As if he senses my dread, he drops his mouth to my ear and whispers, “Don’t worry. The doors lock—from the outside.”
My eyes flare.
“I’m joking,” he adds with a wink.
Something takes hold of me—fear of being here, the strangeness of the moment—and a piece of me cracks open.
I laugh.
Eryx’s eyes twinkle.
“I’ll make sure the bedroom’s ready,” Stave says, and then adds, “Welcome.”
He bows so low I can tell that his blond hair is soft. “Thank you.”
“In the meantime”—Eryx gestures to the hall—“I’ll show you around.”
The manor—if you can call it that—is grand and sweeping, from the front entrance to the twin staircases that lead to the second floor.
It is all very, very cold looking, though warm inside.
Servants greet us, and Eryx leans over again, reminding me to keep eye contact.
And somehow, even though it’s all gray, the place is beautiful—elegant, masculine and reserved, like him.
“How did you become the Nightmare King?” I ask as he shows me all the rooms—the study, the kitchen—which is downstairs—the solarium, which has the first pop of color I’ve seen this whole time, the ballroom, and so many more.
He opens a door and gestures to an indoor pool. “The pool. Don’t worry, it’s heated.”
We walk inside and it’s divine—a long Olympic-sized pool with chairs and a glass roof. “You may come anytime.”
“Do you swim?”
He nods.
“Nightmare kings swim?”
His mouth twitches. “Nightmare kings do all kinds of things.”
“And do they tell their new wives how they became the king?”
His eyes narrow for a beat before they relax again. “I inherited the position from my father when he died.”
His voice is tight, like there’s something he’s holding back.
“It must be hard infecting people with nightmares all the time.”
He frowns. “Infecting people…is that what you think I do?”
“Isn’t it?”
He places a hand on his hip and drops his head. When he looks up, he’s laughing. “Most people think I’ll just kill for no reason. But is that what the people of Castleview believe? That I’ll curse them?”
I shift my weight from one foot to the other. “I mean, is that a trick question?”
He shakes his head. “Let me show you to your room.”
Eryx starts to head off, and I scurry to keep up with him. “Wait. Aren’t you going to tell me the truth?”
