Page 10

Chapter ten

Roisin

I sensed Brandon’s presence at my back. It sent fluttering tingles of awareness over my skin. The low cut of the dress at the back barely covered my rear end. It was like I detected Brandon’s eyes on my naked skin. What would his fingers be like running up my back?

The demon in front turned her head and stared over her shoulder at me. The black depths of her eyes were like bottomless pits. I stumbled forward a step, but Brandon clasped my waist with his firm hands and kept me upright. The demon’s forked tongue flicked out to her lips like a snake scenting the air. She grinned, then turned back around.

Goosebumps danced over my skin. Brandon’s thumbs swiped across my lower back teasing the bare skin. A shudder ran through my entire body as desire pooled between my legs.

“You can let go now,” I said tipping my chin up in the air and forcing myself to sound normal .

His warm breath shifted closer to my ear. “I’ll protect you from everything.”

The gust of his voice so close sent another shiver down my neck and made my nipples pebble. At least this dress wasn’t sheer like the other one, plus my back was to him. I almost leaned back into him, but I shook myself out of the lust bouncing between us and slapped his hands.

“Even your own feet.” He let go with a chuckle.

The warmth of his breath and body disappeared making me wish he was right back where he was. I’d been stronger with him holding me which was ridiculous since I was a powerful Fae Princess, and he was human.

We continued walking along the castle hallways. They were nothing like the ones in the Summer Court palace. These were dark gray stone walls, lit by flickering orange torches on wall sconces at regular intervals. On the walls hung strange paintings of murky black and light gray, lines, symbols, and strange-looking handprints in dark red etched on the canvases. I longed to stop and study the artwork more so I might decipher the symbols which is what Ciara would have thought about.

“Here we are.” The demon stopped outside a set of double wooden doors. She tapped her knuckles on the wood and the doors swung inward as if by magic.

Tay sat at a circular table, a shiny black cloth beneath the glistening silver plates. In the center of the table was a three-tiered platter laden with food.

“Come in and sit.” She waved her hand at the empty chairs opposite her.

The demon closed the door behind us and with no other option, I walked over to the table. Brandon rushed to my side and pulled the chair out. I sat and fluffed the long skirts of the dress around my legs. Brandon took the empty seat next to me. Purple curtains hung from the windows, and they were open to the snowy scene outside. Above our heads dangled a black chandelier lit by flickering candles. The mantle over the fireplace was the same as the one in the bedroom we were occupying, but this one had a mirror above it.

“Cozy,” he said, glancing around the room like a guard taking in all the threats, but it was only us three in the room.

“I wanted to become better acquainted with our guests,” Tay said, lifting a silver goblet to her lips and sipping whatever liquid she had inside.

“Guests isn’t the right word, is it?” Brandon asked.

Tay shrugged. I glanced around the room. There were more of the strange paintings hanging in here as well. A fire crackled in the open fireplace, but the flames were purple, and they cast a strange glow over Tay. Everything in the room pulsed with magic.

“We’ve treated you kindly, so yes, guests is the right word.”

“You’re keeping us prisoner, locked up in a room.”

“Purely for your protection.” She slammed the goblet on the table spilling red droplets down the side of the silver and onto the black tablecloth. The liquid seeped into the fabric .

“What do we need protecting from?” I asked, calmly, trying to diffuse the tension building between the two.

Tay’s dark gaze landed on me. “You’re a Fae Princess, so a lot.”

“We don’t have enemies any longer. The Trappers are all dead. I don’t understand how you believe we have enemies.”

“You’re right.” She dabbed her finger on the damp tablecloth and then touched it to her lips.

Brandon and I exchanged a glance. The demon was acting crazy or was this how demons acted?

“How did we get here?” I asked.

“You comprehend how you got here,” she said. “Through the bookshelf.”

“But no one else has come through the bookshelf. They’ve only taken books.”

Her eyebrows rose high on her head. “I’ll have to talk to my brother about that.”

“You have a brother?”

“Two. Both kings. Meanwhile, I’m a princess like you.”

“I have two brothers, too.”

We shared a knowing smile. I loved Rian and Lorcan, but they were overbearing sometimes.

“We didn’t mean to come here. Can you help us return to Earth?”

Tay picked up a small velvet pouch and pulled out a handful of trinkets, ranging from stones to feathers, and even what looked like bone. She shook them in her hand .

“You didn’t mean to, but you came here. Everything happens for a reason.” She tossed the trinkets onto the liquid-stained tablecloth.

The items settled into a pattern, reminding me of the paintings on her walls. I stared at the stones, feathers, and bone, then at the paintings.

“You painted all of those?”

Tay nodded while tapping a long, sharp fingernail to each stone.

“The brushwork is amazing.”

Her head snapped up. “You paint?”

“Aye. It’s my favorite pastime. Flowers, the palace, library… but nothing like yours.” I stood and walked to the closest painting. “I’ve seen nothing like it.”

“Of course not.” She scoffed. “Demon magic.”

“The painting is magic?” I lifted my hand.

“Don’t touch them,” she snapped.

Before I lowered my hand, Brandon was by my side placing his hand over mine as though he was prepared to take the brunt of whatever magic was about to harm me, but he was human and who knows how bad it would hurt him.

“What were you thinking?” I asked.

“Stopping you from touching another magical thing that might take you away for all we comprehend.”

Tay laughed. “No portals here unless I create one.”

“So, you’re saying the bookshelf wasn’t a portal.”

“No.” She scowled.

I returned to the table and sat.

“Why would your brother bring me here? ”

She stared at the items again. “Unless…”

Half a second later, her hand snapped out taking mine in her palm. She dragged it across the table until it hovered over the odd trinkets. I half expected something magical to happen, but nothing did. She pressed her thumbnail into the soft flesh of my wrist.

“Stop it.” I tugged on my hand, but her grip was strong.

“Just one drop,” she whispered.

“Let go,” Brandon said storming across the room.

But her nail popped the tender skin, and blood dripped onto the items beneath me. The blood sizzled and sparked as though trying to make a fire. Tay let go of my hand just as Brandon reached my side. I snatched my arm back and cradled it against my chest. The prick from her nail hurt, but I was more shocked than anything that she’d made me bleed.

“Are you all right?” Brandon asked.

I nodded my head. He turned to Tay, his expression murderous. I grabbed him with both hands, stopping him. His gaze dropped to my bleeding wrist.

Tay’s voice echoed throughout the room as she mumbled incoherent words. Was she speaking another language?

Her gaze snapped to mine. “You.” Then she smiled so happily that it made the scene even more bizarre.