“I need a shower so I don’t dirty those fresh clothes,” I decide before popping the last cube of cheese in my mouth and hopping to my feet. Four sets of knights’ eyes snap to me, their muscles tensing as they wait for my usual chaos. We wait for a tempo, but nothing happens. I give them a thumbs up and place the plate on the table before striding to Theo’s door.
“Why my room?” he asks.
“You gave it up for Gwyneth, so now it’s the maidens’ room.”
I give them a finger wave as I close the door on their intoxicating masculinity. I’m drowning in hormones.
Dropping my clothes on the floor, I step inside the bathing chamber. Much like the other knights’ chambers, it’s opulent and welcoming, with dark granite tiles and gold fixtures. A tower of clean, fluffy towels sits on the side of the sink.
I twist the dial and marvel at the steady stream of heated water that pours from the overhead spout. A sigh leaves my lips as I stand under it and let it wash all the tension from my aching muscles down the grid beneath my feet.
A tempo passes before I realize I have to start moving or risk being hauled out of here by a knight or two. On second thought, perhaps I should stay.
Laughter drifts on an icy breeze across my skin. My brows lower and I swipe at the glass enclosure, but I’m alone. I shake my head. I think I need sleep before we start traipsing after mysterious bunnies. Everyone knows hallucinations are a symptom of exhaustion.
The peals of laughter get louder, bouncing off the tiled walls before attacking my skin in a flare of goosebumps. “Hello?” I call out.
“Daphne...”
Oh great, the crazy, discombobulated voice knows my name.
“Come closer,” she taunts. Awareness floods my veins. Crazy, yes, but not unknown.
Staying inside the shower, I glower at the mirror above the sink. “Not a chance, Malice. Go torment some other maiden.”
Her face forms in the mirror, and she pushes forward, stretching the surface out into our realm, while still caged inside Eron’s. Which makes me curious. Didn’t Eron say only mirror people had this ability?
“How are you communicating through the mirror?” I wonder.
Her lips twitch, and she sucks a finger into her mouth. “There’s an interesting little fact about Eron I recently discovered. His blood is enough to form a connection. Potent stuff.”
That spells disaster. Now Malice has a taste for it, she won’t stop.
“How did Hart taste after I’d had him?” she taunts.
The same rage flickers to life in my chest, but I combat it with images of Hart worshipping and owning my body.
“He tastes like mine,” I counter. “Always will.”
She scowls at me and sweeps her gaze down my body. “What do you have that I do not?”
“Sanity.”
She grins, slow and wicked. I don’t like it. “Sanity is useless if you are dead.”
Straight for the throat. Why isn’t she like the typical villain, beating around the bush while the chances of them being bested or disrupted increase by the tempo?
“What are you going to do? Bore me to death with veiled threats and nasty remarks? You are trapped inside of the mirror, and that is where you will stay. In fact...” I open my mouth wide and shout, “Eron!”
Malice snarls her displeasure. The door to the bathing chamber flies open and bangs against the tiles. A furious-looking Theo stomps into the room as Malice purses her lips and blows. My eyes widen as the glass shatters in a wild blast. Theo roars and throws himself over my body. He cradles my head as he shields me from Malice. Her laughter echoes before her icy presence dissipates.
Pain slices in my chest, stomach, and legs, and a scream of agony tears free from my throat.
Theo takes a step back and glances down. A flurry of curses leaves his lips as the rest of the knights storm into the bathingchamber. Malachi’s horrified stare should clue me in that I am in an even worse state than I believe.
“Daphne?” Hart whispers.
I glance down, bracing myself, but no amount of warning could prepare me for the multiple jagged pieces of glass protruding from my body. My head swims. “That looks bad,” I mumble.
