Maybe the library is in the next room… I’m not ready to ask if super speed is a thing. Instead, I answer her question.
“Maybe just the hot chocolate.”
She hands me a warm mug like it’s a peace offering. “Let me lead the way, then.”
As we exit, I glance back at Iris, expecting some parting wisdom or one last threat wrapped in sarcasm. But she just waves, and her billowy floral sleeve sways dramatically as if she’s mid-seance. Honestly, not even that would surprise me at this point.
Following Liz is the easiest thing I’ve done since setting foot in NightShade. Thankfully, she doesn’t lead me back to the bedroom with shattered windows and a crossbow. Instead, we continue on and stop at a door marked ten on the third floor.
“Here we are.” She unlocks it with an oversized skeleton key and then passes it to me. “This is the only copy. That said, Iris has a master key. She could get in anyway.”
“Of course she does,” I mutter, dragging my feet into the room with what little strength I have left. “Has she always been this…eccentric?”
I don’t want to call her crazy out loud, but consideringpickle juice, let’s be honest, the truth is written on the walls here.
Liz chuckles as she lingers in the doorway. “Yes and no. Things got more interesting after your mom left. It was hard on Iris, but she means well. I know she’s a lot. And her history with Jocelyn wasn’t exactly warm, but I’ve worked here for twenty years. Iris Prescott cares more than she lets on.”
My stare goes blank as I try to process her employment of two decades alongside the fact that she looks maybe thirty at most. I could ask, but I don’t.
“Right,” she says, seeming to notice my spiraling thoughts. “Well, I’ll let you get some rest. I’m in room eight if you need anything. I’m a light sleeper, and I don’t need much rest, so don’t worry about waking me.”
“Thanks,” I say, offering a small smile. “Hopefully I’ll be out cold.”
“Hopefully,” she echoes with a grin before lifting one finger like she’s about to reveal a secret. “Oh! You don’t know how to use the room.”
I raise a brow. “Use the room? Don’t I just…sleep in it?”
“Well, yes, but just wait. You’re going to love this.” Liz crosses to the four-poster bed, brushing her palm across the blue comforter. “Lavender.”
I wait, but nothing happens. I was expecting purple bedding, or at this point, maybe glitter falling from theceiling. Instead, a few seconds later, the scent hits—sweet and calming, like a summer night wrapped in warmth.
My head jerks up. “How?”
“Magic,” Liz smirks. “The manor’s equipped with a few extra amenities you won’t find in the human world.” She pats the mattress. “Come lie down.”
Doing as she says, I crawl onto the bed—heaving myself up thanks to its ridiculous height—and nearly melt into the pillows. They’re lush, but it’s the softening beneath me that begins to cocoon me, wrapping me in weightless warmth, that has me sighing out loud.
“Is this one of those Sleep Number beds?” I mumble.
She scrunches her face. “No. Magic. Like I said before.”
“Right.” I’m not sure how it’s making this the most comfortable surface to ever exist, but I’m not about to argue with it.
Liz gestures toward another door across the room. “In there is the bathroom. It’s enchanted with an instant-dry feature once you step out of the shower—which also changes scents like the bed—and you won’t need any towels. The floors warm up when you walk barefoot, and your closet is magically enhanced, too. It’ll give you a full wardrobe, all in your size. I set it according to what you brought in your luggage, which has already been sorted and put away.”
My mouth opens, but no words come out. It all sounds like a dream, but after everything I’ve seen tonight, I know it’s not. Yet, my mind still stumbles trying to keep up.
“I know it’s overwhelming,” Archie pipes up from my shoulder, making me jump. “But you’ll get used to it soon enough.”
Yeah, just like I’m going to get used to him talking.
“Should I know about anything else in the house that’s going to do things without my realizing it?” I ask Liz, hoping this is all.
“Breakfast is another…unique service, but we’ll go over that tomorrow.” She winks. “Pajamas are in the third drawer on the left of your closet if you can manage to get out of the bed.”
I think she’s teasing, but part of me panics that the mattress might actually hold me hostage. I sit up and hop out before she’s even closed the door.
“Good night, Rowan,” she calls out with a smirk, leaving me alone.
