? Each fit, and yet none seemed adequate to describe the mural.

“My mother.”

My stomach lurched, and I whipped my head around to look at him. “Your —”

I broke off, reeling with a mixture of shock and disgust as I looked from him to the window and back again.

When I met his gaze a second time, his concentration shattered, and he doubled over in a laugh. “I’m kidding ! Gods, do you really think I’d glamour my home to include a naked stained-glass portrait of my mother ?”

I opened my mouth to form a reply, but Kaden had already turned down the corridor, his laughter echoing off the wood-paneled walls.

He led me to the very end of the hallway to a set of double doors. “You can dress in here.”

He thrust the doors open, and my brows shot up.

This room wasn’t decorated in the sedate tones of the rest of the house. The colors hit me like a clash of bells. Every shade of blue and yellow beckoned me into a narrow passageway lit with dainty glass sconces.

The passage opened into a round chamber that was mostly made of windows.

White gossamer curtains billowed in the chill night breeze, which smelled faintly of lilacs.

The fresh floral scent seemed at odds with the fetid air of the Quarter, which reeked of death and decay.

Perhaps the house’s glamour took care of the atmosphere as well.

An impressive chandelier hung over an enormous canopy bed, where a riot of canary yellow and sapphire throw pillows accented a duvet made of periwinkle silk. I caught my reflection in the gilded oval mirrors mounted over the dressing table and closed my gaping mouth.

“I think you’ll find something in the wardrobe that will suit you,” said Kaden, nodding toward a tall armoire decorated with the same woodland carvings as the rest of the house.

I turned to look at him, my mouth forming a question that I couldn’t quite articulate, but Kaden simply bowed out of the room and snicked the door shut behind him.

My head swiveled this way and that as I stepped into the room, treading over plush floral-patterned rugs in every shade of gold and blue. I recoiled slightly at the carving of a redcap that seemed to ogle me from the top of the wooden bonnet. What was it with the fae and their creepy decor?

I took a deep breath and flung open the wardrobe, thinking I’d get dressed in the dark. Rather than the musty scent of cedar I’d been expecting, more of that lilac-scented breeze wafted out, and I gaped at the dress hanging inside.

Layers upon layers of chiffon seemed to float on the spring-scented breeze — not blue or lavender or silver, but some faerie shade caught between all three.

Flowering vines embroidered in silver cascaded down each strap, adorning the bust and fanning out along the high waist. More flowers gleamed from the panels of the skirt and the airy train that pooled on the floor of the wardrobe.

A mixture of dread and awe squeezed my insides as I reached up to take the dress off the hanger. The fabric flowed over my hands like cool water, and I knew it had to be faerie-made.

Slowly, I carried the gown over to the bed and laid it out on the duvet. I had the sneaking suspicion that it would fit me perfectly. Whether I wanted to be seen in public wearing such a thing was another matter.

I peeled off my leathers but couldn’t bring myself to lay the worn jacket and pants beside the dress on the beautiful bed.

The gown would no doubt be the most finely made garment I’d ever worn, and my leathers seemed almost vulgar in comparison.

So I draped them over the arm of a chair and faced the dress in my underwear.

Steeling myself, I burrowed through the layers of chiffon until I found the straps. I shivered as the cool fabric slid over my skin. Then I began to panic.

The front was cut in a daring deep V that nearly reached my navel. Two slim strips of fabric were all that covered my front, leaving the swell of each breast exposed.

The skirt, which had appeared modest on the hanger, had an enormous slit along both thighs. The sheer fabric swished dangerously about my legs, and I wondered how I was supposed to do anything without that traitorous front panel shifting too far to one side.

Irritated, I snatched up my leather thigh sheaths and unbuckled one to fit around my right leg, as high up as it would go. To arm myself felt like an insult to the dress, but I wasn’t walking into a house full of faeries defenseless.

Once my daggers were secure, I stepped in front of the full-length mirror, and the air whooshed out of my lungs.

I looked . . . beautiful . Feminine. Alluring. Soft. It wasn’t a feeling I was used to.

As my bare toes curled into the rug at my feet, I realized I needed shoes.

Padding over to the armoire, I found a pair of silver slippers already waiting.

They seemed to form to my feet as I slipped them on, and I noticed that the band over the foot was embroidered with the same delicate flowers that adorned my dress.

The soft soles allowed me to move without a sound — perfect for what we were about to attempt.

For a moment, I just stood there in front of the mirror, swishing the layers of my skirt. Every movement seemed to bring out a slightly different shade of lavender, silver, or dusty blue.

It was, without a doubt, the most beautiful dress I’d ever worn — the most beautiful dress I’d ever seen . And Kaden had bought it or commissioned it or simply magicked it into existence for me .

Careful not to bunch the fabric, I perched on the edge of the bench before the dressing table and picked up one of the heavy silver brushes.

As I ran it through my wind-blown locks, a smooth section of waves sprang back from the bristles — the limp, dark strands obeying for once.

I brushed back the hair on the other side of my face, and my locks seemed to sigh as they settled into glistening waves.

I stared.

Was the brush enchanted?

Fascinated, I continued until my hair hung smoothly over my bare shoulders.

It had been months, maybe years, since I’d worn my hair down.

Hair was a liability in a fight, but tonight I was to play a part, so I left it down and applied a small bit of makeup from the pots and tins I found in the drawer.

Just when I was finishing up, I heard a knock at the bedroom door.

“Come in,” I called, nervously tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

Glancing in the mirror, I saw Kaden hovering at the end of the passageway that led into the chamber.

He wore a black velvet jacket that looked as though it had been made for him and a pair of matching trousers.

The jacket’s high collar was clearly a fae fashion and set off his chiseled jawline.

The front was embroidered with a design in silver-blue thread that seemed to complement my dress.

He looked magnificent. I would have been embarrassed for him to catch me staring, but I realized he was staring, too.

“Did the dress —” His voice came out slightly hoarse.

“It fits,” I said, getting to my feet and self-consciously arranging the flowing skirts so the slit along my thigh didn’t leave me exposed.

Kaden’s full lips parted as his eyes roved over me, drinking in every detail. It was a quick, thorough assessment, but something in his gaze seemed to strip me bare.

“The dress is lovely,” I said. “Thank you.”

Kaden shook his head, seemingly at a loss. “You are . . . exquisite .”

Heat flooded my cheeks at his quiet words, and I suddenly had no idea what to do with my face.

“Are you ready?” he asked, blinking a few times before offering me his arm. “If we go now, we can still be fashionably late.”

A slight grin tugged at the corners of my mouth. Here we were, about to walk into a nest of deadly fae and attempt to steal a one-of-a-kind magical object, and Kaden didn’t seem nervous at all. If anything, he acted as though he was looking forward to it.

Running my hands nervously down the front of my gown, I nodded and threaded my arm through his. Tonight would either bring me one step closer to rescuing Imogen or end in my death. “Let’s go.”