Page 10

Chapter Four

“Y ou are mine, mortal bride. Do you accept your fate?”

The bride stared at the king of the dark woods. All she saw was the taunting laugh of the will-o’-the-wisp in the shadows beyond, luring her to a place she should not go, to the man who would own her.

“You have no power here,” said the bride. “I will take the path to its end.”

The dark king bowed, his gleaming silver crown sharp with roses and thistles. “Then you will find me there waiting for you.”

—Anon., Tales from the Twilight Court

Kate gave up on the locked door and instead searched the bathing room.

The windows, which had been open when she first encountered Roan, were closed now, and moonlight filtered in through the stained glass.

She had no idea how much time had passed.

Of course, in a dream, time could pass very quickly or very slowly.

And this was a dream, wasn’t it? It had to be, because if this wasn’t , Kate would probably have a mental breakdown.

She pressed against the windows, but they didn’t budge. The faint blurry shapes of something far below stretched out across the landscape. Was it a forest? She couldn’t quite tell through the beveled glass.

She looked around, searching for anything that might help her escape.

The bathing pool took up the majority of the room and dipped into the floor.

It was huge and looked like a small swimming pool.

The water still looked hot, judging by the steam coiling from the surface.

Pink-and-white crystals grew out of the marble walls near the windows, making the place feel like a cavern.

Then her gaze settled on the scented petals still floating in the water.

As they slowly dissolved, their essence made glittering patterns.

Their heady scent reminded her of the scorching kiss between her and Roan.

Her fingers touched her lips as she closed her eyes, and heat blossomed along her mouth.

She’d never been kissed like that before in her life.

His lips had moved so softly, yet expertly, over hers, before he’d parted her lips with his tongue.

It had felt like he’d kissed her a thousand times, as if he knew her mouth and the way to move by memory.

He’d conquered her resistance in that moment, and she’d forgotten everything but the sensation of his mouth on hers.

A stranger had made her feel more alive than she’d ever felt before, and it made no sense.

Then he’d had the gall to tell her to strip naked and wait for him in his bed. She shivered, because her body wanted to do exactly that. It seemed only her mind was determined to escape this place.

“Focus!” she commanded herself, returning to Roan’s bedchamber. She dug around the drawers of the large dresser, and at the bottom of the second drawer something sharp pricked her finger.

“Ow!” She jerked her hand back with a yelp. A bead of blood rose on the pad of her right index finger. She hastily put her finger into her mouth, sucking the blood away, then applied pressure with her other finger for a moment to stop the bleeding.

What the heck had done that? She carefully moved the perfectly folded silk shirts aside until she found the culprit.

A slender dagger with a ruby in its hilt lay on the bottom of the drawer.

The tip of the blade gleamed menacingly.

She grasped the dagger carefully by the hilt and removed it from the drawer.

Dream or not, she’d been brought here against her will, and it made sense to have some sort of weapon to defend herself.

“In an unknown land, it is better to be armed, isn’t it?” she asked herself.

“It is indeed!” a chirpy voice agreed behind her.

Kate shrieked and spun around. A short creature about half her height with olive skin stared back at her with golden eyes.

Her features were scrunched, like she was perpetually confused.

She was wearing dark-green trousers, a little gray vest, and a brown cap on her head.

Long black hair was tucked over her shoulder in two braids.

“Mistress,” she murmured to Kate, giving her a polite curtsy.

Kate, still clutching the dagger to her chest, stared at the creature. “Um, hi.” She considered hiding the dagger, but it was too late for that. The creature would’ve seen it. But she didn’t seem hostile. If anything, she was friendly. Maybe she should try to befriend her.

“I’m Kate.” She held out a hand. “What’s your name?”

The goblin-like thing shook her hand with a happy smile. “Babbitt, mistress. I’m Babbitt.”

“Babbitt. Um, please don’t be offended, but... what are you?”

Babbitt blinked her golden eyes. “I’m a brownie, mistress.”

“A brownie? Like a fairy?”

Babbitt nodded eagerly. “Yes, mistress.”

“So this really is the land of the Fae?” she asked the brownie.

“Yes, mistress. Are you hungry?” Babbitt asked.

Kate put a hand to her stomach as it rumbled. “Actually, yes, I’m starving.” No longer feeling threatened, she set the dagger down on top of the chest of drawers. “I could also use some better clothes. I’m still in my PJs.”

“Peejayss?” Babbitt echoed uncertainly.

“Pajamas—you know, clothes that you sleep in?” Kate added.

“Lord Arun does not wear clothes to bed,” Babbitt supplied.

Lord Arun... that was Roan. Kate remembered Arun among the slew of names and titles that he’d tossed out when she’d stared at him naked in the bath.

Kate tried not to picture the tall, dominating, bossy Fae king who’d kidnapped her sleeping naked in that huge bed... and failed. The mental image was too irresistible to avoid.

What is wrong with me? I’ve never been fixated on boys before.

But Roan wasn’t really a boy, was he? He was all man, in a way that Kate had never really considered before. But seeing the hard planes of his bare chest, feeling the heat of his skin when she’d touched him, it had all lit a fire inside her that she didn’t know could burn.

“Mistress?” Babbitt interrupted Kate’s dangerously wandering thoughts.

“Right, pajamas. Listen, Babbitt, I can’t walk around the palace wearing these.”

Babbitt nodded, then snapped her fingers. A tray of food materialized on the enormous bed in front of Kate.

“Eat up, mistress. I will make you suitable clothing.”

“Oh, really, I don’t want you to go to any extra trouble?—”

“No trouble, mistress. I love to help.” Kate had a vague memory of her mother telling her that brownies loved to clean things and care for homes with happy families in them.

If this was a dream, it was the most elaborate and coherent one she’d ever had.

Usually by now, the dream would have shifted entirely into something else.

“Eat up. There’s more where that came from if you like it, mistress.” The brownie nudged Kate toward the bed and pointed at the food.

Kate sat down on the bed and pulled the silver tray toward her.

There were slender slices of bread drizzled with what looked like powdered sugar and honey on one gold-and-silver plate.

Next to it was a goblet of sparkling blue liquid with small petals floating in it.

A soft sort of smoke drifted up from it, but when she touched the goblet it was cold, not hot.

“What kind of food is this?” she asked the brownie, who was busy folding the long blanket at the foot of the bed.

“Ambrosia bread with lavender-infused honey, and moonflower juice with stardaisy petals.”

Kate lifted one of the slices of bread and took a small nibble. The taste exploded on her tongue—sweetness first, then the tartness of a lemon, before it settled into the soothing flavor of the lavender honey.

This was incredible. She reached for the goblet next and took a sip. It tasted like sweet, sparkling water and made her tongue feel warm.

Suddenly, the sweet taste soured in her mouth. She felt a chill as she remembered the tales her mother used to read to her. Eating food or taking drink in the fairy realm meant you were trapped there. Forever.

“Um, Babbitt?” Kate swallowed hard and stared at the food that had moments ago been such a welcome relief.

“Yes, mistress?”

“If a mortal—a human, I mean—were to eat the food or drink here... Does that mean I’m trapped here forever?”

This is just a dream, she reminded herself. God, please let this all just be a dream.

“Trapped? No, not this food, mistress. Now, the Seelie food, yes, that could trap you here. They like their mortals. But the Twilight Court is forbidden from taking them. This food here will heal you, mistress. Give you strength.”

The brownie stepped into the bathing room and a moment later reemerged with her arms full of clothing and towels.

“I will return in a moment, mistress,” Babbitt said. Then, with a pop, she vanished right before Kate’s eyes.

Kate’s mouth was still agape when Babbitt reappeared again.

“Now, how about a pretty gown?” The brownie snapped her fingers and pointed at the bed, where a silver-and-white gown appeared next to where Kate sat.

Yards of fabric spilled off the side of Roan’s bed, filling her vision with gleaming pearls and shimmering embroidery.

It was something a princess would wear, not a human woman from her world.

“It’s beautiful, but maybe you have something more practical? Like some blue jeans and a sweater?”

“Blue jeans?” the brownie echoed. “What are blue jeans?”

“They’re a type of pants that women wear in my world, and?—”

Once more, the brownie vanished on the spot.

“Okay,” Kate whispered to the empty room.

When the brownie didn’t immediately reappear, Kate devoured the rest of the breakfast, staring at the gown the whole time, debating whether she was going to try it on.