Page 40 of Hell Fae Commander

What I wouldn’t give to offer him a taste of his own medicine.

Shade studied me for a long moment, his amusement having fled in the wake of whatever he saw in my expression. “We’ll save the tour for later,” he told me. “Come on.”

I wasn’t even aware we were going on a tour, but considering this was my first time here, a tour would have made sense. Except for the fact that I was carrying a now-unconscious female in my arms.

My old friend led the way in silence, his strides sure as he took us down the path of the courtyard past several other unique-looking animals and critters. All of them appeared to be magically altered, confirming Shade’s commentary about Aflora’s exterior spell. I wasn’t all that surprised.

The former Earth Fae Queen loved nature and life, and her alterations to the landscape and palace exterior certainly demonstrated that. All the way down to the earthy stones and black bricks paving the path beneath my feet.

Shade halted at a set of obsidian-block stairs that seemed to frame the palace patio. “There are a lot of roots inside,” he said. “Just watch where you step.”

My brow furrowed. “Like tree roots?”

“Among other fauna and plant life,” he replied, his shoulder lifting in his characteristic shrug.

Therootsstarted on the patio, their vine-like widths weaving through black rocks and mossy textures all across the floor. Several of the stems led to trees that appeared to be part of the palace walls, causing my eyebrow to inch upward in curiosity.

A leafy overhang decorated a set of doors, the entry opening to a cozy living area boasting a myriad of windows. It seemed a bit wasteful considering the sun never appeared in this realm, but the moonlight did create a sort of romantic ambience in the oversized room.

“This is the family wing,” Shade explained. “Seemed more appropriate for you to stay here rather than the guest wing.”

“We’d be fine in the guest wing,” I told him.

“You would,” he agreed. “But having you here will be more fun.”

“Because Florica might hide a stonepecker in our temporary room?”

He grinned. “No. Because it’ll royally piss Zakkai off, and that’s always fun.”

“It’s amazing that you’re still alive,” I told him.

“Understatement of the millennium,” he returned without missing a beat. He led me down a hall toward a back staircase, then hopped over a particularly thick root before ascending to the second floor.

I resituated Cami in my arms and followed, part of me wishing I could just shadow to a room and lay her on a bed. Alas, I could only shadow to places I’d seen before.

Shade whistled as he walked, causing the walls to shift around us to reveal several knob-less doors. When one finally appeared with a gargoyle’s head at the center of it, he stopped.

“Sir Silber,” Shade greeted. “Our guests have arrived.”

“Guests,” Sir Silber repeated, his voice gravelly as his rocky mouth and throat worked to utter the word. “How quaint.”

The wood shifted before either of us could reply to the snarky gargoyle, the door opening to reveal the room beyond.

Little stone feet hit the floor, the gargoyle taking on his role as the room’s protector. Most Midnight Fae employed gargoyles for this purpose. They thrived with security-related tasks.

He stomped off inside the opulent quarters, the plush, mosslike carpet softening his steps.

“Wow,” I said, taking in the ornate fixtures inside and the massive balcony framing the back wall. “This is the guest room?”

“For visiting family and royals, yes,” Shade said. “Sol and his mates often stay here, hence the giant bed.” He gestured to the mattress large enough for a family of ten.

Sol was an Earth Fae mated to the Elemental Fae Queen. They had quite the mate-circle, not that I knew any of them well.

“Are you sure we should stay here?” I asked warily. “We’re not really family…” It hurt more than I expected to admit that, but it wasn’t untrue.

As much as I respected Shade, we hadn’t exactly been close these last few years. I’d pushed him away, along with every other reminder of my past.

“We’re not royals, either,” I added, my voice a little more gruff than I’d intended it to be.