“Sorry we don’t have much of that here.” I wrinkled my nose as I looked at the austere castle towering over us. “Have you visited any of the Moroi Houses? All of them have spectacular murals.”
Most of the Velesian strongholds also had artwork, but not to the same extent as the Moroi ones. I couldn’t figure out why exactly, because in both realms, there was a mix of Unseelie and Seelie castles. It did seem like the castles built in the Velesian realm were newer, so perhaps they just hadn’t had time to fully decorate them before Erendriel and the Seelie had cast their magic to destroy the Unseelie—basically themselves.
“I haven’t had the opportunity to visit the Moroi realm.” She hesitated for a moment. “My family, like many of the Fervis Order, hate the Moroi. My parents almost didn’t let me go to Drudonia because they knew it meant I’d be interacting with the Moroi during my time there.”
“And you?” I asked carefully. “How do you feel about the Moroi?”
She shrugged, somehow making it look elegant. “They’re not that different from us. So they drink blood instead of turning into beasts? We’re all monsters, and we have far more in common with them than not.”
I relaxed a little. Not that it really mattered since I wouldn’t be here long term, but from the little I knew about Selene, I liked her. If she’d had a different response to my question, that would have strained things. Because pretty face or not, if she’d talked shit about Samara, I would have punched her.
“I hope I’ll get the chance to visit some of the Moroi Houses someday.” Selene’s lips curved into an almost shy smile. “I’ve heard they’re stunning.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her I’d bring her to see them, but I held back. I hoped I would part with the Alpha pack on mostly good terms, but there would still be tension between us. Ryker would hate me. And gods knew how Warrick would take the news.
He might be glad I was finally gone or he might see it as confirmation that I was a traitor.
In either case, it wasn’t likely they would let Selene visit me for a long time.
“Where’d you go?”
I blinked and found her looking at me with a mix of curiosity and concern. In the bright afternoon sun, her cat-like slit pupils were barely visible, and it made the blue of her eyes stand out even more.
“Sorry.” I dismissed my axes, causing her gaze to drop to the one she’d been holding. “Just a lot on my mind. I should get back to my research.”
I started to walk down the path that led to the back entrance of the castle. Selene trailed after me. “Can I ask what you’re researching?”
“Umm . . . nothing all that important,” I lied. “Just trying to fix a Fae mirror. It’s missing a piece that is apparently the heirloom of a Fae family. I think I’ve seen it somewhere, but I have yet to track down a crest that has carvings of a night sky framed by wings.”
“Is it silver?”
I stopped so suddenly that Selene crashed into my back. I whirled around, hands landing on her shoulders to steady her as I searched her face. “Have you seen it?”
Her hands rested gently on my arms as she chewed her bottom lip. “Yes,” she finally said. “But you’re not going to like where.”
Cold rain battered against me, soaking my thin attire and seeping into my skin. My fingers dug into the stone ledge, and I tried to force my body to stop trembling. Which was getting harder by the second, and not because of the bone-chilling rain.
Despite my tendency to climb, I didn’t actually enjoy heights. Like most lycans, I preferred my feet firmly on the ground. But pragmatism always won over fear for me, which was why I was currently scaling a forty-foot wall. I’d hatched this plan during dinner because Ryker had been acting extra pushy tonight but I needed to speak with Bastian. His room was at the top of a tower above the west wing, not far from mine . . . just a little higher.
It’d seemed so easy in my mind to just climb from my balcony to his. I mean, he did it often enough, and there was no way I was going to let Bastian best me at something. Plus, it meant I could completely avoid Ryker, who I suspected would not be happy at all if I told him I needed to speak with Bastian alone.
I hadn’t, however, taken the weather into account. Dark clouds had rolled in over the course of dinner, and by the time I’d made it back to my room, it’d begun sprinkling. Less than two minutes into my journey, the light rain had turned into a downpour. I should have turned back immediately, but instead, I’d powered on, and now I was closer to Bastian’s balcony than mine.
Fuck. It’d been so much easier sneaking out of my bedroom at Drudonia when Cali could just pick me up and fly us down.
Wind snapped at me, causing my hair to whip across my face. I squinted and could just make out the balcony railing. Ten feet. I could make it another ten feet.
I slid my toes along the ledge I was balanced on. That had been the other brilliant part of my plan—going barefoot. The ledges along the walls of the castle were purely decorative and not all that deep. I’d thought my boots would be too slippery with the rain. Now, I missed the rigidness of them. My toes were getting tired from bearing most of my weight.
Little bit farther.
Lightning cracked overhead and I flinched but managed not to slip. Slowly, I closed the distance until I was almost within reach of the railing. I took a deep breath and dug in with my left hand before reaching out with my right.
“Do you have a death wish, Princess?” My head snapped up to see Bastian standing several feet back on the balcony, shrouded in darkness, only his green eyes glowing faintly as they caught the moonlight.
“You could help!” I snapped.
“Could I?”
