Naomi gives her friend a quick hug, then pulls back to meet her eyes. “You’re sure about this?”
“Of course,” Skye says, offering her sunniest smile as she glances my way.
Her trust loosens the knot twisting inside my chest, and my wings settle onto my back.
“Call if you need me, Skye,” Naomi says, shooting me one last assessing look before winking out of existence.
I escort Skye inside and turn right, into the family wing.
Skye gasps. The sitting room is now a recreation of her living room, writ larger, complete with several overstuffed burgundy sofas and a television mounted on the wall. Thick rugs cover the floor, and several floor lamps with stained-glass shades stand waiting to light the open space atnight.
“Come. More awaits.” I stride through the family dining room with its plain wooden table and chairs and into the newly renovated kitchen. Morning sunshine pours across stone countertops and stainless steel appliances. The hearth still takes up one wall of the room, but more as decoration than something to be used regularly.
“This isnothinglike yesterday.” Skye’s eyes fill with awe as she spins slowly in place. “You did this for me?” she breathes.
“Autumn helped me choose everything, and Severin assisted in finding a magical workaround for the electricity.”
“You did all of thislast night?” Her voice rises to a high squeak.
“I’d be a poor host if I couldn’t make my guest comfortable. Your bedroom now has a modern bathroom as well.”
“Thank you.” She steps close, her fingers soft as she touches my arm, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “This is the most amazing thing anyone’s ever done for me.”
Warmth tingles inside my chest as my inner fire flares higher, tickling and teasing until my tail lashes, my body needing some outlet for this unusual sensation. I’m not used to anyone thanking me. Then again, I’ve never worried about anyone else’s comfort until now.
Until Skye.
“I did it for myself,” I growl. “You’ll work more efficiently this way.”
As I hurry from the room to get her things, I wonder who I just lied to.
Her or me?
CHAPTER TEN
Skye
I float through my first day in the castle, riding a high of happiness. I can’t believe how much he renovated it in only one night! Yesterday, it looked like something out of a period drama, with no toilets or refrigerator or central heating. I dreaded having to move in—it turns out ancient castles are cool to visit and no fun to live in.
Every time I find a new thing Luke did for me, my body lights up with joy. My bedroom is amazing, with a gorgeous four-poster bed covered in buttery-soft sheets and fluffy blankets. There’s also the most adorable reading nook tucked into a padded window seat, complete with snuggly throw blankets. It makes me wish I had time to curl up with a good book and Princess Buttercup and read away the day.
My en-suite bathroom is practically sinful with both a glass-walled shower stall and a huge claw-footed soaker tubmounted with book and wine-glass holders.
The kitchen’s not only fully stocked, but Luke also offers to fly into town and pick up anything I want from any of the cafés.
I feel more like a pampered princess than an employee.
Speaking of royalty, Princess Buttercup already has Luke wrapped around her little paw. He’s placed cat beds everywhere, including the library reading room. Instead of a water bowl, she has a fountain fed by an underground spring. He even put a cat flap in the door that leads out into the castle’s walled garden, giving my indoor kitty a place to explore outside safely for the first time in her life.
She’s never going to want to leave.
As for me, in addition to all the creature comforts, there’s his library. His massive, amazing library full of books no one on Earth has ever read.
And then there are the smaller things, like the fact that the castle’s now pleasantly warm, with a magical fire keeping my bedroom toasty. Or the way he carries around my favorite cinnamon heart candies, pulling them from his invisible pocket whenever we run low while researching.
Fudgesicles, I’m not going to want to leave either.
I cook dinner that first evening, a hearty beef stew using pan-seared sirloin chunks and carrots and potatoes. Luke watches my every move with fascination, and when I ask himwhether he knows how to cook, he grunts a no. “In Faerie, I hunt in my dragon form. No cooking required.”
