“How’d you know?”
“Your accent. The word Dannan. And this view is pretty unmistakable.” I’d never before traveled outside of the United States, but I’d studied Ireland many times, in school and out. It was on my bucket list. “I’m not a prisoner here?”
“Absolutely not. You are here to keep you safe until we know what the threat of the Leyak is.”
“When can I see Riley, and why aren’t you with her?” I was torn between the desire to go exploring and to go find my cousin and try to help her.
“We will wait to spring you on your relative until she has had a chance to settle down. She’s had quite a year. Right at the moment she’s rescuing her kidnapped infant. And when it comes down to it, I have to get back to the council.” He stood, straightening his coat. “If you’ll excuse me, I didn’t have much time, and it is up.”
Watching him walk to his desk, I imagined what it would be like to have the full force of his attention on me. He pressed a button on an old fashioned office phone, then looked up at me and smiled. “I’ll be back with you as soon as I can. Please, stay here. Explore anything in the house or surrounding town you’d like. I’ll send Roan along shortly. If you press the button beside this one,” he said as he pointed to the button he’d pressed. “Someone will come to show you to your bedroom.”
Another one of those magical transport portals opened up in front of the doorway into the hall. He stepped through. “Please, don’t leave the town. I do want to keep you safe, and the town is full of Dannan loyal to me. They’d protect you with their lives.”
He nodded his head and walked away, and the portal winked out of existence. I found myself alone in his home. “Now what?”
I was sure of one thing; I didn’t want anyone showing me around. I needed some time to myself to process the mountain of information that they’d thrown at me.
Peeking out into the hallway, I found it blessedly empty. Thick carpet covered the floor and tapestries hung from the walls. If I hadn’t seen the outside I would’ve never known it was a castle. I’d always pictured castles to be damp, spacious, and cold.
To the left, a set of stairs led down. To the right, a few doors and another set of stairs leading up. I opted for up. The next floor was just as fancy-schmancy. I peeked into the first door and found a bedroom.
The bed, oh the bed. It was huge, and looked amazing. The covers were thick and rich, and looked like I’d be bunking on a cloud. The exhaustion of the past five days caught up with me. By my calculations, it was Friday evening. I’d fallen down the stairs of the courthouse on Monday afternoon.
I needed a good sleep in a luxurious bed. My excitement for the way my life had turned would have to wait. An alarm clock on the bedside table confirmed my suspicions. It was definitely past my bedtime. The bed refused my resistance, and I pulled the thick white comforter back and slid between the crisp, clean sheets. I stretched my tired muscles and fell asleep warm and safe, and full of wonder for what was to come.
***
What was to come was apparently boredom. The next morning I woke late, nearly in the afternoon. I was a little jet lagged, so to speak, since Ireland was a good five hours ahead of Tennessee, but still, noon was pretty late for me.
I poked around until I found a bathroom and took another shower. The bedroom I’d collapsed in must’ve belonged to Alexander, because when I exited the bathroom a good hour later, all I found in the closet was suits and workout clothes.
Apparently Elves—fairies, whatever—still had to work out. Or he liked the look of the tight moisture-wicking tops. Either way, I wanted to see him in them.
I opted to continue exploring in the bathrobe I’d taken from the back of the bathroom door. It smelled of spice, same as the shampoo I’d used in his shower.
If I’d been in my right mind and well rested the night before, I would’ve realized whose room I was in and picked another. I shrugged my shoulders as I entered another bedroom. If he’d wanted to make sure I didn’t mess with his things, he would’ve come back. At least I didn’t snoop in his closet or rifle through his underwear drawer.
“Oops,” I said as I entered the next room. It was obviously meant for me. The walk-in closet was mostly empty, but several outfits hung in the front. On closer inspection, I discovered they were mine. Someone must’ve gotten them from my apartment.
“You’re awake!” Roan’s voice startled me out of deciding if I was mad about someone going through my things.
“Hey,” I responded, without turning around. No need for him to know he’d scared the crap out of me. “What are you doing here?”
“Alexander sent me over to your place last night.”
I raised an eyebrow and turned to look at him.
“I was careful. I grabbed some stuff out of your closet and some shoes. I didn’t even remember to get underwear, so I stopped and got like six different sizes. And I opted for comfort, rather than sexy. I figured you could use some comfort.
He reached out into the hall and grabbed a small laundry basket. A pile of undies, cotton, mercifully, was inside. He was right. I was in no mood for thongs or silky fabrics. The sizes ranged from small to XL, and I could get by with three of them ranging from tight to loose. At least I’d have three changes of underwear for the coming days. “Thanks. And thanks for respecting my space.”
For the first time since I’d met him, he wasn’t wearing a suit. Dark blue jeans and a white untucked t-shirt were the perfect fit for his body. He looked as good out of his suit as in. I needed to stop noticing how good these men looked. They weren’t interested in a chubby piano player from Tennessee. They were Dannan, for cripes sake, and one of them was like a president.
I was sorely outclassed.
Taking the basket, I turned back to the closet. The day before I’d stripped in front of him without a second thought, but I’d been exhausted, hungry, and slightly crazed for a shower. My modesty beckoned, and I decided to close the door to the closet to change out of the robe and into my own pair of jeans and a t-shirt.
He handed me a pair of socks when I reemerged. “Sorry, forgot socks too. These are Zander’s.”
