Voices sounded at the end of the corridor, drawing my attention. I’d thought the people in the dining hall were the only ones who resided up here. This space wasn’t accessible to the public, only a select few people. Well, if I wouldn’t be eating dinner, I might as well poke around. I was desperate for human interaction, but not desperate enough to deal with Cillian fucking Ashmore.
I slowed my pace the closer I got, two feminine voices growing clearer as I approached an open door with pale yellow light spilling out. While I didn’t necessarily want to intrude on a private conversation, I also hadn’t been given enough information from my less-than-forthcoming host about who was allowed up here.
An inhuman growl came from inside the room, and I stilled right beside the door.
“Come on. You’ve got better control than that, don’t you?” The tone was sure and wicked in the same breath, a confidence there that I envied.
Another growl sounded.
“Calm down,” she stated again. “Close your eyes. Deep breath in, then huff out.”
A loud huff sounded, and my curiosity got the better of me. I peered around the doorframe. A stunning woman with dark flowing hair sat on the bed next to a massive silver wolf. Right there. In the middle of the room.
Panic registered in me, but I remained rooted in place.
“Good,” the woman said, stroking her fingers through the wolf’s fur. “You’ve got this. Fae, you’ve survived far more than a change of location. Breathe in again, then huff out.”
The wolf complied, her big flanks shuddering as she followed the order. It wasn’t hard to piece together that the wolf was a were, considering there’d been a second voice moments ago as I’d listened in. However, when I observed a little closer, I also caught sight of the raw red spots along her flank. The belabored, ragged breathing. The spotty patches around the ankles, as if she’d been chained. Her fur was matted and ragged, and she was thin—skeletally gaunt, like she’d suffered abuse. My stomach churned.
“Keep inhaling and exhaling, focus inward. I’ll go get you some dinner, since you’ve got to be starved,” the woman said, slowly rising.
Oh shit, she was heading out. I backed away from the door and pivoted on my heel, hoping I’d look like a passerby.
“You’re less inconspicuous than you think.”
I froze.
The woman from inside the room strode up beside me, a wan smile on her lips. “I haven’t seen you here before. Are you one of Cillian’s?”
“Does he often keep pets?” I asked, arching a brow.
She let out a bark of a laugh and tilted her head to the side. “Walk with me on the way to the kitchen.”
I didn’t have anywhere else to be, so I shoved my hands into my pockets and joined her. She wore long, flowing purple skirts and a black corset top, her dark hair so shiny in the light that it gave off a midnight glow. Unlike Amelia, who hadn’t given off what I viewed as witch vibes, this woman screamed it.
“I’m Sofia,” she offered. “And you?”
“Beau,” I responded. “Cillian’s new personal assistant.” Who had yet to assist him with damn well anything.
Sofia arched a brow as we strode down the hallway together. Thankfully, reaching the kitchen wouldn’t take me past the dining hall. After the way I’d stormed out of there, I wasn’t keen on running into any of them again at the moment.
“You’re a pretty thing, aren’t you?” she teased.
A flush heated my cheeks. She wasn’t the first who’d commented on my looks, or even the dozenth. The remarks had been a pattern my entire life, but then I’d usually run admirers off with my stubbornness or sharp tongue. Damian was the only one too self-absorbed to take the hints I’d been dropping.
“Don’t worry,” she said. “I’m not interested. I’ve got a gorgeous girl waiting for me when I head home tonight.”
“You don’t live here?”
Her laugh echoed through the hall. “God no. The Spires are far too gloomy. My place is much livelier.”
“What’s your place?” I asked, desperate for any scraps of information from the stranger who walked these halls like they were familiar.
“Haven Diner,” she said. “On the opposite side of town.”
Where I’d been a little over a week ago. Where this had all begun. I sucked in a shaky breath. “Good food there.” Her eyes softened slightly, even though the intimidating air around her hadn’t lessened. “Is that where you met Cillian?”
She shook her head, a hint of a smile clinging to her lips. “Oh no. He and I go way back, beyond these businesses we’ve established. Let’s just say when I first arrived in Peregrine, the city wasn’t as considerate to our kind.”
