“Yes.”
“She does notwishto leave with you.”
My eyes drop to the floor. Leigh wouldn’t willingly stay here because she’s trying to get out of marrying me, would she?
“You don’t know the first thing about Leigh or what she wants,” I bite out.
“If Leigh were in such a hurry to marry you, then why would she agree to stay?” Kosac asks.
“For Fynn.”
“Go back, Wilder. You will soon feel the effects this realm has on your mortal body. Leave or regret it.” Kosac turns on an invisible wind, floating out the door. The temperature drops another ten degrees in his wake.
It takes me several solid seconds to regain my composure before I hurry after him, reaching for the door handle. I twist. It opens.
To hell with Kosac and his threats. I came here for Leigh and Fynn.
I step into the hall just as a woman—or rather, a ghost—wearing a mourning veil and with ice-covered eyes rushes toward me. She has a bundle of clothes and a creepy mask in her hands. Without a word, she shoves them into my arms. I stare at them, ready to ask a thousand questions, but she turns on her heel and walks away.
What was that?
Returning to my room, I drop the clothes on the bed. I pick up the black leather plague doctor mask, then set it aside. I unfold the garment next. It’s a tuxedo—old-fashioned with a white bow tie and pleated shirt, but it’s not dusty. The black fabric is cold, as if it had been stored in a crypt for two hundred years. Is the ghost working for or against Kosac? If she defies his orders, does that mean I can trust her?
There’s no time to overthink. If Leigh’s going to a party, then so am I.
I shrug off my wet jacket and pull off my shirt.
The gown remindsme of a costume from a gothic opera, with bloodred silk that evokes the image of spilled gore. It has a plunging neckline and the corset that cinches my waist so small I should be in organ failure. When I looked in the mirror, I saw Death’s favorite concubine staring back at me.
“Why won’t you speak to me?” I’ve been trying to get Henrietta to talk since she forced me into a bath that felt like snowmelt. She’d scrubbed my skin until it turned pink before wrestling me into a corset. Each shallow breath is a battle, but she nodded in approval at my suffering, as if pleased with her antiquated form of female torture. I can’t determine if she follows Kosac’s rules out of respect or necessity.
She styled my hair with cold fingers that sent shivers down my spine, pinning it in intricate twists while leaving long tendrils to frame my face. I look beautiful in a haunting way; it’s nothing like thewarm, happy glowI’d imagined for my wedding day. Instead of getting ready to marry the man I love, I’m being dressed up like a sacrifice. But if playing dress-up gets Kosac to tell me what he wants in exchange for Fynn, I’ll be his doll. Then I can get back to Wilder, and the first day of the rest of the life we deserve.
I’m willing to negotiate if it means getting what I want.
I still haven’t been able to reach Wilder, and I’m clinging to hope that he’s home with our families and the Blades. That Kosac’s disappearance earlier had nothing to do with him.
“Did Kosac tell you where Fynn is?” I ask Henrietta as she escorts me to the party. If she’s willing to defy Kosac’s orders, maybe she’ll help me. “You can tell me. Maybe I can help you. Are you a prisoner here?”
If she is, I’ll figure out a way to free her.
“Tell me,” I urge with a grip of Henrietta’s shoulder. Her soft features harden into a death mask. “I’m sorry,” I add, releasing her. “I just need to know if Fynn is safe before I go in there. What am I walking into?” Worry makes my hands tremble.
Henrietta scowls. “You shouldn’t have come here.”
Aha, so she can speak, but she’s choosing not to. “I had no choice.”
“Nothing good comes from you being here.” Is that a warning or a threat?
“If saving a little boy is a crime, then lock me up and throw away the key.”
“He will. You should leave while you still can.”
My stomach tightens. “Why do you work in the castle if you don’t like him?”
Henrietta curls inward. “I made?—”
“That’s enough, Henrietta.” Kosac’s voice resembles a venomous hiss.
