Biting her lip, she wondered why the angel had told her it was a gift.
Chapter 20
The Garden
Elizabeth trudged back into the castle, soaked to the bone. The sky had opened up the moment she left Veridas, as if the weather itself had conspired against her.
Too exhausted to protest, she let Fiza fuss and fret, massaging oils into her hair and applying products to her face while Elizabeth soaked in a bath. She lazed about in the warm water and took her time getting out. She didn’t care about being late for dinner—half the time Caspian wasn’t even there.
In the end, she stood dressed in a sweeping gown of deep plum, with her hair pulled back into an elegant knot at the base of her skull.
When Fiza finished, Elizabeth took a moment to truly look at herself in the mirror. Her time in the north had changed her. Her hair had darkened from burnished gold to honey brown, and her skin had become pale here, despite her morning rides outside. Dark circles shadowed her eyes that had never been there before—she looked older, wearier than her years now.
Being away from her mother who constantly griped at her to mind what she ate and stay slim, she had gained weight. Her body looked healthier and fuller now. Her mother would have hated the change, but she liked it—she no longer looked so innocent and breakable.
Fiza draped sparkling onyx jewels at her throat and wrists—a final touch that completed the transformation. She fingered the dark stones. She looked like the mistress of a dark lord, which she supposed was exactly what Fiza had intended.
She looked at Fiza, who was looking back at her with a look of friendship and care. Suddenly, she felt a familiar tingling sensation behind her eyes, and the world shifted out from under her. Before she could stop it, she slipped into Fiza’s mind.
Hmm ...Fiza fretted. Would the sapphire necklace have looked better? What colour tunic will Master Caspian be wearing? Lady Elizabeth is so good and kind to me, much kinder than the last one. It is almost like we are friends.
Elizabeth came to herself with a jolt and a gasp.
She looked at Fiza, smiling warmly. Perhaps the angel had given her this gift so that she might tell who meant her harm and who did not.
Elizabeth looked at the demon and said, “Thank you for all you do, Fiza. I appreciate you.”
Fiza’s brow furrowed for a moment and then smoothed out. “Not at all, my lady.”
When Fiza was satisfied with her appearance, Elizabeth descended the stairs and entered the great hall. To her dismay, Caspian was there tonight, along with Finnigan and Asmodeus.
“Hello, Caspian. Hello, Finnigan,” she said quietly, curtseying and taking her place.
She fixed her attention on her meal and ignored her dining partners. A sense of unease gathered in her stomach as Caspian stared at her unblinkingly while she cut a piece of roast duck, delicately spearing it with her fork.
“We almost missed you, Elizabeth. We were just about to retire for the evening,” Caspian drawled. “How busy you’ve been lately. One might think you are hungry for more … adventures.”
She swallowed and murmured she had no wish for any more adventures. Caspian nodded, as if he had expected nothing less, and returned to brooding in silence, which amused her a little. He didn’t know half of what she had been up to, and she wanted to keep it that way.
Caspian looked tired too. She noted his eyes housed large shadows underneath them tonight, worse than her own.
She watched him grasp his goblet and bring it to his lips. Her eyes caught on the veins that travelled up the back of his hand. His strong looking fingers.
Despite the red contents of the goblet and what he was, Elizabeth pressed her lips together and found herself wondering what a demon would be like as a lover. If they liked the same things as a regular man, or if their desires ran … darker.
Caspian started, his eyes snapping to hers.
Embarrassed to have been caught staring, she quickly looked down. She hadnotbeen thinking about him like that.
She glanced up through lowered lashes and saw Caspian staring at her, his chin lowered, and lips ticked up in the corners—like he knew exactly what traitorous thoughts were running through her mind.
At least that answered the question of whether demons could read minds. She wondered whether he always read her thoughts when he was near her, or whether he rarely did, thinking her too boring to bother.
Caspian returned to his conversation with Asmodeus, ignoring her for the rest of the meal.
The latter, then.
Elizabeth finished her plate in silence and considered the implications. It was a violating thought, not to be safe in her own mind. She pursed her lips. Perhapshe only caught flashes of what she was thinking if she was looking directly at him. She would have to experiment to see if she could find a way to stop him from reading her thoughts as easily as she read a book.
