Me too, I almost say. But instead I just hug her again, wrestling down the tears that threaten to spill.
No. I won’t cry. This might not be the way I saw myself getting married, but this is how it is, so I’ll accept my fate gracefully.
“It’s okay. I’ll be fine,” I tell her, breaking the hug and taking her hands.
She scans my face as if looking for the cracks in my statement. But I hold my head high.
“It’s time for us to leave,” I say, not knowing if this is really true or not. But I can’t stay here with my family. The longer I linger, the harder it will be to leave.
“What about Addison and Blair? You’re not going to wait for them to arrive?”
I shake my head. “I’ll see them later. Give them my love.”
Then I turn from my mother and make my way to Eryx. His eyes tighten as I approach, as if he expects me to want to renege on the whole thing.
“I’m ready to go home,” I tell him.
He studies me a moment, his expression unreadable, before nodding. “Can’t keep my new wife waiting.”
He thanks my father for everything, and then he takes my hand and escorts me out the door.
The Nightmare District is no different during the day than it was at night, and that’s because it’s always nighttime here.
Men walk down the streets dressed in deep black suits and women in bloodred dresses that are completely in fashion—long pleated skirts, button-down shirts tucked into them, with silver earrings dangling from their ears and big silver necklaces with moonstones fastened to them.
I hadn’t seen many people last night at the ball, but now I do. The women are beautiful, and the men are lithe and quick, smoke trailing them as if their shadows are fighting to keep up.
The whole district smells like rain on stone—that sharp, earthy scent that clings in the air after a storm.
And they greet Eryx—all of them, looking into his eyes and nodding like Eryx is one of them and not their king, not the man who wields primal magic.
And it’s not fear—no one looks at Eryx as if they fear him. They look at him as if they respect him.
“Keep eye contact,” he murmurs as we walk.
“With whom?”
“With anyone and everyone. We respect eye contact here. This isn’t the place for softness or uncertainty.”
Shadows slip past us on their own. They move so quickly it’s hard to tell what they are—but when one slows, I’m able to make out four legs—a dog, maybe?
We reach the manor, and he opens the door for me. When I walk inside, the gray walls make me hold my breath. The manor was a sight to behold yesterday, but now, today, knowing that this is my new home, my throat shrinks.
There’s so much gray and silver.
Frankly the place could use some color.
Eryx steps inside and says to a man dressed in a silver-hued suit with black thread—it’s the man who let me out onto the balcony last night—“Stave, Chelsea Thornrose and I just got married. Let’s celebrate. Have the kitchen make a ton of food.” He smiles at me. “Would you prefer a quiet night in or do you want a party?”
“I thought you hated crowds.”
“It depends on who it is. I can endure a few people if they’re the right ones.”
I frown. Who is this man? Yesterday he hated crowds, and now he’s interested in having a party.Okay, deep breath.“Maybe we’ll save the party for another night. I should learn this house and meet the people who work here, don’t you think?”
“Whatever you want.” He claps his hands together. “Stave, on second thought cancel the party. However, we will need a bedroom for the new mistress. Please set her up”—Eryx glances at me and lifts his eyebrows—“across from me.”
A cold shudder makes my spine wobble. Across from Eryx? I’ll be sleepingacrossfrom him?
