Page 18 of Ballad of Nightmares

A knock sounded at Ana’s door.

She frowned over her shoulder, but padded her way over to it anyway and turned every lock.

The smell of pastries hit her as she opened it, finding Jay, the owner of the art gallery and now her boss, standing on the other side as he wagged the bag in her face.

“Rise and shine, love,” he said with a wide smile.

Ana huffed a quiet laugh and opened the door wider. “Good morning,” she said, letting him inside.

The door clicked behind him, and Jay shrugged his shoes off at the door.

She liked Jay. He was eccentric and loud, and they’d become great friends almost instantly when she’d brought her resume in the day after the festival. He’d even offered her the upstairs apartment when she’d said she had no address to put on the payment documents yet.

Jay eyed the open curtains as he sat the bag of pastries on the counter. “Admiring your view?” he asked.

Ana sipped her coffee and turned back to the view with a sigh. “The mystery is mesmerizing,” she admitted. “Doesn’t anyone here wonder about your king? Who he is? Why he doesn’t show his face?” she asked.

Jay shrugged. “A few down at the Daily have dedicated their entire careers trying to figure it out. One, a few years ago, went a bit… crazy. She managed to get inside the castle.” Jay wiggled his light brows slyly over his cup, a piece of silky blond hair falling out of the messy bun he’d tried to pull his hair into on the top. “Wasn’t the same after. She kept going on and on about shadows and white roses.”

Ana remembered the story she’d been told about the white roses. Cameras and reporters had been trying to get a glimpse of the king for years. Going so far as to break into his castle. But every report had said the same thing. Some parts of it were immaculate, and other looked as though they had been vacant for centuries. Cobwebs on every chandelier. Vines growing inside the walls. With polished marble floors and sleek black staircases. Grand paintings in the foyer. Updated fixtures and washrooms the size of bedrooms.

The foyer table was said to always have a bouquet of blood-stained white roses. Who’s blood they used to decorate them with, no one knew.

Ana had dreamed about walking in and seeing those roses on more than one occasion.

“Have you ever offered to auction any of the old artworks inside?” she asked. “I’m sure there are a fair few. Could be worth millions. Paintings thousands of years old.” She took an audible sip of her coffee, and Jay considered her.

“Yes, except the problem is getting in touch with anyone who would be capable of handling that,” he said. “Not to mention, we’d never get inside.”

“Oh, I’ll get us inside,” she smirked.

Jay laughed and shook his head. “Love, you get us inside to look at those paintings, and I’ll cut you half the profits. You’ll have to swoon the king’s Hand first. Though maybe you…” His gaze washed over her, and she rolled her eyes at the smirk on his face. “Maybe you could. If I had those assets, I’d have won every man over already. None of this flirting nonsense,” he said with a wink.

“Yes, what is the deal with the men in this place?” Ana asked. “Anyone interesting?”

“Looking to have a little fun, Ana, love?”

“Why not,” she shrugged.

“Well—“ Jay settled his elbows on the counter. “What’s your type?”

There was only one face that came to mind. “What about Sam?”

“Ooo, direct,” Jay teased. “Can’t blame you. He is one of the more popular ones and also one of the king’s demons,” he said.

“What do you mean?”

“You can tell those that are his immortals,” he continued. “They never age. There are actually quite a few. And then, of course, there are the witches.”

“You’ve said witches to me twice now,” she said. “Are they actually witches or just people who dabble in the spiritual world?”

“Actual witches,” he said. “Though maybe not as powerful as the ancient ones.”

“I wasn’t aware Shadowmyer had such paranormally indulgent beings,” Ana almost bantered, even if it confused her.

“Love, you’ll find Shadowmyer houses all sorts of misfits,” he said. “Half the reason why he chose to hide this place, I think.”

“How long have you been here?”