"Miss Jolie?" a bright voice called.
I opened the door to a girl no older than fifteen, her curls bouncing, her smile unbearably sweet.
"I'm Fifi! The master says you're to join him in the dining room for breakfast." She bobbed a curtsy, and I made a mental note of her form for when I needed to imitate it. "If you'll follow me?"
My stomach gave a swooping lurch. Time for breakfast. With the Minotaur. With the monster who had glared at me, growled at me, and then sent dinner to me in complete contrast to the convincing villain he'd impersonated.
I followed her down the hall, hands clenched in front of me.
The manor was even more beautiful in the soft morning light. It might have been gloomy, but it still had a romantic feel to it. Almost nostalgic.
When we reached the dining room, Fifi gestured me inside, and then promptly vanished before I could beg her not to leave me alone with the master.
He sat at the head of the enormous table, broad shoulders hunched over a plate he hadn't touched. His horns caught the morning light, polished obsidian curved in a way that made my pulse skip. His fur seemed darker today, or maybe it was simply that I wasn't staring at him through a haze of tears.
His gaze lifted when I entered.
I curtsied so fast my knees cracked.
"Tha–thank you for the dinner last night, sir." My voice squeaked. I winced. "It was very kind."
His nostrils flared. The low rumble in his chest was not quite a growl, but it was close enough to send a shiver down my spine.
"Sit down, Jolie."
I stared.
Sit?
With him?
I thought I was just here to get my instructions and be on my way.
"S–sit... where?"
He gestured impatiently to the chair beside him, close enough to feel his body heat and touch him if I felt daring enough.
"Oh, no sir, I shouldn't! I'm only a maid. I can eat in the kitchen, or... or after everyone else. Really sir, I don't mind. And I can start working immediately after. I already have a list in my head of things that should be dusted, and I can polish silver, wash linens, and even clean out the fireplaces."
A roar split the air.
I froze.
Was he...
He was... laughing.
A deep, booming, startled laugh that shook the damn walls!
My face burned as he leaned back in his chair, shoulders shaking, his teeth flashing.
"You truly have no idea why you're here," he said at last, wiping at the corner of his eye. "Do you?"
My throat worked uselessly. "I answered an advertisement for a maid, sir."
He nodded. "You were hired," he said, voice dropping into something rumbling and terrifying. "Asmymaid."
I swallowed hard, confused about what was so funny.
