“Jace,” he says, and I think he might be blushing. He quickly lowers his eyes and then brings them back up to mine. “My name is Jace.”
“Right, of course,” I say quickly. Jace. He gives me a sharp nod.
“I’ll leave you to bathe and dress. The king has agreed to speak with you this afternoon. I’ll have Sir Maxim escort you.”
“Thank you,” I say, locking eyes with him. “Truly.”
He gives me another one of his curt soldier nods and moves to the door.
“You’ll be there, right? For the meeting?” I sound a tad too hopeful. Like a schoolgirl with a crush.
“I’ll be there.” He bows this time and closes the door behind him. As I turn to face Zadyn, I’m surprised to find him already looking at me.
“Not bad, right?” I twirl around, gesturing to the obscenely beautiful room. “I severely underestimated my negotiating skills.”
“I don’t think they’d work half as well without your charm,” he teases.
“I want to see yours.” I start to move toward Zadyn’s room when a petite fae female in a servant’s dress enters with a small curtsy.
“Hello, my lady. My name is Pertha. I’ll be attending you.”
“Oh, hi. I’m Serena. It’s nice to meet you.”
Pertha smiles shyly without fully meeting my eyes.
“I’ll run your bath, my lady,” she says before hurrying off to the bathroom.
“Oh, it’s just Serena, not my lady!” I call out, but she’s already disappeared.
“I’ll leave you to it,” Zadyn says, pressing his palms together and retreating toward his room. Taking another glance around my new living space, I let out a tiny squeal. I cannotwaitto sprawl out on that bed.
The bathroom looks as if a spa and temple had a baby. It’s massive. Floor-to-ceiling cream-colored marble. And the bath,oh my god. It’s the size of a jacuzzi and could easily fit six people. College party girl Serena would have been all about this.
Pertha stands beside the steaming water, holding a towel folded in her arms.
“I’ll take this,” I say to her, placing the towel down on the stunning cut of marble vanity. “Thank you, Pertha.”
She doesn’t move.
“I can take it from here.” I smile gently. “Thank you.”
“Yes, my lady.” She bows her head. “I’ll be outside to help you dress.”
“It’s just Serena,” I call after her as she closes the door behind me. “That’s gonna take some getting used to.”
I strip and step into the inviting waters. My eyes drift closed as I lean my head back, gulping down greedy lungfuls oflavender and eucalyptus bath salts. The massive window before me offers a gorgeous view of a shimmering city in the distance. I make a mental note to explore it.
IfI stay here.
Even though everything is so fucked right now, I can almost pretend that I’m on vacation at a five-star hotel in the Swiss Alps. All of it feels too good to be true. And that’s probably because it is.
I stay in the bath until my fingers are pruned, marveling at how relaxed I now feel. My heart isn’t anxiously racing. I’m not in fight-or-flight mode. I’m oddly calm.
I dry off, slipping into the champagne-colored silk robe hanging on the door, and dare a look in the mirror.
It’s still me, but I seem lighter. Like there’s a sunny aura around me. Same wavy chocolate brown hair that falls over my chest. Same brown eyes and button nose. My skin is still slightly tan from the Florida sun, making the freckles on my cheeks and nose even more accentuated. Tucking my wet hair behind my ears, I step out into the bedroom.
“So, what does one wear for a meeting with a king?” I ask Pertha. She moves to the armoire with modest grace and sifts through the choices.
