“Get settled in. The healer will come by shortly to make sure you’re well. When you’re ready, someone will fetch you for supper.”
She didn’t wait for a reply or a thank-you. She simply left.
Daemon and I stood in the living room of the cabin. On either side of the space were two doors, each leading to a bedroom.
“I’m going to freshen up.”
Daemon nodded, but he was already inspecting the place for anything out of order.
I entered the room closest to me on the right and found myself in a cozy space furnished simply, a small bed, a desk, a lamp, and a nightstand. On the far side of the room, an open door revealed the bathroom.
Beside the bed sat a pair of shoes.
I walked over and picked one up.
Strangely, it looked my size. I slipped off the sandals Daemon had made for me and tried the shoe on. It fit perfectly. They were far more comfortable than the straw sandals I’d been wearing.
A dress lay folded neatly on the bed. It bore a distinct Fae style, similar to the one Lyralei wore. I removed my worn, travel-stained clothes, thin enough that even a slight breeze could cut through them, and pulled the dress on.
As I gathered my discarded clothing, my hands stilled around the straw sandals.
Memories of my night with Daemon on the watchtower flooded my mind. Though we’d been fighting for survival, the image that lingered most vividly was of him kneeling to slip these sandals onto my feet. I blushed at the memory of his dark eyes lifting to meet mine, the way his hair fell carelessly away from his face and across his broad shoulders.
Warmth crept into my cheeks.
Then I remembered his touch, how his fingers had brushed gently against my ankles. My thoughts unraveled after that, dissolving into sensation rather than words.
Standing suddenly felt like too much effort, so I sank onto the bed, somehow both empty-minded and entirely consumed by thoughts of Daemon at the same time. I set the sandal beside me, heat still rising to my face, but forced myself to stop before my thoughts could wander further.
Now wasn’t the time.
I drew in a steady breath, pushed aside the confusion of emotion, and walked into the bathroom to splash cold water over my face.
When I looked into the mirror, I saw a girl who looked as though she had survived several wars.
The fact that Daemon had seen me like this bothered me more than it should have.
I began to fix my hair and wash up, preparing for a dinner I had no idea what to expect from.
CHAPTER 10
SERIS
The Fae who guided me through Vaelthorne’s winding streets moved with the same gliding grace as Lyralei, something noticeably inadequate in Daemon’s and my own movements. I followed a step behind as my makeshift sandals whispered against the brick path beneath us. Gardens heavy with fruit pulsed with life as light bounced off the clear streams that ran through Vaelthorne.
The air itself felt different here, warmer, softer. As if reality had listened to the wishes of its people and granted them peace.
My guide slowed as we approached an arched doorway. Beyond it, I heard voices layered over one another in lively conversation. My chest tightened for reasons I couldn’t quite name.
“This is the dining hall,” she said, jerking her thumb toward the door. “Many of us are excited to meet you. You are Lyanna’s daughter, after all.”
The pressure in my chest deepened, settling uncomfortably in my stomach. No one had ever been excited to see me for any reason other than to use me as a weapon. Though these Fae meant me no harm, I couldn’t stop memories of Blackstone Keep from surfacing, of stone walls and iron bars and the suffocatingdark. My jaw tightened involuntarily. My fists clenched without permission.
The dining hall opened before me like something from a dream I’d never dared to imagine.
It was vast, large enough to hold the entire village. Long tables carved from wood, each big enough to seat forty or fifty Fae, stood in orderly formation across the hall. Nearly every inch of their surfaces was covered in plates overflowing with food, freshly caught game and vegetables grown in peace and prosperity.
The ceiling soared high above, dotted with floating orbs of light that shimmered and circled one another in slow, graceful patterns.
